A Podcast Featuring Sri Aurobindo Studies
Jan. 26, 2025

To Become a Conscious Instrument of the Divine Action

To Become a Conscious Instrument of the Divine Action

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter XX The Psychic, pp. 156-157 This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/01/24/to-become-a-conscious-instrument-of-the-divine-action/


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The US editions and links to e-book editions of Sri Aurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com

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In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri
Krishna explains to Arjuna at

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some length the process of the
Universal Manifestation and how

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individuals are essentially
driven by their nature in

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relation to the larger forces of
the manifestation itself to act

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in certain ways.
For most of these individuals,

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the action takes place as a
result of the forces of the

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external vital nature.
They are essentially subject to

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the machinery of nature through
the operation of the three

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gunas.
At a certain stage, as the power

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of reflection and self-awareness
develops, the individual begins

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to refine his action in closer
alignment to the pressure of the

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divine Force, yet still very
much without conscious awareness

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of his role and how the Force is
working upon him.

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Sri Krishna reveals deeper
truths to Arjuna so that Arjuna

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can become a willing, conscious,
and active instrument in the

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work that Sri Krishna puts
before him.

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He points out that all of the
warriors are already destined to

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die regardless of Arjuna's
action, and he reveals to Arjuna

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a view of the Universal Being
that is directing this action.

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He explains to Arjuna that now
that he knows the truth of

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things, he should undertake to
do what he feels is right.

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He thus solicits Arjuna's
conscious, willing adherence to

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the action, rather than simply
pressing him into action

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unconsciously.
As the spiritual sadhana

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progresses, the seeker may go
through various stages of

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increasing consciousness of the
purpose of the Universal

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Creation and his role in that
process.

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In his book The Mother, Sri
Aurobindo outlines various

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relations that the seeker may
successively gain as he becomes

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more conscious of his psychic
being and his connection to the

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spiritual truth of his
existence.

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Chapter 5 is dedicated to the
question of a seeker becoming a

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true doer of divine works with
an ever increasing inner

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awareness and consciousness.
The Mother notes quote.

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It seems to me impossible to
escape from this necessity of

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organizing the being around the
Central Presence if one wants to

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be and is to be a conscious
instrument of the Divine Force.

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You may be moved, pushed into
action and used as unconscious

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instruments by the Divine Force
if you have a minimum of

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goodwill and sincerity.
But to become a conscious

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instrument capable of
identification and conscious

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willed movements, you must have
this inner organization.

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Otherwise you will always be
running into a chaos somewhere,

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a confusion somewhere, or an
obscurity, an unconsciousness

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somewhere.
And naturally your action, even

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though guided exclusively by the
Divine, will not have the

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perfection of expression it has
when one has acquired a

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conscious organization around
this divine center.

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It is an assiduous task which
may be done at any time and

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under any circumstances, for you
carry within yourself all the

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elements of the problem.
You don't need anything from

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outside, no outer aid to do this
work, but it requires great

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perseverance, a sort of
tenacity.

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For very often it happens that
there are bad creases in the

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being, habits which come from
all sorts of causes, which may

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come from atavistic
malformation, or also from

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education, or from the
environment you have lived in,

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or from many other causes.
And these bad creases you try to

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smooth out, but they wrinkle up
again, and then you must begin

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the work over again many, many,
many a time without getting

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discouraged before the final
result is obtained.

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But nothing and nobody can
prevent you from doing it, nor

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any circumstance for you carry
within yourself the problem and

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the solution.
End Quote Reference Sri

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Aurobindo and the Mother Powers
within, Chapter 20, The Psychic,

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pages 156 to 157.