THE CALL BEYOND

Volume 46 No. 8 15 August 2021

 Highlights
The Master of Mass Movements … … Page 6
Three Conditions for Divine Living … … Page 16
Reflections on Introspection … … Page 20

An Online Publication of
SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM - DELHI BRANCH
 Contents
celebrating 150 years
• Unprecedented and Unparalleled � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

editorial
• The Master of Mass Movements � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6

readers write
• We Love To Hear From You� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11

homage
• Tributes to Sri Aurobindo � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12
springboard
• Akanksha Fulfilled � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 13
words of the mother
• His Presence is Enough � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15
words of the master
• Three Conditions for Divine Living� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 16
twenty-five years ago
• From A Bhakta � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 17
kidzkorner
• Horse Sense Makes Sense � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 18
may i help you
• Reflections on Introspection � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 20
inspiration
• The Joy of Sharing � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 22
appreciation
• Feedback and Encouraging Words � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 23
notice board
• Contact us � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 24
 4 celebrating 150 years
Unprecedented and Unparalleled
Hard is the world-redeemer’s heavy task;
The world itself becomes his adversary,
Those he would save are his antagonists;
The world is in love with its own ignorance,
Its darkness turns away from the saviour light,
It gives the cross in payment for the crown.
Sri Aurobindo, ‘Savitri’, Book 6, Canto 2, lines 400-405

Saying that Sri Aurobindo was a spiritual master with a

difference would be a gross understatement. Left by his
father in England at the age of seven for ‘further studies’,
he stayed there for 14 years, surprising his professors at
Cambridge with his exemplary scholarship. Upon his return
to India, he spent another almost 14 years at Baroda (now
Vadodara), during which, apart from his official duties as a
teacher in Baroda College, he wrote fiery articles to arouse
the youth of the country against the British rule, and also
taught himself Sanskrit. He mastered Sanskrit so well that he
could read, understand and get into the spirit of the ancient
Indian scriptures in their original. The next phase in his life
was his brief but intense and pace-setting immersion in the
freedom struggle. In less than five years, he defined the goal
of the freedom movement: poorna swaraj (total self-rule), and
worked out the blue-print for attaining the goal. It took a
divine intervention to pull him out of the freedom struggle,
and to show him the true mission of his life, which was to
give the world that wisdom which only he could give and
the world badly needed. He fulfilled that mission too during
his 40-year stay in Pondicherry (now Puducherry) with the
same ardour and thoroughness with which he had worked
for the freedom of the country. A perfect synthesis of the East

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

 5 celebrating 150 years
and the West; the intellect of a genius; exceptional writing
skills used extensively as a journalist, poet and philosopher;
and the spiritual capacity of a maharshi (great seer) – it is a
combination totally unprecedented in history, and unlikely to
be repeated in the near future. On top of that, he was joined
by his spiritual collaborator, The Mother, who spent about
50 years giving a practical shape to his philosophy at Sri
Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. The perfect collaboration
of two spiritual masters more alike than Sri Aurobindo and
the Mother also has no parallel in history. Their vision was
a new world order based on love inspired by oneness, and
Their goal was a world free from misery and suffering. The
Call Beyond has the privilege of doing its wee bit towards the
realisation of this goal during the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri
Aurobindo and the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence
by highlighting for its readers a few drops from the ocean of
Sri Aurobindo’s teachings.

Logo designed by SACAR,

Pondicherry

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

 6 editorial
The Master of Mass Movements
Thus shall the earth open to divinity
And common natures feel the wide uplift,
Illumine common acts with the Spirit’s ray
And meet the deity in common things.
Sri Aurobindo (‘Savitri’, Book 11, lines 1424-1427)

