SAIEN

A song has escaped the confines of soundproof walls, A light has danced its way out of darkness’ pall, A smile has fought its way through the tear, That which was so distant, now feels so near, Light that dances to the song of love, Has finally lit the dim alcove. Dance sweet light to the song of your beloved, In your rhythms let me melt, By your footfalls let my yearning be led. - Anahita Sanjana (India)

We frequently hear from people who say that they cannot focus on their spiritual practice as they don't have a quiet space in which to meditate, or they live in a crowded, noisy city, or they are overwhelmed with all their duties relating to education, career, family, etc. They focus their attention on all of the external obstacles and use that as an excuse to avoid the focus on their inner spiritual life. "If only I could find the time and a quiet place, I would meditate every day." We hear this refrain repeated in one form or another regularly. If only we could create the 'ideal' external circumstances! Those who take up a spiritual practice in all earnestness, soon discover that there are no 'perfect' surroundings nor any 'perfect' times to focus on their spiritual life. They therefore have to create the space internally needed to remain connected regardless of what they have in front of them in their external lives. It is interesting to note th...

Ordeal a definite deal humanity reveals In the presence of the Divine Seal A way to refine and define that life is Divine  An act that confines many to a Definite Path. A slow steady tread gazing the sunlit ray  Determined to face life in an undaunted spirited way. Ebbs and flows… thorns with roses, Intolerance leading to pitfalls, Pausing to realise a hand of light leading cautiously with righteousness, As the Grace laced in compassionate love embraces... Pacifies kisses to blossom as faith surfaces, Tests and tolerance teach determination... All success in reality assured...   Falls, lifts, rises high, in spite of failure, Ordeal surmounted as faith… trust In the spirit of The Mother In the Love of the Mother Everlasting Eternal safe bosom Clarified strong and ethereal… In the breath I feel I am ever for ever in Maa In faith trust and Love My Maa maa Resounding Victory to Maa. - Nandini Yogeesh  (India))

I happened to listen to a talk on the topic  “ I am with You ”  – a famous Mantra of The Mother, by Dr Alok Pandey of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, on the Samadhi Day of The Mother, 20 th  November, at Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Kendra, Vallabh Vidya Nagar, Gujarat. To be in the constant presence of Mother’s Grace in our daily life is the aim of all Sadhaks who are learners on the path to practice Sri Aurobindo’s integral Yoga.   Reflecting on the experiences during his spiritual journey in the Ashram shared by Alok da, I found resonance with the concept of living in contact with the “ Inner consciousness of Truth ”. Living the social life at surface consciousness level when interacting and responding with our colleagues, there is a tendency to get influenced by external factors in perceptual world and we tend to lose our contact with the Inner consciousness, leading to a lack of peace and harmony.   Exploring the inner realms of consciousness by having a look on the sublimi...

An undeciphered song, playing on its lips, Laughing still through its stumbles and trips, An unspoken name within its heart, Its only weapon from the nebulous start, The golden child buried in the mud, Lay a splendid flower in an unassuming bud, Armed with a name yet it knew not, Seeking a cryptic word, in the earth tangle caught. Sometimes drowning but not quite, Always salvaged by a hidden Mother might, The lashing rains’ ominous drawl,  Stunts its stride into a frightened crawl, The fury of the crashing thunder, Forces the veiled name to go still under, Fear a dark sea, looming at large,  Hungering to consume the golden barge, Until the hidden name is visible made, And the ancient debt by a sweep of grace paid, The Eternal child re-finds its eternity Its home in the boundless depths of infinity, And sees the sacred name scrolled across all, And hears in the lashing rain, its ancient Mother’s call, A light is glimpsed at darkness’ core. The child of Eternity at last can say,...

In the mystical process of my search for the Divine within the deep recesses of my soul, I have observed, in various stages of my life, the very same forewarnings of Sri Aurobindo described in ‘Letters on Yoga’ - “Very often the earlier stage of the sadhana is successful, because there is an opening of the mind to first workings of the Force—afterwards the lower vital consciousness and the physical rise up...”1 Curiously enough in the Buddhism that I study, which is a Bodhisattva practice of the Mahayana school of Buddhism, there is an acknowledgement of the almost immediate good fortune enjoyed by a new entrant or novice. Understandably, the path of divinity through systematic evolution of the human species, as enunciated in the Rishi’s philosophy of Integral Yoga, is long, arduous and difficult with many setbacks. Sri Aurobindo emphasizes: “Yoga implies a long and difficult work and one must be ready to accept the necessity of years of preparation and purification and increasing cons...