The Mother

This small Book is the work of a great Spiritual Teacher, Sri Aurobindo, who condensed his immense knowledge and understanding into an incredibly small text [only 64 pages in small format in this edition] which is, to all extent, a Manual for spiritual practitioners. All Hindus and seekers alike may find relevant teachings in it, but individuals interested in Shaktism, the particular Path within Hinduism focused on the Divine in Feminine form, Shakti, may find this book particularly important. Aurobindo (1872-1950), was born in Bengal and became one of the great spiritual thinkers of India, acquiring fame also in the West for his universalist message and his extensive knowledge of western culture, including western philosophy, western languages (in addition to English, he had a profound knowledge of Classical Greek and Latin, as well as French and German) and history. However, not all are fully aware of how deeply rooted in Shakta philosophy his message is. This small manual is a sort of spiritual guide from a Shakti standpoint. In the first five chapters, the important ethical guidelines for a spiritual practitioner are outlined. The sixth chapter outlines a sequence of attributes of Shakti in Her Four aspects: MahaShakti, MahaKali, MahaLaksmhi and MahaSaraswati. For their intensity, power, and depth, the descriptions of the four aspects of Shakti remind me more of Hymns taken from a Purana, or from the Poetry of a Ramprasad (the 18th century Bengali poet who wrote magnificent Hymns to the Goddess), than of a modern essay. Yet, they were written in the 20th century, in a poetic English, for use of the modern people. My words cannot convey the intensity of Aurobindo's thought, and I prefer to simply quote from him, to give the readers a hint of this book. From Aurobindo's own words: ``Imperial Maheshwari is seated in the wideness above the thinking mind and will and sublimates and greatens them into wisdom and largeness or floods with a splendor beyond them. For she is the mighty and wise One who opens us to the supramental infinities and the cosmic vastness, to the grandeur of the supreme Light,..'' When describing Mahakali: ``MahaKali is of another nature. Not wideness but height, not wisdom but force and strength are her peculiar power. There is in her an overwhelming intensity, a mighty passion of force to achieve, a divine violence rushing to shatter every limit and obstacles.'' When describing MahaLakshmi... ``all turn with joy and longing to MahaLakshmi. For she throws the spell of the intoxicating sweetness of the Divine: to be close to her is a profound happiness and to feel her within the heart is to make existence a rapture and a marvel;..'' Finally, Aurobindo's words on MahaSaraswati: ``MahaSaraswati is the Mother's Power of Work and her spirit of perfection and order. .. ``Always she holds in her nature and can give to those whom she has chosen the intimate and precise knowledge, the subtlety and patience, the accuracy of

God as Divine Mother is a huge subject in Hinduism. And, it is poorly understood, especially in the western world. In this little book, Sri Aurobindo describes Divine Mother as One with four personalities: Maheshwari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. Then He discusses how She plays Her many roles through them. This book contains a lot of Spiritual truths, many of which are not going to be understandable by mere rationalization. If you think that religion is just faith, this book is not for you. A little background is also necessary to understand the context of this book. There are a number of ways sages have taught us about God as Divine Mother. Shakta Tantra describes Her as Dasa-Mahavidya. Mystic Shaktas have described Her according to the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. I have not seen this discussed in any one book, that means, you'll probably have to study a lot to even get the basic ideas. Divine Mother as Shakti (avyaakrita paramaa prakriti), as Deities (Brahma-mayi, Ichhaa-mayi, Lilaa-mayi and Kaala-bhayahaarini Mother) or in the body as the Kundalini, are not at all easy to understand, even after a lot of study. In this little book, Sri Aurobindo presents Divine Mother in a somewhat easier way, even though the book itself is not that easy to read. You will have to read it again and again. The more you understand this book, the more you will love it, and appreciate the insights into the meaning of worship.