{"id":123,"date":"2013-07-13T01:26:04","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=123"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:26:04","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:26:04","slug":"03-message-vol-16-the-supramental-manifestation-volume-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/16-the-supramental-manifestation-volume-16\/03-message-vol-16-the-supramental-manifestation-volume-16","title":{"rendered":"-03_Message.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

\n\t
\n\tMessage<\/font><\/span>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/b>\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n            I<\/span> <\/span>TAKE<\/span> the opportunity of the publication of this issue of the "Bulletin d’\u00c9ducation
\nPhysique" of the Ashram to give my blessings to the Journal and the
\nAssociation \u2014 J.S.A.S.A. (Joneses Sportive de I’ Ashram de Sri Aurobindo). In
\ndoing so I would like to dwell for a while on the deeper raison d\u2019\u00eatre of
\nsuch Associations and especially the need and utility for the nation of a
\nwidespread organisation of them and such sports or physical exercises as are
\npractised here. In their more superficial aspect they appear merely as games and
\namusements which people take up for entertainment or as a field for the out-let
\nof the body’s energy and natural instinct of activity or for a means of the
\ndevelopment and maintenance of the health and strength of the body; but they are
\nor can be much more than that: they are also fields for the development of
\nhabits, capacities and qualities which are greatly needed and of the utmost
\nservice to a people in war or in peace, and in its political and social
\nactivities, in most indeed of the provinces of a combined human endeavour. It is
\nto this which we may call the national aspect of the subject that I would wish
\nto give especial prominence.<\/p>\n

In
\nour own time these sports, games and athletics have assumed a place and command
\na general interest such as was seen only in earlier times in countries like
\nGreece, Greece where all sides of human activity were equally developed and the
\ngymnasium, chariot-racing and other sports and athletics had the same importance
\non the physical side as on the mental side the Arts and poetry and the drama,
\nand were especially stimulated and attended to by the civic authorities of the
\nCity State. It was Greece that made an institution of the Olympiad and the
\nrecent re-establishment of the Olympiad as an international institution is a
\nsignificant sign of the revival of the ancient spirit. This kind of interest has
\nspread to a certain extent to our own country and India has begun to take a
\nplace in international contests such as the Olympiad. The newly<\/p>\n

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\n
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founded State in
\nliberated India is also beginning to <\/i>be interested in developing all
\nsides of the life of the nation and, is likely to <\/i>take an active part and
\na habit of direction in fields which were formerly left to <\/i>private
\ninitiative. It is taking up, for instance, the question of the foundation and
\npreservation of health and physical fitness in the nation and in the spreading
\nof a general recognition of its importance. It is in this connection that the
\nencouragement of sports and associations for athletics and all activities of
\nthis kind would be an incalculable assistance. A generalisation of the habit of
\ntaking part in such exercises in childhood and youth and early manhood would
\nhelp greatly towards the creation of physically fit and energetic people.<\/p>\n

 
\n But
\nof a higher import than the foundation, however necessary, of health, strength
\nand fitness of the body is the development of discipline and morale and sound
\nand strong character towards which these activities can help. There are many
\nsports which are of the utmost value towards this end, because they help to <\/i>form
\nand even necessitate the qualities of courage, hardihood, energetic action and
\ninitiative or call for skill, steadiness of will or rapid decision and action,
\nthe perception of what is to be done in an emergency and dexterity in doing it.
\nOne development of the utmost value is the awakening of the essential
\ninstinctive body consciousness which can see and do what is necessary without
\nany indication from mental thought and which is equivalent in the body to swift
\ninsight in the mind and spontaneous and rapid decision in the will. One may add
\nthe formation of a capacity for harmonious and right movements of the body,
\nespecially in a combined action, economic of physical effort and discouraging
\nwaste of energy, which result from such exercises as marches or drill and which
\ndisplace the loose and straggling, the inharmonious or disorderly or wasteful
\nmovements common to <\/i>the untrained individual body. Another invaluable
\nresult of these activities is the growth of what has been called the sporting
\nspirit. That includes good humour and tolerance and consideration for all, a
\nright attitude and friendliness to competitors and rivals, self-control and
\nscrupulous observance of the laws of the game, fair play and avoidance of the
\nuse of foul means, an equal acceptance of victory or defeat\n<\/p>\n

