Nama-Japa

Chapter II

OBSTACLES AND HINDRANCES

All persons in this world want happiness and peace, but because of enemies like sex, anger, greed, attachment, ego, selfishness, frustration, hopelessness, jealousy, envy, etc., which are present in their nature, they are unable to attain the happiness and peace which they want. These are the great enemies on the path of Divine Realization. Out of these, sex, anger, ego and selfishness are the most powerful. If the sadhak becomes aware of the working of these great enemies, and surrenders them at the feet of The Mother, he can then easily surrender the other enemies as well.

The sadhak can easily recognize the action of sex and anger, but it is not easy to recognize ego and selfishness. We will discuss the workings of these enemies one by one.

ANGER

Anger comes from the nature of the vital. It is extremely powerful. Anger immediately overpowers the buddhi (intellect). Sometimes it attacks an individual directly, sometimes it derives support from an event, and sometimes it attacks through another person. When the Divine Power or Force starts working for transformation in the spiritual seekers, then it touches all the defects and imperfections of the lower nature of the mind, vital and body in order to transform them. Like a snake which raises its hood furiously when beaten with a stick on its tail, all the dormant

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imperfections in the lower nature come to the front to obstruct the Divine Power’s work of transformation. At that time if the sadhak is not conscious, he will only find faults with others, or the nature and qualities of others will appear to him to be defective. He will be under the wrong impression that all others are behaving badly with him and that therefore he himself should also behave badly with others, so much so that even trifles will create controversies or quarrels. Those sadhaks who have a great temper, when they are attacked by anger, their hearts burn with it. Unless they throw these vibrations of anger to another person, they will feel abnormally restless and agitated When they get angry with another person, they either verbally offend him or quarrel or even come down to blows. After the incident is over, the anger is appeased. If the mind has not been enlightened very much by the soul, then the sadhak thinks: “What has happened was not right, but the anger, restlessness, uneasiness and agitation which were burning in my heart would not have gone if I had not expressed my anger.”

In sadhana it is a mistake to support this unhelpful conduct. The anger does not become weak, but gets stronger in this way. It comes with greater force during the next attack. This is contrary to the methods of transformation and control.

One method of transformation is: It is of no importance whether one gets angry for the right or wrong cause, or because of bad or good behavior of others. The

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sadhak should think: “Anger is a hostile force, I should never encourage it.” Thinking this, one should do Nama-Japa and surrender the anger which is churning inside. It is obvious that at that time one cannot concentrate or sit quietly. Still one should call The Mother and pray to Her, one should think: “By the Force of The Mother, this anger will be transformed, and since I am Mother’s, She will certainly protect me.”

Page should be done quickly. In this manner, it may take a long time for anger to get pacified, but if the sadhak succeeds once, this will increase his courage, patience and confidence for the next time. The second time his concentration on The Mother’s name will be easier than the first time. If The Mother’s name is repeated quickly, anger will go away comparatively faster.

Another method is: When anger comes, don’t convert it into action, tell about it to a person who can give proper advice. If that person is able to give proper advice, anger vanishes quickly and thereafter concentration, faith in The Mother, and the attitude of surrender increase. The sadhak gets rid of depression and sorrow and he is able to feel the presence of The Mother, peace and ananda (bliss). It is not at all right to express the attack of any adverse force in action. If we express the attack in action, the force of the attack of the hostile power increases. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, decisions taken in anger will be wrong; their outcome will be very bad. As long as the anger has not subsided, one should not attempt to solve any problem.

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LUST

Lust and anger are both very powerful, but in comparison to anger, lust is very tricky. Anybody can easily recognize anger, but it is not easy to recognize the attack of lust.

When the desire for sex is strong and predominant in a sadhak, and if he does not have a firm determination to be free from it and to transform it, and if there is any insincerity in his will to surrender at the feet of The Mother, then an undesirable relationship between opposite sexes will develop. In the beginning stages this friendship does not appear to be wrong. The individual thinks that it is a pure relationship. If there is a longing to meet and talk again and again, and if without this the person feels sad and restless, then it is not at all a pure relationship. This, clearly and undoubtedly, is a deceptive relationship of vital sexuality. If the sadhak is not cautious, it opens the path for a fall. This is the trick of lust, which comes from within.

