The Hidden Forces of Life — Introduction

Isaac Newton identified various forces that operate in the physical external world around us. His work was followed up by numerous others and codified into laws of physical substance. The force of gravity is one such force that impacts the movement and attraction of physical objects. Other forces operative on the physical level include electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. These forces together create the physical structure of the universe as we conceive it and know it.

We recognise physical forces and can observe and even predict their effect on physical objects. We can also recognise the operation of forces in different aspects of our being, such as the operation of attraction and repulsion on the vital level. Many have recognised the existence of a universal vital force, called variously Prana, Qi, Mana (and other names) depending on the culture from which the name originates. 

If we extend our view to the mental level, we can identify mental forces that impact us, thought-suggestions, both visible and occult. We can trace mental influences through time as we identify the lines of mental development.

It becomes clear that each aspect of existence is governed by and acted upon by forces both seen and unseen, and that there is also an interaction where the various elements of existence impinge upon one another. It also becomes clear that as we explore the complexity and interactions that take place in the entire universal creation, that there are forces and powers that we have not yet identified nor fully appreciated or understood. As we delve further into quantum mechanics we see actions which are inexplicable under the laws of Newtonian physics, which implies the action of forces not yet fully revealed to us. What we begin to recognise is that forces interact and as they interact they create a new result which is neither solely the one nor the other of the two interacting forces. Consider the creation of a new human being, which occurs through the interaction of the genetic material provided by the male with the genetic material provided by the female. The child expresses a new, combined set of genetic patterns, taking some from each of the two original sets of genes. There are forces at work which govern this interaction of genetic material and the results.

We believe we make our own decisions about what to do, when to do it, how to do it and why we do it. Upon further reflection we see that a chain of ’cause and effect’ has operated to bring us to this specific point in time, place and circumstance, and that our actions are very much controlled and dictated by these antecedents. What role do these hidden forces of life play, and to what extent are we able to understand, modify, control or decide utilizing our free will and independence? In order to understand our own actions and the context within which we live our lives, we need to delve into the hidden, occult levels of the creation that drive all actions in the universe.

William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar has Brutus exclaim: ”There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.”

Sri Aurobindo notes: ”This is certain that when we go back into ourselves very deep away from the surface appearance, we find that the mind, heart and sensational being of man are moved by forces not under his own control and that he can become an instrument in the hands of Energies of a cosmic character without knowing the origin of his actions. It is by stepping back from the physical surface into his inner being and subliminal consciousness that he becomes directly aware of them and is able to know directly and deal with their action upon him.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Introduction

Suggestions For Optimizing the Benefit of this Blog for Your Study of Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga

The Sri Aurobindo Studies daily blog is sponsored by the Institute for Wholistic Education with a unique, self-directed and systematic study of Sri Aurobindo’s major works.  For the last 13 years, we have focused on page by page review, directed headline, commentary and citations from Sri Aurobindo’s and The Mother’s writings.  A new post is generated just about daily.  The current book under review is a compilation titled Living Within: the Yoga Approach to Psychological Health and Growth, put together by Dr. A.S. Dalal and featuring citations from both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.  You are welcome to join us at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com

GENERAL ADVICE TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PARTICIPATION:   We took up the daily ‘page by page’ review of the writings of Sri Aurobindo with the idea that it would provide both a comprehensive understanding of Sri Aurobindo’s work, as well as a new depth of understanding.  We have found that covering approximately one page per day, and reflecting on the subject and the citations, has enormous benefits so we encourage you to take your time, work at your own pace, and not try to rush through the process.  There is no benefit to speed.  It is much more important to let the writing sink in and begin over time to transform the view and the interpretation we have in all areas of life.   The effect is cumulative and the further one goes, the deeper the understanding becomes.  This is not so much an intellectual exercise and there is no need to strain the thought process.  Let the concepts simply be absorbed and sink in and begin to address the way all life and action is understood. 

You may also find that you prefer a different approach, such as taking up a particular idea or concept that intrigues you, and using the search box to identify all references and follow them through day by day.  We recommend a “free progress” form of learning.  It is not about ‘information’ but about widening, opening and deepening the understanding within your own being.

The resource at this blog link gives you an enormous capability to direct your own study according to your own interest and at your own pace.  We have the following resources available which you can tap into from the home page:

ARCHIVE OF PRIOR POSTS ORGANIZED BY BOOK:

Essays on the Gita

Future Evolution of Man

Integral Yoga: Sri Aurobindo’s Teaching and Method of Practice

Living Within (the current book)

Mind of Light

Rebirth and Karma

Secret of the Veda and Hymns to the Mystic Fire (includes Vedic hymns chanting and translations and commentary)

The Human Cycle: the Psychology of Social Development

The Ideal of Human Unity

The Life Divine

The Mother

The Synthesis of Yoga

The Upanishads

Upon completion of the current title Living Within, we expect to take up another compilation by Dr. A.S. Dalal titled Growing Within as the next subject.

The page by page review of each of these books follows in date order and provides a citation reference to the chapter and page of the book from which the citations and commentaries are drawn.

ARCHIVE OF PRIOR POSTS IN DATE SEQUENCE:

The archive is organized by month from August 2009 through the current month.  Within each month the relevant articles appear in date sequence order.  The first book taken up was The Life Divine, so study of that text will start with the August 2009 posts.

SEARCH BLOCK:

There is also a search feature which is very useful when you would like to find all references to a particular term or concept across all the books that have been covered.  For instance, if you want to find references to ‘rebirth’ or ‘supermind’ or ‘divine life’ simply type the relevant words into the search box and you will have immediate access to all posts with that reference.

