Page 28 - All India Magazine Nov-2024

are trying to break the resolution or putting it to the test (for they
claim the right to do it) or whether it is, let us say, the gods who
are doing it so as to press and hasten the progress or insisting on
the reality and thoroughness of the change aspired after. Perhaps
it helps most when one can take it from the latter standpoint.
CWSA 31: 653 Sri Aurobindo

Those who are worried, grieved or discouraged
The first verse gives some very wise advice: the war elephant
who has been well trained does not start running away as soon
as he receives an arrow. He continues to advance and bears the
pain, with no change in his attitude of heroic resistance. Those
who wish to follow the true path will naturally be exposed to the
attacks of all forms of bad will, which not only do not understand,
but generally hate what they do not understand.
If you are worried, grieved or even discouraged by the mali-
cious stupidities that men say about you, you will not advance far
on the way. And such things come to you, not because you are
unlucky or because your lot is not a happy one, but because, on
the contrary, the divine Consciousness and the divine Grace take
your resolution seriously and allow the circumstances to become
a touchstone on your way, to see whether your resolution is sin-
cere and whether you are strong enough to face the difficulties.
Therefore, if anyone sneers at you or says something that is not
very charitable, the first thing you should do is to look within
yourself for whatever weakness or imperfection has allowed such
a thing to happen and not to be disconsolate, indignant or ag-
grieved, because people do not appreciate you at what you think
to be your true value; on the contrary, you must be thankful to the
divine Grace for having pointed out to you the weakness or imper-
fection or deformation that you must correct. Therefore, instead
of being unhappy, you can be fully satisfied and derive advantage,
a great advantage from the harm that was intended against you.

28 All India Magazine, November 2024