Many have felt drawn to Sri Aurobindo because of the

reputation of his works, particularly Savitri and The Life Divine.
They pick up one of these books with great expectations.
When they start reading, they wonder whether what they are
reading is really English, because they can make nothing out
of it. If it is an intellectual feast or highway to heaven that
they were expecting, they either give up in frustration, or start
looking for someone who can ‘explain’ the books to them.
They may finally conclude that Sri Aurobindo’s teachings are
for only a select few. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
While the language in which Sri Aurobindo has written is
appreciated for its elegance and poetic quality by very few,
his teachings are for everybody. The core of his teachings is
to bring spirituality into daily life. He calls our life “a tranquil
pilgrimage” in which all our acts help us and all events
are signs that guide us towards “timeless peace” (‘Savitri’,
Book 6, Canto 1, lines 708-717). His succinct message for a
meaningful life is to acknowledge our oneness, which in turn
would inspire love: “to feel love and oneness is to live,” says
he in ‘Savitri’ (Book 12, line 320). These are teachings with a
mass appeal and are meant for mass consumption. Whether
as a freedom fighter, or as a spiritual master, Sri Aurobindo
was for the masses, and aimed at mass movements.
As a freedom fighter, he galvanized the youth of the country
through his pithy, witty and sometimes sarcastic writings.

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 7 editorial
He gave the youth a clear and concrete cause to work for
with passion, dedication and commitment. The result was
that Sri Aurobindo was already being seen as a leader of
the freedom movement before he jumped headlong into it
in 1905. During the brief period (1905-1910) that he was in
the thick of the freedom struggle, he set before the nation
the goal of total self-rule (poorna swaraj), and worked out a
detailed blueprint of action for the same.
He continued to inspire the youth years after he stepped
out of the movement for political freedom and went away
to Pondicherry in 1910 to work for spiritual freedom of the
human race. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose writes that after Sri
Aurobindo had gone away to Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo’s
“letters would pass rapidly from hand to hand, especially in
circles interested in spirituality-cum-politics. In our circle usually
somebody would read the letter aloud and the rest of us would
enthuse over it. In one such letter Arabindo wrote, ‘We must be
dynamos of the divine electricity so that when each of us stands up,
thousands around may be full of the light – full of bliss and Ananda.’
We felt convinced that spiritual enlightenment was necessary for
effective national service.”
The blueprint that Sri Aurobindo had drawn for achieving
the goal of poorna swaraj included passive resistance, which
consisted of boycott in five different spheres: economic,
educational, judicial, executive and social. The essence of
passive resistance was to attack the key areas which needed
the cooperation of the people to enable the British to rule them.
By refusing this cooperation, even without doing anything
illegal, it was possible to make it difficult and unprofitable for
the British to rule us. For example, economic boycott implied
rejection of goods manufactured abroad, and the conscious and
exclusive use of only what is made in India, or the Swadeshi

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 8 editorial
movement. The British used India as a reservoir of cheap raw
material and as a huge market for finished products made
in Britain. The swadeshi movement, if it was joined by the
masses, could deal a severe blow to the economic exploitation
of India. So effective was Sri Aurobindo’s participation in
the freedom struggle that the British rulers were shaken
up, considered him the most dangerous among the freedom
fighters, and used every opportunity to nab him. During
his year-long imprisonment from 1908-1909, the British
Government resorted to unprecedented repression. As a result,
when Sri Aurobindo was acquitted in 1909, he found that the
enthusiasm for freedom had been rudely but successfully
suppressed. Further, he had discovered during his stay in
prison that, noble though the freedom struggle was, the true
mission of his life was something much wider and deeper.
Therefore, he declared in ‘An Open Letter to My Countrymen’
on 31 July 1909 that “All great movements wait for their God-
sent leader…” and that the nation “must wait for the man who
is to come.” This was a prophetic statement. Sri Aurobindo had
ceased to look upon himself as the “God-sent leader” for the
freedom movement. About a decade later, Mahatma Gandhi
emerged as that “God-sent leader.” Making liberal use of the
blueprint prepared by Sri Aurobindo, Gandhiji turned the
struggle into a mass movement. As a follow-up of the divine
intervention that had shown Sri Aurobindo the mission of his
life during his imprisonment, now Sri Aurobindo received
another command from the Divine, in response to which he
went to Pondicherry in April 1910.
After 1910, Pondicherry became his ‘cave of tapasya’
(concentration). In 1914, Sri Aurobindo started sharing his
spiritual insights with the world through a monthly journal
the Arya. The Life Divine was one of his major works that
resulted from his writings in the Arya. His epic poem, Savitri,

