It has made me curious to know how a barbarian or the asuric force behind Aurangzeb got qualified to be at the Right place (Ashram) at the Right time (Before 1950). Is it something to do with hostile forces manifesting around the Ashram to spoil Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga?
I can understand the resonance of Darrah with Sri Aurobindo and his Yoga, but to imagine a butcher alongside the Divine is something too hard to reconcile.
There are three possible reasons for a man like Aurangzeb to find his way to the Ashram. But before that, I must admit that this information is based on Batti da’s book ‘Among the not so great’, unlike Dara, whose previous life has been authenticated by Sri Aurobindo himself. That apart, it raises questions also about the fate of such Titanic creatures who indulged in cruelty during a lifetime.
Well, such radical conversions are quite well known and acknowledged by spiritual Masters. Some well-known instances are of Jagai and Madhai, Ratnakar, Angulimal, Augustine, and others. The soul is always on its upward trail, and unexpected leaps can be explained partly as exhaustion of evil tendencies in one life, followed by the opening of the doors of progress along quite different lines.
Another factor that the outer eye misses is the inner happenings. From whatever accounts are available, the last days of the last Mughal emperor were quite distressing. Who knows if some inner change was taking place? Besides, unlike other cruel rulers like Genghis Khan and Khilji, Aurangzeb’s cruel acts stemmed from his ignorant faith; however dark and blind it was, he had a zealot for his “god”, something that we need to learn from the Mohammadan. These things count for whatever their worth may be.
Most importantly, however, one of Sri Aurobindo’s important works was to convert the Asura, the fallen beings, poorvadevaha. Aurangzeb seemed to belong to that category; there were quite a few others.
However, it seems that he ended up turning his back upon the Grace as he left the Ashram in a disoriented state and spent his last two years in outer poverty and misery.
Hope this helps to understand with the context and the total picture.
Affectionately
Alok da
