The Role of Medicines for the Spiritual Aspirant in the Cure of Illnesses

The spiritual aspirant practicing the integral yoga devotes his efforts to coming into contact with the Divine Force, being receptive to its influence and action, and bringing it down to transform the action of the mind, life and body. Once this force is completely assimilated into the physical cells of the body, it can do away with the vibratory response we know as illness, according to the intensive work done by the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, who spent years working on opening the physical substance to the higher force.

For those who have not fully accomplished this task, however, there remain the existing habitual patterns of response and expression in the mind, the vital and in the body, each level being successively more dense and therefore less pliable. Long established habits in physical nature tend to control the physical substance. The process of transformation at the cellular level is long and often not easily identifiable.

Individuals sometimes get glimpses of the power of the Divine Force directly acting on the physical body and curing an illness without medicines. Sri Aurobindo related an incident involving his brother who was very ill and not recovering. A wandering yogi came by, saw what the situation was and requested a glass of water. He cut through the water while chanting certain mantras and had the patient drink the water. Healing soon followed.

Paramahansa Yogananda related a story from his own experience as a youth where he was deathly ill. His mother prayed with ardent faith to the Guru and the healing power entered hm and healed him.

As long as the complete openness and transformation of the nature is not accomplished, the seeker may resort to the use of physical medicines. For the seeker, this is adjunctive support not primary action, and he continues to focus on the Divine Force as the curative power, and the medicine as the representative medium to deliver the support to the body that it happens to require at that moment.

The spiritual path is long and arduous. A healthy mind, a strong vital force and a strong and healthy body are extraordinarily helpful. The seeker should not waste this opportunity by refusing to care for the body in a time of need.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “Medicines are a pis aller (n.b. ‘last resort’) that have to be used when something in the consciousness does not respond or responds superficially to the Force. Very often it is some part of the material consciousness that is unreceptive — at other times it is the subconscient which stands in the way even when the whole waking mind, life physical consent to the liberating influence. If the subconscient also answers, then even a slight touch of the Force can not only cure the particular illness but make that form or kind of illness practically impossible hereafter.”

Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 5, Physical Consciousness — Subconscient — Sleep and Dream — Illness, pg. 106