Prayers and Aspirations

About the Author

Champaklal was born on 2.2.1903 in Patan, Gujarat, India. During his first visit to the Ashram in 1921, when he prostrated himself before Sri Aurobindo with his palms around his feet, he lay there for one full hour. Then Sri Aurobindo placed his hand on his head and blessed him. When he got up he felt that he had nothing more to do in his life. There was an evident sense of having arrived.

In 1923 when a devotee, Punamchand, was coming to the Ashram from Patan, Sri Aurobindo asked him to bring Champaklal along with him. So he had the rare grace of being chosen by the Master himself.

In his book Champaklal Speaks, he writes: “I had aspired always to be able to spend all my time and all my energy in the service of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. This aspiration got fulfilled in a number of ways, often to my utter surprise.” (Page 16)

“You know I came here with the object of God-realisation. Here I found the stress on Transformation. Very soon, however, both receded and Service took hold of my being entirely.” (Page 17) And it is through dedicated and loving service that he achieved God-realisation and prepared for transformation.

He was the personal attendant and confidante of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. His simple, straightforward nature, his utter obedience, his thirst for perfection in every detail in whatever work he undertook, brought him very close to his gurus. The Mother called him 'my lion'. He was always alert in his service and saw to it that people did not unnecessarily disturb Her or waste Her precious time. Due to his adoration and physical proximity to his gurus, he has naturally imbibed many of their traits and even physical expressions. His service has blossomed him into a spiritual painter, writer and poet.

Soon after the Mother left her body, he kept voluntary “maun” (silence) and stopped talking. But being identified with the consciousness of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, he spontaneously projects Their presence. His travels all over India and to many countries in Asia, Europe and America have made a tremendous impact on all who have come in contact with him, and helped greatly the Mother's work. All this has been achieved silently through his personality which radiates more and more of spiritual lustre and love. It is touching to see how deeply he feels the sorrows of others and becomes a beautiful, luminous instrument for divine compassion, generosity, grace and tenderness to flow out from him. He is a living inspiring example of being the Mother's true child.

Working with him is a joy. Even to be with him is to be flooded with spiritual vibrations which lift one and bring one closer to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. His very existence is for them, his whole being is tuned to them, and his only concern is to do their Will alone every moment.

When told that this book should contain an introduction about the author, he smiled in his unique childlike manner and sang,

Come, come, come to our home.
Our home is at the Mother's feet.

That reveals in a subtle way his purpose of writing these prayers through which he invites all to his residence—the Mother's Feet—Her Consciousness.