DAILY PODCAST:

There is also a link to a daily podcast which began in the winter/spring of 2021.  The podcast converts the daily posts from that time forward into audio files for those who prefer to listen rather than read the posts.

OTHER WAYS TO ACCESS THE DAILY POSTS AND PODCASTS:

The daily posts feed to www.facebook.com/SriAurobindosWritings  if you prefer to use facebook for the day to day postings.   You may choose to “like” or “follow” that page if you want to get the most recent post each day when it appears.    However, all of the archive, search functions and organized presentation for past titles appear only at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com 

DAILY POST REMINDERS:  if you choose to “follow” this blog directly at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com  (go to Reader  link near top left of home page, do a search in the box for Sri Aurobindo Studies and then click on the “follow” button) you will get a reminder follow up when the daily post goes “live”.

ACCESS TO THE BOOKS:

The print editions of the books are available world-wide through various agencies or centers including S.A.B.D.A. from Puducherry.  The USA editions are published by Lotus Press through arrangement with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Copyright Department.   You can find all the USA print editions at www.lotuspress.com   Most of these titles are now also available for download as e-books through either Amazon kindle, Apple itunes, or Google play.  Some of the links to the e-books are on the home page of the daily blog.  All of the current e-book links can be found at the respective title at www.lotuspress.com    Also, as each book was completed in the blog, a print and e-book edition of all relevant blog posts has been published by Lotus Press under the general umbrella of Readings in …. (and the appropriate title of Sri Aurobindo).  This may provide another convenient way to access the systematic study on your own.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SRI AUROBINDO:

You may wish to visit www.sri-aurobindo.com  to get more information about the work of Sri Aurobindo as well as annotations on many of his books

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS:

The purpose of the blog is to engage the reader in the deeper sense of Sri Aurobindo’s writings, to explore the depths and breadths of the ground he covered, and to make the books highly accessible to the reader.  We therefore encourage engagement and are happy to have participants make relevant comments to the post when they have something to add or respond to; and to bring forward questions so that we may try to assist in guiding you to the appropriate references or direction to have those questions answered.

THE BLOG EDITOR:

My name is Santosh Krinsky and I have been actively studying Sri Aurobindo’s work since I was handed a copy of The Life Divine back in 1971.  I resided at Sri Aurobindo Ashram from mid 1973 through early 1974 and have been continuously involved with this work since that time.  I also act as the editor-in-chief at Lotus Press, the USA publisher of the writings of Sri Aurobindo.  I reside at this time in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA with my wife Karuna and we welcome visitors who are interested to join us for meditation, or one on one sessions.   We also maintain a library for the use of friends and devotees.   We manage the Institute for Wholistic Education, a 501©3 tax exempt organization under the local name Sri Aurobindo Center of Honolulu, Hawaii.

From time to time I have done extensive interviews with organizations such as SelfGrowth.com and Cultural Integration Fellowship.  These video interviews have been recorded and are also available as follows: 

Cultural integration Fellowship:  https://www.facebook.com/LotusPress/videos/1493420001101922  Solving the Existential Crisis of Humanity Through the Evolution of Consciousness with Some Practical Examples (Auroville)

Selfgrowth.com interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxUFpCPprR4&t=1s  Solving the Existential Crisis of Humanity Through the Evolution of Consciousness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqCNWy9kGpI   Practical Applications for Solving the Existential Crisis of Humanity (with focus on the project of Auroville)

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS:

We hope you will enjoy this process and look forward to the daily study.  The posts are relatively short in length in order to fit into just about any schedule.  We find this is best taken up either early in the day before the daily activities carry us away, or in the evening when work is done and there is some opportunity for quiet time and reflection.  Thank you for joining this program and please don’t hesitate to let us know if we may be of further service in some way during this process.  You will note that the blog is already 13 years in process, so you can make of this part of a lifelong pursuit if you so choose, as we ourselves have undertaken to do.  Personally, I find this method of approach far more beneficial than simply trying to read through any of the books in a normal somewhat hurried manner the way things are done in university courses.  Take your time, reflect, and let this be a light-filled and uplifting part of your day.  The benefit is not in the quantity of the reading and study, but in the quality and the impact it has in your life….

Daily Studies Now Being Converted to Audio Podcasts on Spotify

For those who prefer to listen rather than read the texts, who want to use their travel time to listen we have been able to use the wonder of technology to create audio podcasts for you which are published on Spotify. The podcast is now also available on Apple iTunes, Google Play and other podcast venues. We are creating a new podcast daily, with an archive already built up of several hundred sessions.. You can link and bookmark the following:

Interview: Solving the Existential Crisis of Humanity Through the Evolution of Consciousness

Video Interview: Solving the Existential Crisis of Humanity Through the Evolution of Consciousness

Sri Aurobindo’s and Related Writings on Apple iTunes for IPhone and IPad:

Sri Aurobindo’s and Related Writings on Apple iTunes for IPhone and IPad:

We continue to add more titles to this list on an ongoing basis, so please check back regularly for additional titles.  We also supply a large number of titles for Amazon Kindle and Google Play which are listed separately.  Below find the links to the e-book versions available at this time on Apple iTunes:

By Sri Aurobindo:

Bases of Yoga                                      Bases of Yoga

 Essays on the Gita                              Essays on the Gita

 The Mother                                        The Mother

 Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol         Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol

 By The Mother:

 Commentaries on the Dhammapada  Commentaries on the Dhammapada

 By Sri M. P. Pandit:

 An Early Chapter in The Mother’s Life   Early Chapter in The Mother’s Life

 Art of Living                                        Art of Living

 Bases of Tantra Sadhana                   Bases of Tantra Sadhana

 Commentaries on Sri Aurobindo’s Thought, V. 1  Commentaries Sri Aurobindo’s Thought, V. 1

 Dhyana                                               Dhyana

 Heart of Sadhana                               Heart of Sadhana

 How Do I Proceed?                             How Do I Proceed?