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 9 editorial
which is more a scripture than literature, was developed
over a period of several decades and wrapped up only
shortly before he left his body in 1950. By the standards
that prevailed in English literature about a 100 years ago, Sri
Aurobindo wrote in a language that was both immaculate and
impeccable. Each word, and even comma, was chosen with
attention to precision and beauty. Even his prose reads like
poetry. But languages and literary styles change with time.
Further, the subjects on which Sri Aurobindo wrote are deep,
his vision was vast, and his consciousness was at a peak
that most of us cannot approach. Today it takes exceptional
mastery of the English language and a reasonably high level
of consciousness to get into the spirit of his works; and this
combination is rare. That is why his works are difficult to
understand, but reduced to their essentials, his teachings are
for everybody. Sri Aurobindo wanted the freedom of India
to be a mass movement; he also wanted spiritual progress
to be a mass movement. Unlike traditional spirituality that
has been guiding individuals towards their personal spiritual
salvation, Sri Aurobindo brought the entire human race within
the scope of his mission. His vision was that, individuals
living apparently ordinary lives could use everyday actions
and events as vehicles for spiritual progress. His spirituality
demanded not renunciation of ordinary life but living it in an
extraordinary manner. Further, he believed that the human
consciousness had reached a point in evolution from where
it could take off to a higher level. A rise in consciousness
leads to a change in behaviour, a change from an ego-
driven personality towards a love-driven personality. The
evolutionary pressure would make large numbers walk the
path that would take them from a separative consciousness
towards a consciousness of oneness. As these numbers
multiply, the average human consciousness would rise,

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 10 editorial
thereby leading to a perceptible shift in the typical human
nature. Sri Aurobindo’s mission was to inspire the masses to
contribute to this massive project, which may be termed the
‘project consciousness’. That would be the ultimate solution
to the misery and suffering that is taken as an inevitable part
of human life. Thus, Sri Aurobindo’s mission was nothing
short of transformation of human nature, thereby making
the world a much better place to live in. Sri Aurobindo was
a Master who always had the masses in mind. He worked
for all of us. He gave us a mission. He told us how we
could contribute to the mission. Now it is all up to us. With
Eternity at its disposal, the Divine is not in a hurry. The
work will in any case be done.
A few shall see what none yet understands;
God shall grow up while the wise men talk and sleep;
For man shall not know the coming till its hour
And belief shall be not till the work is done.
Sri Aurobindo (‘Savitri’, Book 1, Canto 4, lines 338-341)

August 15 is both Sri Aurobindo’s birthday and India’s Independence Day.

In 2022, August 15 will be Sri Aurobindo’s 150th Birth Anniversary and the
75th Anniversary of India’s Independence. Starting with this issue, till the
issue of 15 August 2023, ‘The Call Beyond’ would make a special effort to take
Sri Aurobindo to the people all over the world, for giving whom a better future,
Sri Aurobindo worked all his life.

A mutual debt binds man to the Supreme:

His nature we must put on as he put ours;
We are sons of God and must be even as he:
His human portion, we must grow divine.
Our life is a paradox with God for key.
Sri Aurobindo (‘Savitri’, SABCL Edition, p. 67)

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

11 readers write

We love To hear From you

Dear Sir,
It’s lovely to receive this magazine. I enjoy reading it. I would
like to continue receiving it.
Sandhya (Thadani)
(in an e-mail dated 17 July 2021)

Dear Ramesh ji
Happy to see The Call Beyond in its present format. It has
come out well. Of course, please feel free to use any of my
existing articles as you wish. I will send you some new ones
from time to time.
Loving regards
Alok (Pandey)
(in an e-mail dated 20 July 2021)

The Divine can lead, He does not drive. There is an internal

freedom permitted to every mental being called man to assent
or not to assent to the Divine leading.
Sri Aurobindo (Quoted by Dilip Kumar Roy in ‘Among the Great’, p. 200)

Thy servitudes on earth are greater, king,

Than all the glorious liberties of heaven.
Sri Aurobindo (‘Savitri’, SABCL Edition, p. 686)

Escape, however high, redeems not life.

