From the editor's desk

Painting continues to be the theme for the month of July. In this 3rd issue, we take a peek into Leonardo Da Vinci, the famed creator of “Mona Lisa”. There is more to him as many already know. Here was a magnificent son of earth who excelled at almost any human endeavour. He was a multi-disciplinarian and a master artist, painter, sculptor, architect, philosopher, scientist and technologist, a perfectionist a protagonist. That so many interests and pursuits resided in one man, and that too in actual manifestation is really a wonder that would leave many of us of this age and time gasping. Nothing must have left his notice without being sublimated into an exact interpretation and rendering into forms and words palpable, a true scientist to his core and a true artist in attempting to represent the spirit residing within the subject of his enquiry and appreciation. Perhaps in him was a wideness and a depth cultivated integrally, a Yogi perhaps and one in whom, Sri Aurobindo observes, the “seeds of modern Europe” was summarized. As for Da Vinci, nothing was greater than being a master of himself.

The Mother equates true art to Yoga, as in the attempt made, with growing precision and perfection, to bring out that which is hidden within, the essence of the thing in question. The practice of Yoga nurtures an artist, as through Yoga, the faculties of perception and expression grow in magnitude and perfection, with practice. The Mother was a Purna Yogi herself, in the life she led, involving herself meticulously in the work she pursued everyday of her life. She was multi-faceted and executed her multiple works with the same exactitude and precision that the Yoga she was pursuing demanded, reflected in the way the ashram she led was established and run with its many wings for the development of the human consciousness, which continue to exist till this day. The Mother was an accomplished artist and musician and she used these pursuits as means of connecting with and bringing down the highest and the sublime into earth’s atmosphere.

In this Newsletter, we also take a glimpse at another one of The Mother’s dearest, sweetest child, Champaklal, whose love for The Mother and Sri Aurobindo nurtured him as that special child of the Divine, entrusted with the work of being of close service to them. His unflinching faith and devotion towards them serves as a shining example of how a bhakta conducts himself with the masters of his adoration which even to this day inspires, as we hear of him being spoken of, or when we read his collection of writings, now published.

Ashramites who have known him would vouch for his striking adherence to truth. He was exacting in his service to The Mother and Master and took great care in delivering his service with an eye to the minutest detail. Here was a man given to this Yoga, who offered all about him in self-consecration with simplicity and sincerity, that even to read about him brings him into the sphere of one’s immediate life, kindling the fires of aspiration. Besides the paintings he did during whatever free time he got between his serving hours, Champaklal will be most fondly remembered by older ashramites for the birthday cards he used to prepare with great care and precision so that The Mother could present them to the birthday children. In this addition, we present some of the pictures done by him with a brief description of each of them.