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without bad
\nhumour, resentment or ill-will towards successful competitors, loyal acceptance
\nof the decisions of the appointed judge, umpire or referee. These qualities have
\ntheir value for life in general and not only for sport, but the help that sport
\ncan give to their development is direct and invaluable. If they could be made
\nmore common not only in the life of the individual but in the national life and
\nin the international where at the present day the opposite tendencies have
\nbecome too rampant, existence in this troubled world of ours would be smoother
\nand might open to a greater chance of concord and amity of which it stands very
\nmuch in need. More important still is the custom of discipline, obedience,
\norder, habit of team-work, which certain games necessitate. For without them
\nsuccess is uncertain or impossible. Innumerable are the activities in life,
\nespecially in national life, in which leadership and obedience to leadership in
\ncombined action are necessary for success, victory in combat or fulfilment of a
\npurpose. The role of the leader, the captain, the power and skill of his
\nleadership, his ability to command the confidence and ready obedience of his
\nfollowers is of the utmost importance in all kinds of combined action or
\nenterprise; but few can develop these things without having learnt themselves to
\nobey and to act as one mind or as one body with others. This strictness of
\ntraining, this habit of discipline and obedience is not inconsistent with
\nindividual freedom; it is often the necessary condition for its right use, just
\nas order is not inconsistent with liberty but rather the condition for the right
\nuse of liberty and even for its preservation and survival. In all kinds of
\nconcerted action this rule is indispensable: orchestration becomes necessary and
\nthere could be no success for an orchestra in which individual musicians played
\naccording to their own fancy and refused to follow the indications of the
\nconductor. In spiritual things also the same rule holds; a sadhak who
\ndisregarded the guidance of the Guru and preferred the untrained inspirations of
\nthe novice could hardly escape the stumbles or even the disasters which so often
\nlie thick around the path to spiritual realisation. I need not enumerate the
\nother benefits which can be drawn from the training that sport can give or dwell
\non their use in the national life; what I have said is sufficient. At any rate,
\nin schools like ours<\/p>\n

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and in
\nuniversities sports have now a recognised and indispensable place; for even a
\nhighest and completest education of the mind is not enough without the education
\nof the body. Where the qualities I have enumerated are absent or insufficiently
\npresent, a strong individual will or a national will may build them up, but the
\naid given by sports to their development is direct and in no way negligible.
\nThis would be a sufficient reason for the attention given to them in our Ashram,
\nthough there are others which I need not mention here. I am concerned here with
\ntheir importance and" the necessity of the qualities they create or
\nstimulate for our national life. The nation which possesses them in the highest
\ndegree is likely to be the strongest for victory, success and greatness, but
\nalso for the contribution it can make towards the bringing about of unity and a
\nmore harmonious world order towards which we look as our hope for humanity’s
\nfuture.<\/p>\n

\nNOTE: Bulletin d’ Education Physique (Bulletin of Physical Education) <\/i>started
\nappearing from February 21, 1949 and this message was dictated by Sri
\nAurobindo for it on December 30, 1948. The title of this quarterly bilingual
\njournal was altered in 1959 to Bulletin du Centre International d’\u00c9ducation
\nSri Aurobindo (Bulletin of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education) <\/i>and
\nit continues to appear under that title to this day.<\/p>\n

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Message               I TAKE the opportunity of the publication of this issue of the "Bulletin d’\u00c9ducation Physique" of the Ashram to give my blessings…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-16-the-supramental-manifestation-volume-16","wpcat-5-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}