Tag Archives: holy-books

On some customs and traditions of Hinduism

Posted on July 2, 2010 by

When Truths realized by enlightened sages and prophets are relayed down the ages without proper understanding, they tend to get petrified into customs observed by the masses out of habit or due to fear of God. Such archaic customs tend to accumulate until they are shattered by the next enlightened sage who appears on the scene. In this context, these are some striking observations of Mother Mirra Alfassa on some vestiges of Hinduism. Continue reading →

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Hermeneutics: how to read holy scriptures

Posted on June 10, 2010 by

When men come across a book of true knowledge, each finds himself there, and at every new reading he discovers things that he did not see in it at first; it opens to him each time a new field of knowledge that had till then escaped him in it. But that is because it reaches layers of knowledge that were waiting for expression in the subconscious in him; the expression has now been given by somebody else and much better than he could himself have done it. But, once expressed, he immediately recognises it and feels that it is the truth. The knowledge that seems to come to you from outside is only an occasion for bringing out the knowledge that is within you Continue reading →

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Difference between religion and spirituality

Posted on January 24, 2010 by

We live in times where spirituality is the new buzzword and religion is derided as outdated. Yet, it is not clear what the differences between the two are. The religious approach can be summed up as a combination of nostalgia for the past, desire for structure in life, respect for authority and an inability to entertain ambiguity. The spiritual path is propelled by the desire to rediscover the Truth for oneself by using some psychological and occult practices. The rest of this article delineates these differences in detail. Continue reading →

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States of self-realization defined in the Gita

Posted on November 18, 2009 by

This post is a collection of some interesting terms from the Bhagavad Gita that denote various states of self-realization, along with explanatory text from the works of Sri Aurobindo. The terms covered are Vyavasaya-yukta Buddhi, Atmarati, Brahmi-sthithi, Nimitta-Matra, Brahma-Nirvana, Samahita, Samyatendriyah, Samsiddhi, Samam Brahma, Udasinavat, Krsna-vit, Brahma-bhuya and Madbhava. Continue reading →

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Links between Vedas, Upanishads, Tantra and Puranas

Posted on September 26, 2009 by

Sri Aurobindo and his disciples uncovered connections between the Vedas and the later scriptures such as Upanishads, Puranas and the Tantra by tracing the evolution of concepts, use of common verses and the underlying symbolism between these scriptures. This is a synopsis of their discoveries collated from a variety of sources. Continue reading →

Posted in Upanishads, Vedas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Why read Sri Aurobindo’s books?

Posted on February 15, 2009 by

Enlightened Masters such as Sri Aurobindo who have reached a high level of consciousness are able to state Truths with great clarity by virtue of the illumination they have attained. Every statement becomes a revelation and every paragraph an epiphany. Those who aspire for spiritual progress have to desist from reading books which lower the consciousness precisely because words have power. This is a collection of passages by the Mother of the Aurobindo Ashram, Mirra Alfassa, on the effect of reading ordinary books versus reading Sri Aurobindo’s books. Continue reading →

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Guidance by random-book opening

Posted on February 15, 2009 by

In these passages, the Mother (Mirra Alfassa) explains how opening a holy book and reading it at random can provide spiritual guidance in times of crisis. Continue reading →

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How to read holy books

Posted on February 15, 2009 by

One of the greatest obstacles to the finding of Truth is the belief current among religious people that Truth is written down in some book or books which constitute the ’sacred scripture’ for them Continue reading →

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