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. She 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 a heart patient, in the last 30 years she was on medication and lead a healthy life with a proper diet. In the midst of all these, after the deadly COVID hit the world, perhaps her soul’s enlightenment began when she fell ill 2 years back with compounded illness which baffled the doctors and medicines began to be inactive slowly. Sometimes improved and later deterioration in her health continued for about 1 month. But she started a complete focus on Sri Aurobindo and the last week before her death was indeed a miracle that happened. She felt very drowsy and denied hospitalization and during this time she had a Darshan of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, not once but many times. She used to narrate this to me and I knew she was capable of seeing them because of her practice of integral yoga in life. I recalled the words of The Mother, “Sri Aurobindo is constantly among us and reveals himself to those who are ready to see and hear him…”2

On the last night before her demise, I came back from workplace and tried waking her from her extreme drowsiness and she just told me, “Sri Aurobindo has asked me to sleep. Why are you waking me up?” My heart stopped and I realized it was time for her soul to leave the ignorant body and move towards enlightenment. The same midnight she was admitted in hospital and next evening, less than 24 hours later, her soul left her physical body to move to the next higher level. Being very close to my mom all through life, her death, instead of engulfing me in grief, made me strong to pursue the path of surrender in life in realising the Divine.

- Dr. Sudevi Basu (India)

1 CWSA, Vol. 35, Mantras Written by Sri Aurobindo

2 CWM, Vol. 13, Words of The Mother – I, Eternal Presence

Comments

  1. Anahita Sanjana10 October 2024 at 17:22

    Beautiful,moving and inspiring.Thank you for sharing 🙏
    Anahita Sanjana

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dr. Sudevi Basu10 October 2024 at 22:16

    Thanks so much for understanding the inner meaning of an inspiring life of my dear late mom

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous10 October 2024 at 23:48

    Well scripted and wonderful realisation.The event reflects and I realise that the true devotee is never let down by The Mother and Sri Aurobindo..I had a similar experience when my mom passed away in 2006.She had told me before her death that Mother told her that a diamond like light would appear and it is the indication of her final Journey,
    She called me and told that I must be ready to face.I.was in my early forties and she was sixty six.
    Thanks for making me realise we trust The Divine and the Divine prepares us for the next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. Sudevi Basu11 October 2024 at 12:58

      Thanks for your kind words.... Yes true devotees have similar experiences.... The Mother and Sri Aurobindo prepares the near and dear ones with Divine strength to face the loss with a smiling face!!!!

      Delete
  4. Anahita Sanjana11 October 2024 at 09:26

    ✨🙏✨

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jagrut Dave19 October 2024 at 21:15

    What an amazing way to depart this world, guided by the Master himself.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Devika26 October 2024 at 23:28

    Thank you for sharing and reminding us that we can internally always be at the feet of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and that they are with us always.

    ReplyDelete

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