Souvenir_Magazine

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony,Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch December 2nd – 9th 2017 A recollection of events

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Musical Offering Nivedanam Shree Shashtih by Pandit Barun Kumar Pal 2 December 2017; 6.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.Those of us who have been frequenting the Delhi Ashram need no formal introduction to PanditBarun Kumar Pal. For, countless are the number of occasions here where we have been thoroughlyimmersed and enraptured by the effect of his soulful and harmonizing music. Yet, by way ofintroducing him to the few who are perhaps his first-time audience, he is the foremost disciple ofBharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar. He is an accomplished solo performer, composer, music director,and a dedicated guru of several successful disciples around the world. He is associated with ourAshram and The Mother’s International School for the past 25 years. In his capacity as composerand music director, he has had more than 30 musical workshops to his name in our Ashram in Delhi,Kechla, Madhuban, Van Niwas, Pondicherry, and Auroville.With Barun-da, we had two renowned tabla players: Shri Ravishankar Singh and Shri SouravSeshan. They were joined by two senior disciples who are visiting music teachers at The Mother’sInternational School, Smt. Radhika Samson on Sitar and Shri. Ramanan Venkataraman on theHansaveena. We also had with us Shri Pravar Tandon on the Bansuri.As a distinct musical offering for this remarkable evening, we had a special composition by Barun-da which was created exclusively for the commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of theEnshrinement of Sri Aurobindo’s Relics here at our Ashram. It is set to the raga Shree, which is thefirst of the 31 Guru Granth Sahib ragas and set to the tala Shashtih. Raga Shree evokes the mood ofmajesty combined with prayerful meditation. There are 60 beats to this special composition asdenoted by the title of the tala, Shashtih.It is extremely interesting to recall here the circumstances in which the vision for today’s compositionmanifested in Barunda’s consciousness. It spontaneously came to him recently when he was sittingon the banks of the river Ganges on the occasion of his birthday, during which time he had gone ona tour to Varanasi and so he has aptly named the composition ‘Nivedanam Shree Shashtih’. As themusical evening unfolded, we were magnetically drawn to the melodious infusion of the strings ofthe sitar and the Veena, the beats of the Tabla, and the winds of the Bansuri. There was a beautifultransition from the soothing and heavenly pace of the beginning to the powerful and evocative paceof the crescendo.Long after the rendition was over, we could still feel the ripples of the musical evening gentlystringing the Ashram’s atmosphere of harmony, silence, and beauty. *** 2

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch The Rishi By Prof. Manoj-das On 8th December, 2017 Report by Ms. Smita Goyal A person of a number of awards and accolades, Prof. Manoj-das has been a person of conviction sincehis early age. He was a leader with radical ideas courting jail and playing a prominent part in the Afro-Asian Students Conference at Bandung in 1956. His deeper quest led him to mysticism and he has beenan inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry since 1963 where he currently teaches EnglishLiterature and the Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo at the Sri Aurobindo International University. In 1971his research in the archives of London and Edinburgh brought to light some of the little-known facts ofIndia's freedom struggle in the first decade of the twentieth century led by Sri Aurobindo for which hereceived the first Sri Aurobindo Puraskar (Kolkata). Looked upon as our country’s foremost bi-lingualwriter, he has received a number of accolades: The Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award(1972), the SaraswatiSamman(2000) and the Padmashree (2001), to name only a few. The Akademi has also bestowed on himits highest honour, the Fellowship, reserved for “immortals in literature”. Five Universities havedecorated him with Honorary D.Litt. Over the years many research scholars have done their doctoralthesis on the works of Manoj-das, Dr. P. Raja being the first scholar to do so. Among the other importantpositions that Prof Manoj-das has held are, Member, General Council, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi1998–2002, and Author-consultant, Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore, 1983–85. He wasthe leader of the Indian delegation of writers to China (1999). Manoj-da started the talk by posing some very relevant questions like what sustained civilization, whatwe wanted to become, what was the basis of all intellectual and artistic pursuits, and what differentiatedhuman beings from other creatures. Quoting Sri Aurobindo from the Life Divine, he said, “that five basic aspirations of man can betraced in all our activities which are above the necessities of human existence like intellectual thinking,theosophy, spirituality, art and literature. They are seeking of God, light and knowledge, freedom, peaceand immortality.” All these aspirations were identified by the Rishis. Sri Aurobindo says, “The Rishi isone who sees or discovers an inner truth and expresses it through a self-reflective language, the mantra”.We know so little about the great Rishis who we read about in the Vedas. There is no other language thanthe Rigvedic Sanskrit that can express so beautifully with so few words. Such a language could havecome only after deep realization. These Rishis were the pioneers of Indian civilization and culture. The Vedas were succeeded by the Upanishads that were the scriptures that took some ideas ofthe Vedas and tried to explain these ideas through stories and legends. After the Upanishads, we see asystematic development of Indian literature in great epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Thepoets were Rishis Valmiki and Ved Vyasa. Then we find the great Puranas, again composed by the Rishis. 3

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchSri Aurobindo reminded us that it is an error to think that Rishis belonged only to the past. There aremany Rishis among us whom we do not recognize. The quest for immortality began with the Samudramanthan, churning of the ocean, when both the Gods and demons wanted to have the nectar, or amrit.The Gods won and became immortal. With the birth of humanity, for the first time we come across theconcept of immortality from the legend of Nachiketa. The purpose of his birth was to get liberation from all attachments to this world. Manoj-da sharedthe story of Markandeya and Savitri, where Rishi Chaturdhari attained victory over death and many otherstories depicting the powers of the Rishis and the play of occult powers. He said that there have beenmany kinds of Rishis, Maharishis, Brahmarishis, demon Rishis and devo Rishis. The Rishis played agreat role in explaining some of the Indian philosophical doctrines such as the concept of maya, relativityof time, dharma and truth. There are layers and layers of Truth so it’s not always a dilemma of Truth VsUntruth but sometimes about Truth Vs Truth. The 6 systems of Indian philosophy were all given to us bythe Rishis. Manoj-da concluded by posing another question to us as to what type of sophisticated laboratoriesdid ancient India have that so many truths and discoveries were made 1000 years ago which are beingproved right today through the use of scientific instruments and machines. Referring to the discovery ofthe medicinal qualities of ‘neem’ as mentioned in the Atharveda, the Rishis identified with theconsciousness of the plant and learnt of their inherent qualities. Manoj-da enthralled us with tales andstories of ancient rishis bringing alive the legends and epics. *** Workshop on Integral Health By Dr. Bijlani On 6th December 2017 Report by Ms. Smita Goyal About Prof. Ramesh Bijlani He is a jack of many trades. In the Ashram we know him as a writer and speaker, but before joining the Ashram about ten years ago, he had been teaching and doing research on nutrition at AIIMS, New Delhi. In the year 1992, while passing through a difficult phase of his life, he came to the Ashram to attend a Sunday Satsang to get some peace of mind. He got hooked to the Ashram, became a devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and started an in-depth study of their works. Starting 1998, he started giving a monthly talk in the Ashram in the Sunday Satsang series. In the year 2000, his personal and professional life converged when he initiated at AIIMS a patient care facility for providing lifestyle courses based on yoga for prevention and management of chronic disease. He took voluntary retirement in 2005 to find more time for disseminating yoga. He started living in the Ashram in 2006. Here he has been conducting workshops and courses on integral yoga, and continues to write. He has written 17 books and has more than 250 blogs on the Speaking Tree website. He believes that he is simply using the gift of communication that the Divine has given him for passing on small doses of love and wisdom from the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. 4

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch This workshop was attended by 30 people and was based on some basic questions to assess our currentstate of health based on our lifestyle, eating and sleep habits. Since scoring was done simultaneously, italso gave us an understanding on areas of improvement in order to have a joyous and happy, healthy life. 1. What is the total number of members in the family including live-in servants and pets living under the same roof? Studies have shown that people who live alone generally live less than people who live with others even with pets. 2. Do you go to sleep before 10pm? 3. Do you sleep for atleast 6 hours a day? Number of hours of sleep is as important as the time of sleep e.g. sleeping from 10pm to 5 am is healthier than sleeping from 2am to 9am even though in both cases one is getting 7 hours of sleep. 4. Do you have difficulty in falling asleep? 5. Are you a non-smoker/ ex-smoker/ smoker? 6. Do you drink regularly/ occasionally/ not at all? 7. How many helpings of fruit and vegetables do you have in a day? A participant enquired if eating fruits and vegetables together in one meal is healthy as some practitioners advise against it. 8. Which fats/ vegetable oils do you consume? 9. Does your everyday work include any physical activity? Do you walk/cycle to work, do you do any household work or are you leading a sedentary life-get in the car and sit on your chair all day? 10. What type of physical activity do you do? Walking, jogging, swimming, gym, yogasanas, pranayama. Dr Bijlani explained that scores for yogasanas was higher than for jogging or walking as yogasanas is the only form of physical activity where all muscles and organs of the body are exercised, one can do it anywhere, in any season and even a small time spent is beneficial and since it’s a slow movement there is no possibility of any injury. 11. Do you have a neighbor/ close friend to whom you are so close that you can walk into their home, open their fridge and say you are hungry? 12. Do you have a neighbor/ close friend that if you smell good food from their house you’ll go across and say “you cannot enjoy the meal alone, I too am eating here with you”. 13. In the city where you live, is there any relative or friend to whom you can call and say I am having a heart attack and they will immediately come? The last three questions aimed at understanding the depth of our relationships, whether they were formal or casual. People shared that as we grow older such informal, casual relationships become rare instead replaced by formality where one visits a friend or relative only on invitation. 14. Do you participate in the activities of some religious or social groups? If yes, how often do you visit such places? 15. How satisfied are you in the overall achievements of your family? In terms of their health, their educational goals, their job and position. 16. If you are travelling alone and there is an emergency, how will you feel-very afraid/ little afraid/ not afraid at all? 17. Do you meditate? If yes, how frequently? 18. What is the goal of your life-to have spiritual growth/ to have a good job and position/ to live a comfortable life? 19. Who is the most dependable support in your life-the Divine/ a family member/no one?These questions were quite basic on the surface but reveal a deep truth about the depth and intensity ofour relationships and about what gives us strength and support at times of need, are these external factorslike friends and relatives or our own internal strengths and beliefs.One participant shared that he found it very interesting and informative and will eagerly wait for anothersuch intense workshop. *** 5

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Crafting Beauty, Crafting Gods- Craft Renaissance in India By Dr.Vijaya Ramaswamy On 8th December 2017, from 9.00am to 10.30am Report by Ms. Archana and Ms. Smita Goyal About Dr. Vijaya Ramaswamy Vijaya Ramaswamy is a professor at the Centre for Historical Studies in the School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi. She is an alumni of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of California Berkeley in California in 1988–1989. She was teacher-fellow on an Indo-Canadian Fellowship at York University, Ontario, Canada, in 1998. Between1992-95, she was a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advance Study. From 2012 to 2014 she was Senior Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, (NMML). The Historical Dictionary of the Tamils, 2nd revised edition, published by the Scarecrow Press Inc, an imprint of Rowman and Little, Lanham, Maryland, USA, Toronto and London (first brought out in May 2007), is her latest publication, which came out in Oct 2017. Ramaswamy’s more recent books (both edited volumes) are Migrations in Medieval and Early Colonial India (Routledge, London,2016) and Women and Work in Pre-Colonial India (Sage, 2016) scheduled for release in September. Prior to these is her edited collection Devotion and Dissent in Indian History from Foundation Books, Cambridge University Press, 2014. Her interest in anthropology and folklore led to her book The Song of the Loom: Weaver Folk Tradittions, published by Primus in 2013. Her A to Z of the Tamils: The A to Z Guide Series, No.136, was published by the Scarecrow Press, UK, in 2010. The third edition of The Historical Dictionary of the Tamils is due in 2017. Among her best known publications are: Textiles and Weavers in Medieval South India, Oxford University Press, 1st ed.1985, 2nd ed.2006 and Walking Naked: Women, Society, Spirituality in South India, IIAS, Shimla, 1997 and 2007. Oxford University Press published her second book, Divinity and Deviance: Women in Virasaivism, in 1996. In 2003, she published her first edited book, Re-searching Indian Women, (Manohar Publisher in New Delhi). In the same year, she was elected president of the medieval India section of the 63rd Indian History Congress held in Mysore. In 2009 her co-edited book Biography as History: Indian Perspectives, was published by Oriental Black Swan. Outside her own academic field, her special interests are in philosophy, spirituality and the pursuit of Sanskrit studies. She speaks Sanskrit, English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam with a fair degree of fluency. We can reach God through many ways, a few being music, craft, art and architecture. Dr.Vijaya started the session saying she was a seeker rather than a professor and the reality of thingsexist in the mind. She talked about art in the architecture of Hampi in Karnataka. Today, art isdifferentiated from the craft. But in the ages of Mesolithic and Neolithic, arts were expressed in an 6

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchaesthetic way. Art was not diverse from its utility. It was made with love. Every act of creation waspreceded by meditation. Kalamkari, Himru, Chungudi, etc. are the icons of various crafts. Sheshowed many pictures of the architecture of the temples, some which do not exist today. Talkingabout Divinisation vs. mechanisation, she explained the concept behind the Vishwakarma puja thatusually happens on the 9th day of the Navaratras, where the art and the artist were worshipped bysurrendering and worshipping all the tools, books, etc. Symbolically it also meant the surrenderingof ourselves. Crafts were a part of the everyday vocabulary of the Indian people. Dr Vijaya quotedfrom a poem by Andal, a 7th century mystic saint, a Vaishnavite, from hiscomposition Nachiyartirumozhi, meaning ‘the sacred words of the Nachchiyar’, i.e. Andal, referringto Krishna: ‘My beautiful lover, it is as if he has put clay around me and poured molten metal intomy heart.’ Here Krishna is the craftsman and she the crafted object, the object of his love. The metalcasting technique referred to here is what is called ghanam in Tamil, which is solid casting. Andalcame from the heart of the metal craft producing areas, Nachiyakovil, Tiruchirappalli, Swamimalai,names we are familiar with. So this was a metaphor that was not far removed from her life and fromthe lives of people around her. When a temple came into being it was not just a temple, but also an entire townshipdeveloped around it. It had craftsmen, weavers, musicians and dancing girls. Almost every kind ofprofessionals were settled in and around the temple and the ‘Tirumadaivilagam’ that Tamil historianstranslate as a temple town emerged as the centre of craft activities. Building the temple would require masons (kal tachchan), carpenters (tachchan), andsmiths (karuman/kollar). Gold smiths (pon kollar) and jewel makers (ratna tayyan) who would makejewellery for the Gods and makers of icons or images of Gods (depending on whether the mediumwas bronze, wood or stone) had a special place in the society and economy of the temple buildingera. All these craftsmen were associated with the temple. Those craftsmen who were not part of thistemple building were socially pushed down like the village blacksmith. There are inscriptions thatrefer to different categories of stones that are relevant in terms of craft expertise and specialisation.There were male stones, female stones and neuter stones each of which could be used for differentpurposes. There was in fact a category of craftsmen called ‘Shila parikshika’ whose task was just toexamine these stones. Another interesting fact about these temple sites, some of which continue to beregarded as sacred places apart from being archaeological sites, is the presence of mason’s marks onmany of the stones. They appear like scribbles, but it is very rare to find inscribed names of thecraftsmen who built the temples. Sometimes you find the name of the sthapati, the chief architect orthe master craftsman, but not of the craftsmen working with him. In history, crafts persons were byand large anonymous; they did not sign their names. The revival of Tamil Sangam, Prathapa mudaliyar sarithiram (first novel in Tamil)enlightens on the freedom of craftsman in the later period.A few questions were addressed to Dr. Vijaya: 1. Question: What is the way forward in order to make craft profitable? Answer: The solution lies in retaining our culture even while we modernise ourselves. Example, khadi has been priced higher and that has worked towards its revival now a days. In a modernised sense, consumers practice what the culture gives. 2. Question: We think that by patronizing the crafts, we are encouraging the craftsmen. But do the profits go to the craftsmen? Answer: Giving the example of FabIndia, which is quite expensive as their overhead costs are quite high, Dr Vijaya said the answer lies in promoting and reviving the local bazaar, haat. 7

