Question of the month

 Q: But if one does Yoga can he rise to such heights as Shakespeare or Shelly? There has been no such instance?

A:  The Mother: Why not? The ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’ are certainly not inferior to anything created by Shakespeare or any other poet, and they are said to have been the work of men who were Rishis and had some yogic tapasya. ‘The Gita’ which, like Upanishads, ranks at once among the greatest literary and the greatest spiritual works, was not written by one who had no experience of Yoga. And where is the inferiority to your Milton and Shelley in the famous poems written whether in India or Persia or elsewhere by men known to be saints, Sufis, devotees? And, then, do you know all the Yogis and their work? Among the poets and creators can you say who were or who were not in conscious touch with the Divine? There are some who are not officially Yogis, they are not gurus and have no disciples; the world does not know what they do; they are not anxious for fame and do not attract to themselves the attention of men; but they have the higher consciousness, are in touch with a Divine Power, and when they create they create from there. The best paintings in India and much of the best statuary and architecture were done by Buddhist monks who passed their lives in spiritual contemplation and practice; and they did supreme artistic work, but did not care to leave their names to posterity. The chief reason why Yogis are not usually known by their art is that they do not consider their art expression as the most important part of their life and do not put so much time and energy into it as a mere artist. And what they do does not always reach the public. How many there are who have done great things and not published them to the world!

(A drawing by The Mother, titled ‘Ascent of Truth -2’)