April Sunday Activities at the Centre – A glimpse

Fifth Sunday Programme, 30^th March, 2014 : Readings on Sri Aurobindo’s ‘Bases of Yoga’

We read passages from the chapter titled, ‘In Difficulty’. One passage spoke of the imprisoned consciousness. A movement that would aid liberation was for the mental consciousness to rise above itself and take its station in “something higher than the ordinary mind…” The first liberation is possible when “the mental consciousness can take its stand permanently or at will above..” Another passage pointed out that “…the method of the Divine Manifestation is through calm and harmony, not through a catastrophic upheaval. The latter is the sign of a struggle, generally of conflicting vital forces…” One other passage showed the necessity of difficulties :

“ …. But this opposition has been permitted from of old not merely as a test or ordeal, but as a compulsion on us to seek a greater strength, a more perfect self-knowledge, an intense purity and force of aspiration, a faith that nothing can crush, a more powerful descent of the Divine Grace.”

First Sunday Programme, 6^th April, 2014 : Readings of The Mother’s words from “Steps to Freedom and Mastery” and OM Choir

On this day, we opened the book at page 49, ‘Observing Oneself’.  This passage showed us that if we wanted to know ourselves, then we would have to look within ourselves, observe ourselves. It is in observation that we can hope to distinguish the different parts in us, the physical, the vital and the mental and how what we are at one moment may arise from any of these planes or a combination of these. Self-observation paves the way for self-knowing. Self-knowing places before us parts in us that posed obstacles to progress and that therefore need to be changed. It makes us aware of these elements that must be put before the light of a higher aspiration. Here is a description from the passage of a semblance of what one may find in oneself during deeper self-observation :

“Now it begins to be interesting, because one must enter much more deeply within oneself. And then it can be all sorts of things: it may be precisely the expression of an attack that is preparing; it may be a little inner anxiety seeking the progress that has to be made; it may be a premonition that there is somewhere in contact with oneself something not altogether harmonious which one has to change: something one must see, discover, change, on which light is to be put, something that is still there, deep down, and which should no longer be there.”

Then OM choir took place for the rest of the time filling us with a deeper quiet.

Third Sunday Programme, 20^th April, 2014 : Readings on Sri Aurobindo’s ‘Bases of Yoga’

We read the concluding passages of the chapter, ‘In Difficulty’. There were two passages that discouraged suicide as a means of escaping from difficulties. It was written that difficulties would continue into another life, perhaps worse off difficulties and that one could suffer more in other worlds. The only remedy was to “shake off these morbid ideas and face life with a clear will for some definite work to be done as the life’s aim and with a quiet and active courage.”

Against all difficulties faced in life, one sure answer was there : “ Let nothing and nobody come between you and the Mother’s force. It is on your admitting and keeping that force and responding to the true inspiration and not on any ideas the mind may form that success will depend. Even ideas or plan which might otherwise be useful, will fail if there is not behind them the true spirit and the true force and influence.”

We came to the conclusion of the chapter on ‘In Diffculty’ thus, looking very much to the continuation of the study circle into the next chapter.

The Mother’s final arrival in Pondicherry 24^th April, 2014 : Special Programme

This occasion was observed in the centre on the evening of the 24^th of April 2014 between 7pm and 8pm, with mahaprasad thereafter.  After meditation music, as usual two entries from ‘Prayers and Meditations’ were read, one by Urmil-ji and one by Swati. Venkatesh next read the Darshan Message from the Ashram, before which he painted the background to the Darshan Day of April 24^th as the Mother’s final arrival in Pondicherry. Then about twelve members came together to offer a line-up of invocation on the Guru, Shanti mantras from a few Upanishads as well as three songs – one a carnatic invocation on Sri Ganapathy, Vara Vallabha, a Hindi bhajan, ‘Prema Muditha Manase Kaho’ and ‘Maitrim Bhajata’, a number composed by The Jagadguru of Kanchi, Sri Chandrashekara Sarawaty for the occasion of the United Nation’s (UN)  50^th Anniversary and sung by Dr M. S. Subbulakshmi in 1966 at the UN, as a contribution from India, calling on all peoples of the world to rise above  war, competition and force, towards harmony, unity and brotherhood, invoking compassion for all living beings.

Between these chants and songs were readings, two of which were from the Mother’s ‘Prayers and Meditations’. One of these prayers was the last entry made in the diary before The Mother came to India in 1920 and the other was the first entry made after The Mother came to Pondicherry.

The offerings readily invited everyone into silent contemplation.

The following words of The Mother were read before the offering began. These words are words of guidance on how to prepare oneself for the Darshan Day of April 24^th :

“Look attentively into yourself to find out what for you is the most important thing, the thing you feel that you couldn't do without. It is an interesting discovery.”

Concentration on Sunil-da’s New Year music concluded the day’s offering.

- Jayanthy