Visions of Champaklal

Visions of Champaklal

Champaklal has been seeing fascinating dreams and visions ever since 1929.

These visions can be read at various levels of meaning depending on the level of consciousness of the reader. Some readers may consider them as naive and mythical types of representation; some may see in them a mere reflection of various physical forces, figures and symbols at work; some may see here an absurd mental life of an individual, yet some may regard these visions as a spiritualised journey of a highly developed soul.

We feel that these visions are not just a series of imaginative descriptions. They are essentially a force from beyond the human range, producing an effect directly on the more subtle substance of our being and can bring in a fine attunement of the reader to the spiritual consciousness from which these experiences of Champaklal are born.

What do these visions indicate?

The growth of the Psychic Being dominating the whole consciousness can develop visions, till it penetrates the inconscient and rebuilds the entire being. As in the case of Champaklal, the soul gets perfected by the process of life itself and the very sincerity of the effort will carry it forward, until one synthesizes the conscious with the superconscious. The entire being is then filled with one idea, one consciousness—the consciousness of the Divine Presence and it even tends to lose all distinction from the surroundings and to feel one with them.

This is the principal difference between those who believe in God with their intellect and those who believe in God with their whole being—between knowing from outside and knowing with an inner self-identification with the Divine. The difference between ordinary people and the Mother's Child Champaklal lies here. It is a very difficult thing to believe in God with the entire being. It requires a true hero and an inner warrior to do so.

One must let a single consciousness ripen and take possession of one's entire being by means of steady contemplation. It is a very personal, intimate and inevitable process, which can be a “native act” to individuals like Champaklal, by which the being that holds an object before it, becomes held by it.

Some of these visions reveal the cardinal principles of Sadhana that Champaklal has practised all along with stead-fastness and unceasing devotion. These values have permeated every cell of his being and manifested themselves in various forms in the visions. Following are some of the revealed Imperatives that remain unchanged even in the fast-changing society of today and show “The way” in which these disciplines if practised with the requisite earnestness can lead to the vision of God. In the words of the Mother, “The generosity of your absolute self-giving will bring to you the revelation of the Divine's Love.”

The simple secret is that one must have the faith of a child, boundless and absolute, in the Divine Grace. The best offering to God is love, single-minded devotion and complete self-surrender that knows no complaint. Sincerity and unselfishness to the last particle of one's being are essential so that consecration to the Divine becomes the breath of life. Practice of Yoga demands that one must hold hard to one's spade and make an untiring personal effort, with a calm and steady aspiration, tremendous will and fearlessness. This requires a strong, courageous and at the same time peaceful and God-oriented vital being to develop during the sadhana. The visions also show in general for man, as seen and experienced in particular by Champaklal, the existence and aspects of the Divine in relation to man. As a physical being man may be seen as a child of God. (Champaklal saw his Father and Mother in Sri Aurobindo and the Mother respectively.) This is the first aspect, whereby according to the devotee's attitude, need, development and philosophy, God manifests Himself in various forms of beauty and holiness to the purified vision of the devotee. In the second aspect, as a soul, man can be looked upon as a part of the Cosmic Being or Universal Soul (Virat Purusha). In the third, the transcendental aspect, everything culminates in “Sachchidananda”, or Absolute Existence, Consciousness and Bliss.

Knowing Champaklal, it can be concluded that the vision of God dawns only in a heart in which unselfishness, the spirit of renunciation of “I-am-the-Doer” sense and the intensity of aspiration have reached their peak. There is, an assurance that the manifestation of God can be visualised by an inner sight in a spiritualized body, in short, by a purified human soul.

Thus, with the help of sadhana and the grace of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Champaklal has not only gone from near to nearer God but has reached constant communion with Him. Sri Aurobindo said once that Realisation consists of three successive movements, internal vision, complete internal experience and total identity. The spiritual vision can take on mental forms of itself that can help towards this identification, each in its own way. Visions and experiences of Champaklal indicate that every cell of his being responds to the Divine Consciousness and he has attuned himself completely to the Consciousness of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and in turn continuously knows how, in the Mother he has worshipped, “Immortal rhythms swayed in her time-born steps.”

These visions are records of the struggles, victories, wonder, hopes, wisdom, knowledge, depth and magnificence of the high level of consciousness attained by Champaklal, revealing his quality, substance and his proximity to the divine form which would be “A golden temple door to things beyond.”

Glory be to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

ROSHAN
APURVA