VIII: 11

Chapter 8, Verse 11

"Hear now of that path
Which the seers call the Eternal,
Reached by those
Who live lives of holiness.
The mind is firm
And the heart so full
That it can hardly hold its love."

Sri Aurobindo:

That Eternal Reality is the highest step, place and foothold of being.  Therefore, It is the supreme goal of the soul's movement in time, Itself no movement, but rather a status original and supreme.

Sri Eknath Easwaran:

Once, as a little boy, I took courage and asked my Grandmother why there had to be so much suffering in the world.  She asked me to sit in a chair and hold on to the arms with all my might.  Then she tried to pull me out of the chair.  I was a strong little guy and held on for all that I was worth, but she was stronger.  With one painful wrench, she had me up on my feet.

"That hurt, Granny," I said.

"Now sit down again, Little Lamp," she said, "and this time, don't hold on."

I sat down again, and she reached down and lifted me gently into her arms.

We all have a choice.  We can fight tooth and nail to hold on to our positions in the face of change, which often happens when we identify rigidly with our bodies and thoughts; or, we can offer everything that we experience to God and keep for ourselves what is left over, which is our love for our chosen form of the Eternal.

[A prayer...

O Eternal One, help us to shed those things in our lives which no longer serve us and others, like a snake shedding its skin.]