Sri Aurobindo (‘Savitri’, SABCL Edition, p. 448)

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

 12 homage

Tributes to Sri aurobindo

No tribute paid to Sri Aurobindo can do justice to him, but here is a
small selection attempted by some eminent persons:
“… long after the controversy will be hushed in silence, long
after this turmoil, this agitation will have ceased, long after
he is dead and gone, he will be looked upon as the poet of
patriotism, as the prophet of nationalism and lover of humanity.
Long after he is dead and gone, his words will be echoed and
re-echoed, not only in India, but across distant seas and lands.”
Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das
“At the very first sight I could realize that he [Sri Aurobindo] ...
had accumulated within him a silent power of inspiration … I
said to him, ‘you have the Word and we are waiting to accept it
from you. India will speak through your voice, Hearken to me.”
Rabindranath Tagore
“In my undergraduate days Aurobindo Ghose was easily the
most popular leader of Bengal despite his voluntary exile and
absence since 1910. … When I came to Calcutta in 1913, Sri
Aurobindo was already a legendary figure. … [Aurobindo’s]
letters would pass rapidly from hand to hand, specially in
circles interested in spirituality-cum-politics. In our circle
usually somebody would read the letter aloud and the rest of
us would enthuse over it. … We felt convinced that spiritual
enlightenment was necessary for effective national service.”
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
“In all humility of devotion, I hail Sri Aurobindo as the sole
sufficing genius of the age. He is more than the hero of a nation.
He is amongst the Saviours of humanity, who belong to all ages
and all nations, the Sanatanas, who leaven our existence with
their eternal presence, whether we are aware of it or not.”
Sir C.R. Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, Andhra University
The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021
 13 springboard
Many a bud never bloom for want of care. The country is full of
budding young people handicapped by the environment in which they
grow up, which prevents them from realizing their full potential. Sri
Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch has had the privilege of nurturing
thousands of such boys and girls, and also the joy of seeing them
bloom. In this column, we shall bring you stories of the difference
that the Ashram made to their lives.

Akanksha Fulfilled
Akanksha (literally, ambition) came to the Ashram with many
dreams and aspirations in 2014. She has moved on enough in
just seven years to feel her ambitions fulfilled. Here is her story
in her own words:
My name is Akanksha Kala. I come
from village Kaindul Malla in the
Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.
I joined Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi
Branch in October 2014 as a vocational
trainee in the tailoring department.
After finishing my 6-month course,
seeing my interest and abilities in
sports, I was given opportunities
to develop in that area. After gaining some competence
in sports, I was sent to The Mother’s International School
to assist the Sports Teacher in teaching children from the
Nursery through the Fifth grade. Besides conducting classes
in fun games, ‘minor’ games, hula hoops, yoga, PT, aerobics
and building human pyramids, I also learnt the other hidden
aspects of teaching such as planning activities and events, and
tracking the progress of each child. I helped in the planning
and implementation of drama workshops and modules on
creative art and craft. I made several visits to the Ashram’s
Nainital centre, Van Niwas, where I got involved in activities
The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021
14 springboard
such as rock climbing, rappelling, trekking, river crossing and
adventure sports. I learnt, and conducted these events under
supervision for 13-23 year olds attending Youth Camps there.
The Ashram office also provided
me some opportunities to pick up
computer skills, and photocopying
and scanning of documents. I also
learnt making diyas and candles. I
could go on and on. The Ashram is
really a great place to become an all-
rounder, while maintaining a focus
Rappelling on what one really enjoys and is good
at. My focus continued to be on sports. And, at the right
time, I was fortunate to get the job of a Physical Education
teacher in the Primary Section of Heritage Experiential
Learning School, Gurugram.

At the Heritage Experiential Learning School

I am grateful to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch,
especially Tara Didi, Vijay Didi, Hira Bhaiya and Jayanto Sir
for teaching me so many things and always encouraging and
supporting me. It is only because of the support and guidance
that I got at the Ashram that I have been able to achieve so
much in seven short years.

