Pictures of Sri Aurobindo's poems

Light

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I move in an ocean of stupendous Light
Joining my depths to His eternal height.

3/4.10.1939

Sri Aurobindo, Collected Poems: Light

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Sankaracharya Hill

Sankaracharya Hill — also called by Muslims Takht-i-Suleman, meaning the seat of Solomon.

On top of the Hill there is a temple built some hundreds of years ago by Adi Shankaracharya. This can be viewed from any part of Shrinagar (Kashmir). There is a huge Shivalingam in the centre of the innermost temple.

Sri Aurobindo had his third experience here. He has stated:

That is the atmosphere of the place. Another instance is the sense of the Infinite I had at the Shankaracharya Hill, and at Parvati Hill near Poona, and the reality of the image in a temple at Karnali near Chandod.

In 1939 Sri Aurobindo described these three experiences in sonnets:

Adwaita, The Hill-top Temple and The Stone Goddess

In 1903 Sri Aurobindo took a month's leave and went to Bengal. His presence was required there to smooth out the differences that had arisen among some of the leading political workers. But he was soon called back by the Maharaja who wished that he should accompany him on his tour to Kashmir as his personal secretary.

In Kashmir, Sri Aurobindo had his third spiritual experience of decisive character, as unexpected and unbidden as the first two, but of a capital importance from a certain standpoint. He says about it: "There was a realisation of the vacant Infinite¹ while walking on the ridge of the Takht-i-Suleman (Seat of Solomon) in Kashmir." In 1939 he wrote this Sonnet (Adwaita) on this experience.