November 2020 Newsletter

November 2020 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY VOL 34.11 Singapore NEWSLETTER Descent of the Overmind Krishna’s Light in the Overmind The Overmind ready to be Divinised. Salvia farinacea Mealy sage, Mealy-cup sage Small lavender blue bilabiate flower with a broadly extended lower lip marked with a white patch in the centre and light grey blue calyces; borne in whorls in erect terminal spikes. A branching lightly pubescent perennial herb. * The Spirit’s tops and Nature’s base shall draw Near to the secret of their separate truth And know each other as one deity. The Spirit shall look out through Matter’s gaze And Matter shall reveal the Spirit’s face. Then man and superman shall be at one And all the earth become a single life. Even the multitude shall hear the Voice And turn to commune with the Spirit within And strive to obey the high spiritual law: This earth shall stir with impulses sublime, Humanity awake to deepest self, Nature the hidden godhead recognise. Savitri, Sri Aurobindo

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. Guiding Light of the Month “O LORD, O eternal Master, my thought lies mute and powerless before Thee but my heart calls to Thee; awaken all my being that it may be for Thee, entirely, the needed instrument, the perfect servitor. Oh, to be infinitely Thou, Thou in all things, Thou everywhere, Thou always, the absolute silence, the absolute movement . . . To be nothing other than the One, all-containing, contained in all — free from every limitation and from all blindness. O Supreme Triumphant, triumph over every obstacle..” August 28, 1914 Prayers and Meditations, The Mother From the Editor’s Desk This month we continue with our theme on Krishna. Krishna is not the supramental light. The descent of In the two last issues of our newsletter, we got a glimpse Krishna would mean the descent of the Overmind of the Godhead of Krishna. We dedicate this issue to Godhead preparing, though not itself actually the Descent of the Overmind or Descent of Krishna as bringing, the descent of Supermind and Ananda. we observe the 94th Anniversary of the descent of the Krishna is the Anandamaya, he supports the Overmind or Krishna’s Light into Sri Aurobindo and evolution through the Overmind leading it towards therefore the earth plane on the 24th of November this his Ananda…. year. This event, significant in the Sadhana of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo in preparing the future What happened on the 24th November prepared descent of the Supramental force, took place on the the possibility of this descent and on that day he evening of 24th of November 1926 in Pondicherry retired into seclusion and entered into deep and ashram. This day is also known as Siddhi Day and it powerful meditation.” was on this day too that the ashram was ‘officially’ established, with the Mother at the helm, taking full We feature in the next pages articles written by senior control of its organisation and running. From this. day sadhaks on this event. It is a day to contemplate further onwards, Sri Aurobindo was seen to withdraw more on Sri Aurobindo’s and The Mother’s Sadhana and our and more into his sadhana, his inner work and therefore place in the scheme of things. the task the outer running of the ashram together with the inner work was left to The Mother. Here is what Sri The month of November also marks The Mother’s Aurobindo has to say about this descent: Mahasamdhi, on the 17th of November 1973. This has become a day of silence where Sadhaks and ashram “ ….the descent in 1926 was rather of the Overmind, inmates and devotees elsewhere observe silence or not of the Supermind proper. minmal speech throughout the day as they remember The Mother’s Mahasamadhi. Till her last days, her What was said was that the Divine (Krishna or the dedication and total surrender to the Divine will be Divine Presence or whatever you like) had come down something we can always hold in our consciousness into the material. It was also proclaimed that I was and so too the mantra intimate to Her, ‘Om Namo retiring—obviously to work things out….. Bhagavate’. www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 2 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. Savitri “Oh, surely one day he shall come to our cry, One day he shall create our life anew And utter the magic formula of peace And bring perfection to the scheme of things. One day he shall descend to life and earth, Leaving the secrecy of the eternal doors, Into a world that cries to him for help, And bring the truth that sets the spirit free, The joy that is the baptism of the soul, The strength that is the outstretched arm of Love. One day he shall lift his beauty’s dreadful veil, Impose delight on the world’s beating heart And bare his secret body of light and bliss.” Sri Aurobindo November 24 24 [November 1926] was the descent of Krishna into the physical. Krishna is not the supramental