Sriaurobindoashram.

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(byNolinida.) One of its legs she Swan does not lift. as it soars upward out of the waters; if perchance it lifted that also, there would then neither today nor tomorrow, nor would there be day nor night nor would there be dawning any more. Atharvaveda, 11.4.21 THUS the vedic Rishi.

Even sowhen Mother withdrew physically form this earth we presumed that she didsowithonefootonly,theotherfootsheleftplantedherebelowforustoworship. Well,wasthatonlyapresumptionorthingshavechangedsince? Hereonthisearth,weknow,abattlewasragingisstillragingbetweentheGods andAsuras:menaretheiragentsandinstruments.Thebattleistodecidethedestinyof earth humanity. Mother was the leader of the divine army here. Now human beings are a very uncertain quantity. They themselves do not know on which side they are ranging.Someperhapsmayknowtoextentbutthatdoesnotseemtocountmuchin theactualreckoningofthings. Yes, the pity is that man does not know and yet so much, if not the whole thing, dependsonhim.Formanasheisnowissofarremovedfromgodlinessandsocloseto Asuras that the battle upon earth between Gods and Asuras seems to be an unequal game. Man by actual nature is asuric: it is through aspiration that he is trying to be godlybutitseemsheisnowoutofbreathwithhisaspirationandhasfallenbackon hisnormalnatureoftheAsura1. ManenshrinesinhimtheindividualisedGodhead,thepersonalDivine:
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SriAurobindoinoneofhisprivatenotesdisclosesthatmostofhisdiscipleswereAsuras,thebiggerthe

disciple the greater the Asura. Perhaps they, impelled by a higher Call, came of themselves in order to surrender and be converted to the new life. It may be that that urge wore off in the end and had to be postponedforitsfulfilment.ItissignificantwhatSriAurobindosaysinhisHymntoDurga: 0Mother,givetoourlifeandmindtheAsurasstrength,theAsurasenergyandtoourheartand intelligenceaGodscharacterandaGodsknowledge.

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ThepossibilityoftheincarnationoftheDivineliesinhimalone.Hencethestruggle betweenGodsandAsurasforthepossessionofthehumanvessel. It was the intention of the Mother to implant the Divine upon the turbid soil of normalhumanitypurifyingitofitsdrossandsuffusingitwiththeheavenlybreath.If thatisnotdone,thenshewillhavenootherchoicebuttoleavethefieldaltogetherto theAsuras,inwhatevercamporformtheyare,tofightitoutamongthemselvesand finally destroy themselves in the act even like the Yadavas of old after Krishnas retirement. Some Asuras may like to pretend to be divine precisely to catch the votingstrength,sotosay,ofthehumanbeingwhomaystillseemtohaveaprejudice or predilection for divine things; but the truth will be out and the pretenders will be compelledtodisclosethemselvesexactlyastheyare. Then only, consequent on the selfannihilation of theAsuras, can this earth be free andopenfortheincomingofthenewraceofbeingsborndivine,notmade.Whether any remnants of the human race will be left and in what condition, if any part of it could be incorporated or integrated into the new dispensation, is a mystery that will remainsotilltheactualityrevealsit. ButImustnotleaveitatthatforthereisalwayshopeandcheer,vistasofescape;the tunnelendsatlastandattheendthereisalwaysthelight.TheLordsaysindeed:Iam Time, the Destroyer of the worlds kiilo'smi lokaksayakrt but he also declares in no uncertaintermshisvoiceofassurance,theresoundingbuglecallofhispanchajanyathe DivineConch: anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhajasva mam. ...mamekam saranam vraja aham tva sarvapapebhyo moksayiviimi mil suca Agodisasingleundividedbeing,evenasanAsuraisasingleundividedbeing.But manisadivideddualbeing;ononesideheisasoul,ontheotherheispredominantly a body complex. By his soul he is akin to the gods, by his external being he is neighbourlytotheAsuras. HeisthusthelinkbetweenHeavenandEarth.Heisthetwiceborn,dvija:heis planted in the mud of earth he has the proverbial feet of clay and his head soars high,bathesinthesunslight.Heisanemergenceoutofearth,abeingofevolution; heisalsoanimmergence,adescentintoearthfromheaven:onepartinhimisgodly, theotherasuric.AsthedivineheisBrahman,astheAsura,Aham. So man occupies a central place in the scheme of the universe. Above him are stationedthegods,theregionofthehighermindandtheheart,belowhimuponthe earthruletheAsuras,thepowersofthelowermindandthevital.Inbetweenisman,

