of the earth is a story of victories followed by defeats and not of defeats followed by victories.
But in fact, whenever it is a question of universal and divine things, what is needed is the universal vision and divine understanding of things in order to know how the truth expresses itself. There is a kind of general pessimism which says that even if things begin well they end badly, that it is weakness, hypocrisy, falsehood and wickedness which always seem to have the upper hand. That is why those who see the world in their own personal dimension have said that the world is bad and that we have only to finish with it and get out of it as soon as possible. Teachers have taught this but their teaching only proves that their vision is too narrow and in the dimension of their human individuality.
In truth, the movements of Nature are like those of the tides: they advance, they recede, advance and recede; in the universal life and even in terrestrial life, this means a progressive advance, though apparently it is cut up by withdrawals. But these withdrawals are only an appearance, as when one draws back to spring forward. You seem to be drawing back but it is simply in order to go much farther.
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Words of the Mother
Sooner or later the Truth is bound to prevail.
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Words of the Mother
Nothing, not even the darkest falsehood can stop the ultimate triumph of Truth.
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Words of the Mother
Truth is sure to conquer one day and the Grace is always there unfailing. Those who keep their faith steady are safe.
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Words of the Mother
You are right – nothing can harm your soul and the Victory of the Truth is certain.
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Chapter 4
Falsehood and Truth
Words of Sri Aurobindo
God is infinite Possibility. Therefore Truth is never at rest; therefore, also, Error is justified of her children.
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Words of the Mother
Some things may really appear to be errors.
For a moment.
The impression is this: all our judgments are momentary. They are... one moment, it is like this; the next moment, it is no longer like this. And for us they are errors, because we see things one after another. But to the Divine they cannot appear like this, because everything is within Him.
Now just try to imagine that you are the Divine, for a moment! Everything is within you; you simply amuse yourself by bringing it out in a certain order. But for you, in your consciousness, everything is there at the same time; there is no time – neither past nor future nor present – everything is together. And every possible combination. He amuses Himself by bringing out first one thing and then another, like that. So the poor fellows down below who can see only a tiny part – they can see only so much of it – say, “Oh, that is an error!” In what way is it an error? Simply because they can only see a tiny part.
This is clear, isn’t it? It is easy to understand. This concept of error is a concept that belongs to time and space.
It is like the feeling that something cannot be and not be at the same time. And yet this is true, it is and it is not. It is the concept of time which introduces the concept of error – of time and space.
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Words of the Mother
But very few are those who are conscious of the Lord, and it is this unconsciousness that constitutes the Falsehood of the world.
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Words of the Mother
...in the Presence of the Lord’s Peace the Falsehood runs away in shame!
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Words of the Mother
For those who are eager to get rid of falsehood here is the way:
Do not try to please yourself, do not try either to please others. Try only to please the Lord.
Because He alone is the Truth. Each and every one of us, human beings in our physical body, is a coat of falsehood put on the Lord and hiding Him.
As He alone is true to Himself, it is on Him that we must concentrate and not on the coats of falsehood.
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Words of the Mother
Does Sri Aurobindo mean that there is no absolute falsehood, no absolute untruth?
There can be no absolute untruth. In actual fact it is not possible, because the Divine is behind all things....
So to speak of an absolute falsehood that will disappear would simply mean that a whole set of things will live eternally in the past but will not belong to future manifestations, that is all.
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Chapter 5
Choosing the Truth
Words of Sri Aurobindo
To see the Truth does not depend on a big intellect or a small intellect. It depends on being in contact with the Truth and the mind silent or quiet to receive it. The biggest intellects can make errors of the worst kind and confuse Truth and falsehood, if they have not the contact with Truth or the direct experience.
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Words of Sri Aurobindo
It is not by “thinking out” the entire reality, but by a change of consciousness that one can pass from the ignorance to the Knowledge – the Knowledge by which we become what we know. To pass from the external to a direct and intimate inner consciousness; to widen consciousness out of the limits of the ego and the body; to heighten it by an inner will and aspiration and opening to the Light till it passes in its ascent beyond Mind; to bring down a descent of the supramental Divine through self-giving and surrender with a consequent transformation of mind, life and body – this is the integral way to the Truth. It is this that we call the Truth here and aim at in our Yoga.
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Words of Sri Aurobindo
When mind is still, then Truth gets her chance to be heard in the purity of the silence.
Truth cannot be attained by the mind’s thought but only by identity and silent vision. Truth lives in the calm wordless Light of the eternal spaces; she does not intervene in the noise and cackle of logical debate.
Thought in the mind can at most be Truth’s brilliant and transparent