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

 15 words of the mother

his Presence is enough*

IN the presence of those who are
integrally Thy servitors, those who
have attained the perfect consciousness
of Thy presence, I become aware that I
am still far, very far from what I yearn
to realise; and I know that the highest
I can conceive, the noblest and purest
is still dark and ignorant beside what
I should conceive. But this perception,
far from being depressing, stimulates
and strengthens the aspiration, the
energy, the will to triumph over all
obstacles so as to be at last identified
with Thy law and Thy work.
Gradually the horizon becomes distinct, the path grows clear,
and we move towards a greater and greater certitude.
It matters little that there are thousands of beings plunged in
the densest ignorance, He whom we saw yesterday is on earth;
his presence is enough to prove that a day will come when
darkness shall be transformed into light, and Thy reign shall
be indeed established upon earth.
O Lord, Divine Builder of this marvel, my heart overflows
with joy and gratitude when I think of it, and my hope has no
bounds.
My adoration is beyond all words, my reverence is silent.
The Mother (‘Prayers and Meditations’, prayer dated 30 March 1914)

For a 20-minute video, ‘The Mother on Sri Aurobindo’, please go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygbnsufwVgM
*Title given by the editor
The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021
 16 words of the master

Three Conditions for divine living*

It is then by a transformation of life in its very principle, not by
an external manipulation of its phenomena, that the integral
Yoga proposes to change it from a troubled and ignorant into
a luminous and harmonious movement of Nature. There are
three conditions which are indispensable for the achievement of
this central inner revolution and new formation; none of them
is altogether sufficient in itself, but by their united threefold
power the uplifting can be done, the conversion made and
completely made. For, first, life as it is is a movement of desire
and it has built in us as its centre a desire-soul which refers to
itself all the motions of life and puts in them its own troubled
hue and pain of an ignorant, half-lit, baffled endeavour: for
a divine living, desire must be abolished and replaced by a
purer and firmer motive-power, the tormented soul of desire
dissolved and in its stead there must emerge the calm, strength,
happiness of a true vital being now concealed within us. Next,
life as it is is driven or led partly by the impulse of the life-
force, partly by a mind which is mostly a servant and abettor
of the ignorant life-impulse, but in part also its uneasy and
not too luminous or competent guide and mentor; for a divine
life the mind and the life-impulse must cease to be anything
but instruments and the inmost psychic being must take their
place as the leader on the path and the indicator of a divine
guidance. Last, life as it is is turned towards the satisfaction
of the separative ego; ego must disappear and be replaced by
the true spiritual person, the central being, and life itself must
be turned towards the fulfilment of the Divine in terrestrial
existence; it must feel a Divine Force awaking within it and
become an obedient instrumentation of its purpose.
Sri Aurobindo (‘Synthesis of Yoga’, p. 166, SABCL edition)

*Title given by the editor

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

17 twenty-five years ago

From a Bhakta
(Written on Sri Aurobindo’s Birth Anniversary)

By Mary (Angel) Finn

Aurobindo, Aurobindo you are my Lord,

you are my life.
I offer up my daily work and offer up
my strife.

You have made me strong in many ways,

you’ve made me see my soul.
I have a lot of love to give while
following my goal.

In days to come I will try my best to

keep you in my mind.
The path is hard sometimes in life, but
on you are so kind.

So as I follow you my Lord in spirit

and in pride,
I will love you and I hope to be forever
at your side.
Reproduced from The Call Beyond, Vol. 21, No. 1, p. 34, 1996

Editor’s comment:
Mary (Angel) Finn is a devotee who lives in Boston, Massachusetts,
USA.

