Champaklal Speaks

Unfortunate

On 10 October 1923 one of my classmates in Patan (after I left, he too turned to Sri Aurobindo) came to Pondicherry. This boy was very poor. In order to save money for his travel and his stay here, he was having only one meal a day—and that too not a full meal.

I had done exactly the same thing when I came here for good, the same year in June. I did not want to ask for money from home but wanted to stay here as long as possible. So I used to have only one meal, not a full meal, and carry on.

That went on for about two months. Having undergone the same experience I could appreciate his sincerity.

He wanted to see Sri Aurobindo. To see Mother was out of the question; she was not meeting anyone. Now I myself could have asked Sri Aurobindo, but his destiny was different and it so happened that his request was conveyed by someone else. Sri Aurobindo said: “Tell him I will give darshan at Patan.” So he had to go back. But he wrote later that he did have Sri Aurobindo's darshan in his house in Patan.

Later I learnt that the person who spoke to Sri Aurobindo about this boy had said: “The boy is unbalanced; if he sees you he will lose his head.” Naturally, Sri Aurobindo's answer was what it was. Besides, he himself was not eager to see anyone. I was very sorry that someone I believed to be an advanced sadhak could behave so irresponsibly. Anyway it was the Divine's Will; otherwise I would have been made to ask for permission and arrange his interview with Sri Aurobindo.