 Introducing The Life Divine               Introducing The Life Divine

 Introducing Savitri                             Introducing Savitri

 Japa                                                    Japa

Kundalini Yoga                                   Kundalini Yoga

Readings in Savitri, V. 1                     Readings in Savitri, V. 1

 Readings in Savitri, V. 2                     Readings in Savitri, V. 2

 Readings in Savitri, V. 3                     Readings in Savitri, V. 3

 Readings in Savitri, V. 4                     Readings in Savitri, V. 4

 Readings in Savitri, V. 5                     Readings in Savitri, V. 5

 Readings in Savitri, V. 7                     Readings in Savitri, V. 7

 Readings in Savitri, V. 8                     Readings in Savitri, V. 8

Readings in Savitri, V. 9                     Readings in Savitri, V. 9

 Sri Aurobindo and His Yoga               Sri Aurobindo and His Yoga

 A Summary of Savitri                         A Summary of Savitri

 Talks on The Life Divine, V. 1             Talks on The Life Divine, V. 1

 Teachings of Sri Aurobindo               Teachings of Sri Aurobindo

Thoughts on the Gita                         Thoughts on the Gita

 By Santosh Krinsky:

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Life Divine, Vol. 1  Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Life Divine,V. 1

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Life Divine, Vol. 2 Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Life Divine, V. 2

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Life Divine, Vol. 3 Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Life Divine, V. 3

Readings in The Mother by Sri Aurobindo:               Readings in The Mother by Sri Aurobindo

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Rebirth and Karma:   Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Rebirth &  Karma

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita,V.1 Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita, V.1

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita, V. 2 Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita, V.2

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Synthesis of Yoga, V. 1  Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Synthesis of Yoga, V. 1

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Synthesis of Yoga, V. 2  Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Synthesis of Yoga, V. 2

Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Synthesis of Yoga, V. 3  Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Synthesis of Yoga, V. 3

 By Rand Hicks:

A Savitri Dictionary                            A Savitri Dictionary

Rev. 6/11/17

Sri Aurobindo’s Writings Available as E-Books for Amazon Kindle Readers or App

The Amazon Kindle is perhaps the most popular e-book reader in the world, and the APP works on desktop computers, laptops, android phones, tablets etc. The APP can be downloaded free from Amazon.com We are systematically making Sri Aurobindo’s writings available for the Kindle App and Readers. Here are a few of them, with more links to be provided soon:

Bhagavad Gita and Its Message Bhagavad Gita and Its Message
Dictionary of Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga (compiled by M P Pandit) Dictionary of Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga
Essays on the Gita Essays on the Gita
The Future Evolution of Man The Future Evolution of Man
Hidden Forces of Life (compiled by AS Dalal from writings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother Hidden Forces of Life
The Human Cycle: The Psychology of Social Development The Human Cycle: The Psychology of Social Development
The Ideal of Human Unity The Ideal of Human Unity
Integral Yoga: Sri Aurobindo’s Teaching and Method of Practice Integral Yoga
The Life Divine The Life Divine
Looking from Within (compiled by AS Dalal from writings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother Looking from Within
The Mind of Light The Mind of Light (The Supramental Manifestation on Earth)
The Mother The Mother
Our Many Selves (compiled by AS Dalal from writings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother Our Many Selves
Powers Within (compiled by AS Dalal from writings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother Powers Within
The Psychic Being (compiled by AS Dalal from writings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother Psychic Being
Rebirth and Karma Rebirth and Karma
Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol
Secret of the Veda Secret of the Veda
Sri Aurobindo on the Tantra (compiled by M P Pandit) Sri Aurobindo on the Tantra
The Synthesis of Yoga The Synthesis of Yoga
The Upanishads The Upanishads
Vedic Symbolism (compiled by M P Pandit) Vedic Symbolism
Yoga of Sleep and Dreams (compiled by AS Dalal from writings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother Yoga of Sleep and Dreams

By Sri M P Pandit:
Sri Aurobindo and His Yoga Sri Aurobindo and His Yoga
Teaching of Sri Aurobindo Teaching of Sri Aurobindo

SRI AUROBINDO’S BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE ON GOOGLE PLAY AS E-BOOKS:

The Mother THE MOTHER
Bases of Yoga BASES OF YOGA
Essays on the Gita ESSAYS ON THE GITA
The Human Cycle: Psychology of Social Development The Human Cycle: The Psychology of Social Development
Ideal of Human Unity IDEAL OF HUMAN UNITY
The Life Divine THE LIFE DIVINE
The Mind of Light THE MIND OF LIGHT
Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol  Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol
Sri Aurobindo on the Tantra SRI AUROBINDO ON THE TANTRA
The Synthesis of Yoga THE SYNTHESIS OF YOGA

For Android Phones, Tablets, and E-Readers

Sri Aurobindo Studies

Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga has enormous implications for the time we find ourselves in.  As we systematically destroy the basis of life on the planet, and wall off one another through ultimate fragmentation, we are left with the stark contrast of choosing between survival and destruction, life and death, growth or decline.  Sri Aurobindo recognizes the necessity of the individual within the context of the collectivity, universality and the transcendent consciousness of Oneness.  The individual is the nexus or hub of the evolutionary urge, but not separate from nor at the expense of the life of the cosmic whole.