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theintermediarybeing. The gods and the Asuras are in eternal struggle for the mastery of the three worldsanditiscurioustonotethattheybothseekthehelpandaidofman.Weknow of legends in which human beings, kings and warriors, are invited by gods to come over to their side in the struggle. We have heard of the Raghus whose warchariots drove right up to the heaven from the earth to come to the help of the gods anakam ratham vartmanm (Kalidasa). Asuras however have a greater sway over man in a natural manner, because of mans earthly constitution. For the natural man is moved andcontrolledmostlybyhisexternalmindandvital;overhimtheearthsgravitation pullholdsalmostcompletesway.Theworldandmenintheirexternallifeandaction arethefiefanddomainoftheAsura.Theyhavetobereclaimedandremoulded.The possibility lies in the fact that along with the forces of gravitation there are forces of regenerationandelevation;onlytheyseemtobeslowintheiractionandnotefficient enoughunderthepresentcircumstances. Butmansdestinyisnottobeconfinedtothissphereofthetripleworld.Hehasa higher destiny transcending these lower worlds and that is being worked out elsewheredeepwithinhim.Hehasadestinywhicheventhegodsenvy;for he has theDivinesownhomeinhim.ItisGodhimselfwhoisimplantedinhim,inthecavern ofhissoulitishissoul. Imayleaveyouhere.Wehavecometothedoorofthemysteryofmysteries:thereis the cavern where the great Being is installed guhahitam gahvarestham the supreme keytothesolutionandresolutionofallproblems,theattainmentofdivineperfection. Itisforyoutoenterandfindforyourselfthefinalconsolation.EvensoIamreminded of the great poet and seer Dante who was led by Virgil to the formidable door on whichwasinscribedinflamingletterstheterribleheartrendingline: Giveupallhope,youwhoenterhere. Itisthedoortoeternalhell. ButIbringyoutotheluminousdooronwhichisinscribedin.goldenandgleaming letterstheblissfulline: Keepupallhope,youwhoenterhere. There are two realms the physical realm of action and the subtle realm of feeling (bhava).Itisnotthatthephysicalistheonlyrealrealmandthesubtleisunrealorless real;thesubtlemaybeequallyreal,evenmorerealandconcrete,evenmorephysical, as it were. A physical blow is painful, but King Lear went mad because of a subtle blow, the blow of ingratitude which hit him more than the slashes of howling wild winds.Onemayforgetthejoyofphysicalembracebutthereisadelightofsheerlove, pure unshared love, an exquisite experience that remains indelibly puissant in the memory. The love of Dante for Beatrice is made of pure concentrated consciousness, has nothing physical in it, but it carried Dante in his peregrinations through all the

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worlds even to the very presence of God in heaven, to the presenceof his divinised Beloved(inandwithhisveryphysicalbody,itissaid). You have to create the subtle world of feeling: it may be dwelling within you or enclosing you, surrounding you, it may be immanentand circumambient both are thesameinthatsphereofexistenceorconsciousness.Theouterworldismoreorless independentofyou,youhavenotmuchcontroloveritbutthesubtlergroundismore pliant and plastic and obedient to your will and purpose. In the midst of all trouble andtribulation,eventhegreatestmisery,thisotherrealmyoucanbuilduptoagreat extentafteryourheartandmakeitthesourceofyourlifeanddelight.Thatcanbeyour homeofhappinessandyourcelestialrefuge.Thisrealmwillhaveasitsbasislovefor theMother,andatitsapex,aspirationforherconsciousness,andwillbefrombaseto apexentirelycomposedoftheMotherspeaceandquiet. You can do it yourself, the capacity has been given to you for the capacity is nothingelsebuttheMothersPresence.