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch 3. Question: Where did the craftsman get their training? Answer: Traditional craftsman trained from their ancestors, it was an art passed on from generation to generation. In some cases, outsiders came and trained under the master.Dr. Vijaya concluded that the main force behind Indian art and culture has been spirituality. Therehas been a constant quest to achieve the Divine. Even though she has learnt a lot, she is still on aquest. *** Connecting the Dots…. pattern behind patterns….. By Anuradha On Sunday 3rd December 2017 3:00 - 4:30pmAround 63-65 participants waited eagerly for Anuradha’s session on Connecting the dots….patternsbehind patterns… Anuradha started with a question from the participants on “ what is India to them?”, “what doesIndia mean to them?”Diversity, roots, holy place, rich in cultural heritage,“What do you feel when you say I’m from India?”Love, proud, spiritual…Do you feel Love, pride when you see and hear about the rapes, corruption…….On a day to day basis,with the current realities, What do these words actually mean to you?What is the present reality?She shared that as she was researching for this workshop, she came across this question that a young girlhad asked Mother in 1965, “Mother I pray to you to save India from the Indians”. So the Mother replied,“Yes, it seems rather necessary”.Isn’t it contrary? On the one hand the Mother and Sri Aurobindo say, India is the Guru of the world, sheis spiritual, she is not just a piece of land, there is Divine Shakti and yet She agrees with the young girl.In 1966, the same girl said to the Mother, the political and economic situation in India is becoming moreand more precarious. Please save India from the Indians and make us worthy of your Grace. The Motherreplied, “the Divine’s grace is wonderful and almighty, and the ways of working of the Lord are full of adelightful sense of humour. “Two worksheets were given to every participant.She asked the participants to think as Indians in the collectivity- the reality of India that we are in touchwith, what strikes you most deeply? What do you think we should stop doing or start doing, somethingthat you think about often…something that is a burning issue for you.Firstly, Connecting the dots: Reflection 8

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch1) Reflect deeply on what you think needs to change in our attitudes as a collectivity ie India2) Based on this inner reflection, note down 3 primary traits that need to be addressed3) Next to each answer, write down why?4) Next, against each, note down one quality each that we need to develop in ourselves as a Collectivity that will help combat that traitTo explain better, she asked a participant to share-who said she is very concerned about poverty and isdeeply touched on seeing people starving. So the quality that she would develop in herself is “sharing”.When everyone had completed the first worksheet she asked a few to share-What bothers /disturbs you about India? What quality we need to develop?Dishonestyimmorality Sincerity, honesty, transparencyApathy towards the pain and suffering of others To understand our true self and the very purposeToo much religion, rituals of lifePolitical chaos-loss of time and public property Empathy, sharing, inclusiveness, concernAping the West mindlessly-degradation of our Being spiritual, mindfulness, observant,value system contemplative Intellectual honesty, tolerance Restoration of faith, balancing our faith with spiritualityThe questions are framed in the Indian scenario i.e. the need for changes in our attitudes as a collectivityie in India. There were discussions on how to connect the dots of attitudes with the challenges. One hasto understand the behaviours of others and if they felt any drawbacks in it, they should not blame othersbut and should correct themselves to reach the higher consciousness in life. Many commented that thesystem needs to be changed. Analysing the interactions and understanding various comments, it wasclarified that \"systems would not change without the individual’s change of attitudes\". Qualities likeSelf-confidence, Sense of Responsibility etc has to be inculcated in the minds of the people. That helpsto grow individually and that leads to the collectively make a higher change.Anuradha suggested everyone reads “Living Within”, by A.S. Dalal, a compilation from the works of theMother and Sri Aurobindo and a practical guide on how to live a beautiful, purposeful and harmoniouslife.She shared a quote of The Mother where She uses “Life as a Mirror”. The Mother says whatever shocksus in others is because it is already in us, we don’t recognize it in ourselves so when we see it in otherswe get upset and shocked.Secondly, Connecting the dots: Actions1) Reflect…..in what way do you manifest the same traits2) How can you enhance the 3 qualities in your own life? What shift would you need to bring in yourself, in your approach to work, and in your actions to achieve this?3) How can you work on these traits in the collective through whatever you are engaged with presently? Write out atleast one concrete, tangible action that you can take for each, or an integrated action for all 34) What will help you remain focused on the connection between your action and the larger picture?One participant shared an insight that came to her in this whole process was that though she was veryobservant and lived her life according to values like honesty, sincerity, mindfulness etc., but she realizedthat with different people she is different, her way of being at times changes as per the person in frontand the circumstances. 9

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchAnuradha summarized that we have learned how to connect the problems of society with our life andunderstand the need for internal changes of the qualities that will make a collective renaissance. Adifferent perspective spur the person to think, analyse and act to make a possible solution to aproblem. Self-actualisation will make much more contribution to touch the consciousness and take it toa greater height. Learning will be fulfilled by asking probing questions and finding the solutions. Theprocess of “the known to the unknown” and the acquisition of wisdom through knowledge that getssatisfied is the purpose of living. Sri Aurobindo says its not our job to bring down the Superman-He’salready doing that. Our job is “to change”-change human nature, tangible changes. Sri Aurobindo and theMother have written it down so beautifully, we read them but have made it a religion, but do not followit, practice it Anuradha connected the dots of reflection and action in “changing the traits to face thechallenges in this modern era”.Anuradha shared a story to clarify the difference in question 3 and 4 which are almost alike. A story ofthree history teachers and their perception of the work they do. The first one said,\" Oh I don’t do much,I just teach history to students\". The second said, \" I’m in the profession of education and I teach historyto school kids\". The third one said, \"I am shaping the destiny of this nation, I teach young minds howthey make history\".It’s the same work but it’s important how they perceive what they do, and that will change their attitude,their approach. The answers are changing every time and alters the perception but the questions remainsthe same. Different notion emerges but the micro initiative will lead to a macro success in the largerpicture.We feel the flame at times, specially when we attend such workshops, attend spiritual talks, visitPondicherry, visit the ashram but the challenge is how do we keep the flame burning all the time ……..People who had attended this session left the Hall of Yoga with full confidence over themselves to makea change individually and collectively. *** The Significance of Relics By Dr. V. Ananda Reddy On 7th December, 2017Report by Ms. Archana and Ms. Smita Goyal About Dr. V. Ananda Reddy Dr. Reddy, the Founder-Director of Sri Aurobindo Centre of Advanced Research, Puducherry is a well known figure among the scholars and devotees of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He is also the Chairman of the \"Institute of Human Study\" Hyderabad. The only aim of his life has been to disseminate Sri Aurobindo's vision to every corner of India and the world. He has travelled wide across India, to USA, Europe and far East to share his insights and research on Sri Aurobindo's works. His deep understanding of his works has come about by his incessant study for last 50 years. Dr. Reddy got his school and undergraduate education from Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, commonly known as Ashram School. Living directly under the care of the Mother from 1958, he had had many interviews and letter exchanges with Her. With the Mother's blessings he also served in Auroville for about seven years after which he chose to do his Masters from Hyderabad University and PhD in Philosophy from Madras University. He worked in Pondicherry University while doing his Post-Doctoral Research for some time and then went to Assumption University Bangkok, Thailand where he taught for three years to return to India and build SACAR. He has to his credit about 800 hours recorded talks giving explanations of Sri Aurobindo's major works. He has also brought out edited versions of his talks on The Life Divine and has authored over 100 articles on various themes on Sri Aurobindo's works. For his wide contributions towards Sri Aurobindo Scholarship he was given \"Sri Aurobindo Puraskar\" and \"Auro- Ratna\" Awards. 10

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchAnanda Reddy started the session with the story of Dakshya Yagya. He said that everyone has anemotional association with the relics be they be of The Buddha or any great saints. Relics are an act ofcreation, manifestation, an embodiment of the Supreme taking up a form, a body. Referring to theUpanishads Dr Reddy said, “it is He that has gone abroad that which is bright, bodiless, without scars ofimperfection, without sinews, pure or unpierced by evil”. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, “leaning, pressingdown upon my nature, I create all this multitudes of existence”. This is the first embodiment when theSupreme embodied himself by the power of His yogamaya. How does the Supreme Satchidanand leapinto the act of manisfestion? Sri Krishna tells Arjuna, “by me all this Universe has been extended in theephemeral mystery of my Being, all existences are situated in Me, not I in them”. One of the mostremarkable descriptions of the Absolute embodying Himself is of the Purushashukta, by the vedic RishiNarayana. There is a vedic hymn that deals with the conditions prior to Creation and manifestation, acondition both of change and immutability. The hymn deals with the transformation of the Supremeperson and the process of world formation, of the transcendantal becoming the Universal. It is an eternalprocess by which the Infinite becomes the Finite.One can trace this embodiment process right from the Supreme Act to the presence of the Mother and SriAurobindo on this earth to be able to understand the significance of the Relics going out of Pondicherryfor the 1st time on 5th December 1957, when the Mother sent the Relics to the Delhi Ashram.Referring to the Life Divine where Sri Aurobindo tells us in reference to the Gita, “there are two aspectsof the Divine birth, one is a descent, the birth of God in humanity, and the Godhead manifesting itself inthe human form and nature-the Eternal Avatar. The other is an ascent, the birth of man in the Godhead,man rising into the Divine nature and consciousness- the soul. The soul is the divine spark that dwells atthe centre of each Being. It is identified in its origin as the Divine in man. It is interesting how the Motherand Sri Aurobindo have differentiated between the soul and the Psychic Being. The Psychic Being isformed progressively around the Divine center, the soul. It is the external form and when fully formedand wholly awakened becomes the conscious sheath of the soul around which it is formed. The Mothergives a beautiful example of a bulb, the tungsten within the bulb is the soul and the bulb around is thePsychic Being. The soul puts on a progressive individual form which becomes the psychic being. It isthus that the psychic being takes on a body, a form and name with a distinct purpose of divinisation ofmatter. According to The Mother, “with each new form it produces, nature makes a form capable ofexpressing more completely the spirit which this form contains. But if it were like this, a form comes,develops, reaches its highest point and is followed by another form, though the others do not disappearbut the individual too does not progress. The individual dog and monkey for instance belong to a specieswhich has its own peculiar characteristic. When the monkey and the man arrive at the height of itspossibilities ie when a human individual becomes the best type of humanity, it will be finished.”Sri Aurobindo in The Life Divine talks about the Double Theory of Evolution-birth and rebirth. For aspiritual theory of evolution, this evolution by Rebirth is more important than evolution by birth. One isa collective evolution of the species, the other is the individual evolution of every human being that isborn upon this earth.Sri Aurobindo has emphasised that we have to change our consciousness, improve our soul without whichhumanity may destroy itself under the heavy burden of its scientific discoveries. It is becoming a lopsidedcreation. In the Bhagvada Gita, Krishna says, “whensoever there is the failing of the Dharma and theuprising of the unrighteousness then I lose myself forth into birth.” Sri Aurobindo says, “The Avatardoesn’t come only for the sake of establishing a new law, a new Dharma. That can be upheld by theDivine omnipotence. HE can send vibhutis, great people, saints.”When asked by a disciple, “what is incarnation? From what plane does it take place?” Sri Aurobindoreplied, “ an incarnation is the Divine Consciousness and Being manifesting through the body. It ispossible from any plane.” The Divine will descend from a particular plane as per the need of Evolution,a plane that goes in accordance with the evolution of the human consciousness. You cannot compare anyAvatar with the previous Avatars because each of them have come from different planes. Giving anexample of the Dasavatar, Dr. Reddy said that Satchidanand doesn’t always come from the highestheights. Each Avatar brings to humanity only that much of the dosage that we can absorb. 11

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchVamana-dwarf, came from the plane of the physical consciousnessParshurama-the Divine in the kinetic and vitalistic phase of humanityRama-the mental man, embodiment of the mental moral consciousnessSri Krishna-the Divine exemplifying the overmental consciousnessSA-the Divine exemplifying the Supramental consciousnessA sadhak asked of Sri Aurobindo, “we believe that both you and the Mother are Avatars. Is it only in thislife that both of you have shown your Divinity? It is said that both you and the Mother have been on earthconstantly since its Creation. What were you doing during your previous lives?” He replied, “Carryingon the evolution.”In their previous births they have come as vibhutis, it’s the first time that they have come to earth asAvatars. Dr Reddy wondered why Amal Kiran has called them “kalki avatars.” Is it not important toconsider the Mother and Sri Aurobindo as persons, as physical bodies, as embodiments of theSupramental consciousness? For the sake of the physical transformation we have to consider the Motherand Sri Aurobindo as a body incarnate with a Divinity.Sri Aurobindo commented once, “If Indians can see the Divine in a stone, then why can we not see HIMin a person?” The Mother had once said to Chitra Sen, a sadhak ,“I’m not from among you, I’ve comefrom very great heights.”To another devotee who had asked, “Mother, we hear that you are Mahasaraswati?”, The Mother had said“yes” and showed her the form (roopa). Similarly she showed her all Her four forms-Maheshwari,Mahakali and MahaLakshmi. She has shown these 4 forms to many disciples.Dr. Reddy shared a quote from the book “The Supreme” on the Mother by Mona Sarkar where the Mothersays, “Wheresoever I have placed my feet there is an activity of the force of transformation which makesthe earth consciousness vibrate. How in this obscure and solid inconscience, this mass of ignorance, ofimpenetrable tamas, where never a light was seen, now one sees atlast a clearing, a ray of light lighteningup this tiny mass. In the very depths of the nucleus of these atoms, I’ve kindled a flame which awakenswith a quaver, like a palpitation. A world where nothing was, there are blind realms of matter where itlay inert and mute in a deep slumber without light, there comes a vibration eminating from the SupremeWill and matter trembles, shudders and awakens to an ecstacy.”The purpose of the Relics is not to spread a religious fervour or a movement. They have a transformativeforce that transforms matter on the level of the earth, transforms human beings on the levels ofconsciousness. It has the potency, the power. Dr. Reddy shared with us his memories of that moment on4th December 1957, when The Mother showed the four caskets, placed one inside the other, the goldcasket containing the hair and nails of Sri Aurobindo, placed inside the silver one which in turn wasplaced in the sandalwood casket, which was placed in a casket made of rosewood.All the four caskets were hand crafted in Harpagon, the Ashram’s own department. “She handled all theboxes very tenderly, with a lot of love and veneration as if She was touching Sri Aurobindo Himself”.The gold represented the Super Consciousness, Silver- the Spiritual Consciousness, Sandalwood -theMental Consciousness and Rosewood- the Physical Consciousness. She had spent many years incollecting all the hair and nails of Sri Aurobindo. Getting very emotional he urged us, “We are close tothe Divinity and should celebrate their presence by meditating on Them, on what they embody, by askingourselves the eternal question of what is the meaning of our birth and death.”His description was so real even today and touched us very deeply. “To Thee who has been the material envelop of our Master To Thee our Infinite Gratitude Before Thee we bow down and implore that we never forget even for a moment all that we owe to Thee” -The Mother *** 12