We post the daily blog entries also to our facebook page:  www.facebook.com/sriaurobindoswritings

We also have a daily twitter feed on Sri Aurobindo’s studies at www.twitter.com/santoshk1

We have systematically worked our way through The Life Divine as well as The Mother , Essays on the Gita and Rebirth and Karma, The Synthesis of Yoga, The Ideal of Human Unity and The Human Cycle: The Psychology of Social Development  The newest posts appear near the top.  If you want to start at the beginning, go to the oldest post and roll forward until you reach the final posts as of today.

Another option is to “search” for the chapter you would like to study and see all posts relating to that chapter. You may have to ask for “older posts” once you have the search results if you are looking for one of the earlier chapters.

We have separated the posts relating to each book into their own folder as an additional organisational tool.

Similarly you can use the search box to find specific concepts, terms or issues you are interested in. The results will show all posts that address those concepts or terms. You may have to click on “older posts” to find all the references here as well.

The next book we are taking up is The Upanshads by Sri Aurobindo, following a similar format to that we have utilised for The Life Divine , The Mother, Essays on the Gita and Rebirth and Karma, The Synthesis of Yoga, The Ideal of Human Unity and The Human Cycle: Psychology of Social Development.

You may also want to visit our information site for Sri Aurobindo at Sri-Aurobindo.Com

Sri Aurobindo’s major writings are published in the US by Lotus Press.

The systematic studies on this blog have also been published as self-standing books by Lotus Press and are available in both printed formats and as e-books. There are 3 volumes encompassing Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Life Divine, 2 volumes encompassing Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita, as well as 1 volume for Readings in The Mother by Sri Aurobindo, and Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Rebirth and Karma., and 4 volumes  for the Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Synthesis of Yoga as well as Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Ideal of Human Unity and Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Human Cycle, Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s The Future Evolution of Man.  .You can find the Readings series at Lotus Press

Many of the major writings of Sri Aurobindo are now also accessible on the Amazon Kindle Platform as well as Apple itunes, google play, kobo, and Barnes & Noble nook as well.  Kindle e-book reader program is also available for PC, Laptop, iPad, Blackberry, Android, iPhone and many other platforms from Amazon without charge. You can find the current list of titles available by going to http://www.amazon.com , go to the “kindle store” and type in “Aurobindo” New titles are being added as they can be made ready. Many of the major books are already accessible by the Kindle Reader.  You can follow a similar procedure for the other platforms we now support for Sri Aurobindo’s writings, I-tunes, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and KOBO.

Impersonal and Personal Aspects of Consciousness in the Universal Manifestation

Our understanding of existence is very much rooted in our own anthropocentric view of things. We generally recognise the awareness we hold within ourselves, and, viewing other beings and forms in our visible environs, we either attribute to them no consciousness, or, at best, lower forms or development of consciousness. For anything that exists outside the range of perception provided by our senses, we only admit existence when we find a way to capture and measure those things, and we treat them as purely physical-material actions of the universal energy, without any form of consciousness whatsoever.

This view, however, is being challenged, both by the experience of rishis, sages and shaman who are able to experience the consciousness of other forms and beings, and who are able to understand the unity of the universal creation and who thereby recognise that consciousness permeates all existence, albeit in forms or powers different than those that are specific to human consciousness.

Modern science is now starting to recognise the pervasiveness of consciousness as well. Once scientists recognised that Matter is a form of Energy, it was a relatively small step to begin to recognise that Energy is a form of Consciousness. This is the current revolution in understanding that scientists are awakening into.

Yet our conception of consciousness at this level remains quite uncertain, diffused and impersonal. We attribute personality to our own individuality, but fail to recognise that there may be, in fact, are, other beings who have personal awareness and who act as a conscious self-directing force within the larger manifestation. The entire evolution of consciousness is an obvious process of increasing self-awareness. Therefore, in stages beyond that of the human development, we would expect greater self-awareness and a greater sense of autonomy. Beings who represent higher stages of the evolution of consciousness would necessarily be expressions of greater powers of personal awareness than our human status.

While consciousness is involved in Matter and the early life-forms, and thus, does not appear to exhibit the characteristics of personality, it may also be that we simply do not perceive what may nevertheless be present. Researchers of the plant kingdom report entire networks of communication between trees in a forest for instance, and expressions of pain or at least reactions of stress (as far as we are able to measure and interpret) in trees when they experience the pain or suffering of another tree in their network. Similarly, expressions of grief at the death of a member of a tribe of elephants is a well-documented phenomenon, implying, once again, individuality and a perception of relationship that occurs between separate conscious beings.

This leads us to the idea that there may be consciously active beings who act to support human development, as well as consciously active beings who are hostile to human development, or who want to take advantage of human beings. There is a long history in human development of encounters with angels or demons, beings who exist on another level but whose action intersects with human life on certain levels or in particular circumstances, for good or ill.

Do we live in a mechanical universe as the only conscious beings? Or is there a supreme conscious Being who creates, organizes, contains and constitutes the entire universal existence? Just as we can view light as either a wave or a particle, is it not possible to see the universe from both an impersonal and a personal aspect?

Sri Aurobindo notes: “The forces are conscious. There are besides individualised beings who represent the forces or use them. The wall between consciousness and force, impersonality and personality becomes much thinner when one goes behind the veil of matter. If one looks at a working from the side of impersonal force one sees a force or energy at work acting for a purpose or with a result, if one looks from the side of being one sees a being possessing, guiding and using or else representative of and used by a conscious force as its instrument of specialised action and expression. You speak of the wave, but in modern science it has been found that if you look at the movement of energy, it appears on one side to be a wave and act as a wave, on the other as a mass of particles and to act as a mass of particles each acting in its own way. It is somewhat the same principle here.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 4 Cosmic and Universal Forces, pp. 83-84

Universal Forces and the Subconscient

There are many functions of our existence that take place without the conscious awareness or intervention of the mind. All of the complex functions of the body and its organs, for instance, are very much independent of control by our conscious mind and will, although some of these functions may, through intensive training and focus, come under at least partial control, such as the generation of inner heat in the Tibetan practice of tummo.

