December 2020 Newsletter

December 2020 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY VOL 34.12 Singapore NEWSLETTER Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Avatar-the Supreme Manifested in a Body upon Earth The pink lotus is the flower of Sri Aurobindo. Nelumbo nucifera Sacred lotus, East Indian lotus Very large fragrant chalice-shaped pink flower with several rows of loosely arranged cupped translucent petals surrounding a unique centre of numerous golden stamens that encircle a raised yellow disc; borne singly on sturdy stems high above the water. A vigorous aquatic rhizomatous plant with large, concave orbicular leaves that repel water. Sri Aurobindo's symbol The descending triangle represents Sat-Chit-Ananda. The ascending triangle represents the aspiring answer from matter under the form of life, light and love. The junction of both – the central square – is the perfect manifestation having at its centre the Avatar of the Supreme – the lotus. The water – inside the square – represents the multiplicity, the creation. The Mother

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. Guiding Light of the Month All the riches of human possibility are needed to translate even one atom of Thy infinite Force. . . . Open the doors that are closed, make the sealed fountains spring forth, that the floods of Thy eloquence and Thy beauty may overspread the world. Let there be amplitude and majesty, nobility and grace, charm and grandeur, variety and strength: for it is the will of the Lord to manifest. July 19, 1914 Prayers and Meditations, The Mother From the Editor’s Desk Wishing everyone Bonne Année! pointing in all directions, seeking out spaces to Yet again we bid farewell to a year of events and conquer and pour out the richness contained in its experiences, some unprecedented, and place our inner worlds. What is in the inner worlds defy the gratitude at the altar of the highest we perceive and feel straight-lined precision we fathom on the outside. The and strive towards that Higher, elusive, yet to be. In all inner spaces are marked with fluidity and grace in the our joys and sorrows of the year past, we must have form of water and a lotus borne by it. The waters are reached out to our inner spaces seeking out the Divine, marked out by curved lines denoting water in the gesture often reciprocated in secret ways that only movement, as in waves and the lotus sits upon this we shall ever know. We bid adieu to 2020 with the fluidity, its potent presence held up in stillness. knowledge of the lessons learnt and the mistakes we refuse to repeat. We heartily welcome the new year We shall find, as we turn the pages, The Mother’s 2021, with a prayer that we may open ourselves more description of the symbol and its significance, in clear, and more to the guiding Light, being ready at each precise language, leaving us to understand it according moment to choose the clear path of inner progress to our evolving consciousness. Time we must take, to against others that lure and lead us into a tangle. May sit with the symbol and The. Mother’s words and work we aspire with all our hearts that the Presence is with out the meaning of the symbol in our own lives, since us and we be with It and lead a life a little closer to The the symbol has offered itself to us for the very reason Mother and Her Light. that we turned to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo in this life. So let us sit with the symbol in concentration and The theme we have chosen for this first newsletter issue bring it before our minds’ eye and the deeper spaces of of the year 2021 brings us a step towards understanding the heart and bear its significance in our lives as we Sri Aurobindo, the master of the Integral Yoga who has work with our bodies. In other words, it appears that left us with this simple dictum, “All life is Yoga.” We nothing expresses better the Integral Yoga other than take a closer look at the symbol which represents Sri this symbol of Sri Aurobindo’s. Thus we shall Aurobindo and his Yoga: welcome this significant year of 2021 that heralds the sesquicentennial birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo (2021-2022). A first look captivates one with its lines of geometrical As we enter into the decade, the editorial perfection and precision, the sharp points decisively board looks forward to improving the look and feel of the newsletter. Readers are welcome to send in their suggestions to us . Bonne Année ! www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 2 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. Savitri Often a lustrous inner dawn shall come Lighting the chambers of the slumbering mind; A sudden bliss shall run through every limb And Nature with a mightier Presence fill. Thus shall the earth open to divinity And common natures feel the wide uplift, Illumine common acts with the Spirit’s ray And meet the deity in common things. Nature shall live to manifest secret God, The Spirit shall take up the human play, This earthly life become the life divine.” Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo and the Lotus \"The literal meaning of ‘aravindh’ ( the root word for Aurobindo ) is divine fragrance. Another meaning is the flower, the divine lotus.