Triveni Journal
1927 | 11,233,916 words
Triveni is a journal dedicated to ancient Indian culture, history, philosophy, art, spirituality, music and all sorts of literature. Triveni was founded at Madras in 1927 and since that time various authors have donated their creativity in the form of articles, covering many aspects of public life....
The Muslim Sheikh of Panipat asked Guru Nanak, 鈥淲ho is the true darvesh?鈥� The Guru answered:
He who alive is dead,
And while awake asleep,
He who renounceth everything
And doth himself efface;
He who is in deep communion,
And who doth spontaneously sing,
He is a darvesh at heart.
The Gita tells us:
鈥淚n that which is night to all creatures,
the self-mastering sage is awake;
that in which all creatures wake,
is night to the eyes of the seer.鈥�
That is to say, the sages, the seekers of union with God, though living in the world, live differently than the other men of the world. The difference lies not so much in the physical appearance of their living as in the inner base or centre of their living.
Jesus said: 鈥淭he Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field, which when a man hath found, he selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field.鈥�
So the seeker, though alive in the world, is dead to the worldiness and lives his heavenly way.
The initiation on the way to God is like a new life. Birth into a new life is a well known concept. It happens on many levels. Just now we are concerned with the birth into a new life on the spiritual level. A birth into a higher life is a life dedicated to the Spirit.
In ancient India the Brahmins were called dwij (twice born). The Brahmin was twice born: when he came out of his mother鈥檚 womb, it was his first birth (common to all creatures, when he was initiated on the path to the attainment of the Brahman, it was his second birth. A birth into a life dedicated to the attainment of the Supreme Atman.
鈥楨xcept a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God鈥� - these words of Christ refer to spiritual rebirth.
For the seeker this need of his spiritual rebirth remains even when there is a Divine Incarnation present on the earth. A German mystic said: 鈥淐hrist may be born a thousand times in Bethleham but if he be not born anew within your heart, you remain eternally forlorn.鈥�
When The Mother named a person Dwij (Twice born) or Navajata (New born), evidently the significance for that person would be an initiation into a second or new birth.A new birth for the attainment of the Divine. A birth into a new consciousness.
When The Mother gave the flower which she named 鈥楴ew Birth鈥� to someone on his birthday or on any other occasion, it would mean her call for a birth into a new consciousness.For reversal of consciousness.
- Courtesy Sri Aurobindo鈥檚 Action - August, 2005.