There are similar subconscious processes that occur on the levels of perception, feeling, emotion and mental ideation. The entire realm of what we call ‘instinct’ is a basically automatic reaction in one of the vital responsive systems that takes over instantaneously when the necessary triggers or precursors arrive and prod the vital nature. This all takes place at the subconscious level.

Much of what enters through the vital envelope remains subliminal to us and if it finds a corresponding receptivity in the subconscious of the individual, it sets up a sympathetic vibration. This is illustrated by the musical instrument called the sitar, which has primary strings and ‘sympathetic’ strings. When the primary string is played, the sympathetic strings vibrate automatically. When any vibration enters the subconscient, it awakens any responsive ‘strings’ that may be lying there, seeds sprout and movement of energy ensues, as if from within us, but really as a response and reaction to the vibrations that have reached us from outside.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “The universal forces act very often through the subconscient — especially when the force they send is something the person has been in the habit of obeying and of which the seeds, impressions, ‘complexes’ are strongly rooted in the subconscient — or, even if that is no longer the case, of which there is a memory still in the subconscient.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 4 Cosmic and Universal Forces, pg. 83

Universal Forces, the Aura and the Individual Consciousness

Many people hold that the truth of existence is an “either/or” proposition. If the universal forces create all of existence, then the individual is essentially an illusory conception; and on the other hand, if the individual is a real and separate entity, then the universal is somehow denied or disproven. It is however not necessary to go to either of these two extremes in our understanding of our existence in relation to the universal manifestation. Sri Aurobindo resolves this conflict in chapter 4 of The Life Divine, a chapter titled ‘Reality Omnipresent”. The universal is real and each individual form, formation or being is also real, being constituted of and being a nexus of the action for the universal forces. The individual is not wholly separate and independent but is part and parcel of that universal creation, dependent on it and the forces that manifest, for his own existence.

There is a constant interchange taking place between this ‘nexus’ in the form of an individual being or formation, and the universal forces that are acting to create the existence we experience. These larger forces act upon us and condition and drive our responses and actions. Because they are not obviously palpable to our external senses in a direct way, we tend to know them primarily through their effects. There is however an intervening “buffer” that acts to receive the external impacts, and this is the aura or vital envelope. As a person becomes more able to experience the impacts on the aura, he is able to begin to have direct knowledge of the interchange that is taking place and thereby work to accept, modify or reject the action of some of these forces.

Sri Aurobindo writes: “Each man has his own personal consciousness entrenched in his body and gets into touch with his surroundings only through his body and senses and the mind using the senses.”

“Yet all the time the universal forces are pouring into him without his knowing it. He is aware only of thoughts, feelings, etc., that rise to the surface and these he takes for his own. Really they come from outside in mind waves, vital waves, waves of feeling and sensation, etc., which take particular form in him and rise to the surface after they have got inside.”

“But they do not get into his body at once. He carries about with him an environmental consciousness (called by the Theosophists the Aura) into which they first enter. If you can become conscious of this environmental self of yours, then you can catch the thought, passion, suggestion or force of illness and prevent it from entering into you. If things in you are thrown out, they often do not go altogether but take refuge in this environmental atmosphere and from there they try to get in again. Or they go to a distance outside but linger on the outskirts or even perhaps far off, waiting till they get an opportunity to attempt entrance.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 4 Cosmic and Universal Forces, pp. 82-83

The Material Universe, the Causative Plane and the Forces of Manifestation

When we look at existence from the individual standpoint, we see a number of solid forms interacting with one another. We do not see how they came into existence (other than the physical, material, practical methodology we can observe, which fails to give us the causative factors or significance.) We do not see the forces that play through each of these forms, and we experience most of our life as originating within each form ‘somehow’. This view is unfortunately so limited and framed as to prevent us from gaining a complete or true understanding of existence.

In the Taittiriya Upanishad, a young seeker was instructed to practice concentration of thought. He began with the idea of the material, physical nature being the basis of things, but as he carried out his concentration, he eventually recognised that Matter is dependent on Prana, or the Life-Force, for its existence, and in turn, the Life-Force is dependent on Mind, and then in turn, comes the “causal plane” of existence, which itself eventuates from the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss in an ultimate realisation.

Western science has been following a similar curve of enlightenment. Scientists now recognise that Matter is a condensed form of energy. All forms are developed through some intelligence that utilizes certain principles and rules to create and operate the interaction of all physical forms and forces. Now scientists, as they push into the quantum world, are beginning to recognise that there is consciousness that stands behind and acts as the original power that develops all the forces and forms of mind, life and the physical reality of the universe. The forms are created through various expressions of what we call ‘radiation”, the streaming of energy, which is identified as a wave-form until it is actually ‘observed’ at which time it is perceived as a ‘point’. Thus, everything in the universe is apparently capable of being seen both as a wave and as a particle.

While it is easiest for us to observe these things at the physical level, it is also true that a similar process works on the vital, mental and spiritual levels of existence. The more subtle levels tend to be closer to the causative plane, while the denser levels are the result of that causative action.