If it is a pure psychic relation, an individual wishes for the welfare of the other and extends help when need arises, but he does not get anxious or restless when he does not meet or talk with the other person.

Whether a relation between opposite sexes is pure or not, a sadhak should always remain cautious right from the beginning. Whatever is needed for the work, only that contact should be kept and only that much talking should be done. If the sadhak is not careful from the beginning, in many cases the relationship becomes eventually impure.

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Those who once sincerely take refuge in The

Mother are protected by Her at every step. She does not allow the sadhak to slip from the path easily. Indications, obstacles and hindrances come repeatedly from The Mother to make the sadhak conscious, but if he fails to become conscious, then he falls into the clutches of desires. Yet even in that state, The Mother’s Power helps him to become conscious. If the sadhak consciously calls to The Mother, remembering Her name with much sincerity from the core of his heart, The Mother will certainly protect him; but this is quite difficult. If the sadhak does not care for The Mother’s protection and does not have a strong central conviction for the spiritual path, then he may return to the ordinary life. But if a sadhak has once sincerely taken refuge in the Divine and accepted this path of spirituality, if he returns to the worldly life, the Divine does not completely forsake him. The sadhak will suffer much in his family life from sorrow and difficulties, then either in this life or in the next life, he will again come to the spiritual path. The spiritual sadhana which has been achieved in this life will not be lost.

Those sadhaks who have a strong central conviction, free from desires and attachments and who have taken refuge in The Mother like a small child they also will be attacked by lust and anger and other enemies of the lower nature because until the body is transformed, all these enemies like lust, anger, ego and selfishness remain inside the sadhak. Besides this, when the Divine Power starts the work of transformation, She touches the lower nature for this transformation. As soon as these enemies of the lower nature are touched by the Divine Power, they immediately come to the front to obstruct Her work. To the extent the

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sadhak is able to bear, the Divine Power allows the lower nature to come to the front for transformation. In fact, the obstacles and hindrances caused by the adverse forces help the sadhak to advance. If the sadhak remains conscious and does not encourage the attacks of the adverse forces, but surrenders them at the feet of The Mother, repeating Her name, then The Mother will certainly protect him. The Mother is always waiting to save the sadhak. As soon as the sadhak’s surrender becomes candid, straight-forward, without desire and attachment, The Mother’s Power protects him.

EGO AND SELFISHNESS

Ego and selfishness are both very close friends because one cannot remain without the other. Ego is one with the body. An individual with name and form is ‘ego’. As long as the body is not transformed, ego will remain there. Those yogis and saints who remain in the Brahma-Consciousness (Divine Consciousness) having separated body, mind and vital, if they come to the physical consciousness then ego, selfishness, lust and anger, all these enemies, may attack them if they get the opportunity.

Generally, all these enemies such as lust, anger, greediness, attachment, ego, selfishness, are not equally strong in everybody. Usually one of the enemies is predominant in a person: in some lust is stronger, in some anger, and in some others greediness and attachment are stronger. In the person in whom ego and

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selfishness are strong, lust and anger may be less or, in some cases, even inactive. But this is not a general rule; in some, all the enemies may be strong.

Generally, persons who do charitable work for the upliftment of the country, powerful and influential leaders, skillful, dedicated and competent doctors, famous physical scientists, and expert engineers, all may have a strong ego but lust, anger and other enemies of the lower nature may not be active. None of these persons become aware of their ego. The individual can become conscious of his ego if he lives in the inner spiritual consciousness. Otherwise, the ego is so deceptive that it is not possible to understand its tricky actions with the help of the mind.