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Integral Health by Dr. Alok Pandey on 4th December 2017 report by Dr. Alok PandeyPoorva introduced Dr. Pandey saying that he is a wonderful human being with many good qualities andan excellent speaker-“speaks of the profoundest of truths in a most simple way showing how deeply hehas ingrained the philosophy of Ma and Sri Aurobindo in the depths of his being”.Responding to Poorva’s introduction Dr. Pandey said that there are several ways of looking at the humanbody, at ourselves and the world. As we look, see, understand, realise ourselves, the same way we seeand understand the world. Whatever we have within us, thats what we see in others. If we are good, wewill see good in others too. If we see only evil in the world and become very cynical, we should take ahard look at ourselves.One can look at the human body from a medical/physiological point of view consisting of organs anddifferent parts or as an instrument and ask ourselves, “of what use is this body?” eg every time we getangry, its the force of anger that is using the body as a tool; every time we throw harmful words into theatmosphere, we are harming our own well being and the well being of others. We are using our voice asa tool to express certain forces which are damaging and harmful to the well being of the world. Everytime we express the movements of greed and lust, we are actually allowing our body to become a tool inthe hands of various lower vital energies and movements. Every time I’m afraid, I’m letting fear expressto the body and spread fear all around. The result of all this is the “formation of disease” because theseare forces, energies, vibrations of disorder, disintegration and when these energies express themselves inthe human body, they quite naturally bring disharmony within and around us. People who are prone toanger, jealousy, fear are the victims; they are holding something dark and dangerous-a poison, which wethen express it into the world. Obviously it does harm all around but first the harm is done to ourselves,we don’t realise it but eventually we start suffering. Thoughts of cruelty, unkindness start burning thestomach and we get ulcers....Doctors don’t know about it, don’t talk about it. We talk of “empowerment”,what about empowering ourselves with health? But is this the original purpose of the body to become a tool of these forces? When we look at theanimal kingdom, animals express rage, fear very naturally. It was necessary at an evolutionary stage of 13

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchdevelopment. The body has been designed to express these energies, forces and quite naturally it opensthe doors to them. But if this was all, then nothing more needs to be done. We would separate ourselvesfrom the body and discover our own deeper and inner spiritual self.But Sri Aurobindo brings a very beautiful perspective that the body is meant to be an instrument, first ofthe soul and eventually of the Divine, so, its a tool, but this tool has to change for something far greater.There comes a new challenge, a new door opens-whether we call it Yoga or spirituality.It shifts the perspective-from I want to be healthy because I want to enjoy life to I want to be healthy sothat this body can serve a higher purpose-then doors to a new yoga starts, a journey to a newconsciousness, to find that which can transform / transmute this body. But right now, it is so much underthe spell of unconsciousness, we are not aware of most of the things happening inside our body,everything is happening mechanically. We read many books, the most erudite scholars, physiologists,doctors, biologists do not know what exactly is happening at any given point of time to our organs likeliver, kidneys, lungs, heart etc.This body is submersed in a sea of unconsciousness-a sea from which the consciousness is emerging. Dr.Pandey described a beautiful image from the Rig Veda-there is a dark ocean and the Gods are labouring,churning, trying their best to pull Creation out of the unconsciousness, make it something beautiful. Thiswork is going on, from dust we have evolved to a point where we can express our thoughts, feelingswhich in turn can influence our actions.But still the work is half done. Sri Aurobindo uses a very beautiful phrase, “laboratory”, this is an occultmystery workshop, a laboratory, a most complex living laboratory, nature’s laboratory and we all areparticipants-every thought and feeling is impacting it all the time and the work is going on in the occultworld, something mysterious. What is this work that is going on? It is to eventually transmute into, evolveinto the next grade of the evolutionary level.First the body should become conscious. The mind and vital bring in a lot of falsehood unconsciouslyinto the body. The body does not feel the ananda naturally, thats why it needs artificial things-like alcohol,psychotropic drugs. The more we go into darkness, the more artificial things we need, its a vicious cyclein which we get caught. The solution is to discover the natural spring of joy within us.The Gods work day and night, that’s why sometimes we go to sleep with a heavy head and some burningquestions and get up in the morning feeling bright, energetic and with the answers. Why are the Godsinterested in the human body? It has something in it which is not found anywhere else. Our body hasbecome a battlefield where all these forces fight. Our body has the Psychic touch-God’s touch. We haveto decide which side “we” are on? Meaning “what is my center point?” He shared a tribal story-a fathertells his young son about two bulls that are fighting- both equally strong but one is good and one is bad.The son asks who will win? The father says, “whoever you feed more”. Our mind is like the bull. Everythought that is dark, pessimistic, full of self hurt, ill-will results in hypertension, diabetes, cardiac arrestetc. What is to be done about it? How do we participate, collaborate?We must first light a lamp, otherwise, it would be like the case of the Mullah, standing under the streetlamp searching for something. When someone asked him “what are you looking for?” he replied, “I’mlooking for my needle”. So the passerby said,“let me help you, where did it fall?”, “It fell in that corner”,replied the Mullah. Surprised the passerby asked, “then why are you looking for it here?” the Mullah said“Because there is light here...”. we all are doing just that, we have the light, a small light in the mind andwe are searching for everything through that light BUT there is another light which we have to switchon-then we’ll start looking at our body differently. That lamp, light is our Psychic Being. Sri Aurobindoand the Mother compare the human body to a mantle, when you light the lamp, this mantle glows. Withoutlighting the lamp, even if we do a lot of cleansing, it doesn’t help...there are many treatments for that.Without a deity there’s no temple. Where is the deity? Its still sleeping inside, this deity must beawakened. So the body can be looked upon as a temple where the Divine has very beautifully hiddenItself.Dr. Alok said Sri Aurobindo has a wonderful sense of humour. At one place in the Savitri he says, “Godis the last refuge from thorns profaning touch”. 14

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchHe shared an anecdote of a devotee who came to the Pondicherry ashram 30 years ago. When Dr. Pandeyasked him why he has come to the ashram, he said, “I came on a tour. I was having a lot of problems inlife. When I visited the ashram I came across a line of The Mother, “Find your soul and all your problemswill disappear”. This is what I was looking for so, I stayed on. Dr. Pandey asked him, “have you foundyour soul?” he replied, “I’m still searching for my soul but all my difficulties have disappeared.” Even alittle effort to discover ‘that’ is worth it, it changes your perspective, vision of things.Fusion medicine has become quite trendy nowadays. You go to a homeopath and say you have diabetes.He will tell you he has medicines to cure diabetes. But thats not how homeopathy works, it doesn’t lookat diseases per se, it looks at the whole person. Similarly, the Divine looks at things differently-He looksat various forms of imbalances in the system and starts working on them. Ma and Sri Aurobindo say, “theyogic force goes to the root of everything, brings it out of the roots, cleanses it.” The whole perspectivechanges, as we go closer to our deeper self, we begin to take all difficulties as ‘Grace’. Sri Aurobindosays, “three things must be conquered if we want the new consciousness to establish itself, for the newmanifestation to take place-politics, money and health.” The body is the basis for the fulfilment of theDharma as progress takes place within the body. 1. Be healthy 2. light the lamp within-remove the unconsciousness/ tamas. Tamas can be removed by adding some rajas and rajas can be balanced by bringing in the principal of sattvaBut something else is needed and that something is the “Psychic light”.The first concrete step towards Integral health is to bring forward the psychic presence and let it influencedifferent parts of the nature. Negative feelings, emotion will be cleansed, unconsciousness would beremoved. We will be filled with feelings of warm, kindness, beauty. Purification should be progressivelyimplied to pursue in the life of the divine.Second is to remove the mud. I’ve realised there was mud in me, I regret things I said and did. We alwaysfind someone else to blame, its easy to point fingers outside. But now that I’ve realised where the mudwas, where I was at fault, shake off that dust, don’t cling to it.Dr. Alok shared the story of the Seven tasks of Hercules to explain this better. His first task was to cleanthe Aegean stables. He realised that by the time he cleaned all the 1000 horses, the stable was dirty again.He wondered how to keep the stable always clean? He got an idea to divert the river flowing nearby toflow through the stable and clean it with minimum effort on his part. Similarly, we have to open thechannels, open the taps slowly, as and when required otherwise the full force will be too overwhelming.Sri Aurobindo says in the Savitri,“ Man is too weak to bear the infinite’s weightTruth born too soon might break the imperfect path”We all need ourselves to be cleansed in a fast purification process, there is an ocean of peace, light, aluminous force, all that is required is to open the channels, open to The Mother. Surrender yourself to theMother, give yourself to the Divine. The Mother often talked about Self-dynamising meditation(SDM).What is the difference? One meditation is when we go inside, enter a beatific state of passivity and comeout of it unchanged. But SDM is an invocation, a prayer, an aspiration, a call which seeks. Once thedoors are open, it takes a few moments to cleanse.Someone once asked Ramakrishna that if bathing in the Ganga or a holy river purifies you then why doesa man do wrong again? He simply said, “because they leave their dirty clothes behind and wear themagain after bathing”. He points to a very profound Truth that the mechanical parts of our nature invitesback the force, the darkness. And once it comes in, it has the tendency to climb up-thats how the wholesee saw process of the sadhana goes on. Because of habit, the body brings back the dirt soon aftercleansing. It starts with a small fault, deviation, thinking it is in full control and will not let the deviationtake charge but unconsciously it seeps in again....everyone goes though these fluctuations-the process of 15

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchharmonising the entire Being takes a while and happens gradually till finally there is Victory or theSupramental transformation. Sri Aurobindo says we can refuse to accept the negative vibrations/ forces/ movements of nature. In ourculture everything is decided for us, it tends to stifle our individuality, it brings in hypocrisy. We do notrealise that we have a voice. But luckily things are changing now. What happens when we refuse toaccept? We may not always succeed but we must keep refusing consistently and some parts will startopening. Some tendencies may take months, years to go but we must pursue and be persistent.Sri Aurobindo says, “fate is truth working out in ignorance”.O King thy fate is a transaction done in every moment between thy nature and soulMan can accept or he can refuse his fateEven if the unseen maintains the degreeYet he writes thy refusal in his credit pageThe dome is not a closed mystic sealArisen from the tragic crash of lifeArisen from defeat and deathThe spirit rides with might his defeatHis godlike wings grow wild in every form”There is a need to be a fighter inside, never give up.Who did the first flight? It was not Wilbur and Wright but the person who 1st conceived of the idea thatflight is possible. In modern days it was Leonarda Da Vinci. In ancient days it was the seer poet, Valmiki.People debate whether Pushpak Viman existed or not. Its not important if it actually existed or not, whatis relevant is that someone could conceive the idea 17000 years back. Referring to the cancer patients hetreats in Pondicherry, he said we should never give up, however small or impossible the idea, even if theresult(death) is certain – it is not about ourselves, it is about the victory of the Divine upon earth. Whenwe pray and don’t get immediate results, we endlessly run here and there searching for the answers.When the ground is ready there is a bursting forth of certain remedies. Its not necessary that all changewill happen in this lifetime but atleast the effort will be credited to your account for future births.Integral Health is a vast subject and Dr Pandey shared that this is how he has understood it from the yogicperspective.The Mother says that disharmony and imbalance create illnesses.Sri Aurobindo says in The Life Divine, “Ultimately all problems of existence are problems of harmonyand yet there is a beyond...”Beyond all that voice can expressBeyond all that thought can conceiveBeyond all that mind can fathom, know, understandBeyond all that the heart can feel or sense or loveThere is a beyond...Don’t give up, there’s something more.....don’t just stop at some realisations, experiences, make the finiteInfinite.Harmony is not about tolerating, accepting....it is being in tune with the rhythms of the eternal pulsationsthat give birth to life.To think what the Divine wants me to thinkTo feel what the Divine wants me to feelTo be moved by the breath of the DivineTo dance to the tune of the DivineIntegral means there should be no difference between our work, home and spiritual life-completeharmony.More than 120 people attended the session and didn’t want this most enriching session filled with storiesand quotes from Ma and Sri Aurobindo to end. It raised more questions as to how to be an integral being,how to be in harmony all the time, how to help our children?etc. Some questions were addressed: 16

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchWhen the child is aggressive at school or with parents, how can we calm the child?There is tremendous energy which is expressing itself and not being channelized properly. There areseveral levels on which work has to be done: i) channelize the energy-lot of physical activities like sports and games ii) ii) identify from where the child is picking up these mannerisms and behaviour. Its very important to counsel the parents as mostly the child learns from the parents and the immediate environment. iii) Restlessness also comes from the fast life, go getting attitude, unfulfilled desires and ambitions. According to the Mother, “Bring them up in an atmosphere of peace and calm. Add a drop of Love and Truth.”How do we develop the Divine bond?Feel the presence of the Divine, work for the Divine. The energy which we give to the Divine, is returnedwith enhancements with the Divine touch. The Divine Will helps to move us in our life. The body isunknowingly participating in the venture of the Divine.How to bring up my child?The child has been sent to us by the Divine, teh attitude must change from “my child” to me being atrustee, a caretaker. Its important not to pass on our fears and insecurities to the child.How to bring the Psychic to the front?By Loving the Mother/the Divine. Ask for the Divine’s blessings, engage in activities that are natural tothe Divine, serve the DivineAcc to Sri Aurobindo, “it is enough if you love the Mother completely, if you think of her often and ifyou sit before her photo for a little while, gaze at the photograph...”If you know Integral Health is essential, what should be your attitude in daily life, individually andcollectively?Mother said if there are stains in your sheet, don’t wash the stains one by one, just change the bedsheet.The attitude should be “how can I develop/change my consciousness?”By offering our consciousness to the Divine and in return the Divine gives back to us by transmuting itinto pure gold.To have humility, the will to change, the urge to progress, not to be satisfied with everyday routine,always want to progress, go furtherPractice equanimity, not to be swayed by what people sayEstablish Mother inside of you, center Mother. Mother’s 4 shaktis are around us-Maheshwari: Light in the mindMahakakshmi: Love in the heartMahakali: Strength in the vitalMaha Saraswati: perfect each and every gestureDevelop the 12 qualities of the Mother-8 qualities which are in reference to the Divine and 4 qualitieswhich are in reference to the world.Dr Pandey shared that he dedicates one quality for every month, ex. Peace is the quality he will developin the month of December. Whatever someone may say or do he will try to remain peaceful.Meditate upon it, read about it, practice it.Why we use flowers as a remedy?Flowers are a storehouse of energy like any other objects. *** 17

