Date: June 16, 2025
Venue: Online
As part of the week-long celebration of International Yoga Day 2025, organised by AuroYajna, Sri Aurobindo Society, Dr. Beloo Mehra, Director, BhāratShakti, was invited to deliver two talks on June 16 and 17. The theme of the celebration was – Yoga and Awakening: Bharat’s Gift to the World.
On June 16, 2025, Dr. Mehra spoke on the topic – Harmony Within and Without. Through her presentation, based on selected insights from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Dr. Mehra brought out the significance of harmony as one of the key aspects of self-perfection that is an important aim of Integral Yoga. Starting with a brief elaboration of a key point made by Sri Aurobindo that “all problems of existence are essentially problems of harmony,” she highlighted an important advice given by the Mother which reminds us to look for the inner causes of disharmony much more than the outer ones, because it is “the inside which governs the outside”.
Dr. Mehra gave a few specific examples to bring to light how practicing harmony is a continuous process and requires one to become conscious of the movements within, in all parts of one’s being. She also shared a couple of small anecdotes to emphasise the need to constantly work out a harmonious organisation of one’s emotions, feelings, thoughts around whatever one considers as the highest ideal within.
Dr. Mehra also highlighted that Harmony has been considered an important aspect of the Indian view on Beauty and Art. And she gave a few examples of Indian architecture and painting through the pictures selected for her powerpoint presentation. She added that the relation between harmony and creativity also helps us understand that we are all inherently capable of creating a beautiful, harmonious inner and outer life if we develop the yogic attitude that an artist is supposed to cultivate as per the Indian aesthetic tradition.
She also brought out the connection between harmonising and aligning the different parts within to the soul-values of equality as well as detached and disinterested action. While briefly discussing the Mahalakshmi aspect as the Power of Harmony and Beauty, Dr. Mehra also explained, with suitable examples, Sri Aurobindo’s reference to the Triple Harmony between Love, Strength and Wisdom.
