My Pilgrimage to the Spirit

Foreword to the First Edition

Of all the voluminous writings of Sri Aurobindo, his letters are perhaps the most relevant and helpful to practitioners of Yoga or of the art of perfect living. Written in answer to various questions of moment in sadhana, in explanation of the many types of experiences got by seekers on their path to the Divine, they cover an incredibly vast field and deal with practically every situation that can arise in the course of the inner pursuit by the awakened man. The collection of letters presented in this volume are a selection from the large number received by Dr. Govindbhai during his eight years of stay in our Ashram during the formative period of his life.

No question was too trivial to ask and none was ignored by Sri Aurobindo when it concerned the practice of Yoga. Dr. Govindbhai is to be thanked for the rich treasure of spiritual knowledge and guidance he was able to draw from the Master. Every page of this correspondence is a boon to the aspirant. Whether it is the gradation of the inner worlds that is made explicit or the dangers that lurk on the route to the Destination, whether it is the analysis of the constitution of man or a study of the working of forces in the world, the light that these letters shed is luminous and the guidance they provide is clear and complete. Their presentation here in the context of the questions raised, adds to their force and clarity.

This main part of the book is prefaced and followed by an interesting and instructive narration by Dr. Govindbhai of the course taken by his life under the loadstar of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He bares his entire career of three scores and gratefully acknowledges the action of Divine Grace in every field of his life. Indeed the Grace acts in the life of every seeker, but not everyone is aware of it. Dr. Govindbhai is wide awake and never fails to recognize the working of Grace in the least detail.

December 10, 1973

M. P. Pandit

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.