Indian Culture · Indian Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Of Ram and Ramlīla

“It is a singular and as yet unexplained phenomenon in the psychology of mankind that out of so many magnificent civilisations, so many powerful, cultured and vigorous nations and empires whose names and deeds crowd the pages of history, only a select few have been able to develop a thoroughly original and self-revealing literature. Still… Continue reading Of Ram and Ramlīla

Indian Culture · Reminders to self · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Prayer, On My Mind, In My Heart

  In the spirit of Navaratri…   “The efficacy of prayer is often doubted and prayer itself supposed to be a thing irrational and necessarily superfluous and ineffective. It is true that the universal will executes always its aim and cannot be deflected by egoistic propitiation and entreaty, it is true of the Transcendent who… Continue reading Prayer, On My Mind, In My Heart

Inner View · Personal reflections · Reminders to self · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Of Flowers, Opening and Receptivity

It has been about 13 years. And I still remember that late afternoon as if it was yesterday. While walking home from the place where I worked at the time, I came across an amazing little beautiful flower, deep pink in colour. It looked like some wildflower or some that we normally refer to as… Continue reading Of Flowers, Opening and Receptivity

Inner View · Reminders to self · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

“A Mighty Guidance”

Certainly, not all is well with the world today. I don’t have to give any examples to prove this fact. Certainly, not all will get well with the world any time soon. I don’t have to give any reasons to explain why. Certainly, not all well-wishers of the world, who are more in love with… Continue reading “A Mighty Guidance”

Inner View · Personal reflections · Reminders to self · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

When it Hurts

  When you dig and dig some more to find out why something bothers you so much, it hurts. When you discover, or at least you think you have discovered, the real reason why something bothers you so much, it hurts. When you figure out that the real reason why something bothers you so much… Continue reading When it Hurts

Inner View · Reminders to self · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

On Divine Grace

The entire existence, this world is a gradual self-expression and manifestation of the Divine, says the Indian spiritual tradition. But without the vision to experience the world, and everything and everyone in the world, as a manifestation of the Divine, and more importantly, without the experience of our own self as a manifestation and as… Continue reading On Divine Grace

Inner View · Personal reflections · Reminders to self · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

This simple formula — Wash, Rinse, Repeat — is not only good for our hair, it works wonders for one’s mind and heart as well. Yes, the mind and heart also need some good, regular cleansing. The dirt and dust left over from small, medium and big stresses, the dryness and dullness resulting from all sorts of repetitive and mundane… Continue reading Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Personal reflections · Reminders to self · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Reminder to Reject

A slightly revised version of this article was published in Sri Aurobindo’s Action: Journal of Resurgence of India (August 2018 issue) Once again I am reminded of the need for constantly becoming aware of those countless little, pesky flaws in my nature that stand in the way of making the inner aspiration more sincere and… Continue reading Reminder to Reject

Indian Culture · Indian Religion · Inner View · Reminders to self · Satyam Shivam Sundaram · Spirituality beyond Religion · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Surrender to the Guru

Every time I find myself getting somewhat lost or scattered in the multiplicity of noises coming from here and there, I feel this deep need to go back to the basics, I mean the most basic fundamentals of the path I aspire to pursue. This is one of the ways I have discovered which helps me to re-gain my inner poise,… Continue reading Surrender to the Guru

"All Music is Only the Sound of His Laughter" · Indian Culture · Indian Religion · Spirituality beyond Religion

हिंदी दिवस के अवसर पर…On Hindi Day

कभी कभी जब मन कुछ विचलित सा होता है तो व्यक्ति कई उपाय खोजता है मन को स्थिर करने के लिए। ऐसा ही एक उपाय खोजते खोजते आज मैं अपने इस ब्लॉग पर एक वर्ष पूर्व की आज ही के दिन, अर्थात हिंदी दिवस के दिन की, प्रस्तुति तक पहुँच गई। उसे पढ़ा, उसके मूल सार पर, मुख्य भाव पर कुछ… Continue reading हिंदी दिवस के अवसर पर…On Hindi Day

Indian Culture · Personal reflections · Spiritual Significance of Flowers · Words of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Mantra of Protection

The other day when searching for something in Volume 5 of Collected Works of the Mother, the following words caught my attention: “There is the purely mechanical, material prayer, with words which have been learnt and are mechanically repeated. That does not signify anything much. And that has usually only one single result, that of… Continue reading Mantra of Protection