Adequacy of Devotion

Levi often bemoans that instead of any original philosophy people are mostly engaged with history of philosophy. Books, invariably, are commentaries and little original philosophy is attempted at present. The case of the spiritualist is also largely identical. What begins as an attempt at transformation of one's life tends to change into scholarship, specialisation, or teaching. Life undergoes commensurate modification and the higher objective takes a backseat.

The general notion about Yoga and Ashram etc. in India also poses a difficulty. The instant visualisation of meditation and saffron introduces needless yardsticks. Common people turning their everyday life into conduits of aspiration and inspiration is a remote mentality. The spin that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have given to the word Yoga, therefore, remains under-appreciated.

The fifth chapter of The Mother book is an excellent How To of Integral Yoga. Bereft of any external paraphernalia, the three steps constitute a volitional progress in conjunction with Grace. Scholarship is also covered as work in this context and classified as Aesthetic Yoga. But aspirants not so equipped would prefer an ordinary devotional approach. [TNM55]