Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
Volume III - Part 1
There is [when one receives forces without a basis of peace, light and love] more a sense of having power than real power. There are some mixed and quite relative powers – sometimes a little effective, sometimes ineffective – which could be developed into something real if put under the control of the Divine, surrendered. But the ego comes in, exaggerates these small things and represents them as something huge and unique and refuses to surrender. Then the sadhak makes no progress – he wanders about in the jungle of his own imaginations without any discrimination or critical sense or among a play of confused forces he is unable to understand or master.
Forces can come anywhere. The Asuras have their forces, but without peace, light or love – only they are forces of darkness.