Date: November 22, 2025
Venue: Matriniketan, Pondicherry
As part of the residential programme organized by Uditam: Institute for Integral Healing, Sri Aurobindo Society, Dr. Beloo Mehra, Director, BhāratShakti, was invited to facilitate a group discussion session on Saturday, November 22, 2025. For her session, Dr. Mehra focused on the topic – The Power that is Mahalakshmi.
Dr. Mehra began her talk by briefly outlining Sri Aurobindo’s discussion of the Four Aspects of the Mother – Maheshwari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati. Considering that all the participants were new to Sri Aurobindo’s vision, she kept her explanation very simple and used examples from life to illustrate the deeper powers of these four aspects.
Taking a few basic examples, Dr. Mehra said that in order to understand these four powers in a more relatable manner at our human psychological level, we should explore the rightful place of Wisdom, Strength, Harmony and Perfection as aspects of our work to develop our total personality as an integral being. And it is also important to recognise that these are not four separate powers but four which are integral aspects of One Shakti.
After briefly mentioning a few key attributes of the first two powers, Dr. Mehra brought the focus to Mahalakshmi and connected it to the idea of mutuality and interchange of energies and resources which leads to greater harmony in inner and outer life. In an interactive manner, she brought out how this power is also linked to money.
Dr. Mehra read out a few key points from Sri Aurobindo’s description of Mahalakshmi. Wherever there is love, unity, refinement, and aspiration towards the Divine, Mahalakshmi consents to dwell, saturating life with her sacred influence. She explained that Mahalakshmi’s presence brings a transformative power of sweetness, tenderness, grace, and irresistible attraction, making existence itself radiant and marvel-filled. But she demands harmony and beauty not just outwardly but in thought, feeling, action, and environment.
From a psycho-spiritual perspective, Dr. Mehra said that we must understand that places or hearts marked by discord, selfishness, ugliness, harshness, and negative energies (jealousy, greed, hatred, strife) repel Mahalakshmi; she withdraws and will not linger in such atmospheres. Furthermore, ascetic harshness or rigid bareness, suppression of genuine emotion and repression of the soul are displeasing to her.
To invite Mahalakshmi is to cultivate beauty, harmony, and love in every sphere of life, inner and outer, Dr. Mehra summarised. Where such qualities flourish, she bestows divine delight and refines wisdom, devotion, and strength into their highest, most harmonious forms.
All these points were discussed in an interactive manner with the help of appropriate examples. Connecting these powers with the chaturvarna system using relevant examples, Dr. Mehra highlighted the necessity of becoming aware of our psychological make-up so that we can gradually identify our innate svabhava.
Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, who was also present at the session, brought in the point about recognising the interconnection among the four powers. Dr. Mehra emphasised that the future age requires that we grow as integral being, which means that we must cultivate all these four powers within us, though one or two may be predominant in us giving us our unique svabhava.