Normally, I just say honestly, “I cannot explain; leave it”, but if we want to explain briefly to someone, to introduce them to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, how to do that?
If the curiosity arises in a natural course and you feel it is genuine, you can do the following.
Tell them that Sri Aurobindo is a well-known revolutionary who was born in Calcutta and was a brilliant student in Cambridge, who later joined the then Maharaja of Baroda in administration as well as education after returning from England in 1893. Later, he laid the foundations of India’s Independence movement in 1902. His writings and speeches awakened the then-sleeping Indians to awaken and seek freedom from the British Raj. He spent an year in the Alipore Jail for initiating the freedom movement from 1907 to 1908
During this period of imprisonment, he had a series of profound spiritual experiences, especially of Nirvana and the vision of the Divine, Vasudeva Krishna everywhere. These experiences showed him not only the possibility of the human soul uniting with God but also the transformation of human nature into a divine supernature. Eventually, it will lead to the evolution of a divine superhumanity in the future, which will be the perfect solution to the present life of humanity. Hence, soon after the release of Sri Aurobindo from the Alipore Jail, Sri Aurobindo withdrew on an inner command to Pondicherry to fulfil this possibility.
He was joined there by the Mother who was born in Paris and was herself a Yogi and a spiritual Master with a similar goal. Since childhood She used to have visions of various evolved beings who guided her in her body’s sleep. One among them was the most intimate and constant, whom She used to call as Krishna, though she knew nothing about him at that time. The Mother came to Pondicherry in 1914 under interesting circumstances and met Sri Aurobindo. She instantly recognised in him the Krishna of her dreams.
After a short return to France and Japan due to the War, She returned permanently in 1920 and continued to live in Pondicherry near Sri Aurobindo.
Together they started a new divine project, the yoga of supramental transformation, leading eventually to the creation of a new divine species upon earth evolving out of the human.
If one is interested in more details, they can read Sri Aurobindo, his life unique by Rishabh Chand.
Keep a few books which they can browse through if they wish to. You can also refer them to Auromaa and AskAlokDa if they wish to know more, as well as direct them to the Centre in Ahmedabad and Vadodara if they wish to check out personally.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
