Page 24 - All India Magazine Mar-2025

Sri Aurobindo's Guidance to
Maharani of Baroda

(A reply to her enquiry)

It is true that I have by the practice of Yoga attained to the high-
er spiritual consciousness which comes by Yoga, and this carries
with it a certain power. Especially there is the power to commu-
nicate to those who are ready or to help them towards that spiri-
tual state which, in its perfection is a condition of unalterable in-
ner calm, strength and felicity. But this spiritual peace and joy is
something quite different from mental peace and happiness. And
it cannot be reached without a spiritual discipline.

I do not know whether this has been rightly explained to Your
Highness. I may say briefly that there are two states of conscious-
ness in either of which one can live. One is a higher consciousness
which stands above the play of life and governs it; this is variously
called the Self, the Spirit or the Divine. The other is the normal
consciousness in which men live; it is something quite superficial,
an instrument of the Spirit for the play of life. Those who live and
act in the normal consciousness are governed entirely by the com-
mon movements of the mind and are naturally subject to grief and
joy and anxiety and desire or to everything else that makes up the
ordinary stuff of life. Mental quiet and happiness they can get, but
it can never be permanent or secure. But the spiritual conscious-
ness is all light, peace, power and bliss. If one can live entirely in it,
there is no question; these things become naturally and securely
his. But even if he can live partly in it or keep himself constantly
open to it, he receives enough of this spiritual light and peace
and strength and happiness to carry him securely through all the
shocks of life. What one gains by opening to this spiritual con-

24 All India Magazine, March 2025