A Podcast Featuring Sri Aurobindo Studies
July 27, 2024

Just Because We Cannot Observe It Directly, Does Not Mean Spiritual Force Does Not Exist

Just Because We Cannot Observe It Directly, Does Not Mean Spiritual Force Does Not Exist

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch.7 Spiritual Forces of Help and Succour, pp.160-162 This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2024/07/22/just-because-we-cannot-observe-it-directly-does-not-mean-spiritual-force-does-not-exist/

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A devotee reported several
incidents that appeared to be

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the result of spiritual force.
The first occurred in early 1973

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in Los Angeles.
He attended a talk by Udar Pinto

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of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and
afterwards joined his party for

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dinner, at which there was
extensive discussion.

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Udar told the devotee.
You should come to the ashram.

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The devotee replied that he had
no money and had no idea how he

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would be able to pay for the
plane flight or stay in

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Pondicherry, India.
Udar said Mother will provide

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afterwards.
That night when the devotee went

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back to his parents house where
he was staying, he was

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confronted by them.
They insisted he see a

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psychiatrist as they felt he had
abandoned his career and

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prospects by chasing crazy
ideas.

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He declined.
They then said that their only

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other option was to give him a
ticket to India and funds for a

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year's stay so that he could see
for himself and work it out of

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his system.
He saw the way the Mother had

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chosen to provide as a spiritual
event intervening in his life.

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Another incident occurred for
the devotee the same year.

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The Mother used to give darshan
from the balcony on specific

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days each year.
The August 15th, 1973 darshan

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was not expected to occur due to
her fragile state of health.

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The devotee was, however,
awakened early in the morning

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around 3:00 AM with a jolt of
powerful energy just about

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lifting him out of the bed, and
he reported feeling like he was

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almost walking on air.
And he knew at that moment that

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the darshan would take place,
despite the fact that everyone

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had indicated it would not
occur.

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When he went to the ashram
building later that morning, he

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saw the sign that announced the
darshan would occur in the

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evening.
People everywhere have

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inexplicable stories relating to
their inner spiritual

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experiences, their relations
with their guru, miracle cures

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that occur after praying to the
guru, etcetera.

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In his extraordinary book,
Autobiography of a Yogi,

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Paramount's Yogananda recounts
innumerable incidents of

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spiritual forces at work, many
of his own direct experience,

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numerous with witnesses and
recounts of trusted individuals

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in his life who provided similar
evidence of things that were

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inexplicable to the logical
mind, but which advanced the

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spiritual direction, guidance,
and growth of the individuals

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involved.
One incident involved his being

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healed from a dire case of
Asiatic cholera.

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Quote.
My life was despaired of.

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The doctors could do nothing.
At my bedside, Mother

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frantically motioned me to look
at Lahiri Mahosia's picture on

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the wall above my head.
Bow to him.

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Mentally, she knew I was too
feeble even to lift my hands.

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And in salutation, if you really
show your devotion and inwardly

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kneel before him, your life will
be spared.

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I gazed at his photograph and
saw there a blinding light

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enveloping my body and the
entire room.

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My nausea and other
uncontrollable symptoms

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disappeared.
I was well at once.

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I felt strong enough to bend
over and touch Mother's feet in

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appreciation of her immeasurable
faith in her, girl grew.

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O omnipresent Master, I thank
Thee that thy light hath healed

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my son.
I realized that she too had

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witnessed the luminous blaze
through which I had instantly

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recovered from a usually fatal
disease.

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End Quote.
Sri Aurobindo himself told of

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his experiences during his time
as an under trial detainee and

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also during his trial in the
Alapur bomb conspiracy case.

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He was eventually acquitted in
his tales of prison life and in

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the remarkable Uttar Para speech
he provided ample evidence and

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examples in his own life.
Of spiritual power at work, Sri

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Rabindo writes quote.
It is evident that if spiritual

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force exists, it must be able to
produce spiritual results.

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Therefore, there is no
irrationality in the claim of

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those Sadaks who say that they
feel the force of the Guru or

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the force of the Divine working
in them and leading towards

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spiritual fulfillment and
experience.

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Whether it is so or not in a
particular case is a personal

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question, but the statement
cannot be denounced as per SE

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and credible and manifestly
false because such things cannot

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be.
Further, if it be true that

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spiritual force is the original
one and the others are

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derivative from it, and there is
no irrationality, and supposing

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that spiritual force can produce
mental results, vital results,

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physical results, it may act
through mental, vital or or

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physical energies and through
the means which these energies

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use.
Or it may act directly on mine,

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life or matter as the field of
its own special and immediate

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action.
Either way, as prima facie if

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possible.
In a case of cure of illness,

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someone is ill for two days,
weak, suffering from pains and

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fever.
He takes no medicine, but

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finally asked for cure from his
guru.

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The next morning he rises well,
strong and energetic.

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He has at least some
justification for thinking that

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a force has been used on him and
put into him, and that it was a

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spiritual power that acted.
But in another case medicines

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may be used, while at the same
time the invisible force may be

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called for to aid the material
means.

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For it is a known fact that
medicines may or may not

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succeed.
There is no certitude here for

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the reason of an outside
observer, one who is neither the

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user of the force nor the doctor
nor the patient.

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It remains uncertain whether the
patient was cured by the

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medicines only or by the
spiritual. 4th with the

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medicines as an instrument.
Either is possible, and it

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cannot be said that because
medicines were used, therefore,

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the working of a spiritual force
is per SE incredible and

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demonstrably false.
On the other hand, it is

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possible for the doctor to have
felt a force working in him and

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guiding him, or he may see the
patient improving with a

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rapidity which according to
medical science is incredible.

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The patient may feel the force
working in himself, bringing

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health, energy, rapid cure.
The user of the force may watch

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the results, see the symptoms he
works on, diminishing those he

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did not work upon, increasing
till he does work on them, and

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then immediately diminishing the
doctor, working according to his

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unspoken suggestions, etcetera,
etcetera, until the cure is

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done.
On the other hand, he may see

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forces working against the cure
and conclude that the spiritual

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force has to be contented with a
withdrawal or an imperfect

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success In all that the doctor,
the patient, or the user of

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force is justified in believing
that the cure is at least

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partially or even fundamentally
due to the spiritual force.

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Their experience is valid, of
course, for themselves only, not

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for the outside rationalizing
observer.

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But the latter is not logically
entitled to say that their

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experience is incredible and
must be false.

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Another point, it does not
follow that a spiritual force

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must either succeed in all cases
or if it does not, that proves

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its non existence.
Of no force.

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Can that be said?
The force of fire is to burn,

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but there are things it does not
burn under certain

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circumstances.
It does not burn even the feet

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of the man who walks barefoot on
red hot coals.

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That does not prove that fire
cannot burn or that there's no

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such thing as force of fire.
Agni Shakti, I have no time to

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write more.
It is not necessary either.

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My object was not to show that
spiritual force must be believed

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in, but the that the belief in
it is not necessarily a delusion

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and that this belief can be
rational as well as possible.

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End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu
and the Mother.

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The Hidden Forces of Life,
Chapter 7, Spiritual Forces of

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Help and Succor, pages 160 to
162.