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Forum for Integral Health By Dr. Bijlani and Dr. Alok Pandey On 6th December, 2017 Report by Ms. Smita Goyal About Prof. Ramesh Bijlani He is a jack of many trades. In the Ashram we know him as a writer and speaker, but before joining the Ashram about ten years ago, he had been teaching and doing research on nutrition at AIIMS, New Delhi. In the year 1992, while passing through a difficult phase of his life, he came to the Ashram to attend a Sunday Satsang to get some peace of mind. He got hooked to the Ashram, became a devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and started an in-depth study of their works. Starting 1998, he started giving a monthly talk in the Ashram in the Sunday Satsang series. In the year 2000, his personal and professional life converged when he initiated at AIIMS a patient care facility for providing lifestyle courses based on yoga for prevention and management of chronic disease. He took voluntary retirement in 2005 to find more time for disseminating yoga. He started living in the Ashram in 2006. Here he has been conducting workshops and courses on integral yoga, and continues to write. He has written 17 books and has more than 250 blogs on the Speaking Tree website. He believes that he is simply using the gift of communication that the Divine has given him for passing on small doses of love and wisdom from the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Dr. Bijlani started the session by sharing a short film made by Dr.Tarun Baveja on the initiative bythe Integral Health Center of Delhi Ashram, “2017-year of the Clean Mind”. The Government haslaunched the Swachh Bharat mission which focus on external cleanliness but here the emphasis wason inner cleanliness. The energies were channelized through hawan, mantra chanting, yogasanas, aSattvik diet, shramdhan etc. Sanitation workers, teachers, students, health workers were included inthis drive. Year 2018 has been declared “the year of Spiritual health”.Dr Bijlani started the session by clarifying the term, Integral. The word Integral means total, thetotality of the Being. If there is harmony between the body and mind all problems of life willdisappear. According to Sri Aurobindo in the Life Divine, “all problems of human existence areessentially problems of harmony”.What causes disharmony? When the different parts of the being-mind, intellect, thoughts, emotionsclash.There are two ways of resolving this disharmony 18

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch 1. Everyone changes a little bit so that all differences disappear, a compromise is reached. So if our mind and intellect can change we can achieve harmony thereby leading to transformation 2. Make a reference point that this person is always right so let us listen to him and that reference point is the soul or the spirit or the Psychic being who is the spokesperson of the soul.When there is conflict between body and mind, between mind and intellect, we must listen to thesoul.The emotional being can be a powerful collaborator in both the worldly and spiritual life. Is thescientific community aware of this factor?Dr. Bijlani shared a true anecdote of a cancer patient in the last stage of cancer. A new experimentwith a new drug was being conducted and he insisted on being included in this experiment thoughthe doctors didn’t have any hope so didn’t want to waste their medicines on him. But miraculouslyhe recovered. Soon the medical company announced that the new drug was a failure so they werediscontinuing the experiment. The cancer started spreading again and he was admitted to the hospital.The doctors realizing that something else was also at play told him that since the medicine had a lowpotency, the company has come out with a stronger potency medicine and they will try that on him,instead, they gave him a placebo. He started recovering. Soon it was reported that the 2nd phase ofthe experiment had also failed. His cancer was back and within a week he died.Modern medicine is now officially recognizing the relationship between the mind and body, that ifyou are happy you will not get ill.He listed out 4 precepts of healing-You should be happyYou should have faith in the Dr.You should have faith in the medicine, treatmentYou should have faith in the self-healing capacity of the bodyWhat is also important is the doctor’s intentions and of the people in and around the patient. Therebycomes the relevance of prayers and healing/ distance healing.There is a continuity between my consciousness and of the table, chair, wall etc. Each of theseconsciousness can affect the other’s consciousness therefore my mind and body can also affectanother person’s mind and body which are two poles of the same consciousness.In the past, a few 1000 years ago, Ayurveda which is a part of Atharveda, looked at the totality ofthe being and gave a primacy to the soul.It’s a good development that now even modern medicine is recognizing and accepting the role ofspirit, soul in the healing process.Dr. Bijlani talked about Prevention and explained that prevention can be of different types – i) Health preservation and promotion of health. If we organize our life around the soul, we will be happy and in harmony with ourselves and remain healthy ii) Prevention from specific diseases-our health improves as our immune system improves iii) Early diagnosis of disease and treatment. When we practice yogasanas our sensitivity to our body increases, we become more aware of the internal happenings of our system so we also know what to do. iv) Relief of symptoms and priority treatment-all the principles of a yogic lifestyle like physical activity, diet modification, being positive can lead to good health. There have been instances of great yogis getting surgery done without anaesthesia as they have built 19

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch the mechanism of minimizing pain and sensitivity in their bodies increasing the pain bearing capacity of the body.Despite all this if still there is some illness and a resultant disability there are two approaches-one isrehabilitation and the other is from a spiritual angle that it is an opportunity for spiritual growth, anopportunity to fulfill the very purpose of life.Still if death is imminent and inevitable then we look at palliative care ie how to keep the patient ascomfortable as possible. We realize by now that we were mere instruments of the Divine shakti andnow its time to leave the physical world. With this approach we start getting closer to the divine andrise beyond small petty differences and are ready to make peace with the world and die in peace. Sowe get closer to the Divine in a short time which otherwise would take many years. Thus thisapproach is truly integral and deals with all aspects of health.Dr Alok Pandey gave a different perspective to the term Integral-it is not a sum total of parts. Onecan switch on all the lights in the room, but they can never equal the power of the single sun burningin the daytime. The integral consciousness doesn’t exist in ignorance. Unless we can bring within usand into our body and mind the integralising consciousness we cannot fulfill the goal of achievingan integral harmony. Having good thoughts, a clean mind will just give us a good feeling, give peace,it may cause some change, but doesn’t transform. The psychic being has to be touched.He asked us to think what is happening in the mind of a tiger when he kills a deer. Does it experienceany conflict? Should we understand that the tiger is in harmony?He then explained that harmony is not a static stage, it’s a stage where every time you get a newprinciple one has to harmonise with that. A tiger lives within a limited circle, nothing new enters intothat. Essentially the more complex we become, the more new things begin to enter into ourconsciousness, the more difficult it becomes to harmonise.Dr Pandey shared that Dr. Bisht gave this argument based on which WHO finally included spiritualhealth in its definition of health. A pack of wolves are mentally alert, physically healthy and sociallywell knit. So if these are the three criterias of health, then they are healthy but something is missing.We cannot talk of the Mother’s and Sri Aurobindo’s yoga without bringing in the new consciousness.The minute the new consciousness comes, all other parts have to accept it, assimilate it.So the harmony that the Mother and Sri Aurobindo speak about is not human harmony-it’s the Divineharmony, harmony with the divine consciousness. Its not enough for my body and mind to be alliedto my buddhi, they have to be allied to the Divine Will which may act in ways which baffle ourintelligence.He referred to the three types of giving as explained in Ch 18 of the Bhagvad Gita-tamasik, rajasikand satvik giving. When you give to a poor lady who is in distress it is rajasik giving-if I feel I amthe giver it is rajasic.If I give without consideration of any kind, it is tamasic giving. It increases the delusion that I giveor it can be given with a satvik buddhi-it sees the occasion, need of the hour…. But still it is onehuman being giving to another human, it doesn’t lead to a transformative change.So what causes the transformative change? Integral self giving to the Divine.He explained that one of the mistakes we make at every level when we turn to the yoga, we giverespect to the Mind as the highest. We are afraid of using the word Divine. He asked specially asmedical practitioners why can’t we speak of the Divine when I have a concrete experience of theDivine. 20

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchHe differenciated between giving to a human and giving to the divine.When I give to a human I’ll receive something in return from a human, it may be gratitude, scorn oreven satvik joy but when I give to the Divine, I receive direct from the source, the Divine- thatchanges us, transformation happens.How do I give my thoughts to the Divine?My thoughts are all the time turned towards myself, others, helping others. Giving my thoughts tothe Divine means my thoughts are always turned to the Divine. When I’m sitting I’m wonderingabout the mysteries of Creation, marvel how the Divine has expanded itself, how He has woven thenecklace of stars around his body. When the sun rises in the morning, I can look at the sun and say,“this is a fraction of that illumination that you hold within yourself”. When I look at a flower, athought touches my mind, I wish I could give myself to you like this flower. When I see an old man,a thought comes to me that “within this too, you dwell, O Resplendant One”, when I look at a sickand weary old man, a thought crosses my mind, “you have taken this body too and you are absorbingall the miseries inside him like Neelkanth”. When I see two lovers blushing and laughing on the road,enjoying, a thought crosses my mind, “Ah Krishna in disguise”When are we most miserable? When we think about ourselves, focus on our problems. Self love is agreat obstacle and Divine love is a great remedy.How do we give the heart to the Divine? Its very good to be kind, loving to everybody. The finestexpression of human love is what mothers can give to their children, yet it doesn’t have atransformative power. When we love the Divine we receive abundant joy and love. We’ll never feelempty, exhausted. There is no yoga of transformation without opening to the Divine Mother. Sheknows what’s within- all my thoughts, feelings, reasons behind my actions. We must distinguishbetween voice of the conscience which is a human construct and voice of the soul which is naturallyturned towards the Divine. It recognizes the Divine, it is turned towards Truth and Beauty, and thatis the Psychic Being.The Psychic Being is a portion of the Divine Mother that she puts into our heart and gets nourishedsimply by calling the Divine’s name.Dr. Pandey concluded by urging us to bring out the soul to the front-to move beyond right and wrong,these are mere mental constructs, to go beyond the lid of the intellect, light the fire within, to do asymbolic hawan and sacrifice our ego, ourselves to the divine, to this fire.The object is not to survive physically, objective is to change the laws of physical nature so that thisphysical nature becomes completely under the influence of the Divine. Every day we are beingpushed towards a Supramental change.At the end, there were a lot of questions for both Dr. Bijlani and Dr. Pandey- 1) “See the divine in the rising sun, in nature, in snakes and worms, in all human beings”. How does one resolve this conflict? There are inherent laws of nature. Nature is a symbol of a deeper truth, each aspect of nature reflects something of the truth, the sun is the symbol of the supramental light, Triveni sangam is a symbol of merging of the ingla, pingla and sushumna nadis. Behind nature there is a greater truth which is expressing itself through nature. We should meditate on the idea that the Divine is in all, all is the Divine If you live in the consciousness that there is just the One, you will always be protected 2) If animals don’t have a mind then what makes them fight eg cows and goats fighting? Animals do have a mind but not a rationl, analytical mind like the humans 3) What does Sri Aurobindo mean by saying, “death won’t be necessary in the furure”? 21

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Matter itself will undergo supramentalisation which means the consciousness will affect all parts of the being to such an extent that there will not be a need to come back again and again in the human form. 4) After the supramental descent the Mother had said, “a new world is born”. In the present day we see the world plagued with dirty politics, terrorism. Please throw some light on it All that is dark and dirty is being removed. Politics has always been dirty but now we see some bit of transparency, we see a trend towards internationalism. Mother had said, “whatever happens in the world, it will help in the new creation” 5) How do we harmonise in everyday life specially in the family where people are living together with different levels of consciousness? Live for the truth, for beauty and believe that you are not responsible for others actions 6) What are the laws of physical nature? If all the diseases are created due to disharmony then what is the role of the virus? There are no laws, these are habits of nature devised for certain purposes. There are forces that move in certain patterns which can be changed 7) Is unconditional love Divine Love? Yes and human love can be transmuted by the Divine Love 8) In the Supramental world Oneness will be concrete but we know only upto the overmind stage. What should be our duty in integral yoga in this crisis ridden world? 9) My daughter in law always beats my grandson. I love both. What should be my attitude? Pray to the Divine Mother to give her some buddhi and beauty. Keep loving them and pray to the Divine to heal the wounds of the grandson that he doesn’t carry any scars. 10) What is the process to keep our health good? Surrender all to the Divine *** The Awareness of the body A workshop by Jayanthy On 6th and 9th December 2017 Report by Ms. Archana and Ms. Smita Goyal Being an experiential workshop, there was a lot of emphasis on observing andbeing aware of ourselves, using all our senses and being aware of our surroundings, the varioussounds, the warmth of the sun, coolness of the breeze, damp ground. Jayanthy first asked us to remove our footwear and socks so that we could feel the earth andthen form a circle which the participants took nearly 5 minutes to form with a lot of discussionsand chatter. We were then asked to form the circle again but without any sounds and gestures,by observing others movements. Jayanthy explained that we need to look at ourselves as a point,as a coordinate. Just as in life we need to be with ourselves, correct ourselves, hone ourobservation skills. If I focus too much on others, I may forget myself, lose my connect.It is important to be aware of this body, and become aware through this body, to be aware ofplacement and positioning. 22

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Are we conscious of our body? Do we use all the faculties-we can feel the light waves throughthe eyes, the sound waves through the ears, vapour molecules through our nose, feel through ourskin. We can cultivate the 6th sense-to feel beyond the senses, the more aware we become, thequality of our lives improve, we become more focused and more centred within ourselves.Jayanthy asked all of us to walk but with awareness, to be conscious about our posture, ourbreath, how different parts, different muscles of our body move, to feel the earth, the mud, thegrass, warmth of the sun, the cool breeze. We were then asked to walk with our eyes closed andfeel the difference. A few shared that with the eyes closed they felt nervous, imbalance, theyfeared bumping into an object or with another person. Even with the eyes open as we increasedour speed it was difficult to maintain the same levels of awareness. The purpose of this exercisewas to use all our awareness and trust our bodies and senses to guide us.Next Jayanthy divided us into two lines. We were to walk towards our partner on the other sidefirst with eyes open and then with eyes closed. This time most shared that they used some subtlemarkers to help them walk across, counted the number of steps, being more aware of the sounds,the sense of smell.Jayanthy asked for a few volunteers and spread them out in the lawns with various musicalinstruments. We were to close our eyes and follow the sounds. Next she put an object on ourhands and with our eyes closed we were to guess what it could be and its colour. It was interestingto observe how our preconceived ideas influence our thinking.It was an exciting and creative way to understand and guage how close we were to living anobservant life with awareness and mindfulness. *** Signals for the next Renaissance By Manoj Das On Tuesday, 5th December 2017 11:00 am-12:30pm Report by Ms. Smita Goyal 23

