Work - an offering

Illusion

Perfection, not bulk or scope

The perfection of the work done is much more important than its bulk or the bigness of its scope.

The Mother

Doing perfectly what one does

When one works for the Divine, it is much better to do perfectly what one does than to aim at a very big work.

The Mother

Helping humanity

You may open millions of hospitals, that will not prevent people getting ill. On the contrary, they will have every facility and encouragement to fall ill. We are steeped in ideas of this kind. This puts your conscience at rest: "I have come to the world, I must help others." One tells oneself: "How disinterested I am! I am going to help humanity." All this is nothing but egoism.

The Mother

Subtle ego

The idea of helping others is a subtle form of the ego. It is only the Divine Force that can help. One can be its instrument, but you should first learn to be a fit and egoless instrument.

Sri Aurobindo

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A delusion

The idea of helping others is a delusion of the ego. It is only when the Mother commissions and gives her force that one can help and even then only within limits.

Sri Aurobindo

Disadvantage of helping others

Of course it is the disadvantage of helping others that one comes into contact with their consciousness and their difficulties and also gets more externalised.

Sri Aurobindo

Nobody can really help

Do not be caught by the desire to "help" others - do and speak yourself the right thing from the inner poise and leave the help to come to them from the Divine. Nobody can really help - only the Divine Grace.

Sri Aurobindo

The prison

Altruism, duty, family, country, humanity are the prisons of the soul when they are not its instruments.

Sri Aurobindo

Charity

Fling not thy alms abroad everywhere in an ostentation of charity; understand and love where thou helpest. Let thy soul grow within thee.

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Help the poor while the poor are with thee; but study also and strive that there may be no poor for thy assistance.

Sri Aurobindo

Liberty and licence

I would like someone to tell me what he understands by "be absolutely free", for it is a very important question. I shall tell you why.

    Most people confuse liberty with licence. For the ordinary mind, to be free is to have the chance of committing every stupidity that one likes, without anybody intervening. I say one must be "absolutely free", but it is a very dangerous advice unless one understands the meaning of the words. Free from what? - free from attachments, evidently.

The Mother

Propaganda

Mother does not set much value on propaganda, but still work of that kind can be her work. Only it has to come from her impulsion, be done with quietude, with measure, in the way she wants it to be done. It is from the inner being that it should be done in union with the Mother's will, not from the Vital mind's eager impulse. To concentrate most on one's own spiritual growth and experience is the first necessity of the Sadhak - to be eager to help others draws away from the inner work. To grow in the spirit is the greatest help one can give to others, for then something flows out naturally to those around that helps them.

Sri Aurobindo

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