Nirodbaran's Correspondence with Sri Aurobindo

September 1937

I send you the letter of a diabetic sadhak asking me if he can take rice once a day. I can only pass on the question to you. What shall I reply to his piteous and pathetic request? For enlightenment, please.

September 1, 1937

Guru, I hope you won't call this a Victorian, sentimental, romantic poem and make me crush my bones by a fall from the sky of ecstasy!

Nothing of that kind in it.
Your bones are safe this time.

September 4, 1937

... By the way, you haven't returned my medical report book. Mother says it is not there! How? I sent it last night!

Forgot to shove it in. Afterwards it got covered with other books and files—so undiscoverable.

September 5, 1937

What does Mother say about making S a hospital bird for some days? I think he will benefit by it. This neurotics do you know.

[Sri Aurobindo underlined the last sentence.]

What on earth does this cryptic sentence mean?

Only the place is a bit nasty with lots of flies and proletariats.

I fear it might depress him greatly. If nothing has any effect, there might be a consultation with André.

If vetoed, I may try Tonekine injections—(containing arsenic, eau de mer, etc.).

But is this dried liver curable by treatment? Mother says she had an acquaintance who suffered from it, but nothing could cure him. There was nothing left of him but bones and some appearance of skin. Only he kept it up to the age of 80 and died after burying all his relatives and most of his friends. But this S takes just the wrong attitude, making the most of his illness. Just read the letter I send you. What is all this jerks, hammering, beatings, lumpings, movements? Neurotics? facts? if the latter, what do they "indicate"—to use a favourite phrase of sadhaks when relating their experiences.

He said just now that as soon as he took milk in the evening, there was fierce burning

But what about liver extract?

Meanwhile you can try the sea water etc. tonic

"Green locks of virgin woods
Waived by a gentle breeze..."

What the deuce is this "waived"—You waive your claim, not your hair.

September 6, 1937

I don't think S's ailment is curable. They say that the liver can regenerate. But what about atony of stomach?

If it can regenerate, how do you say it is incurable?

Well, what about it?

He says that you have asked him to continue treatment—treatment which is of no use? Every day must I hear his long-drawn, ghastly, tragic tales and sit tight and deaf? He says it gloriously—Faith etc. is natural with him. Um! I hope the Force can do something.

I have told him that if he wants to be cured by Force, he must give up all quarrelling, cantankerousness, rancour, complaining, etc., etc., because it is these things that have dried up his liver and debased his stomach—also that agitation and howling stop the Force.

... Anyway, given him Liver pills today.

That's the Liver Extract?

September 7, 1937

Yes, that is the liver extract... His liver can regenerate, but will depend on the amount of healthy tissue surviving... And atony? How is the stomach going to get back its tone and its position, its lost glands, epithelium, etc., etc.? Homeopathy can do it, I hear.

Well, if H can, then it is possible.

I don't know about our branch, unless the fellow gets fatty suddenly, perhaps there's a chance.

Fatty? Rather difficult, but it sometimes happens like the opposite process.

He says he felt a relief yesterday, from 5 p.m. till this morning. He had a diamond smile (teeth, I mean) today. I took the opportunity of showing him that the Force has demonstrated that it can cure and he must satisfy the Force (so easy to sermonise, alas!), we can do, almost zero.

Of course it can, if he keeps himself open. But will he?

September 8, 1937

[The first 2 reports were written by Dr. Becharlal.]

P has been getting slight fever nowadays. You will see here the prescription...

Mother says that it would be better to give him Indian medicines out of plants, like Sudarshan or something similar instead of these drugs. Purani had offered some sort of preparation which is given in such cases. Mother would like to know if it can be given.

He is to continue soup of vegetables, if he cannot digest milk. He says he gets nausea by taking milk. He needs rest.

He has been given complete rest for several days; but he is restless and wants to do some work. But he did a little yesterday after the milk which had upset his digestion and become worse. He had been rapidly getting better before that with a medicine given by Pavitra, but which is now exhausted. He was asked again to take complete rest. He says however that you have told him he can do some light work.

I find that Dr. Becharlal has forgotten to mention P's diagnosis: his eyes were deep yellow, colour of the face also faintly so. Rate of heart 58. No liver enlargement or diminution. So it is diagnosed as jaundice.

Most of these facts were given by B in a letter this morning. But there was no mention of the non-enlargement of liver. It was that Mother especially wanted to know.

September 9, 1937

Is the sex Force still strong [6.8.37]? What makes it so strong?

It is strong—nothing has made it strong. It has simply come up.

September 10, 1937

... Please give your Force and protection and blessings.

I shall put it there.

September 11, 1937

Dara has a hoarse cough. Had no sleep last night. Takes only milk; has no appetite.

Mother says when he came to pranam today his head was very hot. He complains of the painfulness of his throat which prevents taking anything but tea and milk. What about one or two teaspoonfuls of honey in a cup of very hot milk? Mother can give him the honey.

Guru, this poem¹⁸³ knocked me on the head when you slammed the door on correspondence. Now my head is all right, so it wants to try its luck again. So?

Very beautiful. You seem to have found yourself in English poetry.

"... Dim reminiscences
Of flights across thy skies..."

Too many S's?

[Sri Aurobindo cancelled the s of "flights"]

I have beheaded one that was in excess.

September 13, 1937