Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy And Yoga - Some Aspects

A Real Yogi

In this intellectual age, Yoga, a carefully worked out practical science, is often confused with mere intellectual knowledge. That is way we find a plethora of so-called yogis who sell their yoga-knowledge. A real yogi who has realised his Self, Soul or the divine Reality of his being, is rare and difficult to meet. The yogi never sells his yoga-knowledge for any consideration whatsoever. He alone is the divinely appointed Teacher who imparts spiritual knowledge only to' those who are .capable of receiving it. There are not many who are really capable of receiving the light of spiritual knowledge. A certain mental and moral development in the right direction is necessary for a conscious spiritual evolution. Only when there is an unquenchable fire of aspiration for the Divine and a real thirst for spiritual knowledge, does the seeker inevitably meet the right Guru and undergoes the baptism of fire under his influence. And once the awakening touch is received, there is no rest for the soul till it reaches the goal of all spiritual seeking, viz., union with the Divine either in one life or in a few lives of continuous self-progression.

Several years back from now, I had my first encounter with a real yogi whose miraculous powers have left an abiding impression on me. I was not very much prone to believe in miracles and wanted to put all such exhibitions of abnormal or super normal powers to the test of verification by scientific means. These means, alas, are useless when applied to occult and supra-physical phenomena which we come across from time to time.

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In a remote ashram in an out-of-the-way place in U. P. I met the yogi who had a tall erect figure and the energy and vitality of youth although he was far advanced in age. He received us—my father, grand-mother and a cousin of only 9 years—with the usual geniality and benevolence of a realised soul after we had made our customary pranams by touching his feet. He himself prepared our food in the smoldering fire of a log of wood which had only to be activated for the needed cooking. This he did three times a day without any aid from any quarter.

His activity during the whole day lay in ministering to the needs of the people who .came to him for all kinds of succour. The sick, the distressed, the mentally deranged and the officials who wanted promotion and transfer—all came to him in spite of the fact that the place was remote from all human habitations and difficult of access. There was no human tenement within the radius of a mile of his ashram. From my constant watch of the Ba Baji for the 5 days of my stay with him, I concluded that he must have conquered sleep.

My first feeling on entering the ashram was that of a peace of mind which I had never had before. It was all spontaneous and .came naturally because of the atmosphere of peace that his very presence radiated. We soon became intimate and went together for long walks along the bank of the Jamuna which flowed sluggishly by. He narrated to me various spiritual experiences. I was not satisfied with the narrations and frankly told him that I could believe in the Divine only when some concrete instances of power were demonstrated to me. He only smiled at my audacious challenge.

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One evening he took me out on a stroll with my young cousin. We had to cross a narrow channel of water but it was not easy for me to leap it with the boy in my arms. The Babaji easily crossed it in one effortless bound. When my turn came I felt that I was going to fall in the water but instantly some strange power pushed my legs over to the other side. This was a real surprise to me, for without this unexpected happening, I was sure to splash in the water. When I recounted to the Babaji what had happened, lie significantly gave me a smile and said nothing. But this was to be followed by a more serious and concrete exhibition of supernormal power. He divined what was passing or about to pass in my mind even before the thought had taken regular form. Thus he shattered all my egoistic self-confidence and made me humble. What a power was there in the man ! He could see into the workings of your mind even from a distance and expose them even before you had the slightest chance to forestall him.

He recounted many incidents in which he had done daring acts at the risk of death to himself to prove that the yogi by virtue of this superconscient knowledge is not bound by the laws of physical nature. For example, he had on more than one occasion swallowed big lumps of opium and held deadly cobras captive in his hand only to let them off unscathed afterwards. There were also nocturnal encounters with wild beasts such as wolves, leopards, panthers and others that let him pass quietly because they were made to feel that he was not only non-violent and fearless but full of love and compassion for all ! For behind the appearances of men and beasts, he saw the presence of the one Divine in all. Countless instances of miraculous cures of hope-

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less cases were cited to me by witnesses who were present on the spot and whose testimony could not be called in question any more than my own.

He lived up to the tenets of the Gita for the welfare of every being, ceaselessly working for men and women and consciously gave up his body when he felt that his mission in life was over.

The following lines are my tribute to such a person written long after his passing away :

THE LIVING-FREE

Love of fame I laugh to scorn ;

Wealth I hold in lighter esteem.

Men die daily and are daily born

For purposes that to themselves are dim.

Letters, sciences, crafts and arts—

All have a value of their own ;

But the science of science and art of arts,

Life remains a mystery still unknown.

He who has fathomed the secrets of life

And has crossed the ocean of death—

For him no more struggle and strife,

Sorrow and suffering that inhere in mortal breath.

That man is a Jivan Mukta, the living-free,

A refuge to all like the sheltering tree.

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