Footprints of God

Sowing the Seed of the Supramental Light in the Human Night

I made an assignation with the Night;

In the abyss was fixed our rendezvous:

In my breast carrying God's deathless light

I came her dark and dangerous heart to woo.

I left the glory of the illumined Mind

And the calm rapture of the divinised soul

And travelled through a vastness dim and blind

To the grey shore where her ignorant waters roll.

I walk by the chill wave through the dull slime

And still that weary journeying knows no end;

Lost is the lustrous godhead beyond Time,

There comes no voice of the celestial Friend.

And yet I know my footprints' track shall be

A pathway towards Immortality.

Sri Aurobindo

The triumph over death: 5 December 1950*

... Dara (Aga Syed Ibrahim), had a singular experience that morning when he walked past Sri Aurobindo's body lying on the cot in its snow-white background:

"I found myself in Sri Aurobindo's own room by the side of his cot. He seemed so peaceful and happy, and the flesh shone with a new lustre which I had failed to see at the darsan time on 24th November. Why could I not see it before?... I could not take my eyes off his face and arms. It seemed to me he was alive. It was certain that he was in a condition of deep and upward soaring trance just then."

Many others too had similar experiences. Between 1.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. was a stretch of eighteen hours, yet Sri Aurobindo's body had not only not shown any signs of decomposition, it had actually acquired a new lustre and the radiant complexion of life! Death, where is thy sting? Whose, then, is the Victory?

The Mother described the new lustre as the Supramental light, and helped Dr. Sanyal also — who at first couldn't — to see it: "a luminous mantle of bluish golden hue around him. "And Sethna's portrayal has almost an epiphanic quality: "Spiritually imperial— this is the only description fitting the appearance of the body.... The atmosphere of. the room was vibrant with a sacred power to cleanse and illumine, a power which appeared to emanate from the Master's poise of conquering rest and to invade the bodies of all the watchers... as if... there came pouring

*Sri Aurobindo left his body on 05 December 1950. The body was suffused and enveloped by bluish-golden light for nearly 111 hours.

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down to humanity the life-transcending grace of the Supermind."

*

"A meditative silence reigned in the Ashram for twelve days after the passing of the beloved Master," writes Rishabhchand; "then the normal activities began, but with a striking difference. One felt a pervading Presence in the Ashram atmosphere. ..." On 14 December the Mother half-admonished the sadhaks: "To grieve is an insult to Sri Aurobindo who is here with us, conscious and alive. "And on 18 January 1951, she gave a firmer assurance still:

We stand in the Presence of Him who has sacrificed his physical life in order to help more fully his work of transformation.

He is always with us, aware of what we are doing, of all our thoughts, of all our feelings and all our actions.

K. R. Srinivasa lyangar

The mysterious Divine Sacrifice

People do not know what a tremendous sacrifice Sri Aurobindo has made for the world. About a year ago, while I was discussing things, 1 remarked that I felt like leaving this body of mine. He spoke out in a very firm tone, "No, this can never be. If necessary for this transformation, I might go, you will have to fulfil our Yoga of supramental descent and transformation."

*

Sri Aurobindo was not compelled to leave his body, he chose to do so for reasons so sublime that they are beyond the reach of human mentality.

And when one cannot understand, the only thing to do is to keep a respectful silence.

*

[December 8,1950] When I asked Him to resuscitate his body, He clearly answered: "I have left this body purposely. I will not take it back. I shall manifest again in the first supramental body built in the supramental way."

The Mother

Inscribed on the Samadhi : 9 December 1950

To Thee who hast been the material envelope of our Master, to Thee our infinite gratitude. Before Thee who hast done so much for us, who hast worked, struggled, suffered, hoped, endured so much, before Thee who hast willed all, attempted all, prepared, achieved all for us, before Thee we bow down and implore that we may never forget, even for a moment, all we owe to Thee.

The Mother

The radiant Yagna-Vedi

Out of his Samadhi a thousand flames seem to be mounting up and, lodged in our soul, burning in an ever rejuvenating fire, while His Presence enveloping and merging with and radiating from the Mother's being and body is pervading the whole atmosphere. One can see His Presence, hear his foot-falls, his rhythmic voice, ever vigilant, devoid of the encumbrance of the physical body.

Nirodbaran

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