Date: June 18, 2022
Venue: Antioch University, USA
Watch a recording of this talk HERE.
Dr. Beloo Mehra from Sri Aurobindo Society was recently invited to deliver a talk at the IMA Colloquium organised by Antioch University, Ohio, USA. This event was part of the Individualised Master of Arts programme of the university and was held on June 18, 2022. The theme of the colloquium was – Spirituality and Motherhood. Dr. Mehra was asked to give a lecture on the significance of the yogic work of the Mother, spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo.
Dr. Mehra started her talk titled “The Mother and New Consciousness” by pointing out that April 24, 1920 marks a very special date in the spiritual history of the earth. This is when The Mother arrived in Pondicherry to be always with Sri Aurobindo and collaborate in the Supramental Yoga to bring down a new consciousness on the earth.
Referring to Sri Aurobindo’s comment that “it is only by a change of consciousness that the true basis of life can be discovered,” she pointed out that this change of consciousness, at the cosmic level, is about the change from Mind to Supermind as the founding principle of all creation, all manifestation.
Given that almost all the audience members were relatively new to the Mother and her tremendous spiritual work – though some may have heard about Sri Aurobindo especially as the world is today celebrating his 150 years – Dr. Mehra patiently walked the audience through a brief history of the Vedic and Tantric lines of spiritual quest and realisation, before introducing them to what is unique about Integral Yoga and its aims.
She added that before we can get to exploring a bit about Supermind, it was necessary to have a bit of background information about the spiritual history of mankind, particularly as it played out in India – that grand laboratory chosen by the evolving spirit in humanity when it comes to deeper quest and seeking on matters of the spirit.
Dr. Mehra also took a few minutes to explain what is understood by the Divine Shakti or Divine Mother in the Indian tradition. She added that as per the Indian spiritual tradition, it is essentially the Executive Power of the Supreme Being or the Supreme Creatrix Consciousness which is truly in-charge of all the manifestation, which is what we call as The Divine Mother. And Prakriti or Nature is, in truth, the lower and limited form of the Divine Shakti, which is also known as the Para Prakriti.
Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga, Dr. Mehra pointed out, is a synthesis of both the Vedic-Vedantic and Tantric spiritual realisation but also transcends them both by bringing in the element of Transformation. This is the point she further elaborated as she proceeded in her exploration.
Through her patient and specific elaboration, Dr. Mehra took the audience to the point where she spoke about the evening of 29 February 1956, when during a collective meditation with the Mother in the Ashram playground a stupendous event happened which opened the gateway for the next future of the earth-consciousness. The manifestation of the Supramental in the earth consciousness was achieved.
Dr. Mehra also spoke about how on 24th July, 1957 the Mother described the significance of this great spiritual event as the beginning of a new world. Such colossal work required the advent of the dual avatāra– of Ishwara and Shakti – on the earth, Dr. Mehra added. This is the real significance of the collaborative supramental yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, the real significance of the Mother’s final coming to India on 24th April 1920.
Dr. Mehra concluded her talk with a few relevant lines from Savitri, and reading out an important letter from Sri Aurobindo where he described the Mother’s work in his yoga.