On Thoughts and Aphorisms

388 Pages·1998·3.66 MB·English

by  The Mother

THE MOTHER
On Thoughts and Aphorisms
On Thoughts and Aphorisms

The Mother
On
Thoughts
and
Aphorisms
Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry
VOLUME 10
COLLECTED WORKS OF THE MOTHER
Second Edition
ISBN 81-7058-670-4
Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1977, 2001
Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department
Pondicherry - 605 002
Website: http://sabda.sriaurobindoashram.org
Printed at Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, Pondicherry
PRINTED IN INDIA
The Mother - 1960
ii
Publisher’s Note
The Mother’s commentaries on Sri Aurobindo’s Thoughts and
Aphorisms were given over the twelve-year period from 1958
to 1970. The commentaries may be divided into four periods
according to date, character and form.
1.Aphorisms1–12(1958).Oralrepliestoquestionssubmit-
tedbeforehandinwritingbythestudents,teachersandsadhaks
of the Ashram during the Mother’s Wednesday classes at the
AshramPlayground.
2. Aphorisms 13–68 (1960–61). Replies, mostly written,
a few oral, to questions written to the Mother by a young
instructor of the Ashram’s physical education department.
3. Aphorisms 69–124 (1962–66). Oral replies to a disciple.
During this period the Mother digressed more and more from
direct commentary on the aphorisms and used the occasions to
explain the experiences she was having at the time.
4. Aphorisms 125–541 (1969–70). Brief written replies to
questions asked by the instructor mentioned above.
All the Mother’s commentaries were spoken or written in
French.ShealsotranslatedSriAurobindo’stextintoFrench.Her
translations of and commentaries on the first twelve aphorisms
were published in 1959 under the title Pense´es et Aphorismes:
TraduitsetCommente´sparlaMe`re.Theremainingtranslations
and commentaries were serialised in French and English in the
quarterly Bulletin of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of
Education between April 1960 and August 1976. A complete
edition of the French text, entitled Pense´es et Aphorismes:
Traduits et Commente´s par la Me`re, was published in two
tomes in 1974 and 1976. The first complete edition in English
appeared in 1977 as Volume Ten of the Collected Works of the
Mother. The present edition is a reprint of this volume with a
few minor corrections.
Sri Aurobindo’s Thoughts and Aphorisms was written around
1913 during the early part of his stay in Pondicherry. Never
revised or published during his lifetime, the aphorisms were
first brought out in 1958 under the three headings established
by the author: Jnana (Knowledge), Karma (Works) and Bhakti
(Devotion).
When the original manuscript of Thoughts and Aphorisms
was examined preparatory to the publication of a new edition
of the English text in 1977, several erroneous readings were
foundinthetextofthefirstedition;thiswastheeditionusedby
theMotherinmakinghertranslationandcommentaries.These
errors,mostlyminor,havebeencorrectedinthisvolume.Anote
hasbeengivenwhereverthecorrectedreadingisnotinlinewith
the Mother’s comment.
Contents
JNANA (Knowledge)
First period of commentaries (1958)
Aphorism
1 KnowledgeandWisdom:alliedpowers 1
“Thetruthseeninadistortedmedium” 2
Truthcomparedtowhitelight 3
2 Inspiration:aslenderriverofbrightness 3
Inspiration,reasonandthesenses 5
“Howtodevelopthecapacityforinspiration?” 6
BestmethodtoprofitfromSriAurobindo’s
writings 7
3 Reasontremblesbeforehighertruths 7
Supramentalrevolution 9
4 Knowledgeandwork 9
Silenceofperfectreceptivity 10
5 Obstaclestorealisation 10
Fear,doubtandscepticism 11
Nature’swayofprogressing 12
6 Mindreceivesshockfromaphorisms 14
Roleofreason 14
Dangerofabandoningreason 15
Truewisdom 16
7 Whatmencallknowledge 17
Appearancesand“reversalofconsciousness” 18
“Howtohavetheexperience?” 19
8 Intoleranceofreligions 20
Mechanismofintolerance 21
Experience,individualanduniversal 21
Relationshipsarelikeamirror 22
Trueperfectioninoneself 23
9 “Howdoweknowwhatthesoulsees?” 23
Mindandvital:obstaclestothesoul 24
Hearingthesoul 25
10 Onlythesoulcanknowthesoul 26
Whatwouldmakehumanityprogressmost 27