Sri Aurobindo's diary of his yogic practice between 1909 and 1927.
Sri Aurobindo's diary of his yogic practice between 1909 and 1927. This two-volume record of sadhana contains fairly regular entries between 1912 and 1920 and a few entries in 1909, 1911 and 1927. It also contains related materials Sri Aurobindo wrote about his practice of yoga during this period, including descriptions of the seven 'chatusthayas' (groups of four elements), which are the basis of the yoga of the 'Record'.
The ideality is advancing in the same steps. Thought is perfectly fixed in the gnosis and rises to the hermetic logistic and the seer logistic ideality. T² is being transformed by the logistic drashta,—not the seer logistis, but with a touch of the hermeneusis. The old mentalities recur in the idealised incertitudes, but only to be interpreted by the light of gnosis. There is no relapse to mentality, but only some lapse to this admissibility of idealised mental suggestions; they come from outside and the system is still capable of a subordinate mechanical response to them. The range of T² is as yet small, restricted to the habitual field of action,—except sometimes when a higher action develops its first luminous suggestions. This higher T² is commonest in the lipi.
Samadhi is as yet making no masterful progress. It is kept back by the siege of nidra supported by a strong tendency to physical and mental laxity which has reigned for the last two or three days. Rupa and drishya and vishaya have for the time being suspended their advance and are in a state of comparative suspension.
The physical siddhi is advancing in the K.A, but under the difficulty of the laxity and distraction. The other physical siddhis are in a state of suspension.
Kamananda is working upon the laxity in order to enforce its perfect continuity. The main movement is an attempt to fix the Ananda (madirâmaya) in the head, but that still tends to bring a
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temporary lessening in the lower body. Ananda in the upper body is subject to the dominance of discontinuity; in the lower body the normal tendency is to continuity. At times there comes the perfect siddhi of continuity against which no absorption, even of writing, can prevail. It is this and the pervasion which have to be fixed in an absolute finality.
Ananda Purusha darshana and prema are again insisting on their intensity and universality. They are combated by the remnants of the old ahaituka indifferent universality. This is now likely to be overcome with some rapidity.
T² is now increasingly correct within the logistic limits. But there is the old defect of descending, now not into the mind, but to the lower border intensities open to mental suggestions, for the transformation. All work of progress should be done from the highest attained siddhi, the high lifting up the low, not the low working towards the higher siddhi. This has indeed begun and is even established in the subjectivity but not with a pure and perfect action
Hermetic logistic ideality took preliminary possession of the T². This action at once brought to bear effective gnostic tapas on the body. But the lower action still insists, has yet to undergo transformation. The survival of the tamoguna in the body is the chief obstacle; it brings not the absolute, but a relative aprakasha, apravritti, pramada, moha.
The day was taken up with the development of this action which marks a decisive turning-point in the gnosis. From the afternoon came, as often before in such crises, a lapse (for adjustment) into idealised mentality, no longer tinged with any dark tamas, but rather a vivid haze of light, a confusion of luminous incertitude. So long as this conversion of the gnosis is not provided with its full base, the other siddhis attend their moment for renewed progression.
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Continuation of the lapse of adjustment. In the evening 17ṭḥ1 a recovery of the higher action and a renewal of the physical Ananda. Daivi prakriti with powerful and complete matribhava is constantly increasing, as also the anandamaya samata and strong hasya. Aishwarya bodha of the Ishwari in the Prakriti subject to the growing aishwarya of the Ishwara in the Ananda acting through the vijnana and limited by the continued imperfection of this instrumental nature.
Full force of the seer ideality in the logistis. Thought-perception has now the same freedom and almost the same assured power as the speech. Thought of T² is assuming the same freedom and potency; but, especially in the objective subjectivity it is limited by the large element of persistent telepathic incertitude. Nevertheless the certitudes are constantly progressing up the plane of increase.
K.A in sleep in the morning almost succeeded in overcoming the depth of nidra, but stopped short on the verge of possession. The Ananda is now increasing again to lay its hold on the system and overcome the distraction. It is attempting to penetrate more and take hold of the fibres of the physical body.