It is inevitable for the sadhaks of Sri Aurobindo’s yoga of transformation to become conscious of the ego so that it can be transformed. Unless the sadhak is conscious of the ego he cannot surrender. Hostile forces create various types of obstacles and hindrances on our path. Without surrender, the Divine Supramental Power will not be able to start the work of transformation. In other words, if the sadhak is not conscious of his ego, he cannot progress in sadhana. The easiest way for a sadhak to recognize the ego is to completely surrender himself at the feet of The Mother and remember Her name, Ma, as soon as he enters the path of this yoga. This indicates the central resolve for surrender.

If the Psychic Being (the immanent Divine in the individual) of the sadhak awakens, he will feel inclined to start sadhana for the realization of the Divine. Depending upon the choice of the Psychic Being, the sadhak will either do sadhana remaining in the family or he will renounce

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family life. But without the awakening of the Psychic Being, one cannot have a firm determination for the realization of the Divine. The Psychic Being awakens in the individual either in the course of evolution, or by the Grace of the Divine, or by coming into contact with spiritual sadhaks and organizations, or after reading spiritual scriptures. The Psychic Being is a spark of the Divine and Truth and Eternal Being. It has all Divine Qualities such as Supreme Bliss, Supreme Peace, Supreme Knowledge, Supreme Kindness and Compassion and Equanimity. The Psychic Being exists in man in order to manifest the Divine in the physical body, the mind and the vital. As soon as it awakens, the individual makes a central resolve to realize the Divine and begins to do sadhana. But the Psychic Being does not always remain in front. Until the sadhak reaches the goal, ego, selfishness, desire and attachment of the mind and vital come into the path of sadhana for transformation and repeatedly cover the Psychic Being. Some sadhaks who have consciously taken the central resolve to realize the Divine, also simultaneously make the central resolve to surrender their being completely at the feet of The Mother. Other sadhaks make a central resolve to realize the Divine and start sadhana, but they are not conscious about surrendering their entire being. After progressing a little in sadhana they become conscious and make the central resolve to surrender, offer, consecrate, and sacrifice their mind, vital and body at the feet of the Divine. At that time, ego, selfishness, lust, anger, greed, desire, pride, envy, passion, etc. remain in the mind, vital and body. The will, not to put one’s

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desires and passions into actions and the resolve to surrender them at the feet of The Mother, is called central surrender.

In some sadhaks the Psychic Being awakens and they accept the spiritual path for the realization of the Divine, but since they are not so sincere to realize the Divine, they cannot remain conscious of their central resolve and surrender. When these sadhaks progress on the path of sadhana, they too, after more or less time, will become conscious of the central resolve and will surrender for the realization of the Divine.

In all types of sadhaks the lower nature remains, regardless of whether the sadhak is conscious of the central resolve or central surrender from the beginning or after some time. Those sadhaks who have not mixed any desires and passions with their central conviction and central surrender can be sure from the beginning to reach the goal. Those sadhaks whose central resolve and central surrender are mixed up with the passions and desires of becoming a great sadhak, of earning name and fame and aquiring power, may have to face such obstacles and hindrances in sadhana, which will purify their central resolve and surrender; or else, by nourishing their passions and desires, these sadhaks may forsake the aim of realizing the Divine and return to the ordinary life for some or many years. In ordinary life these sadhaks undergo much suffering, restlessness, and all types of struggles. Life becomes unbearable. It becomes miserable with sorrow and suffering like the life of a moth which burns itself in the flame of a lamp. Though they suffer terribly from all these pains, there is no way to be free from them. If at that time they call The

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Mother intensely from the core of their heart, asking Her to save them, and surrender themselves completely, relying on The Mother with faith, then they will be saved from their condition and return to the path of spirituality. Otherwise the present life of the sadhak will end in pain and sorrow.

Those whose central aim and central surrender are not mixed up with their desires and passions will also face all these obstacles and hindrances at the time of transformation of the mind, vital and body; but since they remain conscious, they surrender everything at the feet of The Mother and the Divine Shakti always helps them on the way towards their goal by protecting them from all sorts of obstacles and hindrances.

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