Light. The descent of Krishna would mean the descent of the Overmind Godhead preparing, thought not itself actually bringing the descent of Supermind and Ananda. Krishnan is the Anandamaya; he supports the evolution through the Overmind leading it towards the Ananda. (Sri Aurobindo, 29 October 1935, All India Magazine November 2002) The Siddhi Day (Day of Victory) The Sri Aurobindo Ashram was founded by Sri Aurobindo on the 24 November 1926 (Siddhi Day). At the time there were no more than 24 disciples in the Ashram. Further, on that day Sri Aurobindo experiences the descent of Krishna into his body. He explains, “The descent of Krishna would mean the descent of the Overmind Godhead preparing, though not itself actually bringing, the descent of Supermind and Ananda.” www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 3 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. In order to understand the importance of this day it is necessary to go back to Sri Aurobindo’s experience in the jail in 1909-1909 and link it up with the 24th of November 1926. We must also take into consideration what Sri Aurobindo wrote about his own sadhana to Barin in reply to his letter in 1920. In that letter of April 1920 Sri Aurobindo described the stage of his yoga when he came to Pondicherry in 1910 as “preliminary or preparatory”. That is to say, it was a preliminary stage of the supramental yoga. “The inner guide, the Universal Teacher, showed me my path entirely. All its essence is contained in the ten limbs of the yoga. For the last ten years (1910-1920) the Divine has giving me the experience of that element and developing it in me, though the work is not yet finished… Without reaching the Supramental it is impossible to know the ultimate secret of the world. The riddle of the world cannot be solved without it. “But its attainment is not easy. After fifteen years, I am just now rising to the lowest of the three layers of the supermind and trying to draw up all my movements into it. But when the siddhi is complete, then there is no doubt that the Divine will give the Siddhi of the Supermind to others through me with very little effort. Then my real work will begin. I am not in a hurry to accomplish my work…I do not want to jump into the field of action, like a mad man running hither and thither, with the power of his petty egoism… This work is not mine, it is the Divine’s… I do not want thousands or 1akhs of disciples. It would be enough if I get a hundred men free from their petty egoism and ready to work as the instruments of the Divine…. “What can an imperfect man going in the midst of imperfect men achieve?” These quotations clearly demonstrate that when Sri Aurobindo came to Pondicherry he was not groping for his path, his path was clear before him. After 1910 the charge of his yoga was taken over by the Divine and the path was revealed to him in ten limbs of the sadhana. He was all along conscious of the existence of the Supramental plane above the mind. And up to 1920 he had succeeded in ascending to the lowest stratum of that consciousness and also in drawing up all the movements of his nature into it. He was, besides, not impatient for action. He did not want to act from ignorant human instruments but from a Higher Consciousness. He had the confidence that if the perfection of the Supramental descent could be established, then other people would be able to profit by it with much less effort. It was when the Tapasya for the Siddhi of the Supramental was going on that, fortunately, as if by a Divine dispensation, the Mother joined him intimately in the great Spiritual work. From the beginning of 1926 the work of guiding the disciples already began to move towards the Mother. There were also women disciples -three or four in number- staying in the Ashram who used to go to the Mother for meditation. From August 1926 the number of disciples going to the Mother increased. It was as if Sri Aurobindo was slowly withdrawing himself and the Mother was spontaneously coming out and taking up the great work, both of inner sadhana and of the outer organisation of the Ashram. The meditations became more and more concentrated and intense. Sri Aurobindo’s coming out for the evening sitting began to become more and more late. The wonder of it was that no one felt anything unnatural in all these changes. The part of the disciples in the tremendous task of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother was insignificant, still they were the witnesses of the changes in the inner and outer atmosphere of the Ashram. From the trend of the evening talks just before and after the 15th of August 1926 it was becoming clear that the importance of a link between the highest Supermind and mind was being emphasised. He called it the Overmind. During the six years (from 1920-1926) it was also evident that he had gone much further not only in the ascent towards and into the Higher Consciousness but also in bringing