Sri Aurobindo : conversations
Talks with Sri Aurobindo is a thousand-page record of Sri Aurobindo's conversations with the disciples who attended to him during the last twelve years of his life. The talks are informal and open-ended, for the attendants were free to ask whatever questions came to mind. Sri Aurobindo speaks of his own life and work, of the Mother and the Ashram, of his path of Yoga and other paths, of India's social, cultural and spiritual life, of the country's struggle for political independence, of Hitler and the Second World War, of modern science, art and poetry, and of many other things that arose in the course of conversation. Serious discussion is balanced with light-hearted banter and humour. By recording these human touches, Nirodbaran has brought out the warm and intimate atmosphere of the talks.
THEME/S
PURANI: Some Madrasi has come to see X to learn Pranayama from him as he has written a book on the subject. X replied by signs that he has taken a vow of silence and couldn't teach. People will say that he is vowed to silence and yet has written so many books!
SRI AUROBINDO: The vow is not supposed to apply to speaking through books. Carlyle not only wrote thirty-seven volumes but also spoke profusely on the value of silence!
NIRODBARAN: Poets write poems on silence.
SRI AUROBINDO: In 1914 when the Mother came here, there also came a Dutch painter who drew a sketch of me. At the end of every meditation, he used to say, "Let us now talk of the Ineffable."
Then Purani brought in the subject of Sanskrit quotations.
SATYENDRA: Sri Aurobindo is not known by orthodox Pundits as a philosopher, but as a Yogi.
NIRODBARAN: They say he doesn't know enough Sanskrit!
SRI AUROBINDO(smiling): The editor of the Bengali paper made that remark. He also said that I don't know enough about sex; if I did, I wouldn't have started a mixed Ashram, because in a mixed Ashram, sex-energy interferes.
EVENING
NIRODBARAN: There is a lot of controversy going on regarding war aims. Have you seen Shaw's article? Is the declaration of war aims now going to be helpful?
SRI AUROBINDO: Nonsense! How can war aims be declared now? Who is going to agree at present to the idea of a federation of Europe which Shaw is advocating? That is all the talk of intellectuals. Besides, Russia will want a Communist federation, Italy a Fascist one, Rumania another form and some will even want a federation of autarchy. I don't know that the German people themselves are keen about federation. Of course some form of it has to be found afterwards.
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