‘…There are other great Personalities of the Divine Mother, but they were more difficult to bring down and have not stood out in front with so much prominence in the evolution of the earth-spirit. There are among them Presences indispensable for the supramental realization,โmost of all one who is her Personality of that mysterious and powerful ecstasy and Ananda which flows from a supreme divine Love, the Ananda that alone can heal the gulf between the highest heights of the supramental spirit and the lowest abysses of Matter, the Ananda that holds the key of a wonderful divines Life and even now supports from its secrecies the work of all the other Powers of the universe.’
-Sri Aurobindo, ‘The Mother’
I want to know whether Sri Aurobindo is talking about Radha or the Hladini Shakti here. If not, who is the Power of the Mother mentioned here?
[The Mother – VI: https://incarnateword.in/cwsa/32/the-mother-vi]
Fortunately, this question was asked to Sri Aurobindo, though in different words. We have a clear, concise and complete answer from him on this issue. The letter is as quoted below.
‘In the Chandi the names of the four Cosmic Powers of the MotherโMaheshwari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswatiโare mentioned along with others, but the name Radha is not mentioned. This is a clear proof of the fact that when the Chandi was composed the Radha-Power was not manifested to the vision of the saints and that the Chandi mentions only the Cosmic Powers of the Mother and not her supramental Powers. In the book, after describing the four Powers of the Mother, you have said: “There are other great Personalities of the Divine Mother, but they were more difficult to bring down and have not stood out in front with so much prominence in the evolution of the earth-spirit. There are among them Presences indispensable for the supramental realisation,โmost of all one who is her Personality of that mysterious and powerful ecstasy and Ananda which flows from a supreme divine Love, the Ananda that alone can heal the gulf between the highest heights of the supramental spirit and the lowest abysses of Matter, the Ananda that holds the key of a wonderful divinest Life and even now supports from its secrecies the work of all the other Powers of the universe.”
Is not the Personality referred to in this passage the Radha-Power, which is spoken of as Premamayi Radha, Mahaprana Shakti and Hladini Shakti?
Yesโbut the images of the Radha-Krishna lila are taken from the vital world and therefore it is only a minor manifestation of the Radha Shakti that is there depicted. That is why she is called Mahaprana Shakti and Hladini Shakti. What is referred to is not this minor form, but the full Power of Love and Ananda above.
7 February 1934
(Ref. https://incarnateword.in/cwsa/32/the-radha-power)
Affectionately,
Alok Da
