Oct. 31, 2025
Personal Effort Needed in Spiritual Practice and the Action of the Divine Force
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 2, Faith — Aspiration — Surrender, pp. 28-29This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/personal-effort-needed-in-spiritual-practice-and-the-action-of-the-divine-force/
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#Sri Aurobindo #The Mother #Sadhana #Sadhaka #Divine Force #spiritual growth #consciousness
1
00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,160
The spiritual seeker starts out
from the standpoint of the human
2
00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,800
individual, the ego
consciousness.
3
00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,280
The process of spiritual
development involves A
4
00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:14,240
systematic shift of the
standpoint to the divine
5
00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,600
standpoint.
This process does not occur
6
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:22,440
overnight and does not proceed
automatically, but requires some
7
00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,640
effort on the part of the
individual.
8
00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,040
Without this effort, the human
nature remains essentially
9
00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:34,280
unchanged, locked into the ego
personality and unable to fully
10
00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,920
integrate the higher powers of
consciousness.
11
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,720
In his book The Mother, Sri
Aurobindo devotes several
12
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,960
chapters to this process, the
steps along the way and the
13
00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,560
needed personal effort, both in
terms of what it needs to be and
14
00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:55,280
the rationale for such effort.
Quote The personal effort
15
00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:59,680
required is a triple labor of
aspiration, rejection and
16
00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,280
surrender.
In proportion as the surrender
17
00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,480
and self consecration progress,
the sodic becomes conscious of
18
00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:11,520
the divine Shakti doing the
Sadhna, pouring into him more
19
00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:16,160
and more of Herself, founding in
him the freedom and perfection
20
00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,000
of the divine nature.
The more this conscious process
21
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,200
replaces his own effort, the
more rapid and true becomes his
22
00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,760
progress.
But it cannot completely replace
23
00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,760
the necessity of personal effort
until the surrender and
24
00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,440
consecration are pure and
complete from top to bottom.
25
00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,440
Note that a Temasek surrender,
refusing to fulfill the
26
00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:45,240
conditions and calling on God to
do everything and save one all
27
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:50,040
the trouble and struggle is a
deception and does not lead to
28
00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:55,040
freedom and perfection.
He goes on in this same text to
29
00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,280
outline the nature and detailed
steps of the aspiration, the
30
00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:04,840
rejection and the surrender.
It becomes quickly obvious that
31
00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:09,759
as long as one still is based in
the ego, there is a need to tune
32
00:02:09,759 --> 00:02:13,440
the aspiration to the higher
powers, to remove the
33
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,160
obstructions and static in the
reception of the higher forces
34
00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:22,600
into one's being and to then
allow those forces to act to
35
00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,120
transform the mental, vital and
physical aspects of the being.
36
00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:33,000
Sriorabinda writes quote.
It is not possible to get rid of
37
00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,480
the stress on personal effort at
once and not always desirable,
38
00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,440
for personal effort is better
than temasek inertia.
39
00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,840
The personal effort has to be
transformed progressively into a
40
00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:50,400
movement of the divine force.
If you feel conscious of the
41
00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:55,120
divine force, then call it in
more and more to govern your
42
00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,480
effort, to take it up, to
transform it into something not
43
00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,840
yours but the Mother's.
There will be a sort of
44
00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,840
transfer, a taking up of the
forces at work in the personal
45
00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,560
Attar, a transfer not suddenly
complete but progressive.
46
00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,560
But the psychic poise is
necessary, the discrimination
47
00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,160
must develop which sees
accurately what is the divine
48
00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:24,360
force, what is the element of
personal effort, and what is
49
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,480
brought in as a mixture from the
lower cosmic forces.
50
00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,360
And until the transfer is
complete, which always takes
51
00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:37,560
time, there must always be as a
personal contribution, a
52
00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:43,240
constant consent to the true
Force, a constant rejection of
53
00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,720
any lower mixture.
At present, to give up personal
54
00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,680
effort is not what is wanted,
but to call in more and more of
55
00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,560
the Divine Power and govern and
guide it the personal endeavour.
56
00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:02,120
End Quote.
Reference Sri Aurobindo, Basis
57
00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:07,240
of Yoga, Chapter 2.
Faith, Aspiration Surrender,
58
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:09,880
pages 28 to 29.
00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,160
The spiritual seeker starts out
from the standpoint of the human
2
00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,800
individual, the ego
consciousness.
3
00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,280
The process of spiritual
development involves A
4
00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:14,240
systematic shift of the
standpoint to the divine
5
00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,600
standpoint.
This process does not occur
6
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:22,440
overnight and does not proceed
automatically, but requires some
7
00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,640
effort on the part of the
individual.
8
00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,040
Without this effort, the human
nature remains essentially
9
00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:34,280
unchanged, locked into the ego
personality and unable to fully
10
00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,920
integrate the higher powers of
consciousness.
11
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,720
In his book The Mother, Sri
Aurobindo devotes several
12
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,960
chapters to this process, the
steps along the way and the
13
00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,560
needed personal effort, both in
terms of what it needs to be and
14
00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:55,280
the rationale for such effort.
Quote The personal effort
15
00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:59,680
required is a triple labor of
aspiration, rejection and
16
00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,280
surrender.
In proportion as the surrender
17
00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,480
and self consecration progress,
the sodic becomes conscious of
18
00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:11,520
the divine Shakti doing the
Sadhna, pouring into him more
19
00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:16,160
and more of Herself, founding in
him the freedom and perfection
20
00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,000
of the divine nature.
The more this conscious process
21
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,200
replaces his own effort, the
more rapid and true becomes his
22
00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,760
progress.
But it cannot completely replace
23
00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,760
the necessity of personal effort
until the surrender and
24
00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,440
consecration are pure and
complete from top to bottom.
25
00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,440
Note that a Temasek surrender,
refusing to fulfill the
26
00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:45,240
conditions and calling on God to
do everything and save one all
27
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:50,040
the trouble and struggle is a
deception and does not lead to
28
00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:55,040
freedom and perfection.
He goes on in this same text to
29
00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,280
outline the nature and detailed
steps of the aspiration, the
30
00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:04,840
rejection and the surrender.
It becomes quickly obvious that
31
00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:09,759
as long as one still is based in
the ego, there is a need to tune
32
00:02:09,759 --> 00:02:13,440
the aspiration to the higher
powers, to remove the
33
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,160
obstructions and static in the
reception of the higher forces
34
00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:22,600
into one's being and to then
allow those forces to act to
35
00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,120
transform the mental, vital and
physical aspects of the being.
36
00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:33,000
Sriorabinda writes quote.
It is not possible to get rid of
37
00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,480
the stress on personal effort at
once and not always desirable,
38
00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,440
for personal effort is better
than temasek inertia.
39
00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,840
The personal effort has to be
transformed progressively into a
40
00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:50,400
movement of the divine force.
If you feel conscious of the
41
00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:55,120
divine force, then call it in
more and more to govern your
42
00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,480
effort, to take it up, to
transform it into something not
43
00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,840
yours but the Mother's.
There will be a sort of
44
00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,840
transfer, a taking up of the
forces at work in the personal
45
00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,560
Attar, a transfer not suddenly
complete but progressive.
46
00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,560
But the psychic poise is
necessary, the discrimination
47
00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,160
must develop which sees
accurately what is the divine
48
00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:24,360
force, what is the element of
personal effort, and what is
49
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,480
brought in as a mixture from the
lower cosmic forces.
50
00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,360
And until the transfer is
complete, which always takes
51
00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:37,560
time, there must always be as a
personal contribution, a
52
00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:43,240
constant consent to the true
Force, a constant rejection of
53
00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,720
any lower mixture.
At present, to give up personal
54
00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,680
effort is not what is wanted,
but to call in more and more of
55
00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,560
the Divine Power and govern and
guide it the personal endeavour.
56
00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:02,120
End Quote.
Reference Sri Aurobindo, Basis
57
00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:07,240
of Yoga, Chapter 2.
Faith, Aspiration Surrender,
58
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:09,880
pages 28 to 29.
