Evening Talks with Sri Aurobindo

15th December 1938

Disciple : You told me Dr. R. uses mental intuition. So there may be various levels of intuition.

Sri Aurobindo : By mental intuition I mean the Intuition which comes from Above. Don't get mixed in the mind. I don't say that mental intuition is not correct but it is always limited because of the mixture. There is also the vital influence which very often becomes mixed up with one's desires.

Disciple : How to get the intuition? By calmness of mind?

Sri Aurobindo : Calmness is not enough. Mind must be silent.

Disciple : It will then take a long time.

Sri Aurobindo : Can't say. Can take a short time, or a long time.

Disciple : But it won't be possible to keep the silence until one has realized the spirit.

Sri Aurobindo : One can train one's mind to be silent.

 (Dr. X took his leave and as Mother lapsed into meditation we all tried to do the same. Then after Mother had departed by 7 P.M., we rallied around Sri Aurobindo. He looked once or twice at M.)

Disciple : M. is beaming to-day.

Disciple : That must be Kundalini then.

Disciple : I don't believe it. Is this vibration the Higher Force, Sir?

Sri Aurobindo : Yes. It was trying to cure your lumbago, perhaps, and the first sign was a little aggravation (we all laughed). You don't believe in Kundalini?

Disciple : No, Sir.

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Sri Aurobindo : But you were telling about your "ascent and descent" experience.

Disciple : Is that Kundalini? I did not know it (laughter). But Kundalini is not the line of our yoga and you have not mentioned about it any where.

Disciple : Oh yes, he has in the "Lights on Yoga".

Sri Aurobindo : Yes. Kundalini is, of course, the Tantrik idea : The Shakti lying coiled in Muladhara awakes, rises up and carries the consciousness upward opening all the chakras up to Brahmarandhra and then meets the Brahman, and then the descent begins. The Tantrik process is more technical.

It is curious to see the action of the Force in some cases. Some feel as if a drilling were being done in the brain. Some people can't keep the Force in. They sway from side to side, make peculiar sounds. I remember one practicing Pranayama rigorously and making horrible sound. I did not hear of his getting any good results. Sometimes the Force raises up what lies below–in the lower nature–in order to be able to deal with it.

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