A Tribute to Pranab Da

“The obstacle which the physical presents to the spiritual is no argument for the rejection of the physical; for in the unseen providence of things our greatest difficulties are our best opportunities.”

Sri Aurobindo

CWSA-23/The Synthesis of Yoga/p-11

“But in the gnostic way of being and living the will of the spirit must directly control and determine the movements and law of the body. For the law of the body arises from the subconscient or inconscient: but in the gnostic being the subconscient will have become conscious and subject to the supramental control, penetrated with its light and action; the basis of inconscience with its obscurity and ambiguity, its obstruction or tardy responses will have been transformed into a lower or supporting superconscience by the supramental emergence.”

Sri Aurobindo

CWSA-22/The Life Divine/p-1021

A Tribute to Dada

(Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education is considered as the heart centre of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, and its Physical Education Department is identified as the most disciplined and gathering together of number of strong Souls. Pranab Da is considered the strongest among them and he carries along with him The Mother’s tremendous force of Truth and Purity. Sri Aurobindo observed that an Integral Karma Yogi is a King, Leader, Captain of the journey and Commander and Pranab Da satisfied these conditions fully and till his last breath, he was concerned inwardly with Supramental Transformation and outwardly with harmony and discipline in Ashram living. As an Integral Jnana Yogi, he was a scout, guarding the Ashram from within and without, protecting it from evil’s hand and a pathfinder through Integral Education in general and a pioneer of Integral Physical Education in particular. His message to the world is clear that if we belittle concentration on rigorous physical training for any higher Mental and Spiritual quest, then we do not attain perfection and fullness of life, but shift the position of our imperfection. His strong vessel was equally ready to experience the Supreme Love of Integral Bhakti Yoga and he must have undergone this experience of boundless Love spreading over all the planes of Consciousness which was reflected from the latter part of his life and action. After Sri Babaji Maharaj left his body, he extended his Spiritual support, help and Grace to a large collectivity in Odisha dedicated for the Mother’s work and this concern was reflected till his last breath.)

When I, along with my Ashram group of aspirant Souls met Dada, first, he informed us that the name of Berhampur city in Odisha is now changed to Brahmapur which means ‘the City of the Brahman.’ He also linked it with his home town Berhampur in West Bengal. Later, I came to understand that this outer effort of linking our existing place of stay with his past home was a means of building the inner link. Since then, when ever I get the least opportunity, I do not miss meeting Dada, and I am extremely grateful to his whole collective team who provided an opportunity to me to meet Dada, even during his critical health. Each time I met Dada, I found his centre of living changed more and more within and his faculty of fatherhood and deep care for his fellow brothers grew proportionately. In a letter, he observed, ‘I have gone through your ‘The Descent’ (Feb-2005 & August-2005 issue) and found (it) interesting. Glad to know about your dedication for (the) Mother’s work.’ This paper, which received Dada’s attention and support, was later transformed into the book The Divine Bliss.

Incidentally, when Dada left his earthly body, on that day (08.01.2010) I was present in Pondicherry and I had a strange Subconscient experience which is a fourth repetition of the same subtle physical sensation with whom my Soul is linked. It was the experience of dying to death, for the hours together that my heart was on the verge of failing till the period Dada left his body. (A similar experience of physical identification with a departing Soul repeated on 29.06.2011 at Pondicherry, the day on which the foremost Integral Yogi, Amalkiran (Sri K.D. Sethna) left his earthly body at the age of 106 years.) Dada’s life and death or beyond-life subtle Presence, are equally important for us in our journey towards the Eternal.

Our experience with Pranab Da is still continuing and this was recently witnessed when I was on the verge of publishing a book, ‘The Mother’s Manifestation.’ During the last moment, I got the direction from the Mother that Her Divine manifestation will be incomplete without Dada. So the Divine gave me another opportunity to confirm my love and gratitude towards him through this new book.

At Their Lotus Feet

S.A. Maa Krishna
Sri Matriniketan Ashram

N.B. The above two books, ‘The Divine Bliss’ and ‘The Mother’s Manifestation,’ are updated at regular intervals. Later, a book, 'The Synthesis of Education,' was released on the occasion of his birth centenary, 18.10.2023. The manuscripts of all three books are available here.

Sri Matriniketan Ashram,
Managed by The Mother’s International Centre Trust,
Regd.No-146/24.11.97. Vill: Ramachandrapur, PO: Kukudakhandi-761100,
Via: Brahmapur, Dist: Ganjam, State: Odisha, India,
https://www.srimatriniketanashram.com/education/the-mothers-ideal-integral-school

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“It is my firm conviction that in the present Ashram set-up (after the Mahasamadhi of the Mother), only a man having Supramental Realisation can handle effectively all our Ashram problems and help us to match towards our goal of Integral Transformation. Any other efforts, done in a human way, will only add to the confusion already existing and are bound to end in abject failure.”

Dada

Sri Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya

"Man can bring an enlightened will, an enlightened thought and enlightened emotions to the difficult work of his self-development; he can more and more subject to these more conscious and reflecting guides the inferior function of desire. In proportion as he can thus master and enlighten his lower self, he is man and no longer an animal. When he can begin to replace desire altogether by a still greater enlightened thought and sight and will in touch with the Infinite, consciously subject to a diviner will than his own, linked to a more universal and transcendent knowledge, he has commenced the ascent towards the superman; he is on his upward march towards the Divine."

Sri Aurobindo

CWSA-23/The Synthesis of Yoga/p-80