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Sri Aurobindo’s Invaluable Contribution to India’s Freedom Struggle

Namaskar! I would like to begin with a passage from Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem  Savitri , as I believe that much of Sri Aurobindo’s own work was of this nature – silent, in the background, powerful in its results. “ When darkness deepens strangling the earth’s breast And man’s corporeal mind is the only lamp, As a thief’s in the night shall be the covert tread Of one who steps unseen into his house. … A few shall see what none yet understands; God shall grow up while the wise men talk and sleep; For man shall not know the coming till its hour And belief shall be not till the work is done. ” [1] India was asleep when Sri Aurobindo entered the scene of Indian politics in 1893 – the year of his return to India from a 14-year stay in England. He was 20. His entry was quiet, his action unobserved, for he preferred working behind the scenes and setting events into motion with far-reaching results. This is the primary reason why so little is known, and even less acknowledged, about his invalua
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A Prayer

Through the dark night, through the shining day, Through every breath, through every step of the way, Through the blows of defeat; through the exhilaration of victory, Grant me the saviour Grace of constantly feeling thee. When lost and groping through the cosmic play, Let me remember that you are but a word, a name away. Through every trial, through every pang, Humming in every song I ever sang, Flowing silently into every curve and line, Your faithful hand never failed to swoop down and clasp mine. When the glittering outer lights of the world beckon me, Give me the Grace to turn within and instead choose thee. - Anahita Sanjana
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Connection and Attachment … A careful approach in the journey of Self-Development

With an observant view of close associates, in personal and professional life journey, on the way each one of us lives our lives, and our response pattern to external stimuli and situation, I came to the realization that most of us begin with connecting and then develop a tendency to get “attached”, in case connection in a relationship is sustained over a period of time for a specific cause. Attachment often leads to stress and strained relationships as it binds emotionally. In Human relationships, connection gets converted into attachment at subtle physical or vital level when one of the objects gets converted into subject due to affinity / preferences we develop when connection follows a pattern of repetition. This realisation worked very well with me to have a more objective view of relationships for improved mind body balance. On introspection, it looks that our relationships are akin to an object and subject connected with an energy flowing between the two. As electrical energy fl
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Silence and Surrender, the Facets of Practising Integral Yoga – my Mother’s personal experience

This is a fascinating life example of following the principles of silence and surrender in real life. My late mother, Ph.D. in Philosophy, completely leading a family life, cheerful in life, but pursuing integral yoga in spirit. Daily she used to start her day uttering Sri Aurobindo’s mantra “ Om Anandamayi Chaitanyamayi Satyamayi Parame ” 1 and waking me up with the mantra as a blessing. Through her routine household works and activities, her mind used to be at the feet of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. In a day, she used to devote at least a few minutes in reading their works. She adored silence and always stayed away from high pitched voice, noisy music, quarrels, etc. Though she visited Puducherry and the Ashram only once in her lifetime when I was a child but practiced their principles in life . S he was associated with Kolkata Sri Aurobindo Pathamandir since her college days, where she also had darshan of Champaklal ji, the close disciple of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.   Being
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Applied Spirituality and Mediation: Overcoming Challenges of Sustainability Using Inter-Relational Settlement Model

Note: The following is the abstract for a larger text. Mediation is defined as a process, whether referred and agreed to by the expression mediation, pre-litigation mediation, online mediation, community mediation, conciliation or any other expression of such similar import, whereby party or parties, request an independent third person referred to as mediator or mediation service provider to assist them in their attempt to reach a peaceful settlement of a dispute. The peaceful settlement of any dispute to be initiated, processed, guided and moderated in the process of successful mediation before parties, needs mediator to have four major new skills such as witness-awareness, stillness-concentration, empathy-motivation and a pragmatic-sensibility for fulfilling the aims and outcomes of mediation. These four skills are deeply inward and psychological, which can be accessed and empowered by an exercise of deepening experience called spiritual in content and application. However, a crucial
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The Leap of Faith

The leap of faith is a movement of consciousness that sees through appearances, that overwhelm or threaten, to the occult hands of love that are weaving these appearances. When those hands are seen, the fabric woven by them becomes a tenuous phantom. ‘The leap of faith’ is about landing firmly in the knowing that no person or personal will is the source of the perceived ill-will or threat. That the impersonal whole is constantly precipitating into the appearance of a person to fulfill, through the agency of the perceived ill-will, its eternal unchanging supreme goodwill! The term “ Sararambh Parityag ” (sacrifice all initiations), from the Gita, is to arrest the initiation of reaction to the appearance, to seize from locking horns with circumstances which are destined to be. Yet it is not a stoical resigned ceasefire on life. It is a surrender to a love, glimpsed secretly orchestrating the perception of being attacked only to liberate to set free. - Anahita Sanjana (India)
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A Fresh Look at PFT Syndrome in Life Journey

PFT (Perception, Feeling and Thought) are main drivers of our response to external stimuli / situations while relating in the objective world. Perceptions relate at sensory level of surface consciousness whereas Feelings and Thoughts are related to subconscious level by way of memories and impressions we carry during our life experiences. As I treaded on my life journey from childhood to adulthood and then towards senior citizenship, I could notice changes in my responses / reactions based on impact of PFT. It so happened that Perceptions played a major role earlier… there had been a period when I was quick to react and carry pent-up emotions causing stress and strain at physical and mental level. This also was partly due to the lifestyle I had in early 30s till mid 40s when my routine was to get up late in the morning, diet comprising of spicy food and egocentric life with attachment to role and positional power. My limited connect with spiritual organizations, namely Sri Aurobindo as
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