\" Aravindaksha. which means 'Lotus-Eyed', is one of the 1000 names of Vishnu. www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 3 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. Sri Aurobindo's Symbol: A Lotus on 7 waves Vishnu and Lakshmi on Sheshnag and the Cosmic Ocean; within ascending and descending triangles. The four-headed Brahma emerges from Vishnu's Navel on a Lotus. The connection between 'lotus' as the root meaning of Sri Aurobindo's name, the lotus of his symbol and the lotus of Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi seems to be largely missed by those discussing or dismissing Sri Aurobindo's position as an avatar of Vishnu. Perhaps in time the living symbols of the Earth and cosmos and the reality of Vishnu's evolutionary dasavataras will be better understood. Below are some descriptions of Vishnu and the lotus and some links that readers can follow if wanting to dive deeper into the significance of the lotus etymology of Sri Aurobindo's name, the lotus of his symbol and the lotus of Vishnu. 'Vishnu is one of the three great gods of Hinduism, the others being Brahma and Shiva. Vishnu is the preserver, with creation occurring when Brahma emerged from the navel of Vishnu on a lotus. As the preserver of creation, Vishnu has taken on both human forms and other forms at intervals in order to rescue the world from some great evil, or to provide some great benefit. These forms are called avatars. Vishnu has taken ten avatar forms.' 'When Vishnu contemplated the creation of mankind, a lotus sprang out of his navel. Seated on it was the four-headed Brahma, illuminating all the directions with his brightness. Vishnu is therefore also known as Padmanabha or the one with the lotus-navel.' The lotus 'represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. The lotus opening its petals in the light of the Sun is indicative of the expansion and awakening of our long dormant, original spiritual consciousness in the light of god. The lotus in Vishnu's hand symbolizes that god is the power and source from which the universe and the individual soul emerges. It represents Divine Truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and Vishnu seated on a lotus, holding a lotus Divine Vedic knowledge or jnana. The lotus also symbolizes that Vishnu is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and purity. Also that He is the wellspring of these qualities and that the individual soul must seek to awaken these intrinsic Divine qualities from Vishnu by surrendering to and linking with Him.' www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 4 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. . Sri Aurobindo's Lotus Symbol in the heart of the Mother's Temple, Matrimandir Source: https://circumsolatious.blogspot.com/2009/09/sri-aurobindo-and-lotus.html Symbols seen during spiritual experiences During spiritual experiences and visions, one comes into contact with forces and beings in various planes of the Universe. These contacts are translated and rendered by the mind in terms of symbols of daily life (i.e. waking consciousness). Here is an explanation by Sri Aurobindo of the various symbols one might see in spiritual visions. Interpreting the universe by soul signs He read from within the text of the without: The riddle grew plain and lost its catch obscure. A larger lustre lit the mighty page. (Sri Aurobindo. Savitri, Book I, Canto V) Sri Aurobindo discusses symbols in a letter to a disciple: A symbol, as I understand it, is the form on one plane that represents a truth of another. For instance, a flag is the symbol of a nation…. But generally all forms are symbols. This body of ours is a symbol of our real being and everything is a symbol of some higher reality. There are, however, different kinds of symbols: l. Conventional symbols: such as the Vedic Rishis formed with objects taken from their surroundings. The cow stood for light because the same word `go’ meant both ray and cow, and because the cow was their most precious possession which maintained their life and was constantly in danger of being robbed and concealed. But once created, such a symbol www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 5 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. becomes alive. The Rishis vitalised it and it became a part of their realisation. It appeared in their visions as an image of spiritual light. The horse also was one of their favourite symbols, and a more easily adaptable one, since its force and energy were quite evident. 2. Life-symbols: such as are not artificially chosen or mentally interpreted in a conscious deliberate way, but derive naturally from our day-to-day life and grow out of the surroundings which condition our normal path of living. To the ancients the mountain was a symbol of the path of yoga, level above level, peak upon peak. A journey, involving the crossing of rivers and the facing of lurking enemies, both animal and human, conveyed a similar idea. Nowadays I dare say we would liken yoga to a motor- ride or a railway-trip. 3. Symbols that have an inherent appositeness and power of their own. Akasha(sky) or etheric space is a symbol of the infinite all-pervading eternal Brahman. In any nationality it would convey the same meaning. Also, the Sun stands universally for the supramental Light, the divine Gnosis. 