One becomes a Rishi on attaining Brahmic consciousness. Sri Aurobindo said that there were about half a dozen in the Ashram who had attained it. One whose consciousness has risen to the Akshara Brahman attains Brahmic consciousness. Akshara Brahman is the Timeless aspect of Brahman, the other being kshara Brahman. The Brahman Sri Aurobindo speaks of is the Fullness of Brahman. An American devotee who came here took to consecration. He could meditate for hours on end. Once he sat in meditation for seven hours. He rarely had visions, but when he had them they were of spiritual fullness. Once while he was at work, he saw the golden Supramental Purusha - Sri Aurobindo in Golden Light.
His meditations were accompanied by serious study of The Life Divine for the last five years. The Brahmic Consciousness he was endowed with urged for expression. He then wrote a story in fifteen days at one spell, going through several drafts. It is a story of the future, cast in the mould of science fiction. In the story, American schools of the future have introduced the study of Brahman and certain accompanying experiments. A sixteen-year-old boy responds to Brahman and goes into prolonged meditation. He not only realises Brahman based on previous study but also develops mechanisms to communicate it to many others simultaneously. His perfection is achieved by the help of a lady in the USA and a monk in India almost in silence. He succeeds in communicating his experience to a vast mass of people who have gathered to know what his attainment is.
The devotee gave his story the title, ‘The Legend of Brahman'. A few months ago we published that as a book. Brahman became a legend in America, evoked interest at various levels, signifying the response of a material civilisation to the spiritual core of life. What became a symbol to his own self he called a ‘legend' in the story. Faith is a great power, especially in the physical. So great an attainment as Brahmic consciousness is not capable of generating FAITH in the mind, not to speak of the body. Nirvikalpasamadhi did not give Swami Vivekananda faith in his guru. Indians who have innate Faith in the Spirit have it as a spiritual inheritance. To draw on that faith is great. To create that faith in oneself is greater still.