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

18 kidzkorner

horse Sense Makes Sense

Good is latent in every living thing and simply needs to be
called into active expression through the gracious application
of respect, sympathetic understanding, gentleness and love.
J. Allen Boone

Sweet Children of the Sweet Mother,

There was an American writer, J.
Allen Boone (1882-1965), who was
an animal lover. He discovered
that all animals are basically kind,
and if we treat them with love,
respect and understanding, these
feelings are perceived by the
animals, they reciprocate these
feelings, and it becomes possible to have communication
with them – using for the purpose a thought, physical touch
and words.
Once Allen Boone met the chief of a
nomadic Arab tribe, called Bedouins. This
Bedouin chief was known for raising world-
famous Arabian horses and camels. Boone
asked him the secret of his success with
these animals. The secret lay in the way he
thought about them. The Arab was sincere
in his love and respect for the animals, and
had a sense of fellowship with them. He
J. Allen Boone gave the animals “a mental and spiritual
(Source: Wikipedia)
rating equal with his own. He regarded
them as ‘celestial creatures’, and he never spoke of one of them
without in some way paying tribute to the divine qualities
within it.” It was remarkable how the Arab chief took care

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 19 kidzkorner
of pregnant animals. When a female horse was pregnant, he
spread his prayer rug near the four-legged mother, and spent
as much time as many times a day as possible on that rug. He
would read to the mare and her unborn colt, pray and meditate
with them. That explained “the exceptional looks, intelligence,
disposition, achievements and popularity of the chief’s horses
and camels.” Creating a sacred and soothing atmosphere
around a pregnant woman also has a very favourable effect
on the baby she would give birth to. But not many pregnant
women and their families take the type of pains that the Arab
took for his pregnant animals.
The Mother, while talking to the women of Japan, had said
around 1918, “True maternity begins with the conscious
creation of a being, with the willed shaping of a soul
coming to develop and utilize a new body. … To bear a
child and construct his body almost subconsciously is not
enough. The work really commences when, by the power of
thought and will, we conceive and create a character capable
of manifesting and ideal. And do not say that we have no
power for realising such a thing.”
We shall continue this dialogue month after month. In the
meantime, do two things. First, keep your ears open to the
whispers of the intelligence hidden in all the plants and animals
in your surroundings. Secondly, if you have any questions,
please send an e-mail to [email protected].
With love, CB
(Based on Whispers of Nature. Edited by Vijay. Pondicherry: Sri
Aurobindo Society, 1981, pp. 59-60.)
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Allen_Boone
The Mother: Words of Long Ago. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram,
Fourth edition, 1994, p. 115

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

 20 may i help you
In this column, we try to answer three types of questions: those related
to spiritual quest (‘aspiring high’); those related to psychological
issues (‘feeling low’); and those related to physical health (‘frailties of
the flesh’). It is needless to say that the identity of the person asking
the question is kept confidential if the question is about a sensitive
issue. The questions may be sent to [email protected].

Reflections on Introspection
R wants to know:
What is the difference between reflection and introspection?

answer:
Reflection is primarily an externally-stimulated mental
exercise; introspection is generally the sequel to a self-created
stimulus, and goes deeper and higher than the intellect.
Reflection is the response to a stimulus generated by the
environment, which means that the trigger for reflection
originates outside the individual. During the reflection, the
individual processes the input to analyse it, understand it,
extrapolate from it, and to learn from it. Reflection is fruitful
in itself, but also helps in deepening what has been learnt
from the experience. As a result of reflection, the lesson lasts
longer, and the person finds it easier to apply it in life at the
right moment quickly, without having to spend much time
on laborious and time-consuming analysis in terms of pros
and cons, profit and loss, risk and benefit.
For introspection, the starting material is generally self-
created. The person may examine his thoughts, feelings or
actions in light of standards that he has set for himself. As
a person evolves spiritually, the standards that he sets for
himself become more stringent. For example, at a certain level
of spiritual evolution, thinking of doing something wrong may
The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021
 21 may i help you
be acceptable but actually doing it unacceptable. At a level
higher than that, the thought itself becomes unacceptable.
At a certain level of spiritual evolution, lust for one’s wife
may be acceptable, but for any other woman unacceptable.
At a level higher than that, lust for one’s wife also becomes
unacceptable. At a certain level of spiritual evolution, only
taking an object that does not belong to us is theft. At a higher
level than that, even the desire to possess that object becomes
theft. At a still higher level, accepting something that has not
been given to us wholeheartedly is also theft. And, what we
take thus need not be money or an object. Asking someone for
his time, effort or love, and accepting it even if it is not given
willingly, also becomes a subtle form of theft. Introspection
essentially consists of the inner churning that goes on in a
person’s mind for evaluating his own actions or intentions in
terms of his current standards of right and wrong. The inner
turmoil has, or at least should have, the effect of raising the
person’s standards to a higher level; that is one of the ways a
person evolves spiritually.
Reflection is good preparation for developing the habit
of introspection. That is why, reflection is an important
component of good schooling. By encouraging the children
to reflect on events and actions in everyday life, in history
and in fiction, the teacher prepares the ground for honest
introspection by the children as they grow into adulthood.

