The Mahatmas

A poem by Sri Aurobindo


The Mahatmas

Kuthumi

The seven mountains and the seven seas
Surround me. Over me the eightfold sun
Blazing with various colours—green and blue,
Scarlet and rose, violet and gold and white,
And the dark disk that rides in the mortal cave—
Looks down on me in flame. Below spread wide
The worlds of the immortals, tier on tier,
Like a great mountain climbing to the skies,
And on their summit Shiva dwells. Of old
My goings were familiar with the earth,
The mortals over whom I hold control


Were then my fellows. But I followed not
The usual path, the common thoughts of men.
A thirst of knowledge and a sense of power,
A passion of divine beneficence
Pursued me through a hundred lives. I rose
From birth to birth, until I reached the peak
Of human knowledge. Then in Bharat born
I, Kuthumi, the Kshatriya, the adept,
The mighty Yogin of Dwaipayan's school,
To Vyása came, the great original sage.
He looked upon me with the eye that sees
And smiled, august and awful. "Kuthumi,"
He cried, "now gather back what thou hast learned
In many lives, remember all thy past,
Cease from thy round of human births, resume
The eightfold power that makes a man as God,
Then come again and learn thy grandiose work,
For thou art of the souls to death denied."
I went into the mountains by the sea
That thunders pitilessly from night to morn,
And sung to by that rude relentless sound,
Amid the cries of beasts, the howl of winds,
Surrounded by the gnashing demon hordes,
I did the Hathayoga in three days,
Which men with anguish through ten lives effect,—
Not that now practised by earth's feebler race,
But that which Rávan knew in Lunca, Dhruv
Fulfilled, Hiranyakashipu performed,
The Yoga of the old Lemurian Kings.
I felt the strength of Titans in my veins,
The joy of gods, the pride of Siddhas. Tall
And mighty like a striding God I came
To Vyása; but he shook his dense piled locks,
Denying me. "Thou art not pure," he cried.
I went in anger to Himâloy 's peaks,
And on the highest in the breathless snows
Sat dumb for many years. Then knowledge came


Streaming upon me and the hills around
Shook with the feet of the descending power.
I did the Rájayoga in three days,
Which men with care and accuracy minute
Ceaselessly follow for an age in vain—
Not Kali's Rájayoga, but the means
Of perfect knowledge, purity and force
Bali the Titan learned and gave to men,
The Yoga of the old Atlantic Kings.
I came to Vyása, shining like a sun.
He smiled and said, "Now seek the world's great Lord,
Sri Krishna, where he lives on earth concealed;
Give up to him all that thou knowst and art.
For thou art he, elect from mortal men
To guard the Knowledge,—yet an easy task
While the third Age preserves man's godlike force,—
But when thou seest the iron Kali come,
And he from Dwarca leaves the earth, know then
The time of trial, help endangered Man,
Preserve the knowledge that preserves the world,
Until Sri Krishna utterly returns.
Then art thou from thy mighty work released
Into the worlds of bliss for endless years
To rest, until another aeon comes,
When of the seven Rishis thou art one."
I sent my knowledge forth across the land;
It found him not in Bharat's princely halls,
In quiet asrams, nor in temples pure,
Nor where the wealthy traffickers resort;
Brahmin nor Kshatriya body housed the Lord,
Vaishya nor Sudra nor outcaste. At length
To a bare hut on a wild mountain's verge
Led by the star I came. A hermit mad
Of the wild Abhirs, who sat dumb or laughed,
And ran and leaped and danced upon the hills,
But told the reason of his joy to none,—
In him I saw the Lord, behind that mask


Perceived the Spirit that contains the worlds.
I fell before him, but he leaped and ran
And smote me with his foot, and out of me
All knowledge, all desire, all strength was gone
Into its Source. I sat, an infant child.
He laughed aloud and said, "Take back thy gifts,
O beggar!" and went leaping down the slope.
Then full of light and strength and bliss I soared
Beyond the spheres, above the mighty gods,
And left my human body on the snows;
And others gathered to me, more or less
In puissance, to assist, but mine the charge
By Vishnu given. I gather knowledge here,
Then to my human frame awhile descend
And walk mid men, choosing my instruments,
Testing, rejecting and confirming souls,
Vessels of the Spirit; for the golden age
In Kali comes, the iron lined with gold.
The Yoga shall be given back to men,
The sects shall cease, the grim debates die out,
And Atheism perish from the earth
Blasted with knowledge, love and brotherhood
And wisdom repossess Sri Krishna's world.



