Aug. 17, 2025
Divine Realisation and the Uplifting and Perfection of Life in the World
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YouTube reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pg. 152This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/08/15/divine-realisation-and-the-uplifting-and-perfection-of-life-in-the-world/
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
1
00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:05,080
The ancient sages of India, as
we see in some of the texts that
2
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:09,200
have come down to us through the
course of time, understood the
3
00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,520
balance between the internal and
the external, between individual
4
00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,360
liberation and a balanced
activity in the world.
5
00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,640
They recognized the individual
role as part of the divine
6
00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,800
manifestation and embraced it.
The issue Upanishad makes this
7
00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:32,840
clear in its short compass, the
Titiria Upanishad goes to great
8
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,640
lengths to ensure that the
seeker does not abandon the
9
00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:40,280
material world.
The Bhagavad Gita also embraces
10
00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,360
the idea of undertaking an
active life while obtaining
11
00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,200
liberation through rejection of
desire for the results of
12
00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,360
actions.
The Mahabharata, the Ramayana
13
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,520
and various of the Puranas
emphasizes through their
14
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,880
depictions of the lives of
individuals who remained
15
00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,840
householders, who occupied
positions of power and
16
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:08,200
responsibility in some cases,
yet who were clearly liberated
17
00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,240
souls.
The story of Milarepa, the great
18
00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:18,240
Yogi of Tibet, introduces us to
his guru Marpa, who was himself
19
00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,720
a householder with a family.
For some period of time.
20
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,800
This balance was lost and a
single seeking for liberation
21
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,120
through abandonment of the outer
life became the operative
22
00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,720
principle.
This led to a period in Indian
23
00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,800
history that very much
disregarded the external life in
24
00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,880
favor of the life of the
renunciate, the anchorite, the
25
00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:47,120
satu.
In every field of human life we
26
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,560
see that certain individuals
focus on a specific line of
27
00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,640
development and some become pre
eminent in that field.
28
00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,680
We honour those individuals for
their achievement in whatever
29
00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,520
field they happen to excel.
Thus we can honour those who
30
00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,840
have made the commitment to
individual liberation as their
31
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:14,200
sole focus and goal in life.
It is a difficult Rd., yet they
32
00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,120
have chosen to take this path
and reach a fulfilment.
33
00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,200
This does not, however, reduce
the value or the importance of
34
00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,800
achieving a balance between the
inner life and the outer life.
35
00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,720
Srioro Bindo has explained this
in his magnum opus The Life
36
00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:36,440
Divine, where he begins by
describing the human aspiration,
37
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,840
then takes up the two major
opposing options for exclusive
38
00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:46,720
concentration, the materialist
and the ascetic, and reconciles
39
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,920
them in his affirmation of a
soul omnipresent reality.
40
00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,920
As he works through the issues
of addressing the human
41
00:02:54,920 --> 00:03:00,120
aspiration, it is important to
note that the final chapter of
42
00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,200
the work is dedicated to
achievement of a divine life on
43
00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,640
earth.
This implies taking up all the
44
00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:13,840
powers of man, physical, vital,
mental, psychic and spiritual,
45
00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:19,880
and uplifting, transforming and
integrating them into a balance
46
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,800
and a harmonious working out of
this divine life on earth.
47
00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:29,880
Sri Aurobindo notes quote
Divinization itself does not
48
00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,280
mean the destruction of the
human elements.
49
00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:36,960
It means taking them up, showing
them the way to their own
50
00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:41,400
perfection, raising them by
purification and perfection to
51
00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:46,160
their full power and Ananda.
And that means raising of the
52
00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,560
whole of earthly life to its
full power and Ananda.
53
00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,040
End Quote.
Reference.
54
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,840
Sri Ro Bindu and the Mother
looking from within, Chapter 5.
55
00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,600
Attitudes on the Path, page 152.
00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:05,080
The ancient sages of India, as
we see in some of the texts that
2
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:09,200
have come down to us through the
course of time, understood the
3
00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,520
balance between the internal and
the external, between individual
4
00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,360
liberation and a balanced
activity in the world.
5
00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,640
They recognized the individual
role as part of the divine
6
00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,800
manifestation and embraced it.
The issue Upanishad makes this
7
00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:32,840
clear in its short compass, the
Titiria Upanishad goes to great
8
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,640
lengths to ensure that the
seeker does not abandon the
9
00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:40,280
material world.
The Bhagavad Gita also embraces
10
00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,360
the idea of undertaking an
active life while obtaining
11
00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,200
liberation through rejection of
desire for the results of
12
00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,360
actions.
The Mahabharata, the Ramayana
13
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,520
and various of the Puranas
emphasizes through their
14
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,880
depictions of the lives of
individuals who remained
15
00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,840
householders, who occupied
positions of power and
16
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:08,200
responsibility in some cases,
yet who were clearly liberated
17
00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,240
souls.
The story of Milarepa, the great
18
00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:18,240
Yogi of Tibet, introduces us to
his guru Marpa, who was himself
19
00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,720
a householder with a family.
For some period of time.
20
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,800
This balance was lost and a
single seeking for liberation
21
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,120
through abandonment of the outer
life became the operative
22
00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,720
principle.
This led to a period in Indian
23
00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,800
history that very much
disregarded the external life in
24
00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,880
favor of the life of the
renunciate, the anchorite, the
25
00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:47,120
satu.
In every field of human life we
26
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,560
see that certain individuals
focus on a specific line of
27
00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,640
development and some become pre
eminent in that field.
28
00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,680
We honour those individuals for
their achievement in whatever
29
00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,520
field they happen to excel.
Thus we can honour those who
30
00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,840
have made the commitment to
individual liberation as their
31
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:14,200
sole focus and goal in life.
It is a difficult Rd., yet they
32
00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,120
have chosen to take this path
and reach a fulfilment.
33
00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,200
This does not, however, reduce
the value or the importance of
34
00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,800
achieving a balance between the
inner life and the outer life.
35
00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,720
Srioro Bindo has explained this
in his magnum opus The Life
36
00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:36,440
Divine, where he begins by
describing the human aspiration,
37
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,840
then takes up the two major
opposing options for exclusive
38
00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:46,720
concentration, the materialist
and the ascetic, and reconciles
39
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,920
them in his affirmation of a
soul omnipresent reality.
40
00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,920
As he works through the issues
of addressing the human
41
00:02:54,920 --> 00:03:00,120
aspiration, it is important to
note that the final chapter of
42
00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,200
the work is dedicated to
achievement of a divine life on
43
00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,640
earth.
This implies taking up all the
44
00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:13,840
powers of man, physical, vital,
mental, psychic and spiritual,
45
00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:19,880
and uplifting, transforming and
integrating them into a balance
46
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,800
and a harmonious working out of
this divine life on earth.
47
00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:29,880
Sri Aurobindo notes quote
Divinization itself does not
48
00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,280
mean the destruction of the
human elements.
49
00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:36,960
It means taking them up, showing
them the way to their own
50
00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:41,400
perfection, raising them by
purification and perfection to
51
00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:46,160
their full power and Ananda.
And that means raising of the
52
00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,560
whole of earthly life to its
full power and Ananda.
53
00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,040
End Quote.
Reference.
54
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,840
Sri Ro Bindu and the Mother
looking from within, Chapter 5.
55
00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,600
Attitudes on the Path, page 152.