Turning then to the individual forms and beings in the world, we begin to appreciate that they are the result, not the cause, and that they are reception and transmission points, a nexus, for the movement and expression of these waves of consciousness and the creative energy that arises from that consciousness to create the universe and its virtually endless forms and interactions.

Sri Aurobindo notes: “… they [cosmic forces] move in masses, waves, currents constantly constituting and reconstituting beings and objects, movements and happenings, entering into them, passing through them, forming themselves in them, throwing themselves out from them on other beings and objects. Each natural individual is a receptacle of these cosmic forces and a dynamo for their propagation; there passes from each to each a constant stream of mental and vital energies, and these run too in cosmic waves and currents no less than the forces of physical Nature. All this action is veiled from our surface mind’s direct sense and knowledge, but it is known and felt by the inner being, though only through a direct contact; when the being enters into the cosmic consciousness, it is still more widely, inclusively, intimately aware of this play of cosmic forces.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 4 Cosmic and Universal Forces, pg. 82

What Causes the Wind?

A young child was asked what causes the wind. The child replied: “When the trees move their branches and leaves, that is what makes the wind!” This extremely logical observation mirrors the way we tend to look at the world. We think that we make the decisions, that we are ‘in charge’ of what we do, and we fail to see that there are larger universal forces that move all action in us and others and in the world at large. When we pose for ourselves the analogous question, where do our feelings come from, or where do our thoughts come from, we tend to give the same response as the child about the wind!

If we reflect a little, however, we soon begin to recognise that there are indeed larger forces at work. We can see different societies that have developed different frames of reference, and the individuals in those societies tend to respond according to the pattern of their own society or culture.

The Bhagavad Gita states: “The Lord, O Arjuna, is seated in the heart of all beings turning all beings mounted upon a machine by his Maya.. [Ch 18, S. 61] We respond according to the action and interplay of the three Gunas. We speak of the ‘time spirit’ to describe a general approach to understanding life, action and our role in the world. This is an implicit recognition that there are universal forces that shape and guide our lives, our actions and our reactions, and as these forces move, so we move under their impulsion.

The question then arises as to how we can begin to know and understand these universal, cosmic forces that act upon us and determine situations and our responses to them. As long as we remain fixated on the outer world and the physical senses, we remain essentially oblivious to their action. When we shift our standpoint inwards or upwards, bring calm and clarity to our awareness, we can begin to experience the impact of these forces in our lives.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “Universal forces means all forces good or bad, favourable or hostile, of light and darkness that move in the cosmos.”

“They [the cosmic forces] act on everyone, according to the person’s nature — and his will and consciousness.”

“These [impersonal forces of the world] we know only by their results, by the little that we can seize of their visible action and consequence. Among them it is mostly the physical world-forces of which we have some knowledge, but we live constantly in the midst of a whirl of unseen mind-forces and life-forces of which we know nothing, we are not even aware of their existence. To all this unseen movement and action the subliminal inner consciousness can open our awareness, for it has a knowledge of it by direct contact, by inner vision, by a psychic sensitiveness; but at present it can only enlighten our obtuse superficiality and outwardness by unexplained warnings, premonitions, attractions and repulsions, ideas, suggestions, obscure intuitions, the little it can get through imperfectly to the surface. The inner being not only contacts directly and concretely the immediate motive and movement of these universal forces and feels the results of their present action, but it can to a certain extent forecast or see ahead their further action; there is a greater power in our subliminal parts to overcome the time barrier, to have the sense or feel the vibration of coming events, of distant happenings, even to look into the future. It is true that this knowledge proper to the subliminal being is not complete; for it is a mixture of knowledge and ignorance and it is capable of erroneous as well as of true perception.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 4 Cosmic and Universal Forces, pp. 81-82

Becoming Aware of Cosmic and Universal Forces That Impact Our Existence

Enormous forces are at work in the universe. Vast numbers of stars and their planetary groupings move at high speed. Radiation of various sorts streams throughout the universe. There is a cosmic background radiation that scientists can now measure as they develop ever-finer instrumentation to try to understand the universal creation. Here on earth, we exist due to the radiation provided by the sun which provides the energy needed to sustain life on the planet. We are subject to gravitational forces including the influence of the Moon.

We recognise some of these forces ourselves to some degree when we deal with sunburn, UV rays impacting our vision, etc. We harness electricity to run much of our lives. These unseen forces are now able to be measured, quantified and harnessed to a great degree.

These are the universal cosmic forces at the material level of the creation. There are also similarly universal forces that operate on the vital, the mental and indeed other planes of existence that we cannot ‘see” but which we can experience in their impact on our lives.

Those who take up spiritual practices tend to develop awareness of many of these more subtle forces. Just as we have found ways to identify and measure material forces of the universe, we are finding ways to identify and measure these other, more subtle, levels of vibration and their impacts.

Sri Aurobindo writes in his epic poem Savitri: a Legend and a Symbol, Book I, Canto 3: ““Awakened to the lines that Nature hides, Attuned to her movements that exceed our ken, He grew one with a covert universe. His grasp surprised her mightiest energies’ springs, He spoke with the unknown Guardians of the worlds, Forms he descried our mortal eyes see not, His wide eyes bodied viewless entities, He saw the cosmic forces at their work And felt the occult impulse behind man’s will.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 4 Cosmic and Universal Forces, pg. 80

An Accident Avoided

The Mother advises us that we are generally not aware of the action of all the subtle forces and how they interact to cause circumstances that occur in the external world. She further notes that with awareness, many accidents could be avoided. This reminds us of an incident reported some time back:

It occurred in 1981. Two devotees were in the process of traveling across the USA visiting various national parks. It was mid- to late-summer when they reached Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is noted not only for its geysers and other geological features, but also for the abundance of wildlife.

