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Namah Vol. 29, Issue 1, 24th April 2021

with the Divine. Similarly, other vital vital, and physical nature. They present
movements that may arise in us in our formidable obstacles to the development of
relations with others such as anger, jealousy, this inner psychic poise, this firm anchoring of
or sexual desire should be rejected. Family ourselves on the psychic consciousness, this
ties also should not interfere with the central quiet leaning for support on the Divine, and
relation with the Divine, and if they do, then the natural outflow of the psychic feelings
sometimes they have to be renounced or else and its guidance through surrendered and
be allowed to drop away gradually. In one responsive instruments of our outer nature.
letter, Sri Aurobindo says:
Let us now take a closer look at these
“Relations after taking up Yoga should be less obstacles of the outer nature. The principal
and less based on physical origin or the habits obstacle in the lower nature is desire.
of the physical consciousness and more and Sri Aurobindo says of desire that it, “…
more on the basis of sadhana — of sadhak invades the sensational mind and brings into
with sadhaks, of others as souls travelling the it the unquiet thirst of sensations, invades
same path or children of the Mother than in the the dynamic mind with the lust of control,
ordinary way or with the old viewpoint (23).” having, domination, success, fulfilment of
every impulse, fills the emotional mind with
Sri Aurobindo explains that the movement the desire for the satisfaction of liking and
from our existing relations prior to yoga, to disliking, for the wreaking of love and hate,
the spiritual ideal for our relations with others brings the shrinkings and panics of fear and
may differ for different people. He describes the strainings and disappointments of hope,
two main approaches. One is leave behind imposes the tortures of grief and the brief fevers
our earlier relations and focus exclusively and excitements of joy, makes the intelligence
on the relation with the Divine and only and intelligent will the accomplices of all these
allow new relations that may develop in things and turns them in their own kind into
the course of the sadhana that are a part of it. deformed and lame instruments, the will into a
The other approach is, “… to go forward from will of craving and the intelligence into a partial,
where one is, seeking the Divine centrally a stumbling and an eager pursuer of limited,
and subordinating all else to that, but not impatient, militant prejudgment and opinion.
putting everything else aside, rather seeking to Desire is the root of all sorrow, disappointment,
transform gradually and progressively whatever affliction, for though it has a feverish joy of
is capable of such transformation… (24).” pursuit and satisfaction, yet because it is always
a straining of the being, it carries into its pursuit
Inner obstacles to yogic relations with and its getting a labour, hunger, struggle, a
others rapid subjection to fatigue, a sense of limitation,
dissatisfaction and early disappointment with
This gives a general idea of the ideal towards all its gains, a ceaseless morbid stimulation,
which we must move and the attitudes which trouble, disquiet, asānti…. (25).”
we must develop. Standing in the way of
this development are the normal egoistic This is a kind of psychological analysis that
attitudes and tendencies of our outer mind, shows how desire gets into and perverts the

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