Visions of Champaklal

Conquest of the Asura on Mahasamadhi Day

1979-12-09

It was on 9th December 1979, one of our unique, elevating and auspicious days. I saw the Samadhi courtyard a little bigger than what it is at present. The Rosary House (the building on the southern side of the Samadhi) was not there. I remember the Mother telling me once, “We shall build a big Meditation Hall there.” Incidentally, the present main building of Sri Aurobindo Ashram actually consists of four houses. It is very interesting and very symbolic as the Mother has given the significance of number four as 'Manifestation.'

People were meditating in the Samadhi courtyard. Our dear little children were also sitting there on one side. I noticed that some children were getting up and moving very quietly to change their places. They walked in such a way as if they were guided by some unseen Force. There was no disturbance at all due to their movements. The atmosphere was extremely peaceful.

A little later I saw that our beloved Service Tree was standing just in front of the western side of the Samadhi. It moved very gradually all round the Samadhi. Its movement was so slow that one could hardly notice that the tree was moving. After making one Pradakshina (round) of the Samadhi, it went back to its present place on the northern side of the Samadhi.

It then started growing higher and higher and its branches began to extend far and very far and wide on all the sides until they covered the whole universe! Yes, the whole universe! I saw it with my own eyes! I could see that the branches had extended but could not perceive how; the movement of extension was not visible. Then the tree was fully studded with huge, luminous, transparent golden service flowers. I could not see the branches or leaves or trunk but only flowers and flowers. It was a wonderful, magnificent and unimaginable sight which gave me inexpressible joy and Ananda. A little later, the tree gradually assumed its original form and size. This time also its movement of contraction was not at all discernible.

All the people who were meditating were seen sitting upon those luminous Service Tree flowers as on a royal velvet golden carpet. But the tree was also full of those magnificent flowers as before; the quantity of flowers had not diminished at all!

Then a unique sight was perceived. I saw fire coming out from each person sitting there. In some cases, it emerged from their foreheads, in some from their hearts, in some others from their navels and so on. Each fire was of a different colour—some were milky white, some snow white, some red, green, yellow, blue, silver, pink, golden and some of mixed colours and some in very few cases, even of ash colour. These fires appeared like a Yagnavedi (Sacrificial Fire) in front of each and every one. The flames of these fires were rising up. Some mounted very high—each one had a different height. This also was a marvellous sight to see.

All of a sudden, I saw in the middle of the Samadhi courtyard, in space, a very tall Asura. His colour was brown but slowly he began to change his colour which became very dark and turned into black like coal tar. It was shining. His eyeballs were big and round and frightful. His very long nose was pointed and from that front part he was blowing some ash coloured substance which spread everywhere. He had no ears but two big and deep hollows. His mouth was very big and round and unshapely and something was jutting out of it too. His whole form was hideous, horrid and terrible. He began to dance in a most ugly manner and started flinging his legs up and down with tremendous force, in all directions. Gradually he expanded his body and became very fat like a big balloon and of a gigantic stature. He began to laugh in a horrible way, looking on all the sides; his laughter resounded in a terrifying echo. His ferocious eyes turned red like fire-flames. He clasped both his hands and made some vigorous motions in all directions in terrific anger, as if he was throwing something in space. Just then I saw innumerable tiny queer creatures in space, moving about here and there and everywhere. They were very ugly and had no ears, no noses and some of them had no eyes and no hands even. The ones with eyes looked very cruel. They all rushed in a cyclonic motion and turned to the Yagnavedi in front of each person and started destroying the sacrificial fires. Some fires were extinguished while some could not be blown out.

This Asura turned his ferocious gaze all around and looked horrible. At this time, the atmosphere became very gloomy and disturbed. But none of the persons stirred from their places, not even our little children; they all continued their meditation. The Asura was feasting his eyes on the tiny creatures and was evidently very happy with their work of destruction. He laughed aloud in a hideous way and rushed towards the Samadhi. Instantaneously, brilliant, snow white Light descended with great velocity and filled the whole courtyard with the result that the Asura was stuck then and there itself and could not even budge from the place where he was standing.

I saw him struggling very hard to move but he could not go to the Samadhi. Perhaps he wanted to destroy it. It appeared like that from his look. As the light descended, the Asura's body became milky white down his chest. The rest of his body remained brown. The tiny innumerable creatures were no more there—they were all dissolved in the white Light.

When my eyes glanced up, they met with an indescribable and magnificent sight. I saw descending slowly, from high above, a two-in-one majestic, captivating, transparent, luminous and scintillating golden Body radiating brilliant golden Light in all directions. It paused in space just a little above the ground. Its lustrous eyes shone with a sweet, magnetic and beatific smile. In its compassionate gaze, It held each and every single person meditating there and with Its beautiful lotus-like hands in a (mudra) gesture of Blessings showered Grace on all.

Each one was meditating in refulgent golden Light. Now, in front of them, their sacrificial fires were seen as before. They were mounting higher and higher with great intensity; some of them soared very high above. The atmosphere became very calm, peaceful and elevating. It was a marvellous, enchanting and unparalleled, sight to see! The Asura was no more there!

(Note: I have tried to express this very true and symbolic vision but have been unable to do it satisfactorily.)