There are four main lines which Nature has followed in her
attempt to open up the inner being, – religion, occultism,
spiritual thought and an inner spiritual realisation and
experience: the first three are approaches, the last is the decisive
avenue of entry.
Sri Aurobindo (‘The Life Divine’, SABCL Edition, p. 860)

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

 22 inspiration

The Joy of Sharing

Imperfect is the joy not shared by all.
Sri Aurobindo (‘Savitri’, Book 11, line 567)

The hug that the world hugged (Reuters photo)

On the ninth day of the Tokyo Olympics, the high jump final
made headlines, not for setting a new record, but for the way
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) and Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy)
ended up sharing the gold medal. Both Barshim, 30, and
Tamberi, 29, had cleared the 2.37 metres on 8 August 2021.
Instead of attempting a jump-off to decide the winner, Brashim
asked the official there whether they could share the gold
medal. When the official said yes, Brashim turned to Tamberi
and said, “History, brother,” and the two hugged each other.
Double joy for both: the joy of the gold medal, and the joy of
sharing.
One hug always equals two…
One for them and one for you.
-Aine Belton

(Based on a news item in the Indian Express, 3 August 2021. Source: https://
indianexpress.com/article/olympics/mens-high-jump-final-the-
ending-was-nothing-short-of-a-fairytale-7435293/)

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

 23 appreciation

Feedback and encouraging Words

Birthday Greetings
Delight is the word when you meet your guide and the one
person who is the epitome of social work. Our own Tara didi @
Sri Aurobindo Ashram- Delhi Branch. Vibrant and energetic at
85. Love her spirit and her dedication.
Sabita Bhatia
(in a FaceBook post on Tara Didi’s Birthday, 5 July 2021)

Feedback on an on-line discussion

Dear Dr. Bijlani,
I just wanted to write to thank you for meeting with me. I
thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and greatly appreciate
your willingness to reflect deeply on numerous disparate aspects
of Hinduism and Indian culture in response to my questions. I
now feel that I have a substantially better understanding of the
topic. We look forward to presenting to the rest of our class
next week. I can confidently say that our presentation would
not be the same without your significant contributions to what
we have learned.
Jason (White)
Student, Chapman University, California, USA
(in an email dated 19 July 2021)

In Praise of the Exhibition, ‘The Divine Signature’

It is a wonderful expression of creativity.
Dr. Rajan Welukar
Vice-Chancellor, Auro University, Surat
(comments in the Visitors’ Book, 21 July 2021)

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

24 notice board

Contact us
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also available on-line now, and may be viewed on our website
www.sriaurobindoashram.net.

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an e-mail to [email protected]

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send an e-mail to: [email protected]

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For information about Auro-Mira Service Society and the Kechla

project, please visit the website www.auromira.in

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The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021

25 notice board

note
In view of the Hundred and Fiftieth Birth Anniversary
of Sri Aurobindo on 15 August 2022, the Ashram is
expanding its mailing list to reach out to more and
more who may benefit from the teachings of the Master
and the Mother. To get included in the Mailing List,
please go to http://erp.saaonline.net.in/addcontacts.cfm to
fill in a form, which will take you only a few minutes.

Feedback
Please send your feedback to
[email protected]
The Call Beyond is a publication of
Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch
Sri Aurobindo Marg
New Delhi 110 016
[email protected]
91-11-2656-7863

The Call Beyond | 15 aUGUST 2021