Along with Sri Rama, all His Bhakthas’ devotion and dedications to Sri Rama fill our hearts with Bhakthi Rasa. Our Divine Mother Sita’s Karuna, Patience, Sacrifice, Ramabhakthi are decorations to Her physical Beauty and make us feel proud to be Her children, Sita – the Bhoomi Devi.
Like Sri Hanuman, we too love to be struck with Sri Rama, continuously listening and meditating on Rama. Super conscious Yoga is now not necessary. When Rama Katha is here, now with us. Let us enjoy to the brim of our neck, and like an ant in sugar syrup, we can fully merge in Rama Rasa. Note – These are only my feelings, though I used the word “we”…
As far as personal feelings go, it is perfectly fine because in Sanatana Dharma, each person has the full right to move along their path, which is in accordance with their soul’s need and stage of evolution.
But it cannot be generalized otherwise; we run the risk of doing what the Islamists do, that is, remaining stuck with the past. But the strength and beauty of Sanatan Dharma is that it believes in continuity. It does not see Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Sri Aurobindo as opposed to each other, but each either anticipating the other yet to come or taking up and fulfilling what already was. Since you specifically mentioned bhakti, Sri Krishna takes up bhakti to another level through Radha and Sri Aurobindo, yet a step further through The Mother and her gospel of complete self-giving. Or if one uses the yogic experiences, then we can say that Ramayana opens the doors to profound psychic experiences, Sri Krishna to the spiritual, whereas Sri Aurobindo to the Supramental. There is no antagonism between these but a harmonious continuity. It is simply a blind resistance in humanity, too preoccupied with its own personal good, moksha, or whatever else, that refuses to see its own greater good, worse still, in many, even without reading Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Again, I am not meaning you, but humanity in general, but then that is the fate of all Avatars during their lifetime, since each one of them is too much into the future.
But yes, not all are ready for the highest, for the future. Always in any Age of mankind, including Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, the humanity at that moment did not understand them and did not want to change the past ways. The same applies now with Sri Aurobindo. That in itself does not matter if it was only about an individual finding joy in God in whatever way, through whatever means and name and form. But it is here that the word “we” creates a difficulty. Since Sri Aurobindo’s (and even Sri Krishna’s) Yoga is not meant only for an individual’s spiritual evolution, but for the earth. Individually, one is always free to follow any path or even no path. But the question is about the earth’s future, about humanity in general. It has tried the past and stands where it does. We know very well where humanity in general stands today. So if one is concerned about the earth and mankind’s future, then one has to see if there is a completer way.
Here are extracts from two letters of Sri Aurobindo that reveal the nature of his yoga and the depth of compassion in his heart towards us, this blind erring race of mankind.
‘It is true that I want the supramental not for myself but for the earth and souls born on the earth, and certainly therefore I cannot object if anybody wants the supramental. But there are the conditions. He must want the Divine Will first and the soul’s surrender and the spiritual realisation (through works, bhakti, knowledge, self-perfection) on the way. So there everybody is right…..
If it is reasonable for those who follow other gurus to expect divine realisation—that is, union with the spiritual consciousness—is it not reasonable for us here to expect something beyond that—assuming you intend to give it and we truly follow your lead? The answer to this depends, I believe, on whether it is your intention to give the supramental for others after achieving it yourself.
I have no intention of achieving the supramental for myself only—I am not doing anything for myself, as I have no personal need of anything, neither of salvation (Moksha) nor supramentalisation. If I am seeking after supramentalisation, it is because it is a thing that has to be done for the earth consciousness…..’
(Ref. https://incarnateword.in/cwsa/35/sadhana-for-the-earth-consciousness#p35)
Affectionately,
Alok Da
