When a puzzling problem harasses one, everyone tries to help him with an idea, but in vain. At last when somehow the problem is solved, its solution looks simple and obvious. To know what is obvious after the event beforehand is wisdom. It is said anyone can suggest meaningful alterations to a house after it is built, as it requires no intelligence. To do so before the construction, one needs forethought. The success of the Congress has taken the nation by surprise, but before the elections that was not evident.

All the philosophies of the world have failed to explain the existence of Evil. The Vedas and Upanishads too failed there. The Upanishads said All is Brahman. Having said so, it amounts to saying that Evil too is Brahman. Sri Aurobindo devotes a full chapter of about forty pages to explain the origin of Error, Mistake, Falsehood and Evil.  Brahman has not created in the world anything but Ananda. But evil, cruelty, tyranny etc. are realities of life. He says evil is real to the ego and has no inherent reality in itself.

Those who have worked in the Matrimandir know that when they go out for more than two or three days, an inner longing develops to return to it. Having experienced the touch of the Spirit in their own inner Spirit, they cannot stay away longer than a few days from their centre of inspiration. Asians, Indians who set foot in a Western country, especially America, feel they have gone to a paradise on earth. Someone toured the world in pursuit of preaching his religion. He was impressed beyond expression by the prosperity of the West.

The successful animal has a lower consciousness than an ordinary man, as his is human consciousness. Divine consciousness is higher consciousness. Human consciousness is lower consciousness as against the divine consciousness. Evil consciousness is lower than good consciousness. Variations in human existence are without an end. When people take to this Force, they suddenly discover that prayers so far unanswered are answered. The usual experience is all but one out of ten or twenty five prayers will be answered. That one will have a block in one's temperament or character.

In the 58 stories of Sherlock Holmes, not one client pays him AFTER his work is successfully completed. Holmes asks for fees from the king who sought his services and two other people. It is not in human nature to voluntarily pay for services rendered. European culture prevents people from getting paid for services, especially of a higher type. It is an American principle to pay for any service rendered. In India, culture is based on spirituality. An age-old custom compels us to offer free service.

"Aspiration awakes in me, achieve in me all that I aspire for", wrote a sadhak seventy years ago. In that piece of writing he says, "You have given me more than what I ignorantly asked for."  I have always been saying the Divine never gives what we ask for, but always gives more. This excess is the stamp of the Force that I talk of. Not only that, this Force gives what we do not ask for. It goes further. It gives what we do not know exists as a possibility in our lives or in life.

Those who have poor memory are surprised at those who have good memory. An employer went to Madras and wanted to call an officer from another company who had visited him fifteen days earlier. He called his office in his home town and asked the girl there to look for his card and tell him the phone number. The girl told him the phone number from memory. The proprietor was surprised because the girl had taken the card and put it into the drawer when the visitor called. How could she do this feat?

A good number of small scale units fail and never recover. The reasons are various. One important reason is the owner gives the manager instructions where he should give training.  When you give instructions, it is all clear in your head. The instruction often has five parts, at other times fifteen parts. When you ask a man to do two things, he does the first and forgets the second. Or he does the second and overlooks the first.

Mother once saw a film about Anusuya where she turned the Tirumurthis into children.  She said it was lovely to watch the power of Anusuya invoking the Supreme Being - Brahman - to render the petulance of the gods null and void.  In that sense, the Rishis are sometimes more powerful than Gods.  The Power of Anusuya was the power of Chastity.  Nalayini conquered Time while Savitri restored the life of Satyavan, but Anusuya could overcome the Tirumurthis.  The components of chastity are many.

Man may err in his observation and understanding but life does not.  Some people are successful everywhere; others are unsuccessful everywhere.  There are some who are successful in work but not in family affairs.  We see cases of the opposite description.  Of such people we hear comments, "The man is responsible, sincere, and hard-working, and he meets with success in his office work uniformly, but in the affairs of his family he is a dismal failure.