Tapas in T² is visibly increasing in mass and swiftness of efficacy, but it still acts in a large atmosphere of the surrounding and limiting incertitude.
Samadhi is recovering its progressive force. Long narrative reading, at first with skippings of large tracts, afterwards more continuous, but not quite ideal; dream reading. This was nidra in course of idealisation. Shabda has grown strong in samadhi; rupa, converse etc are increasing their strength and continuity.
Seer logistical ideality is taking up firmly the whole T² and rejecting and transforming all the lesser movements. Only detailed circumstance is still rebellious to this treatment and insists on
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inspirational telepathic trikaldrishti. The difficulty is still the adjustment of actualistic and dynamic logistis.
K.A has altered its base of continuity to the more physical Ananda, but as a consequence there is a decrease in the force of continuity which had depended on the ananda of the sukshma body affecting the sthula sharira. The main insistence is now on the increase of the physical occupation and not on the final removal of distraction which is to depend on the intense continuity of Ananda on this new base.
In Samadhi in the afternoon a considerable extension of the dream siddhi, but at night a lapse to incoherent and fantastic continuity.
Tapas is filling the physical mentality.
Ideality of the seer gnosis in the logistis is now successfully occupying the whole range of the T² siddhi; the element of recurrent lower ideality or idealised mentality is approaching the minimum.
The extension of Tapas in the physical being proceeds with the working of getting rid of the apravritti of mere prakashamaya ҫamas; the acquiescence in asiddhi mechanically recurs, but is no longer accepted by the Shakti
Strong united spontaneity and stability is finally taking possession of the physical manifestation of the lipi, in which these two siddhis had still great difficulty in effecting a perfect coalescence.
The action of the superior gnosis has again taken possession of the logistis. The base is a seer action modified to suit the lower key of the logistis, the force is a hermetic action informing the logistis with its higher luminosity and no longer dependent upon the actuality. This greater force is supreme in thought speech and thought-perception, even though still besieged there by a certain limitation of the surrounding mentality. In T² it has begun to act and to evolve a true trikaldrishti acting upon the telepathic seeing and impose on it a certain kind of absolute certitude, as absolute as can be admitted in the logistis. The telepathic action itself is assuming the force of the seer logistis, though not yet perfect in
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this evolution. Tapas in its separate initiative (not preceded by or involved in knowledge) has risen in its major action to 65° and is even rising beyond it to 75° and 80°. This movement is proceeding towards its completion
Samadhi has developed in all but the nidramaya depths to the heights of the seer logistis. Where there is nidra, it is assuming the character of the lower intensities of the logistis informed with revelatory gnosis, but the dream caprice often touches and spoils by its intervention. There are instances of a very perfect and sustained dream reading, also brief perfect converse.
K.A has suddenly developed the highest seer logistic character in the mental body and when it so acts forms a sea of ananda around the body, but when the body itself is penetrated by the ananda this tends to cease. The Shakti is working to combine the Anandas of the mental and physical bodies. Ananda recurred with spontaneity in the Samadhi, but could not endure against the nidramaya absorption.
At night in samadhi at first rational, then fantastic dream coherency.
Highest logistis in spite of general laxity firm in thought-perception, active amid some telepathic confusion in T².
Vishaya Ananda changed into seer logistic quality through a conversion to K.A. This was done with phenomenal rapidity; intuitive vishaya at first adhered to first contact, but was almost immediately converted in this last refuge. The siddhi first in sparsha, then extended to the other vishayas, even to action and happening. What now takes place is vishaya-kama, ideal sense of vishaya acting in the dominant Kama Ananda.
Rupa has for some time been working against temporary suppression, yesterday succeeded in turning it to strong obstruction, today it has recovered its force. Crude rupa is now for the most part possessed of the third stability; the others are still in the first in duration, but the rupas here too have the nature and consistency of the third, but are caught away by the old obstructive power in the akasha.