Part IV : Calcutta and Chandernagore (1907-1910) > Poems Written in 1910 and Published in 1920-1921   




How to read the color-coded changes below? 1. SABCL version : lines with any changes & specific changes 2. CWSA version : lines with any changes & specific changes

Sri-Aurobindo/books/collected-poems/the-mahatmas.txt CHANGED
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
1
1
  The Mahatmas
2
2
  Kuthumi
3
3
  The seven mountains and the seven seas
4
- Surround me. Over me the eightfold Sun
4
+ Surround me. Over me the eightfold sun
5
5
  Blazing with various colours—green and blue,
6
6
  Scarlet and rose, violet and gold and white,
7
7
  And the dark disk that rides in the mortal cave—
8
8
  Looks down on me in flame. Below spread wide
9
- The worlds of the immortals, tier on tier
9
+ The worlds of the immortals, tier on tier,
10
10
  Like a great mountain climbing to the skies,
11
11
  And on their summit Shiva dwells. Of old
12
- My doings were familiar with the earth,
12
+ My goings were familiar with the earth,
13
13
  The mortals over whom I hold control
14
14
  Were then my fellows. But I followed not
15
15
  The usual path, the common thoughts of men.
@@ -17,94 +17,94 @@ A thirst of knowledge and a sense of power,
17
17
  A passion of divine beneficence
18
18
  Pursued me through a hundred lives. I rose
19
19
  From birth to birth, until I reached the peak
20
- Of human knowledge, then in Bharat born,
20
+ Of human knowledge. Then in Bharat born
21
21
  I, Kuthumi, the Kshatriya, the adept,
22
22
  The mighty Yogin of Dwaipayan's school,
23
- To Vyasa came, our great original sage.
24
- He looked upon me with the eyes that see
25
- And smiled august and awful. "Kuthumi,"
26
- He cried, "now gather back what thou hast earned
23
+ To Vyása came, the great original sage.
24
+ He looked upon me with the eye that sees
25
+ And smiled, august and awful. "Kuthumi,"
26
+ He cried, "now gather back what thou hast learned
27
27
  In many lives, remember all thy past,
28
28
  Cease from thy round of human births, resume
29
- The eightfold powers that make a man as God.
29
+ The eightfold power that makes a man as God,
30
30
  Then come again and learn thy grandiose work,
31
31
  For thou art of the souls to death denied."
32
32
  I went into the mountains by the sea
33
33
  That thunders pitilessly from night to morn,
34
- And sung to by that rude relentless sound
35
- Amidst the cries of beasts, the howl of winds,
34
+ And sung to by that rude relentless sound,
35
+ Amid the cries of beasts, the howl of winds,
36
36
  Surrounded by the gnashing demon hordes,
37
37
  I did the Hathayoga in three days,
38
- Which men with anguish through ten lives effect,
39
- Not that now practised by earth's feeble race,
40
- But that which Ravan knew in Lanka, Dhruv
38
+ Which men with anguish through ten lives effect,—
39
+ Not that now practised by earth's feebler race,
40
+ But that which Rávan knew in Lunca, Dhruv
41
41
  Fulfilled, Hiranyakashipu performed,
42
42
  The Yoga of the old Lemurian Kings.
43
43
  I felt the strength of Titans in my veins,
44
- The joy of Gods, the pride of Siddhas. Tall
44
+ The joy of gods, the pride of Siddhas. Tall
45
45
  And mighty like a striding God I came
46
- To Vyasa; but he shook his dense piled locks,
47
- Denying me; "Thou art not pure," he cried.
48
- I went in anger to Himaloy's peaks
49
- And on the highest in the breathless snow
46
+ To Vyása; but he shook his dense piled locks,
47
+ Denying me. "Thou art not pure," he cried.
48
+ I went in anger to Himâloy 's peaks,
49
+ And on the highest in the breathless snows
50
50
  Sat dumb for many years. Then knowledge came
51
51
  Streaming upon me and the hills around
52
52
  Shook with the feet of the descending power.
53
- I did the Rajayoga in three days,
53
+ I did the Rájayoga in three days,
54
54
  Which men with care and accuracy minute
55
55
  Ceaselessly follow for an age in vain—
56
- Not Kali's Rajayoga, but the means
56
+ Not Kali's Rájayoga, but the means
57
57
  Of perfect knowledge, purity and force
58
58
  Bali the Titan learned and gave to men,
59
59
  The Yoga of the old Atlantic Kings.
60
- I came to Vyasa, shining like a sun.
61
- He smiled and said, "Now seek the world's Great Soul,
