Guiding Light of The Month

O Lord, how ardently do I call and implore Thy love! Grant that my aspiration may be intense enough to awaken the same aspiration everywhere: oh, may good- ness, justice and peace reign as supreme masters, may ignorant egoism be overcome, darkness be suddenly illu- minated by Thy pure Light; may the blind see, the deaf hear, may Thy law be proclaimed in every place and, in a constantly progressive union, in an ever more perfect harmony, may all, like one single being, stretch out their arms towards Thee to identify themselves with Thee and manifest Thee upon earth. - The Mother

Along the Way… November 2016 Walk Review

By 8.00am the host for the walk Sri Ganesh Swaminathan and our walk leader Sri Ramanathan with Jayanthi were waiting at the meeting point promptly for the walk enthusiasts to arrive. Since the directions for members who were driving and for those taking public transport were given very clearly by Sri Ramanathan, we started to move without much delay, with 12 members who could make it.

There were so many information boards about the Park’s history at every turning point that it was like walking behind time to Singapore’s past!

Imagine a place in Singapore where Malay royalty once ruled in medieval times and where the British decided to surrender to the invading Japanese during the Second World War.

This unlikely combination of events has taken place at the hilltop of Fort Canning Park, one of the country’s historical landmarks.

The park was originally known as Bukit Larangan, or 'Forbidden Hill' in Malay. Today, the 18-hectare space is chock-full of attractions – from ancient artefacts for history buffs to outdoor lawns for concerts, and of course, greenery for nature lovers. The charming boutique Hotel Fort Canning also lies here.

In between the trees, there were many art work made of wood which were simply exemplary!

Since our dear Balasundari has brought the Divine beauty of Nature in all Her aspects in the last Newsletter, I feel at a loss to add more to the beauty of the magnificent trees in this park.  I can only say I did “Manasika” circumambulation of them with the following prayer, where for me every tree looked like the Peepal tree known in Sanskrit as Ashwattha, the King of the Trees:


“Moolatho Brahma roopaya,
madhyatho Vishnu roopine,
Agratha shiva roopaya
Vruksha rajaya they nama”

Salutations to the king of trees,
Whose roots are Lord Brahma,
Whose stem is Lord Vishnu,
And whose crown is Lord Shiva.

How can we be more blessed than to assemble at our Sri Aurobindo Centre for the meditation and prayers before the delicious South Indian brunch hosted by our dear member Sri Ganesh Swaminathan!

Our Sincere gratitude to you and your family, Ganesh Swaminathan for your enthusiastic participation in our Centre’s activity even though you are now based in Bangalore!

-          Jayalakshmi

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