The devotees were driving on one of the main roads in the park in a Dodge van. The driver had an intimation that “something” was going to happen, and he was driving exceedingly slowly on the road in the near twilight conditions. A park ranger came up behind the van and was clearly frustrated with how slowly the van was moving. After a few minutes, the park ranger passed the van and sped by. The driver remained extremely cautious, not sure why, but feeling that there was something up ahead that would require immediate reaction. Suddenly a massive bison ran into the roadway immediately in front of the van. The driver hit the brakes hard, and all kinds of things in the van went flying through the cabin. When the van stopped, there was an enormous bison right in front of the vehicle within inches. Had the driver been moving at any faster speed, a tragic accident would clearly have occurred. The uncanny sense of an impending event saved everyone from the harm that would clearly have occurred in a collision with a fully mature adult bull bison standing almost 6 feet tall and weighing likely close to 2000 pounds.

The devotees were shaken by the near-miss, but were grateful for what was so clearly a warning and an intimation that protected them from this accident that was “waiting to happen”.

The exact mechanism that brought this subtle awareness could not be described by the participants. They attributed it to Divine Grace. The Grace clearly acted, and there was a subtle vital awareness that it awakened in the driver. We can speculate that perhaps while driving in a park known for its wildlife, particularly bison herds, and the time of year, and the time of day, the driver was somehow subtly alerted to the possibilities, but it goes beyond that simple explanation by the fact that the speed of the vehicle was far below the normal driving speeds, and yet, was exactly the speed that could be driven to avoid the collision.

The Mother speaks of other senses and possibly some subtle sense had opened up to be receptive to what was moving in the world in that natural setting at that time. There was clearly some type of premonition alerting them. The participants did not know why or how. We will likely never know the exact cause or action that created the situation, the awareness of the situation and the response to the situation. We can only know that we are confronted with a clear example of ‘an accident avoided.’

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 3 Hidden Forces Around, pg. 78

Causes of Accidents

Western scientists tell us that the universe is always tending toward a state of lower energy and less organisation, a concept that they call ‘entropy’. While this concept was developed and applied in the field of physics, particularly in the law of thermodynamics, it has been extended and claimed to apply throughout many levels of existence, and some even claim that it is so pervasive that eventually all of existence will reach a status of equilibrium in total dispersal, emptiness, and lack of cohesion. The concept of the expanding universe and the increasing dispersion of the energy at work in the universe, is claimed to be the result of increasing entropy in furtherance of this theory.

On the other side of the debate, however, is the idea that we can see an evolution of consciousness that shows an increasing level of integration, complexity and organisation, and thus, acts as a counter-weight to entropy.

This is similar to the counter-balancing forces of centrifugal and centripetal force. One of these pulls systems apart, the other pushes them together. There is a dynamic tension between the two forces that leads to potential disruptions when the two interact.

We can see the same thing when it comes to the forces of existence, the force of increasing consciousness confronted by the force of decreasing consciousness, the forces of progress versus the forces of retrogression, the force of development versus the force of dissolution.

When the opposing forces meet and interact, we can expect to see unanticipated results and situations arise. This is the point at which what we term ‘accidents’ tend to arise. We can see this interaction occur on all levels, physical, vital, emotional, and mental, as well as the points where these different domains interact with one another. There are forces that actively work to create disharmony and dissolution, just as there are forces that actively work toward harmony and unity.

If an individual begins to become conscious and aware of the play of these forces, the movements that both support and oppose the progress one is attempting to make, the growth one is experiencing, it becomes possible to modify, ameliorate or even avoid many of these accidents. Observation and a calm discernment are the key to minimizing the influence of accidents in the life. While there may be forces or circumstances beyond one’s control, at least a certain number of them fall within the realm of individual action. In some cases, associating the thought and focus on the guru, the supportive forces or the chosen deity can add their influence into the situation to aid in meeting the opposing force more effectively.

The Mother notes: “Accidents are due to many things; in fact they are the result of a conflict of the forces in Nature, a conflict between the forces of growth and progress and the forces of destruction. When there is an accident, an accident that has lasting results, it is always the result of a more or less partial victory of the adverse forces, that is, of the forces of disintegration, disorganisation.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 3 Hidden Forces Around, pg. 78

Observing the Dance of Vibrations

Our normal human view of things is limited by the restraining effect of our senses, as well as our ability to consciously receive and interpret what we perceive through the senses. We do not generally experience the living, breathing life of plants or trees, for instance. We do not ordinarily see the vibration of the aura as it surrounds our bodies. Occasionally, we can see the vibrations of heat as it rises off a hot surface. We do not either work to extend our perceptions, nor even to extrapolate from what we can and do experience that all existence is made up of vibratory patterns that touch each other, impact each other and blend and mix with each other.

Many things that occur within us, our body reactions, health issues, vital and emotional responses, mental ideas and concepts, would be understood more clearly if we could actually see the vibrations that surround and penetrate us and their interaction to bring about the results that we actually experience.

The Mother observes: “If you could see that kind of dance, the dance of vibrations which is there around you all the time, you would see, would understand well what I mean.”

“For example, in a game, when you play, it is like this (gesture), and then it is like the vibrations of a point, it goes on increasing, increasing and increasing until suddenly, crash!… an accident. And it is a collective atmosphere like that; we come and see it, you are in the midst of a game — basketball or football or any other — we feel it, see it, it produces a kind of smoke around you (those vapours of heat which come at times, something like that), and then it takes on a vibration like that, like that, more and more, more and more, more and more until suddenly the equilibrium is broken: someone breaks his leg, falls down, is hit on the mouth by a ball, etc. And one can foretell beforehand that this is going to happen when it is like that. But nobody is aware of it.”

“Yet, even in less serious cases, each one of you individually has around him something which instead of being this very individual and very calm envelope which protects you from all that you don’t want to receive… I mean, your receptivity becomes deliberate and conscious, otherwise you do not receive; and it is only when you have this conscious extremely calm atmosphere, and as I say, when it comes from within (it is not something that comes from outside), it is only when it’s like this that you can go with impunity into life, that is, among others and in all the circumstances of every minute…”

“Otherwise if there is something bad to be caught, for example, anger, fear, an illness, some uneasiness, you are sure to catch it. As soon as it starts doing this (gesture), it is as though you called all similar vibrations to come and get hold of you.”

“What is to be wondered at is the unconsciousness with which men go through life; they don’t know how to live, there’s not one in a million who know how to live, and they live like that somehow or other, limping along….”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 3 Hidden Forces Around, pp. 77-78

Perceiving the Vibrations That Create Conditions of Illness and Counteracting Them

It turns out that dogs can be trained to identify an imminent diabetic reaction in an individual, or to determine the presence of cancer. If we reflect on the implications of this for a moment, it becomes clear that there are indications that can be picked up by the dog’s senses, even if most (or even all) human beings are unaware of these things. It could be a frequency or vibration, it could be a scent that emanates, or some other subtle sensory stimuli perceptible to the dog. If a human being were able to extend his power of perception, or at least become sensitive enough to pick up and understand what is being perceived on a subtle level, then such things would become possible to the human being as well. Some individuals report that they can tell someone who is stricken with the flu by a greenish cast that they give off!

Recently we reviewed an experiment conducted on mice who were subjected to the vibrations of cancerous mice and who subsequently developed tumours,and then, were subjected to the vibrations of healthy mice and the tumours regressed.

There is a constant play of vibrations that impact the mind, the vital envelope, or aura, and the physical frame of the body. We simply fail to see the subtle signals or energies either because they vibrate outside our range of perception, or because we are not trained, and receptive or quiet enough to take cognizance of them.

As individuals become receptive and aware of these vibratory patterns acting upon them, they can also take steps to reject or eliminate their ability to negatively impact the body and its equilibrium. In some cases, individuals who are sensitive and who have developed the power to focus their own energies to counteract the vibrations, can heal themselves and others. The healing powers of Jesus, for instance, represented such an energetic power. This power is not, however, unique, but something that healers, shaman, and doctors have cultivated world-wide. Many individuals turn to prayer, faith or reliance on their chosen deity or guru to call for aid in their adversity. In his Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda described an illness and recovery facilitated by faith in the Guru. The connection to the guru and the guru’s vibratory pattern was able to eliminate the vibrations caused by the disease condition.

An interesting report came from an individual who was suffering from extreme dysentery during a stay in India some years ago. He inquired about a doctor and was told to definitely visit a particular homeopathic doctor. That doctor asked all kinds of questions about whether he preferred hot or cold showers, and other seemingly irrelevant things. He then gave the individual some homeopathic pellets as a prescription with the statement, that the extreme motions of the bowels would cease within about 15 minutes! It would still take time to heal the body from the bleeding that had been caused, but the immediate cause of the physical harm to the body would be ended. Homeopathic medicine works on an energetic level, with no ‘measurable’ active ingredient the way Western medicine views things, so the only possible explanations were that the subtle vibrations of the homeopathic remedies actually supported the body, or else, the healing power exuded by the doctor was able to act on the patient, or the patient was simply convinced to heal, or some combination of the above factors. One way or the other, the disease condition was brought to an immediate halt as a result of that visit.

A disciple asks: “When Sri Aurobindo says that illness comes from outside, what exactly is it that comes?”

The Mother responds: “It is a kind of vibration made up of a mental suggestion, a vital force of disorder and certain physical elements which are the materialisation of the mental suggestion and the vital vibration. And these physical elements can be what we have agreed to call germs, microbes, this and that and many other things.”

“It may be accompanied by a sensation, may be accompanied by a taste, also by a smell, if one has very developed subtle senses. There are these formations of illness which give a special taste in the air, a special smell or a slight special sensation.”

“People have many senses which are asleep. They are terribly tamasic. If all the senses they possess were awake, there are many things they would perceive, which can just pass by without anyone suspecting anything.”

“For example, many people have a certain kind of influenza at the moment. It is very wide-spread. Well, when it comes close, it has a special taste, a special smell, and it brings you a certain contact (naturally not like a blow), something a little more subtle, a certain contact, exactly as when you pass your hand over something, backwards over some material… You have never done that? The material has a grain, you know; when you pass your hand in the right direction or when you pass it like this (gesture), well, it makes you… it is something that passes over your skin, like this, backwards. But naturally, I can tell you, it doesn’t come like a staggering blow. It is very subtle but very clear. So if you see that, you can very easily…”

“Besides, there is always a way of isolating oneself by an atmosphere of protection, if one knows how to have an extremely quiet vibration, so quiet that it makes almost a kind of wall around you. — But all the time, all the time one is vibrating in response to vibrations which come from outside. If you become aware of this, all the time there is something which does this (gesture), like this, like this, like this (gestures), which responds to all the vibrations coming from outside. You are never in an absolutely quiet atmosphere which emanates from you, that is, which comes from inside outward (not something which comes from outside within), something which is like an envelope around you, very quiet, like this — and you can go anywhere at all and these vibrations which come from outside do not begin to do this (gesture) around your atmosphere.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 3 Hidden Forces Around, pp. 75-77