Sri Aurobindo's Five Dreams

Shri Gopal Bhattacharjee April 27, 1991

Sri Aurobindo had five dreams. His first dream related to the freedom of India. And yet this freedom was fissured. Sri Aurobindo explained why. He said that when he had initiated the movement for India's freedom, his consciousness was established at the Overmental level, and because of that the freedom was fissured, even though a way out had been offered with the Cripps mission. If Sri Aurobindo's consciousness had operated from the Supramental level, the freedom would have been whole. In his Independence-day message he says: "India is free but she has not achieved unity, only a fissured and broken freedom. But by whatever means, the division must and will go. For without it the destiny of India might be seriously impaired and even frustrated. But that must not be."

Sri Aurobindo's second dream was the freedom of the Asian peoples. After 1947 we find that gradually colonies have broken down and Asia has earned her freedom. Today most of these countries are politically and economically free. Japan is one of the largest economic powers in the world. South Korea and some of its neighbouring countries have made giant leaps in economy. India is still to take its economic leap. India's greatest problem - its enormous population - may well turn out to be its greatest asset. When that massive population gets down to work, when it begins to be productive, when it decides to build new things, that will mark India's resurgence as a mighty economic power. But more important will be its spiritual contribution for the rest of mankind.

The third dream of Sri Aurobindo was a compulsive movement towards world unity. In his scheme, world unity will not come in one single stroke. First there would be the formation of regional groups of countries co-operating with one another. These groups would then form the basis for the new world order. Don't we already find that his dream has at least in part been realised? Gorbachev's call for a united Europe and recent developments of a European Economic Community are illustrative of the fulfilment of Sri Aurobindo's dream.

His fourth dream was the re-emergence of India's spirituality. India would be the Guru of the world, the Mother said. Not necessarily in the form of saints going out of India to preach and establish Ashrams. More importantly Indian thought and philosophy is establishing itself in the world, primarily in the fields of science and psychology. It is establishing itself with the intelligentsia of the world, here, which is where it really counts.

The fifth dream was a new step in the evolution of human consciousness, a step beyond mind to the Truth-Mind. Here again we find philosophers and scientists responding first. Without exception every philosopher worth his name, every scientist worth his vision has proclaimed the possibility of a state beyond mind. Sir Arthur Eddington, Sir James Jeans, Erwin Schroedinger and a host of other illustrious men have all affirmed this. Many yogis have confirmed that after 1956, the year of the Supramental Manifestation, there has been a major precipitation in their yoga. Obstinate problems that have been dogging yogis all over the world have suddenly vanished, common barriers in yoga have suddenly crumbled. We have to take their word for it as we may not have experienced these things. All five of Sri Aurobindo's dreams are definitely in the process of realisation, precisely in the manner that he envisaged them.