about its descent into the nature. Several times in the beginning of November the evening talks turned on the possibility of the descent of the Divine Consciousness and its process. From these evening conversations, therefore, the idea of the nearness of such a descent came to several disciples. There was the possibility of the descent www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 4 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. of the Gods. In The Life Divine Sri Aurobindo has given a clear exposition of the Overmind plane and Consciousness and the Overmind Gods. I give here some basic conceptions from it so that they might be of help in the understanding of the descent that took place on the 24th November 1926. “If we regard the Powers of Reality as so many Godheads, we can say that the Overmind releases a million Godheads into action, each empowered to create its own world, each world capable of relation, communication and interplay with the others. There are in the Veda different formulations of the nature of the Gods: it is said they are all one Existence to which the sages give different names.” Further on he says:- “Overmind thus gives to the One Existence-Consciousness-Bliss the character of a teeming of infinite possibilities which can be developed into a multitude of worlds or thrown together into one world in which the endlessly variable outcome of their play is the determinant of the creation, of its process, its course and its consequence”. In the Overmind, “each God knows all the Gods and their place in existence;… The Overmind is a principle of cosmic Truth and a vast and endless catholicity is its very spirit; its energy is an al1- dynamism as well as a principle of separate dynamism….” A feeling that the descent of the Higher Consciousness would, or was about to, take place grew in the minds of the disciples either as a result of some indicative personal experience or owing to the general atmosphere. Many felt that great changes in the outer structure of the Ashram were about to occur. Instead of coming to the evening sittings at half-past four, the usual time, Sri Aurobindo came at six or seven, or eight o’clock. One day the record was 2 o’ clock in the morning! It was evident that all his great energies were entirely taken up by the mighty task of bringing about the descent of the Higher Consciousness and that he did not want to lose or divert even a second of his time to anything else. Even though the work of maintaining an outer contact with the disciples was found useful it was becoming more and more difficult in view of the growing demand upon his time for the inner work. Those who do not know anything about his great mission can hardly understand how concentrated and sincere was his application for attaining perfection in his Divine task. In fact, people outside had already begun to be sceptical of any “practical” result of his vast efforts. Those who had built high hopes upon his spiritual effort and were his genuine admirers began to be disappointed. Some even cherished, in their ignorance, the foolish belief that Sri Aurobindo had lost his way in the barren regions of the Absolute, the Para Brahman! Or that he was entangled somewhere in the inscrutable coils of the Infinite! They believed that Sri Aurobindo had lost his hold on the earth, and that he had become either indifferent or deaf to the pressing and burning problems of suffering humanity. If it was not so, would he not rush to the help of humanity, that was suffering so much, with the saving balm of his Divine help? When was such Divine help more needed than now? And yet the apparent contradiction remains; for those who were fortunate to live in his vicinity knew well enough that the Higher Power that he was bringing down was not only capable of but was actually producing practical results. His contact and identification with the Higher Power were so complete that he was able to put other people, whether near to him or far, in contact with the same. There were almost daily instances of people being saved from physical illness by his help. Far from losing his way in the Absolute he was seeing his way more and more clearly every day and feeling more and more the inevitability of the descent as a natural crown of the movement of evolution on earth. His disciples knew that there was no one on earth who had a deeper sympathy and feeling for humanity than the Master. The silent and solid help that was going out from him to humanity was glimpsed by them at times. They felt that the line he wrote in Savitri’ about Ashwapathy, “His spirit’s stillness helped the toiling world”, was true in his own case. And what after all is that “practicality” of which people speak so much? Claiming to solve problems, does it not really leave them either unsolved or half-solved while giving to the doer a www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 5 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. false sense of satisfaction and self-complacence? In fact, the supreme master had such a firm grip over the earth that such illusory satisfaction could never deceive him. For him “karmasu kausha1am”-“skill in action”-consisted in doing it from a higher Truth-Consciousness. He did not want to begin outer action so long as the Higher Consciouness did not descend into the physical and even into the gross material consciousness. Only a New Life, a life that manifests integrally the Divine, could be embodied. In the fulfilment of the spiritual work that he had begun lies the ultimate solution of all human problems. Days, months and years passed; but Sri Aurobindo did not seem at all in a hurry to begin his work. He was all along preparing the possibility of the descent of the Higher Power. The resistance of the powers of Ignorance against any such attempt is naturally immense. In one evening talk he said that he was engaged in the tremendous task of opening up the physical cells to the Divine Light and the resistance of the Inconscient was formidable. When one knows that all this Herculean labour was undertaken not for himself but for humanity, for making a new departure for man in the course of his evolution then one feels that the words he used for Savitri-“The world unknowing, for the world she stood”-are most apposite in his own case. It was therefore natural that when, by the grace of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, the disciples also felt the nearness of the descent, their hearts should be full of expectant and concentrated enthusiasm. At last the great day arrived. From the beginning of November the pressure of the Higher Power began to be unbearable. The day for which the Mother had been waiting for so many long years came on the 24th November. The sun had almost set, and everyone was occupied with his own activity-some had gone out to the seaside for a walk-when the Mother sent round word to all the disciples to assemble as soon as possible in the verandah where the usual meditation was held. It did not take long for the message to go round to all. By six o’clock most of the disciples had gathered. It was becpming dark. In the verandah, on the wall near Sri Aurobindo’s door, just behind his chair, a black silk curtain with gold lace work representing three Chinese dragons was hung. The three dragons were so represented that the tail of one reached up to the mouth of the other and the three of them covered the curtain from end to end. We came to know afterwards that there is a prophecy in China that the Truth will manifest itself on earth when the three dragons (the dragons of the earth) of the mind region and of the sky) meet. Today on the 24th of November the Truth was descending and the hanging of the curtain was significant. There was a deep silence in the atmosphere after the disciples had gathered there. Many saw an oceanic flood or Light rushing down from above. Everyone present felt a kind of pressure above his head. The whole atmosphere was surcharged with some electrical energy. In that silence, in that atmosphere full of concentrated expectation and aspiration, in the electrically charged atmosphere, the usual, yet on this day quite unusual, sound was heard behind the door of the entrance. Expectation rose in a flood. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother could be seen through the half-opened door. The Mother with a gesture of her eyes requested Sri Aurobindo to step out first. Sri Aurobindo with a similar gesture suggested to her do the same. With a s1ow dignified step the Mother came out first, followed by Sri Aurobindo with his magestic gait. The small table that used to be in front of Sri Aurobindo’s chair was removed this day. The Mother sat on a small stool to his right. Silence absolute, living silence – not merely living but overflowing with divinity. The meditation lasted about forty five minutes. After that, one by one the disciples bowed to the Mother. She and Sri Aurobindo gave blessings to them. Whenever any disciple bowed to the Mother Sri Aurobindo’s right hand came forward behind the Mother’s as if blessing him through the Mother. After the blessings, in the same silence there was a short meditation. In the interval of the silent meditation and blessings many had distinct experiences. When all was over they felt as if they had awakened from a divine dream. Then they felt the grandeur, the poetry and the absolute beauty of the occasion.It was not as if a handful of disciples were receiving blessings from their supreme Master and Mother in one little comer of the earth. The significance of the occasion was far greater than that. It was certain that higher Consciousness had descended on earth. In that deep silence www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 6 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. had burgeoned forth, like the sprout of a Banyan tree, the beginning of a mighty spiritual work. This momentous occasion carried its significance to all in the divine dynamism of the silence, in its unearthly dignity and grandeur and in the utter beauty of its every little act. The deep impress of divinity which everyone got was for him a priceless treasure. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother went inside. Immediately X was inspired. In that silence she spoke: “The Lord has descended into the physical today.” That the 24th November should be given an importance equal to that of the birthdays of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother is quite proper because on that day the descent of the Higher Power symbolic of the victory of their mission took place. The Delight consciousness in the Overmind which Sri Krishna incarnated -as Avatar- descended on this day into the physical, rendering possible the descent of the Supermind into Matter. (Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham, A.B. Purani, https://sasp.collaboration.org/activities/november-24/) Sri Aurobindo’s Corrections in Anilbaran’s Article (Anilbaran’s Note) Asked by the editor of The Pioneer, I wrote an article on the significance of the Siddhi attained on the 24 November, 1926, in which I quoted the following from The Life Divine: “In order that the involved principles of overmind and supermind should emerge from their veiled secrecy, the beings and powers of the superconscience must descend into us and uplift us and formulate themselves in our beings and powers; this descent is a sine quo non of this transition and transformation. I concluded with the comment: “This is referred to in the Vedas as the birth of the gods in men, devanam janmani, Sri Aurobindo regards it as indispensable for supramental realisation on earth. It was this that occurred on the 24 November, 1926, and it is only then that Sri Aurobindo started his Ashram, being sure that with the co-operation of the gods the supermind can descend upon earth.” Sri Aurobindo himself corrected this comment as follows: “What happened on the 24th November prepared the possibility of this descent and on that day he retired into seclusion and entered into deep and powerful meditation”. This connection was made on the 20 November 1950. (A special Number on The Siddhi Day - 24 Nov 1926, All India Magazine - November 2002) Reminiscences of Jaya Devi (Nanibala) It was the month of Asvin in 1926. At the time of Sri Aurobindo’s daily darshan I said: “Lord, the month of Asvin is here. Every year I celebrate Mahashtami puja. I am wondering what to do now; shall I return home or what?” “Why, won’t there be a puja here?” he asked. “Yes, it’s possible: the worship of Shiva- Durga. If I can perform your worship and the Mother’s, then perhaps I need not go from here. That is why I am wondering...” www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 7 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. “Well, you can do that.” On the day of Mahashtami Sri Aurobindo and the Mother sat in two chairs side by side. With the usual offering I performed the puja. I put garlands round both. Oh, it was as if Shiva and Durga had come down to accept the worship! It is impossible to describe all that I felt. It was ineffable, beyond thought. After the puja he left the room. The next day he asked: “You have to go now? You have done your puja.” I said “Yes, my Lord, it was a puja such as I have I have never thought of.” “Well, well,” he said... One night a dream that I was floating in the air while an elephant, hoping to catch me, was prowling below. All the time it was as it were pushing me up. I seem to roam about, as if I had been in a state of daze or stupor. In the morning I went for darshan. As usual I sat holding the leg of the chair. Then I spoke of the previous night and asked: “Lord, why did I dream like that?” “You are on the upward way. But the natural body does not like you to escape that and so it is pursuing you. Upen is putting you up. It is the body that is obstructing.” He said many other things as well, which I cannot now call to mind... November came along. A strange feeling of joy take possession of all the sadhaks present. The whole of Pondicherry was fragrant with incense, a great delight seemed to be at play. There was the feeling one has during the time of Durga Pooja, but this was more intense. I told Bijoybabu and Barinda: “Brothers, I am feeling so happy inside. Such peace! Why is it like this?” “Indeed, sister,” answered Bijoybabu. “What feelings of peace and delight!” At the time of Sri Aurbindo’s darshan I said, “Lord, for the last few days I have been filled with such sense of peace and delight. The whole of Pondicherry has a festive air, and incense and perfume everywhere. Why is it like this, Lord?” Smiling, he said, “You are able to feel this?” “Not only do I but all the sadhaks are able to feel this great wave of peace and delight. We are dancing with an inner joy. Why, Lord?” “Wait and see, there will be more delight to come,” he