4. Mental symbols: instances of which are numbers or alphabets. Once they are accepted, they too become active and may be useful. Thus geometrical figures have been variously interpreted. In my experience the square symbolises the supermind. I cannot say how it came to do so. Somebody or some force may have built it before it came to my mind. Of the triangle, too, there are different explanations. In one position it can symbolise the three lower planes, in another the symbol is of the three higher ones: so both can be combined together in a single sign. The ancients liked to indulge in similar speculations concerning numbers, but their systems were mostly mental. It is no doubt true that supramental realities exist which we translate into mental formulas such as Karma, Psychic evolution, etc. But they are, so to speak, infinite realities which cannot be limited by these symbolic forms, though they may be somewhat expressed by them; they might be expressed as well by other symbols, and the same symbol may also express many different ideas. (Letters on Yoga, Visions and Symbols) * Examples of some symbols: In general, one has a wide variety of dreams on the spiritual path but there are some commonalities since all people are part of the same human consciousness. It takes discernment to interpret the dream. Sometimes it takes years to understand the significance of a particular dream. * There is a common idea that visions are a sign of high spirituality. Is this true? Not necessarily. Moreover, to see is one thing but to understand and interpret what is seen is quite another thing and much more difficult. Generally, those who see are misled because they give the meaning or interpretation they wish to give according to their desires, hopes and prepossessions. And then, too, there are many different planes in which you can see. There is a mental seeing, a vital seeing, and there are some visions that are seen in a plane very close to the most material. The visions that belong to the last category appear in forms and symbols that seem to be absolutely material, so clear and real and tangible they are. And if you know how to interpret them you can have very exact indications of circumstances and of the inner condition of people. The Mother (https://auromaa.org/visions-symbols-symbolism-mother-sri-aurobindo/ ) www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 6 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Compare this to the way the Hexagram symbol has been used in India since ancient times, “Within Indic lore, the shape is generally understood to consist of two triangles–one pointed up and the other down–locked in harmonious embrace. The two components are called ‘Om’ and the ‘Hrim’ in Sanskrit, and symbolize man’s position between earth and sky. The downward triangle symbolizes Shakti, the sacred embodiment of femininity, and the upward triangle symbolizes Shiva, or Agni Tattva, representing the focused aspects of masculinity. The mystical union of the two triangles represents Creation, occurring through the divine union of male and female.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagram ) Admittedly this sounds a lot earthier and less exalted than what the Mother says. But what struck me was not so much the significance of the union of the upward and the downward triangles as much as what is supposed to happen as a result of the union: CREATION, even according to Mother. Geometrically what is it that is created by the union of the two triangles? Not the central square. Strictly speaking it is a hexagon. However the effect of superimposing the square is that it almost becomes like a gate or an opening within the hexagon. More importantly the square has been universally used as a symbol of perfection. This square then, according to the Mother, is the perfect manifestation. And almost as if to make the whole thing as explicit as possible there is the water within the square which symbolizes “the multiplicity, the creation”. We could just as easily substitute the word “Supramental” for “Perfect” and say that it is the Supramental Manifestation. I find it truly incredible that this one symbol represents not just Sri Aurobindo the person, the Avatar of the Supreme – the lotus, but also the Divine Phenomenon that He initiates and leads, the union of spirit and matter opening into the new divine creation, the Supramental Manifestation. There is also another parallel to the symbolism of the intersecting triangles, which is the union of the Divine and His Shakti, and some of us may have already seen this in the Lingam-Yoni image found in all Shivaite places of worship. Often those who know Ma Sri Aurobindo ask themselves why a dual avatar when in the past it has always been just one avatar at a time? Sure there are many possible explanations, my favorite one so far being the integral synthesis of east and west. But then there are many other possible syntheses to choose from which could also be considered effective explanations, that of the masculine and the feminine, the spiritual and the occult, yoga and tantra, etc. etc. The list goes on. But what if the purpose of the Avatar here is not, as in all past Divine Descents, simply to impart another teaching or to rescue the world and rejuvenate the Eternal Dharma temporarily until the next major crisis hits? What if the purpose here is a new creation analogous to the cosmological notion of a big bang, to conceive and to give birth to a whole new world? Does that not seem to be the one condition where the full manifestation of both the Supreme Divine and His Shakti would be required? Is that not indeed what Ma Sri Aurobindo have repeatedly stressed They were here to do? And somehow that one fundamental Truth www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 7 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. gets obscured when people take them for mere Gurus or Spiritual Teachers like so many others, if they even know about them. This same point is reinforced by noting that when Sri Aurobindo left for Pondicherry in 1910 He intended to return to politics and resume the leadership of the Indian independence movement eventually, when the time was right and He had advanced sufficiently enough in His Sadhana. However, something changed