‘The anniversary of my return to Pondicherry, which was the tangible sign of the sure Victory over the adverse forces.’
This is the significance that the Mother gave to her final return to Pondicherry, to be with Sri Aurobindo and, to develop the Integral Yoga with its far reaching goal of manifesting a New Creation, the Divine Life upon earth. On the 15th August 1972, the centenary of Sri Aurobindo’s birth, She boldly declared.
‘Man is the creation of yesterday.
Sri Aurobindo came to announce the creation of tomorrow: the coming of the supramental being.’
It was as if the seal of finality was being put on a statement She had issued soon after the Supramental Manifestation of the 29th February 1956. On 24th April 1956, She had publicly announced for the first time.
‘The manifestation of the Supramental upon earth is no more a promise but a living fact, a reality.
It is at work here, and one day will come when the most blind, the most unconscious, even the most unwilling shall be obliged to recognise it.’
She clarified the message further.
‘I am speaking of a supramental manifestation evident to all, even the most ignorant—as the human manifestation was evident to all when it happened.
To all those who aspire
Open yourself to the new Force. Let it do in you its work of Transformation.’
She gave us the key to participating in this new evolutionary adventure, the adventure that takes us through the roads of transformation from the human to the new suprahuman species. It means that just as the animal world underwent a progressive transformation through the agency of the Ape into the human species, so too, now a similar process has begun which will lead to the progressive transformation of humanity into a new supramental race, a race of divine beings upon earth which will be the final fruition of the labour of earthly life, a radical departure from its present life riddled with ignorance, suffering and evil to a life of peace, harmony, unity, truth, light and joy.
Unlike the previous transitions this was to be with the conscious collaboration of man. Man must want it, he must aspire for it, seek a new possibility, not only in thought but in life and action.
None of these transitions is an easy walk, free of hurdles and struggles. But this one is going to be even more so. On one side, mankind, being more conscious than the animal can certainly hasten the evolutionary transition through willed processes termed in general as Yoga, more specifically in this context, the Integral Yoga. But equally mankind’s past, especially the strong stamp of animality on his body and brain tie him down to smallness, hold him back to the apron strings of ignorance preventing his advance towards the new possibility, filling his mind with doubts, clouding his consciousness again and again with the smoke of ignorance.
This in itself would not matter if this resistance of the past, this blind inertia holding him back was not used by the adverse forces that zealously guard their empire and want the reign of Night to continue. Men become their easy instruments and with his help these adverse forces plunge the civilisation again and again into the darkness from which it emerges. Of course not all is lost, all is never lost and civilisations that resurface take a leap as the memory of past progress is preserved in the collective psyche of the race. But so is the memory of the downward plunge that keeps filling the mind with the thoughts of doomsday.
It is here that the assurances of the Mother assume a capital significance. She has assured us that this is the final battle between the forces of upward ascension, the divine forces of Light and Beauty and Harmony and Truth as against the forces of downward gravitation, the forces of evil and darkness and disorder and falsehood and death. The decisive Victory is certain but what is not certain is the time it will take for the complete regin of Truth and Light and Love upon earth. Perhaps the time is also known in the supreme consciousness of the Divine but hidden from man, lest he simply sits down on the way and his part in the play goes missing. It is always good to know that we have each our role to play, however small, in this great transition from the animal humanity of today to the divine superhumanity of tomorrow. Perhaps it is enough if we say “Yes” with all our being or simply take a leap of faith.
May the Divine Victory be fulfilled in all and the tangible grow near and the sign become clear and real.
Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa
