Writings and essays primarily from unrevised manuscripts.
Writings and essays in this volume are primarily collected from Sri Aurobindo's unrevised manuscripts that were mostly not published during his lifetime
Shraddha is necessary in two things:—śaktyam bhagavatī ca, in the Lord and his Shakti. There must be faith in the love and wisdom of God, fulfilling Himself through us, fulfilling our life work,
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working out all for our good even when it is apparently veiled in evil; and there must be faith in the power of the Shakti manifested by Him in this ādhāra to sustain, work out and fulfil the divine knowledge, power and joy in the Yoga and in the life. Without Shraddha, there is no Shakti; imperfect Shraddha means imperfect Shakti.
Imperfection may be either in the force of the faith or in its illumination. It is sufficient at first to have full force of the faith, for we cannot from the beginning of the Yoga have full illumination. Then, however we err or stumble, our force of faith will sustain us. When we cannot see, we shall know that God withholds the light, imposing on us error as a step towards knowledge, just as he imposes on us defeat as a step towards victory.
There is no reason for....I never nowadays act on reasons, but only as an automation in the hands of another; sometimes He lets me know the reasons of my action, sometimes He does not, but I have to act or refrain from action—all the same, according as He wills.
The light of reason always fails with me, or if it succeeds momentarily, brings some coarse result afterwards.
It must be understood, that my mission is not to create maṭhs, ascetics and Sannyasis; but to call back the souls of the strong to the Lila of Krishna and Kali.
The present struggle is to make the spirit prevail over matter and circumstances.
Our progress is like the advance of a modern regiment under fire in which we have to steal a few yards at a run and then lie down under cover and let the storm of bullets sweep by. Every forward step to be made is violently combated and obstinately obstructed.
The real difficulty is to bring force, sureness and rapidity into the application of power and knowledge to life,—specially sureness, for it is possible to bring the sureness and rapidity, but if not
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attended by unfailing sureness of working, they may lead to great errors in knowledge and great stumbles and disasters in action which counteract the successes.
On the other hand, there is only a slow preparation for further progress. It is so likely to be slow, if sureness has to be gained only by not stepping except where everything is sure. This is a dilemma which has to be solved.
How indeed should we think the nations of Europe could have carried their war to an end, if they had grown too impatient of the fatigue of the trenches, suffering, disturbance, scarcity continual postponement of the result and declared that either they must have victory in a given time or throw up the struggle? We must not expect the inner war with our lower selves, the personal habit of thousands of lives and the human inheritance of ages, to be less arduous or to be carried out by a rapid and easy miracle.
You cannot expect the śuddhi or any part of the siddhi to be simultaneous and complete at once in all of you. One may attain, others progress, others linger. You must not expect a sudden collective miracle.
I have not come here to accomplish miracles, but to show, lead the way, help, in the road to a great inner change of our human nature,—the outer change in the world is only possible if and when that inner transmutation is effected and extends itself. You must not expect to establish a perfect saṁgha all at once and by a single leap.
Go forward calmly and firmly, not attached to success, not disturbed by unsuccess; my divine help will then never fail you.
Outer work is bound to be much embarrassed by difficulties, it is at best only a preparatory thing, until we are inwardly and spiritually ready.
That is no reason why it should not be done. Work done in
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the right spirit will itself become a means of the inner siddhi.
Specially get rid of the aham kartā element, which usually disguises itself under the idea, "I am the chosen Yantra". Despise no one, see and feel God in all and the Self in all. The Shakti in you will then act better on your materials and environment.
If you could make yourselves entirely pure instruments, things would go better.
The work can only succeed if I find noble and worthy helpers, fitted for it by the same struggles and the same endurance.
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