along the way. Let me repeat part of a life-sketch of Sri Aurobindo issued by the Ashram after it was reviewed by Him. It gives the following reason for His staying back indefinitely in Pondicherry: “Sri Aurobindo had left Bengal with some intention of returning to the political field under more favourable circumstances; but very soon the MAGNITUDE of the spiritual work he had taken up appeared to him and he saw that it would need the exclusive concentration of all his energies. Eventually he cut off connection with politics, refused repeatedly to accept the Presidentship of the National Congress.” What was the magnitude of this spiritual work that it could even lead Him to refuse the leadership of the independence movement? Surely the whole history of India and the world would have been dramatically different had He chosen to accept. Partition would not have happened and instead of a half-blind nation groping in the dark we would have had a powerful, self-aware and confident India ready to take her rightful place as the spiritual leader and guide of the world. Was this not one of Sri Aurobindo’s dreams even in 1947 and beyond? The true magnitude and scope of His spiritual work must refer to this new creation, the Divine manifestation. It is the only explanation that satisfies in the end. This work was not just the creation of a new Yoga like any other. Continuing from the same life-sketch of Sri Aurobindo: “Most ways of Yoga are paths to the Beyond leading to the Spirit and, in the end, away from life; Sri Aurobindo’s rises to the Spirit to redescend with its gains bringing the light and power and bliss of the Spirit into life to transform it… It is only by the descent of this supermind that the perfection dreamed of by all that is highest in humanity can come.” Here again, in another form, we return to the rising and descending movements uniting to manifest the perfect creation, as figured in Sri Aurobindo’s symbol. The central significance of this idea of the creation of a new world is powerfully brought out in the following words from Mother: “People sleep, they forget, they take life easy — they forget, forget all the time…. But if we could remember… that we are at an exceptional hour, a unique time, that we have this immense good fortune, this invaluable privilege of being present at the birth of a new world, we could easily get rid of everything that impedes and hinders our progress. So, the most important thing, it seems, is to remember this fact; even when one doesn’t have the tangible experience, to have the certainty of it and faith in it; to remember always, to recall it constantly, to go to sleep with this idea, to wake up with this perception; to do all that one does with this great truth as the background, as a constant support, this great truth that we are witnessing the birth of a new world. We can participate in it, we can become this new world. And truly, when one has such a marvelous opportunity, one should be ready to give up everything for its sake.“ I will try to remember this great Truth whenever I am able to (which may not be very often), but at the very least every time I look at Sri Aurobindo’s symbol and remember who He and the Mother really are, not just Yogis or Gurus, Saints or Mystics, but the progenitors of a whole new Divine World, here to initiate and give birth to a perfect creation that shall fulfill and justify all the struggle and the suffering of the present imperfect one. www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 8 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. Let me conclude with the following words that the Mother wrote in her dairy, the day following her first meeting with Sri Aurobindo on 29th March 1914: “It matters little that there are thousands of beings plunged in the densest ignorance, He whom we saw yesterday is on earth; his presence is enough to prove that a day will come when darkness shall be transformed into light, and Thy reign shall be indeed established upon earth. ” The whole life-sketch cited above can be read at http://www.miraura.org/bio/sketch-a.html (Govind Nishar) December 2020 Sunday Activities at the Centre - A glimpse 6 December 2020: Reading on The Mother by Sri Aurobindo We started chapter 5 and covered pages 21-24 of the book \"The Mother\". Sri Aurobindo says that to be a true doer of the divine works, our first aim is to be totally free from desire and ego. Even if the idea of the separate worker is strong, our fruit should be the pleasure of the Divine Mother and the fulfilment of her work. With time we will realize that we are the instrument and not the worker. By the force of our devotion, our contact with the Divine Mother will become so intimate that we just need to put everything into her hands and she will guide us of the thing to be done and the way to do it and the result. With time we will be aware that the divine Shakti also initiates and carries out our works. There can be no more happy condition than this union and dependence. We will move away from the life of stress and suffering in ignorance into the truth of our spiritual being, into its deep peace and its intense Ananda. 