Release of Renaissance, Volume V, Issue 5
Date: May 21, 2024
We continue our series on Streams of Sadhana by focusing our attention to the place of Silence and Solitude in Sadhana.
For the silence to settle in, in each part of oneself, intense sādhana is called for. A lifetime of tapasyā may not be enough, and yet to attain a silent mind is the first step towards true knowledge and experience of the Divine, reminds Sri Aurobindo. But for the Mahayogi, the Maharishi Sri Aurobindo, the realization of Silent Brahman came in three days, rather one, as he described in several letters to his disciples.
Despite our well-intentioned efforts to quieten ourselves, often we get caught in the voices of what Sri Aurobindo refers to to as “the gods of the heart, the gods of the mind, the gods of desire, the gods of sense.” These voices sneak in inevitably as long as all these parts within aren’t completely purified. While these voices alter and distort the Voice of the Supreme, yet as Sri Aurobindo tells us, it is through these voices also we are being led according to our unique natures and temperaments.
We invite you to enjoy two beautiful poems by Nirodbaran which perfectly address two key points concerning Silence. His ‘Soul’s Silence’ speaks of that deep yearning of a sādhaka for a profound and constant silence. And the other titled ‘One Moment’ reminds us how ephemeral that moment of deep Silence can be in which we connect with the Divine.
Silence is all, say the sages. But Sri Aurobindo in his poem ‘Silence is All’ asks – has the Cosmic Scribe not also written of the Word, Thought, & Light? Watch a video inspired by this delightful poem. Also read a few letters of Sri Aurobindo in which throws light on the rightful place of and the right attitude toward solitude and retirement from external activity in the path of Integral Yoga.
Like our previous issue, this time too we have one offering in Hindi. In a piece titled हृदय में ज्ञान का दीप मौन में ही जलता है, Dimple Chhabra reflects on the need to cultivate a deep inner silence if we aspire to grow in deeper knowledge and get closer to the Divine.
We are also happy to feature a thought-provoking and timely article submitted by two young authors. Anshika Agrawal and Kaushik Reddy caution us about the perpetual noise of social media and its power to make us forget the value of silent reflection. They urge us to seek answer to a crucial question of our time: how to be human in the age of social media.
