It is said for a great soul to be born on earth, the family prepares itself over several generations producing better and better personalities in successive generations until a Buddha or Jesus or Krishna is born. It is true of a Gandhi or Nehru or Tagore. It is also said that after the great Avatar or Vibhuti is delivered, that family disappears into oblivion mostly. Each nation has its own unique tradition which saturates the very physical atmosphere of the soil. An American who came to India for the first time felt an exceeding calm pervading his being while he heard the pilot announce that the plane was entering Indian airspace.
When Sri Aurobindo was put into an English school at Darjeeling at the age of seven, he found a dark cloud entering him. At the age of 21 he returned to India after completing his education at Cambridge. When he set foot on the soil of Mother India at Apollo Bunder, he found a powerful calm entered into him which remained with him to the end.
The atmosphere of Europe is mental which produced innumerable scientists. Every American thinks at work about how the machinery can be improved, as his mind is one of practically efficient organisation which produces an Edison or Ford. The Indian spiritual atmosphere produces Rishis. The American atmosphere of mental inquiry does not produce Rishis nor does India create as many scientists as Europe. As the Spirit includes Mind, a Srinivasa Ramanujam is born here. Lately mathematicians are beginning to feel and wonder whether Ramanujam is not the greatest mathematician of the 20th century. He is a genius of the Mind.
I raise two questions:
1. Can we fashion mental attitudes that will render this spiritual atmosphere an atmosphere of Prosperity?
2. Are there mental geniuses buried in this spiritual atmosphere? Will an awakening help them surface?