My Pilgrimage to the Spirit

The Touch of Grace in the Activities of Sri Aurobindo Centre

To know is Good,
To do is Better,
To become is the Best.

The Mother

I went to the Ashram for darshan in 1946 after a long period of ten years. Purani had then gone to Ahmedabad to attend the All-India Dharma Parishad. During his stay there he was the guest of my friend Sri Narendra L. Sheth. Purani gave a series of lectures on Sri Aurobindo's Savitri which created much interest in many people. Those who attended the lectures wanted some arrangements to continue their interest in the literature and teachings of Sri Aurobindo. When they approached Purani, and requested him to make some arrangement so that all of them could read together and maintain their interest in Sri Aurobindo, Purani suggested that they might form a group and write a letter to the Divine Mother to permit them to start a study circle. All those who were interested in reading Sri Aurobindo's books signed a letter addressed to the Mother and gave it to Purani to obtain the Divine Mother's sanction. They had not mentioned in the letter the name of the person who was to be responsible to look after the activities of the study circle to be started in Ahmedabad.

During my stay at the Ashram, some of my old friends suggested to me to start a study circle at Ahmedabad. I asked one of my friends who was the secretary of the Ashram to explain to me the conditions for starting such study circles and getting the Mother's permission to. start it. Nolini made me understand that "the Mother gives permission to a person, only if he is fit to take up that responsibility."

I stayed at the Ashram for three weeks and on my return some of my friends informed me that they had sent a letter with Purani to get the Mother's permission to start a study circle in Ahmedabad. I asked them as to who had taken up the responsibility to look after the activities of the circle. They said it was an important point but it had not been mentioned in the letter to the Mother. They sent repeated reminders to the Mother as well as to Purani but could get no permission. They asked me if I would move in the matter, take up the responsibility and get the Mother's permission. When I felt I was ready to take up the responsibility, I took a decision and wired "I think the time is ripe enough to start a study circle in Ahmedabad. If you permit I can start." I sent another telegram on the same day praying for the blessings of the Divine Mother on the occasion of the opening of an eye clinic to be operated along the lines of Dr. Bates' methods, in Ahmedabad. I received blessings in reply to both of my telegrams and we held our first meeting of Sri Aurobindo Centre at Prof. Sethna's house on 4-10-1947 (Vijayadashami). The centre in Ahmedabad was known as Sri Arvind Mandal. It was started on the same day with the blessings of the Divine Mother. After getting the Mother's blessings, I started the eye clinic in the name of "Arogyamandir" also on the same day.

The field of our activity was enlarged and we had a chance of inviting the Mother's Grace in our activities. Now we shall have a look at the action of the Divine Grace in three different streams of life lived for a single destination, which taught me to do all activities for the Divine and realize the Divine at every moment in waking as well as in sleep.

I was trying to invoke the Mother's Grace in all my activities and wished to make my whole life an ascent towards the Divine and have all the time genuine contact with the Divine as naturally as a stream flows towards the ocean. I had taken up the centre's activity as a part of my sadhana and learnt to dedicate every work to the Divine alone. This had purified the ways and means of doing work and had naturally brought about the experience of facing and meeting the Divine almost all the time.

We used to meet every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at a place where we were invited by one of the members of Sri Aravind Mandal. In the meeting we had meditation for fifteen minutes, readings from Sri Aurobindo's or the Mother's writings for fifteen minutes. I was establishing a contact and trying to identify myself with the Mother and was praying to her to be present and allow her Grace to act upon our nature. The atmosphere of meditation was becoming powerful, full of peace and silence and we felt as if we were in the Ashram. We felt the Presence of the Mother full of dynamic peace and we allowed our hearts to be filled with it.

We celebrated the Master's birthday on 15th August, Siddhi day on 24th November and the Mother's birthday on 21st February, and the final arrival day of the Mother on the 24th April. We used to celebrate all these Darshan Days with some special programme of a talk on Sri Aurobindo's philosophy by an invited speaker. Occasionally there was a talk by someone who had gone to the Ashram for darshan on his experiences during his visit. Slowly the atmosphere had developed and most of us looked forward to the Saturday meetings. The number of members of Sri Aravind Mandal reached sixty in 1950.

There was another bigger group consisting of the general public which was ignorant of the ideal and the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and was not able to attend the meetings of Sri Aravind Mandal, but was eager to know about Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Some friends approached and requested me to arrange programmes for placing Sri Aurobindo's ideal before the general public. In response to this request we decided to celebrate Sri Aurobindo week, with the blessings of the Mother, from 10th August to 16th August (1950). The celebrations were held in Premabhai Hall, a well-known public place in Ahmedabad. Good speakers were invited to give talks on different aspects of Sri Aurobindo's personality, his ideals and his teachings. The members of all the Sri Aurobindo centres in Gujarat with their friends and relatives filled the hall and relished the lectures and the atmosphere of the Presence of the Divine Mother. We received messages from many well-known persons.

This was the first chance for the masses of Gujarat to know and assimilate something about the ideal and the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Ashram at Pondicherry. The daily papers took a note of the lectures. The All India Radio, Ahmedabad, covered these celebrations and gave extracts from the speeches in its fortnightly reviews.

Again we had a chance of arranging a music programme of Dilipkumar Roy, a well-known name in Indian music and a disciple of Sri Aurobindo. Sri Dilipkumar Roy had been giving programmes of Indian music in all big cities of India as an offering to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. We arranged this programme in the Town Hall of Ahmedabad in November 1950. Two days' programme brought about an offering of ten to twelve thousand rupees to the Mother.

Some friends approached me to inaugurate Sri Aurobindo Centre at Sojitra (Kaira District). I explained to them that it was the Mother's work and I could not take up the responsibility without the Mother's order. They requested the Mother to bless me to inaugurate Sri Aurobindo centre at Sojitra. After getting the blessings of the Mother in November 1950, I performed the ceremony most prayerfully and invoked her Presence. The inauguration speech is given separately, under the title "The Art of Living".¹

Again in 1952 some friends from Barwala (Ghelasa) wanted me to inaugurate Sri Aurobindo Centre at Barwala near Bhimnath. When they got the Mother's permission and blessing, I performed the ceremony. During the ceremony the atmosphere was surcharged with the dynamic Presence of the Divine Mother.

On 24th April 1973 I was requested by Sri Ratilal Shah from Kapadwanj (Kaira District) to perform bhumi puja of the building to be constructed for Sri Aravindayan which was to be the venue of the activities of Sri Aurobindo centre at Kapadwanj. I was ever ready to do Mother's work and when she sent her blessings I performed the ceremony very willingly, praying to the Mother to be present and guide us all in our activities of the centre and of life at large.

Think only of the Divine
Live only for the Divine
Aspire only for the Divine
Work only for the Divine
Seek only the Divine
Serve only the Divine
Adore only the Divine

—White Roses