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchManoj Da as he is popularly known based his presentation on an article written by Sri Aurobindo, “the Renaissance in India”.Renaissance was a Western concept, something coined in the 5th Century and Sri Aurobindo hasvery categorically said in different places in “The future poetry” that that concept of renaissance-the revival of great aspiration at the national level reflected in great art and literature is notapplicable to India-infact he has also said that each country has its own concept of renaissance,it helps to discover two things-beauty and joy in all actions of daily life.He asked us to think in the future, of a renaissant India, of an awakened India where beauty andjoy dominate our life.SA himself was not an idealist, he was a materialist in the sense he penetrated the very material,the very truth behind things.Beauty and joy-what is its place in today’s India?In the last few years all we see and read in the newspapers is the ugliness, disasters, tragedies,dishonesty, treachery.The December issue of “Lancet”, a medical journal, reported a survey which said anxietyneurosis is increasing in India. According to a WHO survey on ‘the degree of happiness prevalentin different countries of the world’, out of 157 countries, India was 111 in 2013, came down to118 in 2016 and in 2017 it stood 122.It is a worrisome fact, and most alarmingly this trend of depression is rapidly embracing childrenand teens.According to Association of Adult and child Care, Mumbai, some years ago if two childrenfought, they would spit, scratch, pinch, hit each other at the most but now there is stabbing andcrushing the head with a stone. The children are getting more violent and aggressive.Where is the seed of Renaissance? Where is Beauty and Joy?According to Unalama, a child psychologist at Columbia University, there is an increase inviolence and aggression in children, teens and young adults.The scenes of violence that the children are exposed to day after day is increasing, dehumanizingthem and leading to depression. We are moving towards, both internationally and in India, ageneration of depressed children. Do the authorities behind the TV culture not know or realizethe negative impact of constant bombarding and sensationalizing of news? They’ll go to anyextent for their TRPs. If there are no audiences there’ll be no advertisements, no advertisementsmeans no profit. Therefore profit has become the aim of life. Profit means happiness.But if you look at the list of top happiest countries, the richest countries are not at the top therebyproving that its not money, profit, wealth which gives happiness.It is not a new truth for us Indians. So where is the problem?High pollution levels in Delhi, high levels of pollution of our rivers, industrial wastes flowinginto the sacred rivers, abject poverty, nuclear disasters, ecological devastations, drug and terroristmenace-it’s not that they don’t know its negative impact, doesn’t it affect their consciousness??There is widespread of depression, despair and increasing decline in the will to live in thisdespicable world.Another research a few years ago at the Nottingham University reported that those who speaksmall irrelevant lies often, tend to fall ill more often. There is a small tender psyche at worksomewhere who feels a slight revolt.Pennsylvania University reported from a research finding that the habit of speaking lies dullssome part of the brain. 24

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchWhat have been the other developments in the contemporary world? The last century, the 20thCentury, was the most eventful century in the history of mankind. There were two World Wars,revolutions, great ideas like democracy and socialism, we saw the end of Imperialism, end ofMonarchy, slavery-the sum total of all these outcomes is that man is more and more free.Stanford University did a scientific research on the Development of Human Consciousness overthe last half of the century and found that man is gradually losing his emotional and intellectualcapacity, creative intelligence, intellect. But then how do we explain all the technological,scientific developments that have taken place? It’s a mechanical process. Children are becomingmore and more bereft of the sense of subtle humour, the artistic way of presenting something ina round about way. Is it possible that gradually, slowly we are weakening our intellect, we arelosing the capacity to appreciate real subtle art, classical music?“Never trust your intellect, its only a set of muscles”.We are gradually losing out on the frontiers of our mind, its role is becoming more and morepassive. Therefore something greater than the mind must come to our rescue or the entiremankind will go down the incline.In a magazine, ‘Brain structure’, a study was reported, Noise is a big enemy of the creative sideof our brain. A survey of residents near the Munich airport, one of the busiest airports of theworld showed that due to constant exposure to the high decimal levels of noise of airplanes,nature has made functional changes in the physiology of the children, they are unable to hear theteacher.We cannot get away from external noise but we can find our inner silence. Another research byProf. Gary Evans has shown that if you can remain in silence even for a few minutes a day newbrain cells are developed.Arthur Kosner, a thinker, writer said that mankind is programmed to eliminate itself, a time willcome when automatically the human race will disappear from the earth.On the other hand, Sri Aurobindo has said that mankind will evolve further.Stephen King was asked by a reporter his views on the discovery of a new planet. He said, “Idon’t care, I’m not going to be living there so how does it matter to me.”New planets may be discovered, man may migrate but until the consciousness is totally changedwe’ll create the same circumstances there too.So where is the answer?Sri Aurobindo has said in the Life Divine in the earlier writings that Mankind cannot stand up tothe demands of the evolutionary powers.According to the Doctrine of election, Franchise is limited to three votes-one with God whovotes for you, one with the devil who votes against you, and one is with you, the deciding vote.According to the Mother, “what Sri Aurobindo represents in the history of earth’s spiritualprogress is not easy, its not a revolution, it’s a wide reaction straight from the Supreme.”So the spiritual humanity is a must.How will the renaissance come? The answer lies in ‘Belief’, we have to believe every momentof our life. We are living by faith, not by doubt and by skepticism.We have to be conscious of the process, strengthen it. The quest is an eternal process.Most of us are living on the surface. We get easily impacted by external factors. But there is aninner life waiting to manifest.Mother says what Sri Aurobindo stands for can’t be changed and HE stands for a transformedhumanity, a new humanity 25

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch“God’s labour can never go in vain”. No difficulty or predicament is given that cannot be dealtwith.A future renaissance, awakening cannot be in terms of the old, mental, emotional and theartificial.He concluded by sharing that Doctors and the medical fraternity too are acknowledging thepresence of the soul, the presence of an unknown factor that aids in healing of the patients. Therewere two patients with the same symptoms and illness, were given the same treatment but onlyone recovered. What was the missing factor? In NIMHANS, Bangalore there was a workshopwith top Indian psychiatrists and mystics on the ‘Fourth dimension of Health’. They realized andconcluded that behind body mind and life there is a soul. But medically they cannot say it sothey called it the ‘x-factor’.There were approx 110 participants and as one participant shared, “it was a supersonic speech!”About Padmashree Professor Manoj DasBorn in 1934 in a small coastal village of Shankari in Balasore District in the Eastern coast ofOdisha, Prof. Das had a picturesque childhood –blessed with a charming environment consistingof green meadows, lotus-filled lakes and hill-like sand-dunes covered by creepers rich withvarieties of delicious berries. His was an affluent house with a large estate in the Sundarbans,the abode of the Royal Bengal Tiger.But he also witnessed the tragedy of a terrible cyclone devastating the flora and fauna, followedby a famine that wrought havoc in the region and his household twice plundered by gangs ofdacoits.His first book in his mother tongue Odia was published when he was 14 years old and the veryfirst story he wrote in 1950 is considered a classic in that language. He cites Fakir MohanSenapati, Vyasa, and Valmiki as early influences.No less eventful was his youth when he turned a leader with radical ideas, courting jail and takinga prominent part in the Afro-Asian Students Conference at Bandung in 1956. His deeper questled him to mysticism and he has been an inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry since1963 where he currently teaches English Literature and the Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo at theSri Aurobindo International UniversityIn 1971 his research in the archives of London and Edinburgh brought to light some of the little-known facts of India's freedom struggle in the first decade of the twentieth century led by SriAurobindo for which he received the first Sri Aurobindo Puraskar (Kolkata).Looked upon as our country’s foremost bi-lingual writer, he has received a number of accolades:The Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award(1972), the Saraswati Samman(2000) and the Padmashree(2001), to name only a few.The Akademi has also bestowed on him its highest honour, the Fellowship, reserved for“immortals in literature”.Five Universities have decorated him with Honorary D.Litt.Over the years many research scholars have done their doctoral thesis on the works of ManojDas, Dr. P. Raja being the first scholar to do so.Among the other important positions that Prof Manoj Das has held are, Member, GeneralCouncil, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi 1998–2002, and Author-consultant, Ministry of 26

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchEducation, Government of Singapore, 1983–85. He was the leader of the Indian delegation ofwriters to China (1999). Awards Received• Veda Vyas Samman• Amritakeerti Puraskar, 2013• NTR Literary Award, 2013• Atibadi Jagannath Das award, 2007• Sahitya Akademi Fellowship,2006• Padma Shri, 2001• Saraswati Samman, 2000• Sahitya Bharati Award, 1995• Sarala Award, 1981• Vishuba Award, 1986• Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, 1972• Odisha Sahitya Academy Award, 1965 and 1987• Odisha State Film Award for Best Story 2001 *** Workshop Self Observation and Reflection in Integral Psychology on 7th Dec And The Quest for Constant remembrance on 9th Dec( By Neeltje Huppes Report by Ms.Archana and Ms. Smita Goyal with inputs from Purva Neeltje introduced the session by sharing that self awareness helps us to understand ourselves,there’s a whole inner world to discover. Our road to becoming complete is through selfobservation and self awareness. For living with self awareness, for developing an innerreceptivity, we must give consciousness a chance.“We live in a progressive Universe. In school we learnt about evolution, today we will learnabout the evolution of consciousness.” Who caused the big bang? Consciousness is behindevolution, it is inherent in existence. Integral living is to manifest this Supreme consciousness inthoughts and action.We have 2 individuality- • Our temporary individuality for one life, based on the manifestation of body, life and mind. In each birth we make the surface more capable, more plastic and refined. • Our eternal individuality is based on our soul and the spirit. During each life we have the opportunity to open the path to our soul and allow it to guide us. This process spans many lives. • In the Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo says that “man is a transitional being and stands at the turning point of the whole movement”.Neeltje listed a few steps that can help achieve self perfection: 1. By quieting the mind, calming the vital, allowing the body cells to become peaceful and receptive, we make the surface nature ready to discern the deeper and higher forces. In this way, we can make our thoughts, feelings and actions ready to listen to and at a later stage, to act completely guided by that Supreme consciousness. 27

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Sri Aurobindo says in the Letters on Yoga, “When the mind is quiet and at peace, the force can work more easily”. Why is it difficult to quieten thoughts and calm the feelings? The senses,indriyas communicate with the outside world. This produces a running commentary of the surface mind. In the surface nature our feelings are to a large extent influenced by the forces that go round in the world which in turn influences our choices. Through the mental being we experience the boon of self awareness, we can make conscious choices. 2. Stand back and observe disinterestedly; do not identify, just observe 3. Going within: She spoke of how important it is to ‘switch off’ from the surrounding chaos and noise of the world, and to practice going within and centering ourselves there. For it is within us that the soul resides and that is all peace, joy and beauty. She particularly stressed the importance of a deep silence that is always within us and even around us, a silence that has the power to put us in contact with our deepest self. 4. Try to do short concentrations for quieting the mind, calming the heart 5. Remembering and offering: To offer all our difficulties, opportunities, flaws, virtues, etc. to the Divine for them to be transformed into a means of our ascent. Actively work on an area where you want change by consciously stepping back and involving a subtler or higher/deeper force to do its work 6. Find your own spring to make the gradual shift of looking from within outwards. It could be anything that gives you joy-music, dance, gardening etc.Neeltje gave us a few tools to help us: i. To find a mantra, shloka, quote, song ii. Imagine or visualize an image in front of your closed eyes, a vivid memory, a photograph, an object, a certain smell iii. To start keeping a journalSoon we will find ourself moving from surface happiness to true delight-the delight ofexistence.There comes a time when one begins to be almost ready, when one can feel ineverything, every object, in every movement, in every vibration, in all things around, not onlypeople and conscious beings, but things, objects not only trees, plants and living things butsimply any object one uses, this delight of being, of being just as one is, simply being. Onetouches a thing and feels delight.We practiced a short concentration so that we could get a first hand experience of being silentand looking within. The session was so powerful and intense that when the time ended all theparticipants felt a sense of loss.A few sought some clarifications 1. Question: Depression surrounds us all the time, what we do at that time? Answer: be Conscious of your thoughts and actions 2. Question: How should we convert our difficulties into opportunities? Answer: Firstly, be conscious of the Divine, nurture yourself and work towards changing your circumstance by increasing the strengths. 3. Question: What is the second step after self-awareness? Answer: Second step is not to focus on your difficulties, take a step back. See how you can function from a higher consciousness to reach perfection. 4. Question: How to get rid of ego? Answer: Ego creates a sense of separation in the individual. Unconditional love removes the ego. 28

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch 5. Question: So, We have to change External individuality to internal individuality? Answer: We must have the spark inside us and remain calm. Aspiration helps to manifest the Divine. *** Expressive Art: Towards a new creation By Matthieu Charbonneau 5th December, 2017 Report by Ms. Smita Goyal About Matthieu Charbonneau He is a French painter and Art Therapy practitioner. He has worked with adult and children’s communities in several countries such as Africa, Australia and Israel. He has worked with people suffering from severe neurological trauma at the Paris Central Hospital. Currently he resides in New Delhi, and volunteers with Kathakaar Trust and Tamanna Special Needs School. His current area of interest and research is the positive effects of Didgeridoo music on people suffering from alzheimers and dementia. Matthieu introduced the session as “not a drawing class-it’s a forum for expression so it doesn’tmatter if you cannot draw or paint”. He asked us to become a clean slate-leave aside alljudgements, all hesitations. There are no right or wrong.Paper and one colour pen was distributed to each participant.We were asked to draw an image of Renaissance that came to mind when we thought of theword. On seeing our work he shared that most of us had drawn something very figurative, haddrawn an object. He then asked us to exchange the colour pen with the person next to us and tomake another drawing with another concept of renaissance, to be different from the earlier one.We were then asked to share a word that describes renaissance -no word was to be repeated. Theparticipants shared rose, sunshine, hill, happiness, bird, burning diya, a new dawn, movement,sky, nature, equality, lion, soil, cocoon, rangoli, peacock, colour, butterfly, sunset, woman,feminity/shakti, power, rain, sunrise, light, love, freedom, womb, silence, knowledge, selfactualization, ananda, art….We shared another round but with different words-Weather, smile, sincerity, grace, rain,spirituality, change, imagine, India, music, baby, star, gratitude, education, kindness, sea,original, hunger, Sri Aurobindo…..The group was then divided in 3, each group member was given a fresh sheet of paper, everyonewas to draw on their sheet, when Matthieu clapped the sheet had to be passed on to the nextperson. It was continued for a few rounds.Each group was given a canvas, paints and brushes. We were asked to first paint the canvascompletely with 2-3 colours(all together n if the group was too big then a few at a time). Afterwhich members were free to continue only with colours or we could can make a design.After 20-30 minutes as it was getting too noisy and chaotic everybody was asked to leave thehall, take a short walk. On returning we were asked to quietly contemplate on our painting, reflectand meditate on it, and share in our group what feelings, thoughts emerged.The canvas was then turned around and we were to again observe it and contemplate on it froma different perspective. 29

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchWe were then asked to return to our paintings and re work on it. The lesson was that if we pause,contemplate, step back, we can change situations, chaos can be converted into somethingbeautiful.Observations: some people were very proactive and went forward immediately, a few remainedin the background waiting for something to emerge-just like it happens in real life. Some controland some just follow.The purpose of the workshop was to create the space to express ourselves, to work harmoniouslyin groups, to move beyond the set norms, to share the creative expression-to leave aside conceptsof right/wrong. That harmony can be created out of chaos, what is important is to be silent, takea step back rather than always jump in, to relook, recreate. Over time perspectives can changeso situations, life, chaos is not an end in itself-there’s always hope of a renaissance.Matthieu beautifully bought out the essence of renaissance. The finale: *** 30

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Thee, Only Thee—Meditations on the Geeta, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo (3 December 2017: 11.15 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. & 4 December 2017: 9.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.) Prashant Khanna Mr. Prashant Khanna’s sessions on meditation, which happened over two consecutivedays, were very useful because not only did we learn about what the Gita, The Mother, and SriAurobindo had said about meditation, but more importantly, we learnt how to meditate the rightway. We had a systematic exposure to all the important theoretical and practical knowledgeneeded to be able meditate well. Through his sessions, we got to learn the important principlesthat can enable us to meditate properly, as well as to unlearn certain fundamental misconceptionswe had about this most indispensable aspect of our life. He begins by pointing out how of the four aspects of the body, emotion, intellect, andspirituality, the last one, that is, spirituality, did not receive the requisite attention. Meditation,as we know, is very important to the practice of spirituality and so he posed two fundamentalquestions: ‘What is meditation?’ and ‘Why should we do it?’ He addresses the first question byexplaining that according to the Bhagvad Gita, meditation is the fixing of the mind on theSupreme. The emphasis in the Gita is not on how to meditate, but rather on why to meditate. Heclarifies one common misunderstanding about meditation which is that, meditation is understoodto be a sort of relaxation. But contrary to this, as was already mentioned, meditation is about‘fixing the mind on Him’. The second misunderstanding is that, meditation is often confusedwith concentration. However, he clarifies that concentration is an extension of meditation. Toquote Sri Aurobindo’s differentiation between meditation and concentration: ‘Concentrationmeans fixing the consciousness in one place or on one object and in a single condition.Meditation can be diffusive, e.g., thinking about the Divine, receiving impressions anddiscriminating, watching what goes on in the nature and acting upon it, etc.’ (How to CultivateConcentration: Words of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother). Next, he moves on to address the question, ‘Why should we meditate?’ He says that‘meditation should be done as a result of a certain psychological state, and that state is a state of 31

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchdissatisfaction’. Meditation is also the way to attain a consciousness which is beyond theordinary level. If one wants to know what is meant by ordinary consciousness, then it can beexplained as the tendency of the mind to be turned outwards and to constantly flit its focus fromone object to another, rather than being fixed on one. The other aspect that underlies the ordinary mental consciousness is the law of transienceand the dissatisfaction that comes with it. Mr. Khanna also distinguishes between two types ofdissatisfaction. The first one is called a worldly dissatisfaction which stems from materialconditions; but spiritual dissatisfaction is based on a deep inner feeling wherein even if one haseverything that one desires, one is not still not satisfied (a prominent example of this isNachiketa). This spiritual dissatisfaction triggers one to seek after a different consciousness, astate where one is not a prisoner of the transient nature of the worldly life. Mr. Khanna then proceeds to lay out a few conditions that help us in meditating. Someof them are: a) being comfortable with a posture so that one is physically comfortable to be ableto meditate; b) to consciously relax each muscle and body part; c) to make a conscious effort torelax our face. Interestingly, the purpose of the Gita is to make the mind to be peaceful, not toentirely deprive it of thought. Since the mind is an instrument of thought, the Gita does notrecommend silencing the mind completely, but it rather focuses on channelizing the thought.The practice and state of gratitude is a powerful way of harmonizing the mind. There are three aspects that help us in achieving a state of gratitude. They are: 1) To bein a reasonably good health condition so that the mind can liberate itself from focusing on thebody and concentrate on the Eternal; 2) To be free from financial stringency, and; 3) To be freefrom mental constraints. In The Synthesis of Yoga, Sri Aurobindo says: ‘He who chooses the Infinite has beenchosen by the Infinite’. This, in Mr. Khanna’s explanation, means that God is more eager to meetus than we are eager to meet God. One question that lingers in our mind in the context ofmeditation is, how to know whether we have been successful in meditation or not. Mr. Khanna says that one simple test to determine this is based on whether or not onenotices the passage of time. During the course of meditation, if one feels the passage of time tobe slow or tedious, then it can be said that the process of meditation was not very successful. Healso explained that there are three stages of meditation: 1) Fixity and intensity of meditation; 2)As a consequence of fixity and intensity, one is led to a state where the focus is not longer on theindividual, but rather on meditation itself; and 3) The experience that the Supreme has becomeoneself and is focusing the mind on the Supreme object. Two tools to attain the first stage of meditation—that is, fixity and intensity—arearticulation and visualization. The Mother: Prayers and Meditations, for example, givesexpression to our aspirations and is hence useful in the process of meditation. It is also helpful to visualize a certain image to focus on during the course of meditationin order to achieve better results. The above enriching expositions were illustrated with numerousmantras and passages from the Gita as well as from the teachings of The Mother and SriAurobindo. We ended the second day’s session by effectively putting into practice some of theprinciples we had learnt about meditation. *** 32

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch Expressive art: Towards a New creation By Mrinmoyee Mazumdar 5th December 2017 Report by Ms. Smita Goyal About Mrinmoyee Majumdar Mrinmoyee is a dancer, community theatre practitioner, poet and an Arts-Based Therapist currently living and working in New Delhi. She is the founder director of Kathakaar Trust. She has worked on several projects for children, youth and young adults. “Khirkee ki Ghummakkad Toli” a public arts project in collaboration with Khoj International Artists Organisation in Khirkee Gaon, New Delhi, “Aaj Hum Khelenge” in collaboration with Metamorphosis for UNICEF for conflict affected children in South Bastar, Chattisgarh are some. She has organized and co-facilitated playback theatre workshops “Gender, Power & Playback” in Pondicherry for women working in the gender movement. Her main interest and area of inquiry lies in the space between the subjective and objective experiences of people – the narrative landscape. Using movement, drama and silent reflection she facilitates spaces that enable people to delve into those narrative worlds, that are dynamic, fluid and deeply connected to who they are in the moment and who they can be as individuals and as a collective. She believes when individual and group narratives change, revolutions happen.This experiential workshop was to help us express ourselves through movements, remove anyinhibihitions regarding our body, its movement, dance/ acting….Being a post lunch session and a lot of excitement among the participants, we were first askedto lie down for a few minutes and focus on our breath in order to center ourselves, sending peaceand silence to every part, to get a bit aware of the body. After awhile, we were asked to make afew rounds of the sound of Aa, Aa.We were then asked to form a circle as in a circle eye contact can be maintained and everyonecan participate. Each person had to tell their names in an expressive way i.e. with someactions. Everyone else had to repeat the name and action.In the next activity one person had to take the name of a person and imitate his/her movementand walk towards the person, change positions with that person who then had to take anotherperson’s name and repeat their action/gesture-the aim was to work on our recallfaculties/memory power.Mrinmoyee marked out a space that was to be our boundary and we were to walk slowly withinthe boundary. We were to stop and make an eye contact with the person nearest to us when shestopped playing the music. After about three rounds, with her increasing the pace and the space,we were asked to share our experiences. Many shared that they found it difficult to look atanother person straight in their eyes, it made them very uncomfortable specially if the personwas from a different gender.Next we were to continue walking, and with the pause of music, we were to pair with the nearestperson and freeze in an action. She then went around asking what we had made, what washappening and what were our feelings and thoughts.We were then separated into 2 groups. The group had to form a sculpture without discussing orplanning amongst themselves. There has to be a connection, there should be a story. She againwent around asking us to describe our sculpture. Many said war, battlefield, children fighting,Krishna with the gopis etc.In the next round, she gave the theme and we were to prepare a sculpt- cricket match, railwaystation; again without any discussions. The idea was to observe and cooperate with each other.She again asked each person to describe what they were doing. It was a very non threatening 33

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchatmosphere as the story evolved as she asked each person to describe their role. Every personplays a role, whether by being in the center or staying in the periphery.We were then divided into 4 groups and develop short plays taking characters from the sculpts.The overarching theme had to be ‘transformation’ and the setting had to be the railway station,could be with one person or with all the characters. i) A couple come into the station with their young child, are strewing litter all around and pulling up other co passengers for littering. A fight ensures. A few years later the same family come to the station and are pleasantly surprised to see the platform spick and span and their son leading the cleanliness drive. ii) Scene of a general compartment of a train. A family from a high income group have boarded the general compartment and are very condescending towards everyone there, coming with an attitude that all general class travelers are uncouth and dirty. They are pleasantly surprised by the acceptance and friendly welcome they get, thereby changing their perceptions. iii) A young girl bunks from school to sit at the platform to sketch. Her father suddenly walks in and initially gets angry but then comes around and assures her that she’ll get their support to pursue her dreams in the future. iv) Some concerned travelers convince a few beggars to leave beggary and with the help of an NGO rehabilitate them to earn their living productively.We were again asked to get into a circle. This time it was a test of alertness, presence of mindand a quick response. We were given three words zip/ shiva/ boing alongwith their actions. Wehad to quickly say the word followed by its actions.The aim was also to remove hesitations, fears, to get out of our inhibihitions regarding our bodyand the misconceptions that we form that “I can’t dance”. She ended by all of us collectivelyrepeating our gestures without a pause thereby creating a beautiful dance sequence. *** A recollection of events by Lakshmi Priya 60th ANNIVERSARY OF ENSHRINEMENT OF SRI AUROBINDO’S RELICS SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM, DELHI BRANCH Keynote Address: Dr. Ramesh Bijlani (2 December 2017) ‘INDIAN CULTURE’ Having begun the first day with the most vibrantly positive experiences such as therecitation of the Mantra Yoga, the invocation by the MIS Family, and the reading by Tara Didi,we moved on to the keynote address of the relics enshrinement event by Dr. Ramesh Bijlani. Akeynote address is an important part of a conference or congregation as it foregrounds the centraltheme and the agenda of the occasion, so that all the events that follow it would in many waysrefer back to the main objectives laid out in this session—and Dr. Bijlani’s was no exception.The focus of Dr. Bijlani’s address was ‘Indian Culture’ and so it aptly takes us to the theme ofthe concept-note for our occasion, ‘The Renaissance in India’. The talk began by touching upon a fundamental question: What is culture? He said theterm ‘culture’ refers to a ‘shared past’. However, in our understanding, this is a definition thatcan be applied to all cultures and hence he naturally takes us to the next question: What is distinctabout our culture, or rather, what is the mental ideal of Indian culture? The answer to this is thatIndian culture is essentially spiritual in nature and it is this spiritual aspect that accords auniqueness and universality to Indian culture. By extension, it is also this distinct quality that hasensured the survival of Indian culture amidst the consequent waves of upheavals andinterruptions in the form of many invasions that India has been historically subjected to. The unique nature of India culture, however, has been affected by the ‘separation impulseof the ego’, which in turn leads to inequality. Dr. Bijlani says that this barrier can only be 34

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchdissolved and conquered by the force of love and by an embracing of the joy that comes with thespirit of giving. The joy of giving plays a powerful role in the dissolution of the ego barrier as itenables one to give importance to someone else’s problems, and this process not only divertsand dissolves the ego barrier, but also gives lasting mental peace to the individual. The problemof the ‘separation impulse’ is one that underlies many aspects of man’s thinking. For example,we are also familiar with the demarcation that is made between the East and the West. Dr. Bijlanipoints out how the synthesis of these, arguably, antithetical cultures was made possible by SriAurobindo, especially owing to his exposure to both these civilizations. Dr. Bijlani’s talk goes to the roots of both the Indian and Western cultures and points outa fundamental problem in each. First, he traces the historical transition from the period of the‘Dark Ages’ (referred to as the ‘Age of Convention’ by Sri Aurobindo) to the age of Renaissancewhere the consciousness of humans is shaped by a rational, scientific, and modern outlook, asopposed to a religious, traditional, and, even, superstitious outlook of the ‘Dark Ages’. Whilethe instrument of rationality was important in the historical evolution of consciousness, the Westwas acutely aware of the limitation of rationality and the answer to this problem of the West, Dr.Bijlani sums up, can be found in Indian spirituality as it takes one to the ‘supra-rational’ realm. It is not just the Western civilization that is confronted with a crisis. Ironically, India,even as it occupies a central place as an exponent of spirituality to the West and the World atlarge, has yet to resolve its problem of the tendency to create a dichotomy between the materialand the spiritual life. Sri Aurobindo has said ‘India has or rather had the knowledge of the Spirit,but she has neglected Matter and suffers for it. The West has the knowledge of Matter, but sheneglected Spirit and suffers badly for it.’ Dr. Bijlani’s talk refers to this important aspect of SriAurobindo’s philosophy and has set the impetus for us to move away from such impulses tocreate binaries, by calling upon an approach that harmonizes the material and the spiritual life.Dr. Bijlani’s talk concluded by setting forth the purpose of our coming together by saying thatour role is to ‘act through a higher level of consciousness’. *** A Key to the Heart of India (2 December 2017: 11.00 to 12.30 a.m.) Mr. Sampadananda Mishra Considering that ‘Renaissance in India’ is the central theme of the present occasion, Mr.Sampadananda Mishra’s session takes us to the heart of the matter. The focus of his talk was onSanskrit; its cultural, linguistic, and spiritual significance and how it indeed is ‘Key to the Heartof India’ as the title alludes to. While all of us are familiar with the greatness and the richness ofthe Sanskrit language, Mr. Mishra, with his erudition, gave us a scientific insight—by taking usthrough the linguistic and historical perspectives of the language— into the reasons behind theveneration of this remarkable language. He began by referring to Sri Aurobindo’s observation about the unparalleled resilienceof India as evidenced by its survival of the series of colonizations and destructions, and abouthow no force can destroy this country. The reason behind this strength is the indomitable spiritof India which has the ability to withstand and renew itself in spite of the most virulent of attackson her. Mr. Mishra raised three questions at the start: First, how can Sanskrit, a language of thepast, contribute to the future; Second, why is Sanskrit understood to be a difficult language;Third, when we are a secular nation, how and why can Sanskrit, a language that is perceived asa predominantly Hindu language, be promoted. What followed were answers to one or more ofthese questions. Mr. Mishra said that what makes the Sanskrit language distinct from the others is that itis the only language amongst old languages that has preserved all the important features (forexample, structure) of a language. Sanskrit can said to be the mother of all languages. It is alsoknown as the ‘Deva Bhasha’ or the ‘Divine Language’ as it contained the root sounds that cangive birth to many other sounds in other languages. It is said to have as many as 33,000 rootsounds. One drawback in the approach of comparative philologists is that they focused on 35

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch‘formed words’ rather than on root sounds. According to Sri Aurobindo, this is not an effectivemethod and he focused instead on the root sounds which helped in establishing the relationshipbetween different languages. Two significant features of the Sanskrit language, explained Mr. Mishra, are: One,Sanksrit has the power to create new words; Two, Sanskrit is not an object-specific language.Unlike conventional languages where the relationship between a word and its object arearbitrarily established, as structural theorists like Saussure point out, Sanskrit forms the wordsbased on the properties of the objects. This not only allows for plurality in terms of the numberof words the same object can have, but is also gives us the freedom to create new ones accordingto our requirements. Mr. Mishra gave us many interesting examples to demonstrate this scientificand creative power of the Sanskrit language. For instance, there are nearly thirty words for theobject ‘water’, some of which are: ‘ambu’, connoting that one can drink the water; ‘jalam’,meaning that water can be frozen; ‘pani’, signifying that water can flow; and so on and so forth.If these thirty words do not meet our expectations, we can always create newer words! Hence,Sanskrit is scientific, creative, and flexible; it is a language of self-awareness and one that givesus a lot of freedom. He goes back to Sri Aurobindo once again who had said that the day India forgetsSanskrit in spoken or written form, that day will go down in the annals of our cultural history asa dark day. Thankfully, Sri Aurobindo has assured us that that day will never come. Apart fromall the remarkable qualities of the language that was pointed out, Mr. Mishra also added howSanskrit helps us in emotional purification as the sounds of its vibration has an impact on usphysically. Furthermore, this language can also enable us to achieve mental clarity and reasoningability. This rich and vibrant language has always been instrumental in expressing the soul ofIndia and hence it is undoubtedly the key to the heart of India. *** Key Practices in the Yoga for the Future (2 December 2017: 3.00 to 4.30 p.m.) Ms. Ameeta Mehra The first afternoon session of this special occasion by Ms. Ameeta Mehra was not onlyuseful, but also very inspiring. Ms. Mehra’s talk was significant as it gave us pearls of wisdomfrom the teachings of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. As the title of this session points out, wegot a precise insight into the ideals that we should uphold in order to prepare ourselves for thenext Renaissance. With an emphasis on practice, Ms. Mehra highlighted the tenets that need tobe kept in mind in order to accomplish our goal. The first section of the talk introduced us to the nuances of the term Renaissance as SriAurobindo envisioned it and it takes us through the philosophy and the reason that underlinesthe importance of yoga. The term ‘Renaissance’ does not merely refer to a revival of a gloriouspast, as is conventionally understood. Rather, the word has a deeper meaning as per the teachingsof Sri Aurobindo. Ms. Mehra points out that in The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo refers toRenaissance as the prospect of a new humanity emerging from the old (not just a revisiting ofthe past); a humanity that emerges from the egoistic and identifies instead with the Divineconsciousness; a humanity that is integral and inclusive in nature. The manifestation of thissuperhuman is the next step in the evolutionary process and Sri Aurobindo has proclaimed thatIndia will show that path to the world in this light. Also, in this new yoga, matter will not beneglected. It instead aims at opening matter to the Divine influence. The seeds of the new consciousness is already sown across the world for the new stageof the evolutionary process to unfold as there has been a keen interest everywhere on yoga, albeitin whatever way each deems the term ‘yoga’ to be understandable and acceptable at thisparticular juncture. Ms. Mehra says, yoga, in whatever form, is ‘accepted worldwide today asbeing good for themselves, something they want to practice something that leads a higher life, abetter life, a healthier life, a nobler life. Yoga has entered into the human consciousness, not justin India but all over the world’. 36

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch The next section of the talk focuses on the key practices that we would need to follow inorder to prepare ourselves for the new Renaissance of Sri Aurobindo. She begins by outliningthe three victories that are necessary for this practice: ‘The first victory towards this [practice] isto become an individual. The second victory is to give/offer this individuality to the Divine, toconcentrate oneself in a total self-giving. The third victory is opening oneself to the Divine, sothat the Divine changes your individuality into a Divine being.’ The following are some of the key practices promised in the title of the session: 1) The first key practice is meditation and concentration as these states enable us tointernalize the consciousness. In The Mother: Prayers and Meditations, it is said that ‘In Peaceand Silence the Eternal manifests, allow nothing to disturb you and the Eternal will manifest’and so the silence of the practice of meditation and concentration will allow us to be incommunion with the Eternal.2) The second is to do with Karma yoga and the key practice according to The Mother here is to‘Remember and Offer’. Remembering to call the Divine and to ask for her help is a powerful actas the response is immediate. An important practice within this is Nishkama karma, which is ‘todo one’s best, not to be lazy, to exceed oneself. To push one’s own limits every single time,every single day and then leave the result to the Divine’. A common pitfall here is that one tendsto be complacent by saying that I have prayed and have left the results at the hands of the Divine.Contrary to this attitude, it is important to do one’s best by pushing the limits of oneself and toexceed oneself and then leave the result to the Divine. So the emphasis here is on sincere effort,be it in terms of work or thought.3) The third key practice is to read the Savitri systematically as Sri Aurobindo has imbued it withthe new consciousness that he wants to be manifested on mankind. One can read the Savitri aloudand try to listen to Sunil Da’s ‘Savitri music’ or The Mother’s recitation of the Savitri. TheMother has said that ‘even five minutes with Savitri is time not wasted’ and so Ms. Mehra saysthat ‘The Savitri has everything, it is the yoga of the future’.4) The fourth key practice is to widen one’s mind and be receptive. By doing this, a lot ofdisharmony in relationships—be it at work or with friends and family—can be peacefullyresolved. In ‘The Science of Living’, The Mother has said that this practice can be done byfinding the synthesis between the thesis and the antithesis. This practice enables the mind to beflexible and so every time one finds in disagreement with someone, this method can be adoptedto harmonize the environment.5) The fifth key practice is to develop Equanimity and Equality. Sri Aurobindo has said that thefirst indispensable thing for the descent of the supramental force in order to manifest the newconsciousness is equality, which is the ability to not be disturbed. Even in the face of the worstcircumstances, one has to learn to remain calm, undisturbed, and maintain the inner equilibrium.6) The last one is the practice of Conscious Living. The ability to be conscious of each movementand being and to internalize the ideal of beauty in thought, living, and action is a very importantpractice for preparing ourselves for the new consciousness. It goes hand in hand with intensifyingone’s aspiration and in The Mother’s words, ‘One should not have a will that flickers out like acandle’, but must constantly keep the inner fire burning. *** Integral Design, Engineering and Architecture (3 December 2017: 9.00 to 10.00 a.m.) Mr. Sanjay Prakash It was a beautiful morning and it gave us a yet another promising start to the day. Mr.Sanjay Prakash’s session gave us an insight into how Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy can bematerialized in practice. Through a visual representation, we were taken into create spaces thatwere emanating the new spirit that Sri Aurobindo had envisioned. Many of the speakers hadearlier referred to how Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy seeks to suffuse matter with Divinity. Mr. 37

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchSanjay Prakash’s visual narratives and the architectural spaces he has created were livingdemonstrations of Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga. Mr. Prakash began his talk by defining what architecture means. Simply put, architectureis the ‘technology of organizing space’. This technology has a lot of potential to ‘push towardsa new frontier’. However, in a rapidly urbanizing world, architecture has also to rise up to thechallenges facing it. In his analysis, the architecture of the new age is constituted by three mottos:safety, code compliance, and the brand value trumping cost capital. Furthermore, anyonefamiliar with Mr. Prakash’s work—which all of us here naturally are as he has designed a lot ofstructures here in this very premise—would know that he is an advocate of ‘green frontier’ inarchitectural practice. A green frontier emphasizes on efficiency (where one gets better value due to reducedoperations cost) and substitution (where fossil resources are replaced by renewable ones). In theface of the enormous crisis of climate change that confronts us, we know that ‘a green frontier’is the only way out and so it is, in quite literal terms, the future of architecture. There are two dimensions to the presentation of Mr. Prakash. The first focuses on thetechnical nature of the new frontier and there are four key aspects that underline this: equity,sufficiency, identity, and resilience. Correspondingly, the second set of four aspects focuses onthe integral nature of the new frontier: aspirational, harmonious, collective, and living. Through these dimensions, we have an integral approach to the science of architecturewhereby there is a perfect harmonization between matter and spirit. This, after all, is the purposeof all endeavours of the new yoga. The session was followed by a lively participation from theaudience. One particular question that was raised was how can the new frontier tackle rapidurbanization and do we dismantle all the existing structures and replace them with the greenfrontier? The answer to the question was that we should wait for the existing structures to witheraway naturally. This answer sums up the integral and sustainable approach to the subject at hand,which is what defines the spirit of Mr. Prakash’s work as we see and inhabit them. *** WORKSHOP The Importance and Relevance of India’s Cultural Heritage (3 December 2017: 3.00 to 4.30 p.m.) Mr. Sampadanada Mishra The focus of the second session of Mr. Mishra was in many respects a continuation ofhis earlier one on Sanskrit as ‘A Key to the Heart of India’. Being a workshop, the structure ofthe event was very interactive, wherein a lot of questions and answers were exchanged. Theworkshop itself was laced with many captivating narratives and anecdotes from our rich culturalheritage and it saw an enthusiastic and lively audience taking a keen interest in the proceeds ofthe event throughout. We began by discussing the meaning of the term ‘culture’ and the predominant responsewas that culture is a ‘way of life’ that is unique to each race and civilization. Of the many ancientcivilizations that existed, 46 civilizations to be precise, 45 dissolved into oblivion and India isthe only one that has a continued existence. Mr. Mishra points out that it is spirituality that gaveIndia its resilience for survival. There was a particular focus on Krishna’s message to Arjuna in the Gita, which reflectsthe essence of Indian spirituality. The need for self-mastery over emotions and passions and thequestion of violence were the highlight of this particular section.One question that was raised in this context was how can Krishna’s call to Arjuna for action inthe battlefield be justified, as killing is essentially an act of violence. Mr. Mishra explained that,first, according to the Kshatriya dharma, it is the duty of Arjuna to fight in the battlefield andso, consequentially, by refusing to fight, Arjuna will actually be violating the laws of dharma.Second, it is not the act of killing itself that constitutes violence; rather it is the spirit in which it 38

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchis done that determines whether it is an act of violence or a necessary act for the upholdingdharma.The key here is that the killing should not be done under the impulse of baser forces likejealously, anger, desire, etc. It should be done with an outlook of love and in the spirit ofestablishing the triumph of truth over falsehood. One interesting anecdote regarding self-mastery involved a guru who was constantlyrebuked by one of his disciples. The disrespectful behaviour of the disciple for many years, butthe guru continued to ignore him. The others were in awe of the guru for his sense of toleranceeven in the face of criticism and hostility. On one important occasion, the guru was to address alarge congregation. It was feared that this disciple might cause some disturbance by attackingthe guru in public and, as expected, the disciple did just that.The guru simply struck the disciple this time rather than ignoring his as he usually used to do.The others were puzzled by this reaction and so they asked him why he reacted in this particularmanner after ignoring and bearing with the disciple’s misconduct for so many years. The gurucalmly replied saying he always knew that what was necessary to set the disciple on the rightpath was just a tight slap—and it worked as after that slap, the disciple was in his perfect behavioronce and forever. But he waited for all these years as the disciple’s conduct had indeed botheredhim subconsciously. However, on this particular occasion, he was completely calm andunperturbed, and hence it would be right to deal with the disciple now as he would not be actingunder the impulse of ego or anger. The right approach to situations and people involves a sense of discernment, that is, thepower to distinguish between what is right and wrong. Our duty is to act on the basis of truth andhelp in the establishment of harmony. To do this, it is important to purge oneself of baseremotions and desires and be liberated from their influence entirely. Above all, concludes Mr.Mishra, it is of utmost importance to preserve the unity and unbroken continuity of India’s richcultural heritage. *** Musical Offerings Pal Mein Pralay: Meditations on Time in the Songs of Kabir and other Mystics (3 December 2017: 5.40 to7.10 p.m.) Shabnam Virmani The musical journey with Ms. Shabnam Virmani this evening was distinct andmemorable for many of us. Her electrifying voice, complemented by her captivating narrativestyle and musical accompaniment, infused a vibrant energy in the atmosphere. Her musicprimarily focused on Kabir and it was eloquently interspersed with translations of the verses inthe English language, so that not only did we get to enjoy the rhythms of her performance, butwe also got to engage with the important metaphysical questions that some the poets, mainlybelonging to the Bhakti movement, had explored in their verses. She began by giving an introduction to the concept of ‘time’, which is the central themeof the occasion. In a paradox that exemplifies the modern man’s experience with time, she pointsout how time is something that is embedded in everyone’s life and consciousness, but is yet atthe same time intangible and invisible. She rhetorically asked, has there been a shift in themodern man’s relationship with time? This question is pertinent because nobody has time intoday’s world. In an acute observation, she points out how time is made into a commodity, whichis reflected when one says, ‘I will give you time’, or when one asks, ‘May I take your time?’ Virmani illustrated this paradox by taking us to one of the verses of Kabir and the linesin translation go as follows: ‘You ran and you ran as far as your mind could run. Tired of running,your mind grew still. And what you are searching for was right there’. These verses, in a way,give us an insight into some of the recurrent aspects in Kabir’s verses: irony, humour, and thefutility of human endeavours. She further continues with reciting Kabir’s verses: ’As many 39

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchwaves as there are in the ocean, as will the mind’s thoughts constantly ebb and flow. The mindruns endlessly; but pearls are formed in that part of the ocean where the waters are still.’ Virmani next takes us through the verses of the Gujarati saint-poetess, Gangasati, whichbegins with this beautiful line in the English translation: ‘In the time that you get in the flash ofone lightening, string your pearls…’ The essence of this saint-poetesses verse is to urge one togo beyond the dualism of the ‘self’ and the ‘other’, that is, beyond the realm of the ego. The wayto achieve liberation from the dualism that defines our existence in this world is to go beyondthe confines of the body and the cosmos, and to that space where one can find true wisdom andthe guru. In that transcendental space, one cannot come across even a single shred of thedelusions of the ego. Her other renditions took us back to Kabir and explored the theme of love and itsrelationship to time, and to do that, she first narrated a parable of the Buddhist tradition tocontextualize it. In the depths of a jungle, a parrot, who lives in a sandalwood tree and shares aspecial bond with it, sees that a fire is rapidly blazing through the forest. So while all the birdsand animals are fleeing, this bird decides to stay back with the tree. The tree asks, ‘I have rootsand so I cannot flee from this fast impending catastrophe; but you, on the other hand, have wings.So why are you here? Fly away.’ But the parrot replies: ‘I ate your fruit. I played on your tree byflying from branch to branch. How many chances does one get to live?’ The parrot, then, plungesinto a lake and comes back to the tree and from her wet body, two drops of water fall on the tree.She goes back to the lake and sheds two more drops of water on the tree. All the animals andbirds scoff at her thinking that she is engaging in a futile endeavour and they mockingly ask,‘What do you think you are doing?’. The parrot replies, ‘I am doing what I can.’ Over thehorizon, the clouds are passing by and the one of the gods sees her selfless actions and comesdown as an eagle and swoops around her. The eagle is so moved, that he begins to weep. Andthe gods begin to weep as well. Of course, we know what this symbolically means. Virmanipoints out that this selfless act of love is possible only when one does not have agendas andgoals, as such plans make us feel fearful and force us to be cautious by thinking of consequences.Instead, one must live completely by consecrating oneself to the present. The final rendition touched upon the theme of death and liberation in Kabir. Accordingto the poet, the only way to be liberated from the cycle of attachment and detachment, and oflove and loss, is to practice the art of dying because death allows one to be free and to be rebornafresh. Her music was a transcendental experience and the power and influence of her divineand mighty voice continued to echo through our hearts through the rest of the evening andbeyond. *** Thee, Only Thee—Meditations on the Geeta, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo (3 December 2017: 11.15 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. & 4 December 2017: 9.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.) Prashant Khanna Mr. Prashant Khanna’s sessions on meditation, which happened over two consecutivedays, were very useful because not only did we learn about what the Gita, The Mother, and SriAurobindo had said about meditation, but more importantly, we learnt how to meditate the rightway. We had a systematic exposure to all the important theoretical and practical knowledgeneeded to be able meditate well. Through his sessions, we got to learn the important principlesthat can enable us to meditate properly, as well as to unlearn certain fundamental misconceptionswe had about this most indispensable aspect of our life. He begins by pointing out how of the four aspects of the body, emotion, intellect, andspirituality, the last one, that is, spirituality, did not receive the requisite attention. Meditation,as we know, is very important to the practice of spirituality and so he posed two fundamentalquestions: ‘What is meditation?’ and ‘Why should we do it?’ He addresses the first question byexplaining that according to the Bhagvad Gita, meditation is the fixing of the mind on the 40

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi BranchSupreme. The emphasis in the Gita is not on how to meditate, but rather on why to meditate. Heclarifies one common misunderstanding about meditation which is that, meditation is understoodto be a sort of relaxation. But contrary to this, as was already mentioned, meditation is about‘fixing the mind on Him’. The second misunderstanding is that, meditation is often confusedwith concentration. However, he clarifies that concentration is an extension of meditation. Toquote Sri Aurobindo’s differentiation between meditation and concentration: ‘Concentrationmeans fixing the consciousness in one place or on one object and in a single condition.Meditation can be diffusive, e.g., thinking about the Divine, receiving impressions anddiscriminating, watching what goes on in the nature and acting upon it, etc.’ (How to CultivateConcentration: Words of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother). Next, he moves on to address the question, ‘Why should we meditate?’ He says that‘meditation should be done as a result of a certain psychological state, and that state is a state ofdissatisfaction’. Meditation is also the way to attain a consciousness which is beyond theordinary level. If one wants to know what is meant by ordinary consciousness, then it can beexplained as the tendency of the mind to be turned outwards and to constantly flit its focus fromone object to another, rather than being fixed on one. The other aspect that underlies the ordinarymental consciousness is the law of transience and the dissatisfaction that comes with it. Mr.Khanna also distinguishes between two types of dissatisfaction. The first one is called a worldlydissatisfaction which stems from material conditions; but spiritual dissatisfaction is based on adeep inner feeling wherein even if one has everything that one desires, one is not still not satisfied(a prominent example of this is Nachiketa). This spiritual dissatisfaction triggers one to seekafter a different consciousness, a state where one is not a prisoner of the transient nature of theworldly life. Mr. Khanna then proceeds to lay out a few conditions that help us in meditating. Someof them are: a) being comfortable with a posture so that one is physically comfortable to be ableto meditate; b) to consciously relax each muscle and body part; c) to make a conscious effort torelax our face. Interestingly, the purpose of the Gita is to make the mind to be peaceful, not toentirely deprive it of thought. Since the mind is an instrument of thought, the Gita does notrecommend silencing the mind completely, but it rather focuses on channelizing the thought.The practice and state of gratitude is a powerful way of harmonizing the mind. There are threeaspects that help us in achieving a state of gratitude. They are: 1) To be in a reasonably goodhealth condition so that the mind can liberate itself from focusing on the body and concentrateon the Eternal; 2) To be free from financial stringency, and; 3) To be free from mentalconstraints. In The Synthesis of Yoga, Sri Aurobindo says: ‘He who chooses the Infinite has beenchosen by the Infinite’. This, in Mr. Khanna’s explanation, means that God is more eager to meetus than we are eager to meet God. One question that lingers in our mind in the context ofmeditation is, how to know whether we have been successful in meditation or not. Mr. Khannasays that one simple test to determine this is based on whether or not one notices the passage oftime. During the course of meditation, if one feels the passage of time to be slow or tedious, thenit can be said that the process of meditation was not very successful. He also explained that thereare three stages of meditation: 1) Fixity and intensity of meditation; 2) As a consequence of fixityand intensity, one is led to a state where the focus is not longer on the individual, but rather onmeditation itself; and 3) The experience that the Supreme has become oneself and is focusingthe mind on the Supreme object. Two tools to attain the first stage of meditation—that is, fixity and intensity—arearticulation and visualization. The Mother: Prayers and Meditations, for example, givesexpression to our aspirations and is hence useful in the process of meditation. It is also helpfulto visualize a certain image to focus on during the course of meditation in order to achieve betterresults. The above enriching expositions were illustrated with numerous mantras and passagesfrom the Gita as well as from the teachings of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. We ended the 41

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branchsecond day’s session by effectively putting into practice some of the principles we had learntabout meditation. *** DANCE LECTURE PERFORMANCE The Centre from which it all Spins (7 December 2017: 5.10 to 6.40 p.m) Miti Desai The dance and lecture performance of Ms. Miti Desai was a scientific theorization of theprinciples that govern the Indian classical dance form, as well as a visual exposition thatbeautifully took us on a journey into the rich mythological tradition of India. She spoke aboutthe many nuances of the dance form and also simultaneously demonstrated it by periodicallyperforming the corresponding theoretical principles in practice. Through a scientific approach,she explained that after the Big Bang, we have the ‘emergence of the time and space continuum’.This in turn, she says, gets manifested in dance. There are two components in dance: the firstpertains purely to the movement and the gestures of dance; and the second pertains to abhinaya,which enables the dancer to narrative a story. The storytelling aspect of Indian classical dance,as we all know, primarily deals with the gods and the goddesses. The gods that are popularlyperformed in the dance forms like Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna, etc. are not merely idols or forms;but rather, each god and goddess manifests a power. To invoke the specific energy and themanifestation that each god represents is, from our end, the actual worshipping of the god. Ms. Desai says that the purpose of Indian art forms is to help us to transcend the chaosand the struggles of the mundane life. She then moves into the performance aspect of the sessionby simultaneously theorizing and performing Lord Shiva. Some of the dynamic aspects of Shiva that were theorized and performed were: Shiva isthe one who is self-born; He is the one who represents a sheer uncontainable and explosiveabundance of energy; Shiva is the one with many arms; He is also the only with matted locks;He is the one who celebrates death, and by virtue of that, he is paradoxically also the one whocelebrates life; Shiva is the one who dances to the rhythms of creation and of destruction; He isthe one who receives the mighty Ganga on his forehead (‘Gangadhara Shankara’).A subsectionof the above theory-praxis mode narrated the story of the young, proud, and the beautiful Ganga.When the gods ask Ganga to flow on earth, she says that the force of her flow will destroy theearth. But she obliges the gods since that is what is asked of her and so she slowly starts streamingdown with her might on the earth. Just then, Lord Shiva descends down from the mountain andstarts unwinding his matted locks and receives the force of Ganga in his locks, thereby preventingthe earth from being destroyed. Now, Ganga finds herself entangled in the locks of Shiva andcannot find her way out. She is then tied on to the hair of Shiva and this symbolizes the pride ofGanga which is arrested and dissolved on the locks of Shiva rather than being unleashed on theearth to destructive consequences. Lord Shiva releases just one trickle of Ganga on the earth,which is story of the river Ganga as we know today.Ms. Desai then moves on to the concept of the ‘Ardhanarishwara’, which symbolicallyrepresents the integration of the masculine and the feminine aspects in all of us. The origin ofthe concept itself is very complex as there are multiple stories behind it. But such multiplenarratives are also what characterize the richness and the plurality of our culture. This wasfollowed by two full length dance performances, one each on the aspects of Lord Shiva and LordKrishna, and it was a visually enthralling experience for us. *** 42

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch OUTDOOR WITH NATUREGames and Relaxation (7 December 2017: 11.00 a.m. − 12.30 p.m.) Following a wintry December morning, ‘Outdoor with Nature’ gave us an exposure toboth the warmth of the sun as well as the mirth of companionship of fellow our participants. Wewere enthusiastically gathered around in the playfield and were divided into 6 groups. Thegroups comprised of members of all age groups who energetically and spiritedly participated inthe various sequences of games that followed. There was a lot of laughter, childishness, andhealthy competition in the atmosphere. Each of the games organized required the display of ourstrength in terms of both physical and mental agility. We were more focused on finishing thegame with perfection than on winning it. The collective game sessions were followed by othersports activities of our choice, which saw many groups coming together and playing a lot of ballgames. By the end of it, we were charged with a lot of energy and cheerfulness. ***Miscellaneous The Quest for constant remembrance 9th Dec’17 (11.00am to 12.30pm)Integration of spirituality in our daily life is the main concept for this session. One’s life iscomplete when the divine is present in them. Every, body has a soul it means soul wants thatbody. We are blessed with the soul. The consciousness is totally the awareness to recognise thepresence of a divine. In the book of prayers and meditations, it has been explained, how to placea divine in our life in a constant manner. The divine is with us, we have to believe it. When wereally want to have a contact with divine, we are started to growing with the divine. Self-reflection and self-observation is very important part of the divine life. Neeltje stressed her voice,maintaining the diary and notify our daily life leads to develop a good relationship in spirituallife. A power of self-awareness helps to develop of intuitions within us. Power of dynamic isdifficult in integral psychology. We are the last one who occupies the space and time. We haveto more conscious about ourselves and have to develop it more. Individuality can be classifiedinto temporary and eternal. Temporary individuality is our mind, life and body. Our soul usedit to manifest. Manifestation becomes divine in integral psychology. Experiencing self-awareness will leads to more conscious. We have to maintain the consciousness collectively likemind, body. Because, soul used it as an instrument to attain the presence of divine. The twosteps are, 43

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch1. Building up our mind and body.2. Self-deeper and higher consciousness. An exercise done by the people, i.e. concentrated to listen the sound which deeply able tohear while we going inside within ourselves. She used the bell to start and stop the exercise.She explained about the silence over the exercise. The major things to be followed are, 1. Self-awareness 2. Self-observation 3. The witnessWe have to free from the evolutionary limitation. The creation is so complex, critical that goalto reach the divine. Many talked about the calmness, quite. Divine is a combination of vital,mental, physical, and spiritual.Life is all about what we learn and where do we learn. Theconscious we have to quite our mind and calm our body.Next exercise, is to make calm our heart to get rid of depression. In our life, we were dominatedby circumstances. We receive constantly influences in our life by all the sides, the presence ofdivine will make us to shift from those circumstances, said by The Mother. Knowing the filledforces both good and bad forces, realise the intention which surrounds yourself. 6. Question: Depression surrounds us all the time, what we do at that time? Answer: Consciousness to be acted to make yourself happier. 7. Question: Should we convert our difficulties into opportunities? Answer: Yes. Firstly, be consciousness over the divine, nurture yourself and work, circumstance are change by increasing the strength to make new opportunities. 8. Question: What is the second step after self-awareness? Answer: Second step is don’t go deeper into your difficulties, taking a distance, took deeper depth into the consciousness. Higher conscious is perfect one which helps to convert us into a sense of perfect. 9. Question: How consciousness goes with ego? Answer: Separation takes place and individuality places a role here. Practice will help to remove those things. Unconditional love removes the ego. 10. Question: So, We have to change External individuality to internal individuality? Answer: We must have the spark inside us to maintain calmness. Aspiration leads to manifest the divine. Reflection9th Dec’17(3.00pm to 4.30pm)Reflection session started by asking the feedbacks about the 8days sessions. 11 people sharedtheir experiences. People expressed their way of thankfulness by singing a song, recite a poem,some ended up their talk by adding suggestions for the future. Few commented on the food andthe nature which exhibits the presence of divine in the ashram. One student said that she wrotea thesis on the literary works of Shri. Aurobindo and if she missed this session, her works wouldnot be completed, she added. One senior citizen said that he crossed the age limit for this session,still he got a chance to attend by the grace of divine. Divine has chosen this people to create ahuman unity with lot of transformation in the mere future. The hard works done by Ashramitesespecially jeyanty di, baren bhaiya made the session more useful to the participants. Manycommented about the schedule, they felt their pleasure to attend this relic’s function. The session continues with collecting the written feedbacks. A sheet of questionsdistributed among the people, which includes 44

Relics Enshrinement Ceremony, Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch1. What have been the most memorable moments during the past 8 days? Describe thesemoments?2. What was the highest aspiration that formed in you in the past 8 days?3. How will you work towards the realisation of this aspiration? Give specific ways inwhich you will work towards this.4. Do you have any suggestion for us? After this, flower cards are distributed to all the participants, they all cherished thewords by the Mother. The video which explains the psychic being in terms of the Mother andSri Aurobindo. The session ends with the silence and the presence of divine fulfilled the heartsof the people. Quest for Constant RemembranceNeeltjie di began her session with taking a few quotes of the Mother from Prayers andMeditations on the experience of being in communion with the Divine. From there she built upher communication on how we can try to reach nearer to the Divine within us. The steps shesuggested were:1. Going within: She spoke of how important it is to ‘switch off’ from the surrounding chaosand noise of the world, and to practice going within and centering ourselves there. For it is withinus that the soul resides and that is all peace, joy and beauty. She particularly stressed theimportance of a deep silence that is always within us and even around us, a silence that has thepower to put us in contact with our deepest self.2. Remembering and offering: To offer all our difficulties, opportunities, flaws, virtues, etc.to the Divine for them to be transformed into a means of our ascent. *** 45