TheDepartment of Philosophy, University of Jammu, in collaboration with ShriAurobindo Gyan Kendra, successfully organised a public lecture on “Aspiration,Rejection and Surrender: Psychological Foundation of Spiritual Transformation inIntegral Yoga.” The lecture was delivered by Dr. Vijay Laxmi Rai from theDepartment of Philosophy, University of Jammu.
Theprogramme was conducted under the visionary guidance of the Vice-Chancellor,Prof. Umesh Rai, whose sustained encouragement to integrate India’s richspiritual and philosophical heritage into contemporary academic discoursecontinues to inspire such meaningful initiatives.
In heraddress, Dr. Vijay Laxmi Rai elucidated three central psychological movementsof Integral Yoga—Aspiration, Rejection, and Surrender—as the foundationalprocesses of spiritual transformation. She explained that aspiration signifiesthe soul’s sincere upward movement towards the Divine Truth, transcending meredesire or intellectual curiosity.
Elaboratingon the second movement, Rejection, Dr. Rai described it as a disciplinedpsychological process involving the conscious elimination of ignorance, ego,fear, and ingrained habitual tendencies. She emphasised that rejection is notsuppression but a mindful process of awareness and purification across themental, vital, and physical planes that obstruct inner growth.
The lectureculminated in an insightful exposition of Surrender, understood as the offeringof one’s ego, will, and actions to the Divine Consciousness. The speakerfurther highlighted that these three processes together constitute a dynamicpsychological discipline that facilitates transformation without necessitatingwithdrawal from worldly life.
Earlier,Deepti Padmanabhan, Administrative Officer, Dhanvantri Library, introduced theestablishment and objectives of Shri Aurobindo Gyan Kendra. Prof. Jasbir Singh,Head, Department of Philosophy, in his welcome address, underscored thecontemporary relevance of Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga as a synthesis ofspirituality and life, highlighting its importance for psychological growth andinner transformation in the present times.
The formalvote of thanks was presented by Dr. Ajai Kumar Mishra from the Department ofPhilosophy.
The lecturewas attended by distinguished faculty members, including Prof. Sangeeta Gupta(Dean, Planning and Development and Head, Department of Library Sciences),Prof. Namrata Sharma, Prof. Anupama Vohra, Prof. Sunita Sharma, Prof. DushyantRai, Prof. Shallu Sehgal, Dr. Anjuman Ara, Dr. Panu Sharma, Dr. AshwinKhushwaha, Dr. Koshika Sharma, Dr. Suman Verma, and Shalini Gupta, along withresearch scholars and students, who actively participated in the interactivesession.
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