As part of the residential programme organized by Uditam: Institute for Integral Healing, Sri Aurobindo Society, Dr. Beloo Mehra, Director, BhāratShakti, was invited to facilitate a group discussion session on Saturday, April 19, 2025. For her session, Dr. Mehra focused on the topic – Human Relationships in Itihāsas.
The session opened with general introductions all around, after which Dr. Mehra shared some comments on what we understand to be the basis of a relationship. Is it love, duty, affection, transactional exchange, or something else. She shared a few stories from the two itihāsas which bring out different dimensions of various human relationships – conjugal, parent-child, siblings, friendship, king and public, and many more. Some of these stories were elaborately discussed in an interactive manner and contextualised explanations were provided by Dr. Mehra wherever required. Participants shared some interesting perspectives, and a completer understanding was developed slowly.
Dr. Mehra highlighted the significance of examining the nature of human love and relationships using a deeper psycho-spiritual view of human nature, given to us by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother who had not only explored the depths of human nature but had also raised themselves to the highest heights of consciousness. She shared a few lines from Sri Aurobindo’s epic mantric poem, Savitri, which highlight on one side the eternal and divine basis of Love as a Force, and on the other the human deformations that enter into Love which make all human ties fragile and temporary. She also briefly explained the context in which these lines appear in the poem.
This story-telling approach was found helpful by all. As participants shared their understanding of some of the popular stories from these epics, they were also able to connect some of the insights from these stories with their own lived experiences and observations of life around them. This reflective approach made the experience richer and more meaningful for all.
Some questions about the changing societal contexts also came up, which deepened the discussions and also brought in cross-cultural views on these topics. It was discussed how important it is to explore the notion of human relationships from an evolutionary perspective also. The hour-long session was appreciated by all participants.