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Vishaya again active. Gandha has almost conquered the obstruction in inhalation, but spontaneous gandha though increased in force of recurrence is still subject to its power. Rasa is trying to occupy the organs of taste more fully. Sparsha is still obstructed, but occasionally active in response to tapas. Sravana is rare and has not gone beyond the typical shabdas now commenced in the jagrat bahirdarshi, and no longer confined to antardarshi or dependent on the closing of the ear to sthula sounds. Drishya is depressed in its evolution.
Samadhi in the afternoon developed farther in the same direction. At night there was throughout in sleep the rationalised dream coherence—also some samadhi—the fantastic element even was reduced to the terms of rational coherence. The only exception was a brief, but for a time persistently repeated irrational feardream from the subconscient infant mentality associated with past sanskaras. The intrusion of personality and present life associations are now the only undispelled defects of this nidramaya swapna siddhi. The element of ideality in the coherence is rising, but not effective, because the purusha is only a passive witness and seer and not as in the samadhi proper a gnostic observer and judge of the things seen or experienced. Nidra must be dispelled to bring about this perfection.
On one side a strong development of hermetised logistis which is taking up the T²; on the other a laxity of the system, a lapse towards something like the old mentality brought about by an invasion of the besieging external mentality and some return of the mental principle of advance through struggle which seemed for a time to have given way finally to the ideal principle of advance through adjustment; even for brief moments in the end (24ᵗʰ) strong touches of external asamata. The higher gnosis works from above on this mass and frequently occupies it, but the physical system and mind are relaxed to the old half idealised mentality.
T² has advanced so far that all telepathy is taking on the form of the seer logistis,—the hostile suggestions from outside excepted, and these too are now being attacked when they enter and either
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rejected or compelled to undergo transformation. Decisive seer trikaldrishti and tapas are rare, but the dynamic in that type is now common and is being better harmonised with the actualistic ideality raised to the same form. This seer logistis is of the higher form full of a varying measure of hermesis and even some reflection of a superior drishti.
Vishaya is again obstructed and occasional; rupa is trying to advance under difficulty. K.A has been much oppressed but is now reviving though not yet in full occupation. On the other hand the new dynamic seer tapas aided by a lower logistic tapas is working strongly for the arogya especially in the two central rogas with some initial effectuality. It is trying also to take hold of the other two members of the physical siddhi, but with no tangible result in the corporeality.
Samadhi is half advancing, half stopping under the same difficulty. Once there was the old vision of long continuous connected scene, but not this time in a rapid panorama, but steady as in actual life and changing only by the slow and regular movement of the witness through its environment. Towards the end, however, it was invaded by present suggestions and suffered from some fantastic incoherence and mutability, but more in the event and occupying figures than in the scenes. Last night there was a fall back to strong fantasia of present suggestion, though the physical circumstances and happenings were perfectly coherent and rational in their ensemble, connection and changes. In the afternoon for two days there was a difficult gnosis limited to thought and lipi and today a strong overmastering by disputed nidra, after some success of restoration. Occasionally in all these imperfect siddhis there are suggestions not immediately followed up of new development and progress. The obstacle interferes and drives back towards asiddhi.
A movement in the lipi towards the universalising of a rapid stable legibility in all the forms, chhaya, tejas, jyoti, varna, of the lipi. All but the chhaya are more facile and stable at night than in the daytime
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The tapas is becoming constantly stronger in the physical field; the ideal tapas produces results which were impossible to the mental or intuitive power. But there is an obstinate retarding resistance.
Lipi 13 3 6 These are the siddhis which have to be brought forward and on which, in addition to the gnosis of jnana and T² the Shakti is most tending to concentrate. There is an attempt also to redevelop or rather to remanifest and reestablish the once manifested stable basis of the K. Ananda.
K.A is reestablished, but not with a full force or continuity.
In the Samadhi there is some revival of the full force of dream coherence; also occurrence of an absolute firmness of dream vision
T² is developing settled seer telepathy and seer telepathic trikaldrishti in spite of the confusion of the invading mentality. Tapas is dominating, but much besieged by the obstruction of the invading ashakti.
T² continues to develop the seer certainties and right perception of telepathy, but the besieging confusion and physical tamas continues to limit its action. There is an increasing revival of the force of K.A. The two first chatusthayas depressed by tamas and laxity are recovering their completeness of the siddhi. This time the relapse tendency in the subjectivity has lasted seven days; the ordinary minimum formerly was a fortnight.
T² has emerged from the confusion and is now exiling all inferior suggestions. The telepathy of the seer logistis is still subject to a survival of mental incertitude and stress prematurely trying to set right the incertitude, but the tendency to automatic justness of appreciation is gaining ground in spite of lapses.
Samadhi has recovered full force of logistic ideality in the seer logistis. For the last day or two there has been a movement towards abundance and coherence of other experience than the dream vision. Abundance and continuity were secured initially in monologue, converse, scene-narrative with speech, lipi in the lighter samadhi; there was also light and stable scene and continuity in happening; but the mass lipi in deeper samadhi was
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subject to great incoherence and though there was an immense abundance of experience in the logistic samadhi, most of it was of a fragmentary character. At night there was some relapse to present suggestion.
K.A increases in the seer logistic ananda, but was discontinued late at night. The obstruction is yielding with much resistance and retardation. The two first siddhis are well reestablished in Devihasya.
T² in spite of laxity is proceeding with accuracy of telepathic incidence. The Surya direction of the Ishwara is prominent and moving towards direct logistic control and guidance.
A great increase of physical stability in sadhara, niradhara and chitra lipi, but especially in the niradhara. Also now in sthapatya lipi.
In Samadhi in the afternoon at first an oppression of nidra, but strongly resisted by the Shakti which established in spite of it a free flow of the lipi, mostly of the lower logistic character. Subsequently, when the nidra tendency was conquered, there was established a free coherent movement of the seer logistic thought-speech, natural, normal, not as formerly maintained by tapas against obstruction,—though a slight negligible obstruction is still present, a similar freedom, normality and coherent continuity of the seer logistic thought perception, then of the seer logistic lipi, with a beginning even in the profounder depths of samadhi (sushupta swapna), and a combination of these three powers, more obstructed, but still sufficient in action and normality. Other features of samadhic experience occurred in briefer snatches, but always significant and sufficient by the aid of the gnostic thought to yield their context and significance. The distinguishing character of the whole movement was the action of the observing thought actualising and understanding each experience and distinguishing in the scenes presented between the worlds and spheres of which they were a part. The mental worlds especially manifested in the more physical and [vital]2 rungs of their
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ascending order. Samadhi in the afternoon may now be considered to have well founded its stable basis
There is a beginning of the full stability in the abundance of the lipi, as well as in isolated lipis. There is a variation between the three degrees, but each tends to its full duration. The perfect duration exists dissolved, but still present in the three degrees.
At night the lipi niradhara and sadhara fixed itself in the third degree of stability; it is also developing positive trikaldrishti of sadhana in the highest seer logistis.
Gnosis is leaning more upon the hermetic element in the highest seer logistis and seeking to make this the whole thought instrumentation, but the laxity still leans to a lesser force of seer logistis burdened with the siege of the old idealised uncertain mentality. The descents to lesser forms are decreasing in frequency and incidence.
At night laxity and the lower form of dream; but in the morning some force of increasing lipi in the depths of samadhi.
T² has now taken possession of the telepathy and is interpreting all the former movements in an increasing mass of logistic experience. There is an increase of the precise appreciation of tendency, including thought tendency and impulse tendency, in the effective force of dynamic seeing Tapas and in the relative or dominant telepathic certitude,—the certitude resulting from selective idea force in the tendencies and circumstances subject to potential reversal by some greater force. All this is in an intermediate seer logistis containing the hermeneutic element, but not filled and possessed by it. The quite positive trikaldrishti in the seer logistis is quiescent awaiting the hermesis. The trikaldrishtic commenting and interpreting thought speech is now combined with the perception..
Full third degree stability in all kinds of lipi subject to a certain initial uncertainty and some impediment in the immediate rapid legibility
In Samadhi an obstructed but still developing movement. The features not yet perfectly free presented themselves with more force of coherent continuity, but not in any abundance. Lipi in the depths was more coherent, but with effort and not in a free normality. Full
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freedom has been gained only for the thought, thought-speech and lighter lipi.
There was some attempt of the vishaya to break down the obstruction that again prevents its more frequent recurrence and progress, but success was small. Rasa is most apt to come in abundance, but not with perfection. Gandha is perfect, but comes with only an occasional spontaneity, otherwise it is obstructed. Both come daily, and are therefore established, but not yet frequently and freely. However by today's effort the tendency in rasa to recur has been greatly strengthened, as well as its mass; gandha in inhalation comes more easily; both have profited by the tapas. Sparsha increased in incidence, but was soon stopped by obstruction. Speech shabda came once only with no sequel. Drishya progress is obstructed.
Effort to develop higher trikaldrishti, not yet come to fruition. Telepathy is becoming more concrete and intimate, sanjna added to prajnana and embridged vyapti,—perception in being to perception in idea.
Relapse is now chiefly powerful in the physical siddhi. There is a revived sensitiveness to cold and an attempt to restore its results in roga. The tapas however is powerful enough to prevent any strong materialisation. In the central rogas there is a relapse, in one due to persistent overstrain on the centre, in the other a mechanical repetition of recrudescence.
T² this morning has made a large stride forward. A full free and normal thought or jnana of tapas and trikaldrishti has now associated itself with the actual perceptions (vyapti prakamya) and this has enormously increased the rapidity of progress which is now returning to what used to be called the enthusiastic (ie the luminous or fiery or both) and anandamaya rapidity in lipi, jnana and T², while it is partly active in samadhi. The Shakti has first converted into the seer logistis the constantly recurring remnants of the old actualistic telepathies of the intuitive mind, intuition, inspiration and inferior (semi-intellectual) revelation; then the dynamic telepathies and tapas thought on the basis of accurate possibility,
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sometimes but not always full and complete in its vision—it is when some possibilities are ignored that error of stress becomes most tempting and facile; finally it is bringing out the telepathic decisions and relating them to and converting them into the nontelepathic or pure trikaldristic certitudes. The two first movements are now finally founded and the old errors can only recur by mechanical force of habit without any other justification, since there is no void of knowledge to justify their blinder seeking. The third is only just being founded with the final firmness, but the foundation is not yet complete.
No Samadhi in the afternoon. The other members of the siddhi are held back by the obstruction; but in antardarshi the force of lipi stability is increasing.
T² attained to a certain final basic action of certitude. The rest of the siddhi made no ascertainable progress.
The obstruction is now without being removed rendered null for the ideality. Lipi in the jagrat is moving forward, increasing the normality of the third degree of stability and its force of duration, bringing the rapid legibility in the stability and rejecting all unstable lipi. The ideal thought is enforcing its free, normal, pervading action and bringing it to the level of the thought speech in this normality and freedom. Trikaldrishtic thought shares in this new perfection. T² is increasing with a remarkable rapidity in frequency of logistic certitude. The normal character is now that of the logistic seer ideality either with a strong dynamic and hermetic force, successful tapas enforced by jnana, or of the same thing, but with full logistic revelation. The old inferior or middle seer logistis which was a correct adjustment of possibilities is giving way to this form—it recurs but without sanction for endurance—in which possibilities and certitudes are combined, but with the latter in domination. Tapas without knowledge is now being rejected and condemned to exclusion. The still existent defect arises chiefly from imperfection of vision of time, place and a certain and indisputable order and
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fullness of circumstance. These things can only be initially established in the seer logistis, since their sure fullness begins in the hermetic ideality.
Darshana which fluctuates between Ananda and mentality, is now increasing its insistence on the force of the vijnanamaya darshana, as only by fixity in the gnostic seeing can it get rid of the lapse to the defects of Ananda.
Samadhi is in a state of lapse; today in the afternoon after a day of interruption and one of unsuccess, it is trying to recover, but nidra has taken hold and prevents the freedom. At night incoherent or fanciful dream occupies the sleep. The other siddhis are preparing to recover, but cannot yet put aside the obstruction.
Absolute finality is not yet gained in the first chatusthaya, for the fragments of external touches of asamata are able to touch the physical parts of the physical mentality, nor in the second for the Devi Bhava is pushed down to the old mental form and that survives in the sense of the body even when the rest is in the ideal Devibhava. The ideality is founded in the highest seer ideality though the lower forms still recur mainly in T², because that is still imperfect in circumstance; but the vijnana is constantly increasing. Its action is still capable of suspension during the later part of the day owing to laxity. The ideal traigunya siddhi is increasing, physical tamas giving more and more place to ҫamas, but the entire union of the three gunas is not absolute, because the physical mentality is still not wholly changed into the gnosis. These asiddhis are yet becoming more and more interruptions rather than permanent deficiencies. Samadhi has founded itself, but is free only in thought and lipi, and is capable of lapse. Rupa and vishaya are obstructed in their progress. The physical siddhi is in a state of relapse, though certain beginnings are established with some finality.
T² has to be made entirely valid in circumstance and a first movement is being made towards this development, but it is at
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once assailed by the old causes of incertitude and wrong placement. These act more easily when there has to be a multiple and rapid seeing than when there can as in simple cases with few details and slower movements be a deliberate exercise of the vijnana Shakti. There there is not only an increasing correctness of gnostic appreciation or judgment in the direct seeing, but an extension of it to more remote eventuality.
Gandha in inhalation has developed perception of neutral odours and with this new basis there is a great increase of frequency of positive gandhas. The spontaneous gandha is now rather more frequent. But the obstruction is still resisting eviction and retarding progress. Rasa is more active, but has not yet gained a firm basis.
Rupa is once again active; it is striving for stability as the basis for its perfection. K.A active, but not in settled continuity.
T² today is again troubled by the external invasion; it is evidently preparing for a fresh extension, but this as usual has brought about a trouble of resistance and irruption. Drishya once again active; a few forms of greater stability in ghana rupa; tejomaya rupa in scenes etc of the first stability and continuity, but mere drishti, the thought in the drashta inhibited by nidra; in the early morning some mass of coherent reading.
This has been a period corresponding to the old long relapses, when as there was no continuous progress, nothing could be written. But the relapse has only been a fact in the physical siddhi, which has been entirely suspended, except for occasional movements soon falling off into inactivity. There has been even some relapse of positive roga; the fragmentary (catarrhic) rogas have tried to lay their hold persistently, but are always manageable by the tapas; the two central have prevailed without being severely aggravated. On the other hand Samata is constantly making itself more firm in the Ananda, more massive and imperturbable. It is not yet free from occasional pressure of the exterior physical pressure,
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but this is becoming rare and very vague. Shakti has also been fixing itself more and more, but varies from the vijnana ghanata to the physical-mental laxity; the first tends more and more to predominate. Vijnana has lapsed only for adjustment. All is intuitive mentality even in error, and all has been steadily transforming to the seer ideality. The defect is still in T² which draws down the others, but normally thought is of the seer ideality, and always when there is not the physical relaxation. T² has been increasing in the seer ideality and mere intuivity is being progressively eliminated. The extension is general, but not yet quite fixed in the higher ideal jyoti. Time place circumstance are the great difficulty. Tapas is increasing in force and applying initially to the immediately surrounding life-action, but against great opposition.
Lipi for the first time has risen from the seer ideality of the logistis, to the hermetic vijnana. It is now the full logistis in the hermesis; beyond is the middle hermesis and beyond that the seer hermesis. Thought is rising into the fullness and pervasion of the complete seer logistis, all logistic levels are there, but all full of the seer logistis.
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