Visions of Champaklal

Preface

We present in this book a collection of dreams and visions of Champaklal whose very name evokes the memories of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother to their devotees. The collection is prepared without any distortion from the original writings. The word "Vision" is also used at some places to convey its wider sense of superconscious experiences and -revelations. They are usually symbolic, clear, precise and well coordinated. Our purpose in presenting the dreams and visions of Champaklal is to make available, to the present generation, one of the major aspects of his life given in the narrations of visions as actually "seen" by him from time to time. They are like a glorious song of cosmic forces at work both in man and in nature. Our purpose will be well served if this book can re-create, in the prepared reader, at least a semblance of the experiences of Champaklal.

Champaklal used to ask Sri Aurobindo the meanings of his dreams, hence their interpretations by Sri Aurobindo are available. They are presented here. We have made an attempt to suggest possible interpretations of later dreams and visions, based on the interpretations of the symbols given by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Some hardy souls may raise their eyebrows at this. We are aware that to give an interpretation would be like shooting an arrow at the Truth, which may, at the most, "hit a point, but not cover the whole target." These interpretations are only a pointer, are not to be taken as rigid and absolute and they are not meant to limit the original value and beauty of the dreams and visions. It is our hope to use them as mirrors and try to provide a reflection of the beauty and depth of the experiences of Champaklal to the reader.

We believe that if an individual does not at least make an attempt towards the realisation of the higher consciousness, his life will be spent in vain. Our attempt is, therefore, to persuade the reader to take upon himself the task of his own re-building so that he may in turn feel the urge to be liberated and experience what Sri Aurobindo describes in his lines in Savitri:

Near to earth’s wideness, intimate with heaven,
Exalted and swift her young large-visioned spirit
Voyaging through worlds of splendour and of calm
Overflew the ways of Thought to unborn things.* ||3.31||

Would it not be a source of inspiration to know that a man exists amongst us, who could assert even today that he actually sees and is in constant union with Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in their luminous, golden bodies?

We have also compiled extracts in general from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, on dreams and visions, which have been presented in individual chapters.

Most visions have been translated from Gujarati by Champaklal himself, some by the late Shri Pujalal and some by Sushilaben with the help of Champaklal and Kamalaben. Many of them have appeared in the English monthly Mother India.

We present this book with a deep sense of gratitude and reverence to Champaklal for his guidance, kind co-operation and patient hearing. We also offer our sincere thanks to an eminent scholar and an enlightened devotee Shri K.D. Sethna (Amal Kiran) for his able and unobtrusive guidance. We are most grateful to all those who have helped in the publication of this book. We would like to record our special thanks to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, Pondicherry, for the cooperation extended by them.

ROSHAN
APURVA

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