Avoiding over-promise

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have made use of highly optimistic and inspirational language in their interaction with the disciples and correspondents. The Ashram also has been publishing excellent motivational literature by means of various publicity materials. Apposite extracts in prose or poetry accompanied by attractive pictures are mainstay of this method that involves superior designing, printing, and diffusion. Needless to mention that all these have been accomplished in the spirit of Aesthetic Yoga and the tradition continues.

No one can dispute the power of The Mother & The Master’s words but there is no gainsaying of some level of over-promise involved. Their eloquence, in a way, is utilized to camouflage the situation on ground, thus removing from focus issues of injustice and exploitation that should have received urgent attention or deserved to be acted upon. In other words, spirituality has often served as a pretext for escapism and spawned sycophancy. Ironically, the same level of noble nonchalance is never adhered to when one’s self-interest is under threat.

Dignified dispassion and indifference are surely high ideals but resorting to them indiscriminately in an imperfect world can be counterproductive. Likewise, not to speak of the present situation in our day to day language and invoke the phraseology of Supramental and Psychic Being turns deceptive as well as self-defeating. Opposing immoral and illegal practices is the duty of every citizen and more so for avowed spiritual seekers. Hence, strict vigilance is needed against employing seductive language and slipping into simulated indolence. [TNM55]