said. On November 24 a little before evening all the sadhaks were supposed to assemble. One after another we trooped to the upper hall. Sri Aurobindo and The Mother blessed us all with both hands. I was told: “Mahashakti, the Supreme Consciousness-Force, has descended into of Sri Aurobindo”. I could myself feel the light and glory bursting out of his body. Next day when I was carrying with me the garlands of tulsi leaves, I heard that Sri Aurobindo would not come out again but stay in his room. Disappointed, I placed the garlands on the door of his room and turned back. One chapter of our life is over. Translated by Sisir Kumar Ghose from Bengali (A special Number on The Siddhi Day - 24 Nov 1926, All India Magazine - November 2002) Notes of Champaklal and Rajangam From Champaklal’s Diary: 24.11. 1926 Datta spoke: Krishnan the Lord has come. He has ended this hell of suffering. www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 8 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. He has conquered pain. He has conquered death. He has conquered all. He has descended tonight Bringing, Immortality and Bliss. As each one made pranam to the Mother and she gave her blessing, Sri Aurobindo held his palm above hers in blessing. I was the only person to the pranam to both. It was a spontaneous movement; something in me rushed out and made me do it. From Dr Ranjangam’s Reminiscences: 24 November 1926 was indeed a glorious day. It was the day of the descent of Sri Krishna Consciousness into Sri Aurobindo. I still remember Datta (the Irish lady attending to the Mother) exclaiming as if in trance: He has conquered Life. He has conquered Death. He has conquered All. Krishna the Lord has descended! (A special Number on The Siddhi Day - 24 Nov 1926, All India Magazine - November 2002) Question & Answer with Sri Chinmoy Question: In a book about Sri Aurobindo, the Mother spoke about the descent of the overmind, and I was wondering if you could explain that. Sri Chinmoy: In 1926 Sri Aurobindo declared his God-realisation. At that time Lord Krishna descended into him permanently. Before that, Sri Krishna used to come and go, come and go. Sri Aurobindo was in the Alipore jail for one year. There Sri Krishna used to come and see him. In the Alipore jail, Sri Aurobindo would look at the wall, look at the bad people, look at everything and see that it was all Krishna, Krishna, Krishna. But Sri Krishna was coming and going. Finally he entered into Sri Aurobindo permanently. We heard that Lord Krishna brought the overmind. There are so many layers of the mind! The overmind-consciousness descended into Sri Aurobindo and also the Krishna-consciousness. Lord Krishna promised to Sri Aurobindo that he would be inside Sri Aurobindo permanently. That was Sri Aurobindo's God-realisation. Swami Vivekananda came to Sri Aurobindo in the inner world for two weeks continuously while he was in jail to tell him that there is another plane of consciousness higher than the overmind: the supermind. He said, \"You must bring it down, you must bring it down.\" Sri Aurobindo got this message from Swami Vivekananda. When Sri Aurobindo left the body, for two and a half days the supramental consciousness descended as a most beautiful light. There was no electric light there; it was the supramental consciousness. After two and a half days, the Mother said that the earth-consciousness was not ready to receive the supramental light. On the 5th of December Sri Aurobindo left the body; by the 9th the light was completely gone. I was brought up in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Around 1956, the supramental light was descending. I was an athlete, a first-class athlete. Once, after running 400 metres, I was all ready to die. I was lying down on a mat, and I saw that supramental light descending. On the highest plane it is golden, but when it descends, the supramental light becomes reddish. The Mother said that only three or four persons saw the supramental light the first day, when it started descending. www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 9 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. There is the overmind, the supermind, and what I call the intuitive mind. There are all kinds of minds. Before the level of the overmind there are quite a few minds. After the overmind comes the supermind. For you it is not necessary to know what the overmind is doing or what the supermind is doing. When one deals with the overmind, the ordinary mind is still operating. But when it is a matter of the supermind, the supramental consciousness, at that time one far transcends the mind-consciousness. It is totally different. There is a big jump, a big leap between the overmind and the supermind. Before that, from the ordinary mind it goes in tiny, tiny steps. Between the overmind and the supermind is a very, very long step. I am telling you this from my own experience and realisation. Very few people on earth have had glimpses of the supermind. One evening Sri Ramakrishna said to five or six very, very close disciples of his, \"Please do not tell anybody: I am God.