13 December 2020: Reading on Synthesis of Yoga The. paragraph we read was on page 84-85, beginning with “In the ordinary human existence…” Again, we find Sri Aurobindo handing out clear guidelines and guidance to the pursuit of integral yoga. He gives us many instances to take a step back and look at ourselves in self-observation. He points to us that we spend most of our lives in an outgoing activity and that the other rare state of inner living is characteristic of the saint and the seer, the poet and the artist. We paused here a while to understand these two statements as we live our lives. How true is this in our own lives? Is it true that three-fourths of our time is spent on outward going engagements? How do we truly relate with these statements? How about an inner living? When have we caught a glimpse of that? How would that be a reality? Reading on, Sri Aurobindo makes it clear that it is in none of these that one should rest. He writes, “But it is not either of these sides separated from the other, but rather a harmony of the inner and the outer life made one in fullness and transfigured into a play of something that is beyond them which will create the form of a perfect living.” It is for us to reflect deeply on this and find a footing that would lead us straight to our highest aspiration. 20 December 2020: Secret of The Vedas Jared led us, as usual, through the Secret of the Vedas. We took time and circumvented the sacrificial flame and contemplated on its significance. Sri Aurobindo draws us to its significance such: “It is not the sacrificial Fire that is capable of these functions, nor can it be any material flame or principle of physical heat and light. Yet throughout the symbol of the sacrificial Fire is maintained. It is evident www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 9 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. that we are in the presence of a mystic symbolism to which the fire, the sacrifice, the priest are only outward figures of a deeper teaching and yet figures which it was thought necessary to maintain and to hold constantly in front. 27 December 2020: Meditations on Savitri with Huta’s Paintings As part of ushering in the New Year and The New World, we meditated on the last two pictures of Book 1, Canto 5 “The Yoga of the Spirit’s Freedom and Greatness” along with the last two pictures of Book 12, The Epilogue. In fact, we had earlier covered The Epilogue and then explored relevant portions of the Book 1 throughout this year as explorations in New Light. We zoomed into some of the lines such as ‘Sunbelts of Knowledge and Moonbelts of Delight’ and ‘Tying with Diamond threads the Spirit’s extremes’. At the end we meditated on one of the Mother’s key Mantra, namely “OM NAMO BHAGAVATE” and invoked Mother’s Peace for A Greater Dawn. Ram, Jayanthy, Ramadoss PROGRAMME FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2021 DATE TIME DETAILS 10 AM 1 Jan 2021 New Meditation with Readings from Prayers and Meditations by Friday The. Mother 3 Jan 2021 6 PM Study Circle Sunday The Mother by Ram 10 Jan 2021 6 PM Study Circle Sunday The Synthesis of Yoga by Jayanthy 17 Jan 2021 6 PM Study Circle Sunday The Secret of the Veda by Jared 24 Jan 2021 6 PM Savitri Circle by Mr. Ramadoss Sunday 31 Jan 2021 6 PM Mental Subjectivism - The Human Cycle Sunday by Jared * NOTE: In view of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, please note the following: www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 10 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. There will be a collective meditation, but the brunch and the walk is cancelled ANNOUNCEMENT 1 28 December 2020 USE OF CENTRE PREMISES UNDER PHASE 3 Dear Members of Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore, The Society is pleased to announce that the weekly Satsang programme will take place from the 1st of January 2021 onwards in the Society premises in line with the announcement on 14th December 2020 by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce that Phase Three of Re-Opening will commence from 28 December 2020. 1. Everyone will continue to observe the safe entry protocol, the wearing of masks, social distancing of 1 meter and sanitising of hands regularly. Regular sanitising of the premises is undertaken by SIFAS. 2. Our Society Meetings take place under Sri Aurobindo Library room of Singapore Fine Arts Society, which has put in place its safe management practices. At the time of entry, each member should first scan and register at SIFAS entry point including taking temperature and secondly, once again registering with Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore and entering the time of entry into the Room for meditation / prayers or SatSang. 3. Also on the wall of the Society, the safe practices as applicable to religious congregations which may be applicable, shall be affixed for reference and adherence by all. We welcome members to take part in our programme from the eve of New Year, on 31st December 2020, Thursday. The programme will reach you shortly. However, those who wish to take part in weekly programme online may continue to do so. Provision will be made to screen the proceedings from our centre itself, and the Zoom option will be in place. Thank you. Management Committee, Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore www.sriaurobindosociety.org.sg 11 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. December 2020. ANNOUNCEMENT 2 WELCOMING THE NEW YEAR 2021 WITH SAVITRI Date: 31st December 2020 10.30pm Programme  10.30pm: Concentration on New Year music  10.40 to 11.50pm: Reading from the pages of Savitri  11.50pm to 12.10am 1st Jaunuary 2021 Concentration on The Mother’s organ music. Welcome 2021.  Greetings and Bon Nuit. Date: 1st January 2021 10am Programme  Concentration with The Mother’s Organ Music  Readings from Prayers and Meditations  Closing Meditation Looking forward to being with all of you. Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore 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 12 Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol