Record of Yoga

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Sri Aurobindo

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 Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo (CWSA) Record of Yoga Vols. 10,11 1515 pages 2001 Edition
English
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3 - 27 March 1918

March 1918

The month of February has been the month of the founding of the vijnana in the type; the month of March is marked out for its confirmation and primary completion in all parts of the third chatusthaya. April for the farther confirmation and a greater completeness.

3 March 1918

After two days of oppression by the environing Intelligence, the ideality is again busy defining its form in the lipi, ideative thought and vangmaya. First, there has been in the thought, including telepathic thought of trikaldrishti, the entire revelatory intuitional ideality in the bed of the intuitive mentality. It is now seeking to get rid of the intuitive mental response and become pure revelatory inspirational ideation, the highest point reached on Feb. 28 in type. The surrounding Intelligence tries still to preserve its habit of response; this is still the chief stumbling-block.

Lipi more easily confirms itself in the revelatory inspirational vijnana; the lower forms occur, but are there easily discouraged.

4 March 1918

The decisive trikaldrishti has at last fixed itself in the revelatory intuitional type.

Perfect lipi, sudden, spontaneous, vividly legible, completely stable of a high revelatory inspirational ideality is now beginning to make itself entirely normal.

Letter in the samadhi perfect in form except for want of vivid distinctness, not stable enough to be slowly deciphered, but recurrent in variation

Premananda is becoming normal in the sarvadarshana.

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5 March 1918

Telepathies of thoughts, intentions, impulses, tendencies which do not fulfil themselves are to be known and are now to be addressed to the idealised heart consciousness,—it is not yet idealised,—all positive fact of trikaldrishti is to be known by the vijnana buddhi

7 March 1918

The lipi now fixed in the inspirational or middle ideality is being firmly founded in the eight qualities, spontaneity, legibility, stability, rapidity, fluidity, completeness, light, justice. The lipi kaushalya is being finally developed and all forms occur with some initial frequency of recurrence except the pure varna. Jyotir is commonest, tejas and agni occasional; prakasha seems to have been abandoned.

Both forms of thought have replaced, when the ideality is active, the inferior by the middle or inspirational vijnana, which holds in itself revelation and has taken up intuition and viveka. Trikaldrishti is in course of transformation. The middle ideality has a surer certainty and lends itself less to the relapses of the intuitive intelligence.

Prema kamananda in the darshana have firmly combined with the shuddha. The full ananda only fails when the sarvasaundarya darshana is deficient or withheld.

Vishaya and rupa are again obstructed.

Certain and decisive trikaldrishti is enlarging itself rapidly; tapas-siddhi is coalescing with the ideal knowledge and pure tele-pathic tapas is being rapidly abandoned. It is in fact no longer admitted. T³ has received its dismissal. It only continues to exist in chaotic fragments in the external suggestions which are no longer accepted. This is with regard to the buddhi,—but in the sense-mind intuitively intelligential telepathy still exists.


There are trikaldrishtic indications that March will be a month of the extension of the physical Ananda and that secure continuity in the Kamananda will be rapidly established. The movement has already begun.

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Sudden intensification, with prolonged recurrence, of the sahaituka vaidyuta, current through the body (arms and legs).

11 March 1918

The revelatory has suddenly today substituted itself for the inspirational ideality, but it is at present the intuitional revelatory. It is taking up all the action of the ideality and enlightening and transforming the relics of the intelligential mentality.


There has been a struggle in the Kamananda. Persistent continuous recurrence seems to have been well established, though the enemy still struggles to bring about a long entire suspension; but secure continuity is not yet established.

15 March 1918

The sadhana is going through what would formerly have been a relapse but is now a process of readjustment through the permission of the intellectual action trying to reestablish itself, but bringing about at each step a farther diminution of its power to return.

The first two chatusthayas are being steadily confirmed in their completeness and the touches of denial are being eliminated. The first is practically complete in its armour of passive samata, almost complete in the active. The second is feebly besieged at times, but the completion of the dasya and the chandibhava is evident. The latter is only deficient in hasya.

Continuity of ahaituka kamananda, when not suspended by exclusive vismarana, is confirmed. Sahaituka has been for long depressed and only occasional.

The Ananda in darshana is complete and consolidated in its combined action, but sometimes falls momentarily back into the mental form with one or two habits of dissociation, mostly omission of kamaprema; but this ordinarily, is instantaneously corrected with regard to living beings. The whole has still to be raised to a firmer intensity.

Kamananda continued through samadhi, light and double, only suspended by the deep and complete interiority. Other former

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incompatibilities initially conquered. A beginning has been made in overcoming the exclusive forgetfulness, but this is not yet confirmed.

March 1918

The first chatusthaya is now entirely confirmed. Even if old touches of impatience, discomfort etc arrive from outside by strong habit to touch the surface of the physical mentality, they are at once stopped and either disappear or are transformed.


The second chatusthaya is now complete in all its circumstances with the one fault that the Kali element in the Devibhava, which is constant, is not steady; the ordinary condition is that of the Mahasaraswati with a strong Mahaluxmi colouring and submerged Maheshwari basis. This is full of shama ananda, but insufficient in tapas. It is the Mahakali element that carries the full tapas, ishwarabhava and attahasya of the lila; but when the Mahakali element is there, the Mahaluxmi colouring and ananda intensity diminishes; this defect is the cause of the unsteadiness. Tapas ananda has to take possession of shama ananda; Mahakali has to mould itself into the Mahasaraswati, and be the contained in that continent.


After a long period of lower working the revelatory ideality is taking possession. The old physical lethargy of the mind can no longer act; but in its place is the akartri-shama; into this the prakasha of the revelatory vijnana (drishti) is beginning to pour itself.


The ahaituka tivrananda is recurring after a long interval of rarity. It is now pervasive, more prolonged in persistence, occurs in all the members.


Lipi is enforcing itself in the eightfold qualities against the old etheric obstruction.

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Ishwaradarshana has taken possession of the Anandadarshana. It dwells more normally in the Ananda than in the lapse to the mentality.


Although violently obstructed, vaidyuta ananda now occurs, more and more pervasive in its current.


For several days the ahaituka kamananda has been violently obstructed and persistently expelled, but it retains its ground, though often reduced to a minimum.


There is a continual alternation now between the Mahakali bhava and the Mahasaraswati for possession, the latter becoming more and more full of the former.

25 March 1918

The Mahakali element has fixed itself. Eight days are given by the lipi, up to April 2, for its taking full possession of the bhava.

27 March 1918

Only momentary and rare touches affect the first two chatusthayas. The one deficiency is an infirm faith in the full extent of the siddhi in the sharira and the life; the devi hasya is there, but not constant. The third chatusthaya is extending itself, but experiencing still at each step the lapse towards the mentality.

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