\" In all sincerity and seriousness he said, \"I am God, I am God. Please do not tell anybody.\" He was not cutting jokes. In Sri Ramakrishna's case, most seriously he told his very dear disciples, \"You know, I am God.\" This moment Swami Vivekananda believed his Master, and the next moment he did not believe. At the eleventh hour of his life, Sri Ramakrishna said, \"He who is Rama, he who is Krishna, in one form is Ramakrishna.\" Lord Rama is an Avatar, and Sri Krishna is an Avatar. \"Avatar\" means direct descendant of God. Sri Ramakrishna declared himself to be a direct descendant of God. In my poem \"Revelation\" I wrote, \"The Supreme and I are one; all we outlast.\"1 I wrote that poem when I was quite young. In \"Immortality\" I wrote, \"In birth-chains now shines Immortality.\"2 I had the realisation long before, but at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four, in my poems I declared it. (Sri Chinmoy. God made, God moulded, God shaped, https://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/gmg-19 ) www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 10 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. Symbolises perfect Radha attachment to the Divine. Clitoria ternatea. Blue Radha’s Consciousness Radha is the personification of the absolute love for the Divine, total and integral in all parts of the being from the highest spiritual to the physical, bringing the absolute self-giving and total consecration of all the being and calling down into the body and the most material nature the supreme Ananda. SRI AUROBINDO Krishna is ... the divine Flute-player,. . . the immanent and universal Divine who is the supreme power of attraction; and the soul, the psychic personality, [is] Radha, who answers to the call of the Flute-player. THE MOTHER Radha’s Prayer O Thou whom at first sight I knew for the lord of my being and my God, receive my offering. Thine are all my thoughts, all my emotions, all the sentiments of my heart, all my sensations, all the movements of my life, each cell of my body, each drop of my blood. I am absolutely and altogether Thine, Thine without reserve. What Thou wilt of me, that I shall be. Whether Thou choosest for me life or death, happiness or sorrow, pleasure or suffering, all that comes to me from Thee will be welcome. Each one of Thy gifts will be always for me a gift divine bringing with it the supreme Felicity. Radha and Krishna Was it not he once in Brindavan? Woods divine to our yearning, Memorable always! 0 flowers, 0 delight on the tree-tops burning, Grasses his herds have grazed and crushed by his feet in the dancing, www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 11 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. Yamuna flowing with song, through the greenness always advancing, Unforgotten remind; for his flute with its sweetness ensnaring Sounds in our ears in the night and our souls of their teguments baring Hales us out naked and absolute, out to his woodlands eternal, Out to his moonlit dances, his dalliance sweet and supernal. . . . Even an hour of the soul can unveil the Unborn, the Everlasting, Gaze on its mighty Companion; the load of mortality casting, Mind hushes stilled in eternity; waves of the Infinite wander Thrilling body and soul and its endless felicity squander; All world-sorrow is finished, the cry of the parting is over; Ecstasy laughs in our veins, in our heart is the heart of the Lover. (Sri Aurobindo, Spiritual Significance of Flowers) September and October Sunday Activities at the Centre - A glimpse September 27th 2020: Meditations on Savitri with Huta’s Paintings After summarizing Book 1, Canto 3 (“The Yoga of the Soul’s Release”), we commenced Book 1, Canto 5 “The Yoga of the Spirit’s Freedom and Greatness”. We meditated upon and reviewed the pictures 17, 18 comparing them with the corresponding pictures in Book 1 Canto 3 (the last two). The Nature readily comes under the earth nursed might of Aswapati readying Herself for the creation of The New World with “Sunbelts of Knowledge and Moonbelts of Delight”. It is important for us too, to cooperate with the Nature’s ecosystem rather than just focusing on our outer progress alone. Our inner core aligned with our culture should be our base with resonating seasonal and daily coverings like our dress; this core should also be open and agile to grow by availing the positive sensitivities for our future and avoiding the negative sensitivities. Thus, we will be able to successfully navigate our world of dualities rather than striving to totally escape from the field of life. October 4th, 2020: Readings from The Mother, by Sri Aurobindo, Chapter 4 (pgs. 18-20) We completed the rest of chapter 4 (pages 18 -20) of the book \"The Mother\". Sri Aurobindo says that if we are free from money-taint but without