The Prayer of the True Philosopher Is His Adoration

Damodar K. Mavalankar · Living the Life Series · 21 pages

A twenty-one page compilation of Damodar K. Mavalankar's Contemplation in three parts, opened by an abstract and train of thoughts with page references. The same three-part essay appears in the meditation compilation held in the Down to Earth series, where it sits among the other treatments of the subject.

The claim of the title is stated at the head — that the soul of the true philosopher is in perfect harmony with his divine spirit — and the argument is then made largely by exclusion, saying what contemplation is not. Part 1 sets out the dire effects of sitting for yoga, and distinguishes Raja Yoga as dealing with the inner man and therefore neither encouraging sham nor requiring physical postures. The ethical condition attached is exacting: that it is the duty of every man capable of an unselfish impulse to do something, however little, for the welfare of humanity, the great Orphan; and that only those of exceptional purity and unconditional love for every living creature may approach the Majesty of Truth and hear the Voice of the Silence within the sanctuary of the heart. The judgment on the alternative is the bluntest in the file — that Hatha Yoga is triply distilled selfishness, and that by encouraging mental passivity it hastens the opening of mediumistic faculties and a gradual loss of self-control. Parts 2 and 3 exist because the first part was misread: the second resolves misunderstandings arising from it and the third corrects mistaken notions, closing with the recommendation that inductive reasoning from the known to the unknown should be promoted and practised.

Read the full text (PDF, 1.0 MB, 21 pages)