Sri Aurobindo to Dilip - Volume III

A Few Words

On 9th April and 4th May 2007, within a gap of one month, Revered Satprem, the heart and soul of "Mira Aditi", and his spiritual companion. Respected Sujata Nahar, left their mortal bodies. Their sudden withdrawal from the physical world came as a shock to all of us who were close to them and were associated in their endeavours. We remember the assurance given by Lord Krishna in the Gita (2-23):

Nainang Chindanti Shastrani Nainang dahati pavakah

Na chainang kledayantapo Na Shoshoyati marutah

Weapons can never cleave nor fire burn

Neither water drench nor wind desiccates the soul.

(Translation DKR)

Hence they are immortal and will inspire us always. We the ashramites of Harikrishna Mandir, pay our homage to both of them.

We are glad that overcoming all the hurdles we are able to publish the Volume III of "Sri Aurobindo to Dilip" containing letters written during the period 1936-1937. Like the previous two volumes the letters are equally illuminating and inspiring. We hope the discerning readers will find these letters invaluable for their Sadhana and inspiration.

Originally we had planned to bring out the entire correspondence between Sri Aurobindo and Dadaji (as Sri Dilipkumar Roy is lovingly called by his disciples and admirers) in three volumes only. Later on seeing the enormity of the correspondence we have decided to bring them out in four volumes. We regret that we could not procure all of Dadajis original letters written to Sri Aurobindo. But Sri Aurobindo's answers reveal the subject matters and queries raised in Dadaji's letters to him. In the history of spirituality, there is no parallel to such letters between the Guru and the disciples. The disciple's sincerity, frankness, truthfulness, the desire to know Truths and his high intelligence touching various

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aspects of life are expressed through the subject matter of these letters. Similarly Guru's unbound love for the disciple and divine wisdom has made these letters immortal. In 1951, the Mother assured Sri Dilipkumar in a letter: "Sri Aurobindo always considered you as a part of his realisation".

After Sri Aurobindo had gone into seclusion, it was the general belief that Sri Aurobindo was lost in Bramhan Consciousness and therefore of no use to ordinary people. Through these letters the world came to know that in spite of severe sadhana to bring down the Supramental, Sri Aurobindo was not unconcerned with the day to day problems of humanity. The general idea was that Sri Aurobindo was a serious person. Dadaji was the pioneer who dared to crack jokes with him and we the common people came to know Sri Aurobindo's beautiful human side and personality through these letters.

I conclude with a prayer that Sri Aurobindo's vision of the great descent will come true and our human nature change as foretold by the great sage.

'To raise the world to God in deathless light...

To change the earthly life to life divine."

Savitri XI.I.692

Or in the words of Sri Dilipkumar

And the glorious denouement will come because the "architect of immortality” cannot possibly fail as the omnipotent leader of human destiny has been urging us onward sleeplessly to fulfill man with the crown of Supramental consciousness on the glorious heights where:

"The Spirit shall look out through Matter's gaze,

And Matter shall reveal the Spirit's face."

Savitri XI.I.709

Shankar Bandyopadhyay

Harikrishna Mandir, Pune

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