ascetic withdrawal, we will have a greater power to command the money for the divine work. He also points out that an ideal Sadhaka, who is required to live poorly can so live with no sense of want or can live richly without falling into desire or attachment to his wealth. The divine Will is all for him and the divine Ananda. Sri Aurobindo also points that in supramental creation, the money-force will be used by the Mother for true and beautiful and harmonious equipment and ordering of a new divinised vital and physical existence in whatever way the Divine Mother herself decides in her creative vision. So money must be conquered back for her by instruments who will be free from ego and surrendered and are pure and powerful channels for the Supreme Puissance.\" www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 12 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. October 11th, 2020: Readings from The Synthesis of Yoga,by Sri Aurobindo, Part 1, Chapter 3 At the beginning of the session, we discussed a little task that was set for everyone in the last session a month ago. It was to look within for one’s highest aim in life or aspiration, and then to observe if one can stay with one’s aim or aspiration in one’s day to day life and what are those movements that helped one to stay focussed and what were those movements that did not help. There were two responses that we briefly discussed and then we moved on with the reading. Sri Aurobindo spells out the aim of the yoga clearly and categorically. He also offers the way forward. However, in these lie our challenge, since he asks for the transformation of our nature. We then see the need to summon all our strength and will power and faith and submit ourselves to that Power that can effect this in us. Here is the first line of the passage which puts it all forward, in a nutshell: “Our purpose in Yoga is to exile the limited outward-looking ego and to enthrone God in its place as the ruling Inhabitant of the nature.“ It was suggested that members attending the talk take some time everyday, at least for a week to step back and observe the play of the ego in them and a sense of the Divine Presence or essence in them, in their day to day life and note down the instances and occasions. October 18th, 2020: Discussion of the Secret of the Vedas, by Sri AurobindoThe first three verses from the Mandala 1, Sukta 1 by Madhuchachhandas Vaishvamitra was discussed. The Fire is wholly venerated and invoked in these verses as the power which is able to bring down the Gods (enrichment and expansion), which is all the wealth the Rishis seek, for which they aspire and perform the sacrifice at the altar of the Fire. The father-son relationship between the invocators and the fire was pointed out during the discussion. The symbolism of the objects used in the sacrifice or as they appeared in the text was highlighted. The cows signified the radiances or the illuminations of a divine dawn; the horses and chariots the force and movement; gold, the light or shining wealth of a Divine Sun and wealth signifies man’s effort and means towards acquisition of Truth, Light, Immortality. It was indeed a very enlightening session visiting the ancient text and being with the elevated thought elements and symbols and deep aspirations. 25th October 2020: Meditations of Savitri. With Huta’s Paintings Mr. Ramanathan explained the Vedic significance of the Picture 17 below. Mr. KV Rao highlighted the significance beyond the Vedas Sri Aurobindo has brought out through this passage. Ramadoss strived to harmoniously integrate these two important views and highlighted some of the conversations with The Mother highlighting the deeper significance of numbers, forms and geometry. PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2020 DATE TIME DETAILS 8 AM Monthly Morning Walk * 1 Nov 2020 Sunday www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 13 Descent of the Overmind

Descent of the Overmind Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. November 2020. 8 PM Talk by Prof Vladimir Yatsenko 8 Nov 2020 6 PM Thematic Study Circle by Jayanthy: Sunday The Synthesis of Yoga 15 Nov 2020 6 PM Thematic Study Circle by Jared: Sunday The Secret of the Veda 17 Nov 2020 6 PM Anniversary of the Mother Leaving Her Body Tuesday 22 Nov 2020 6 PM Savitri Circle by Mr. Ramadoss Sunday 24 Nov 2020 7.30 PM Siddhi Day Meditation Tuesday 6 PM Talk by Prof Vladimir Yatsenko 29 Nov 2020 Video on Integral Yoga Sunday * NOTE: In view of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, please note the following: There will be a collective meditation, but the brunch and the walk is cancelled Printed and Published by The Sri Aurobindo Society of Singapore 2A Starlight Road 01-07, Singapore 217755. Ramadoss: 97354063 or [email protected]; Anand Patel:[email protected]; Email: [email protected] Visit our website at: www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 14 Descent of the Overmind