62
- Sri Krishna, where he lives on earth concealed,
63
- Give up to him all that thou know'st and hast;
60
+ I came to Vyása, shining like a sun.
61
+ He smiled and said, "Now seek the world's great Lord,
62
+ Sri Krishna, where he lives on earth concealed;
63
+ Give up to him all that thou knowst and art.
64
64
  For thou art he, elect from mortal men
65
- To guard the knowledge, yet an easy task
66
- While the third age preserves man's godlike form.
67
- But when thou seest the iron Kali come
68
- And he from Dwarca leaves the Earth, know then
69
- The time of trial, help endangered men,
65
+ To guard the Knowledge,—yet an easy task
66
+ While the third Age preserves man's godlike force,—
67
+ But when thou seest the iron Kali come,
68
+ And he from Dwarca leaves the earth, know then
69
+ The time of trial, help endangered Man,
70
70
  Preserve the knowledge that preserves the world,
71
71
  Until Sri Krishna utterly returns.
72
72
  Then art thou from thy mighty work released
73
73
  Into the worlds of bliss for endless years
74
74
  To rest, until another aeon comes,
75
75
  When of the seven Rishis thou art one."
76
- I sent my knowledge forth across the land.
76
+ I sent my knowledge forth across the land;
77
77
  It found him not in Bharat's princely halls,
78
78
  In quiet asrams, nor in temples pure,
79
- Nor where the wealthy traffickers resort
79
+ Nor where the wealthy traffickers resort;
80
80
  Brahmin nor Kshatriya body housed the Lord,
81
- Vaisya nor Sudra nor outcaste. At length
81
+ Vaishya nor Sudra nor outcaste. At length
82
82
  To a bare hut on a wild mountain's verge
83
83
  Led by the star I came. A hermit mad
84
- Of the wild Abhirs, who sat dumbed or laughed
85
- And ran and leaped and danced upon the hills
86
- But told the reason of his joy to none,
87
- In him I saw the Lord, behind the man
88
- Perceived the spirit that contains the world.
89
- I fell before him, but he leapt and ran
90
- And smote me with his foot and out of me
84
+ Of the wild Abhirs, who sat dumb or laughed,
85
+ And ran and leaped and danced upon the hills,
86
+ But told the reason of his joy to none,—
87
+ In him I saw the Lord, behind that mask
88
+ Perceived the Spirit that contains the worlds.
89
+ I fell before him, but he leaped and ran
90
+ And smote me with his foot, and out of me
91
91
  All knowledge, all desire, all strength was gone
92
- Into its source. I sat an infant child.
92
+ Into its Source. I sat, an infant child.
93
93
  He laughed aloud and said, "Take back thy gifts,
94
94
  O beggar!" and went leaping down the slope.
95
95
  Then full of light and strength and bliss I soared
96
- Beyond the spheres, above the mighty Gods
97
- And left my human body on the snows.
96
+ Beyond the spheres, above the mighty gods,
97
+ And left my human body on the snows;
98
98
  And others gathered to me, more or less
99
- In puissance to assist, but mine the charge
99
+ In puissance, to assist, but mine the charge
100
100
  By Vishnu given. I gather knowledge here,
101
101
  Then to my human frame awhile descend
102
102
  And walk mid men, choosing my instruments,
103
- Testing, rejecting and confirming souls
103
+ Testing, rejecting and confirming souls,
104
104
  Vessels of the Spirit; for the golden age
105
- In Kali comes, the iron lined with gold,
105
+ In Kali comes, the iron lined with gold.
106
106
  The Yoga shall be given back to men,
107
- The sects shall cease, the grim debates die out
108
- And atheism perish from the Earth,
109
- Blasted with knowledge; love and brotherhood
107
+ The sects shall cease, the grim debates die out,
108
+ And Atheism perish from the earth
109
+ Blasted with knowledge, love and brotherhood
110
110
  And wisdom repossess Sri Krishna's world.

NOTES FROM EDITOR

  1. This poem was intended for the third issue of the Karmayogin to be printed from the manuscript described in the above note. In the manuscript, the poem is entitled “The Mahatmas: Kutthumi”. A corrupt version was printed under the title “The Mahatma Kuthumi” in the Standard Bearer on 12 and 26 December 1920.This version was revised by Sri Aurobindo for inclusion in Collected Poems and Plays in 1942. The present version is based on the original manuscript.