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
DR. MANILAL: Sir, why are the flowers counted by the Mother when they are brought to her?
SRI AUROBINDO: Why shouldn't they be? The stars are counted in astronomy.
DR. MANILAL: The Mother has recently started counting them, Sir.
SRI AUROBINDO: Astronomers also have recently started doing it. (Laughter)
DR. MANILAL: Do they count them as beads are counted?
SRI AUROBINDO: I don't know. You can ask them. (After a while) He, perhaps, wants to know if there is any Punya in it. (Laughter)
DR. MANILAL: No, Sir. There are transformation flowers in our house. Ambu picks them and brings them to the Mother. He says the Mother counts every one of them. When I asked the reason, he said, "All I know is that it has an occult reason. I don't know any more and can't tell you any more."
SRI AUROBINDO: Nor can I. Even that much I don't know. (Laughter)
EVENING
DR. MANILAL: Have you read Savarkar's speech. Sir?
SRI AUROBINDO: Yes. What about it?
DR. MANILAL: What do you think of it? He says we should join the Army in order to profit by the experience.
SRI AUROBINDO: It is a point of view forcefully stated.
DR. MANILAL: Have you also read Chandravarkar's speech?
SRI AUROBINDO: No.
DR. MANILAL: He says the Morley-Minto reform scheme with its separate electorates is responsible for this Hindu-Muslim disunity.
SRI AUROBINDO: Anybody could have said that.
DR. MANILAL: Savarkar also says that the British can't be defeated.
SRI AUROBINDO: That is nonsense. They were saved by Divine intervention during this War. They would have been smashed if Hitler had invaded England at the right time, just after the fall of France.
DR. MANILAL: Why didn't the Divine intervene in France, Sir?
SRI AUROBINDO: Because the French were corrupt and had no power of resistance. The English people have still some of their old virtues left to which support could be given.
DR. MANILAL: They say that Hitler may occupy Italy if Italy meets with reverses.
SRI AUROBINDO: That is one of the possibilities. But it will be hard for Germany to keep so many people under control.
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