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
The radio said that the Germans had penetrated through the French lines in some places.
SRI AUROBINDO: The Germans' technique is to accumulate all their strength at one point and then make a drive. The French don't seem to be able to prevent the thrust.
PURANI: No, though their air force is attacking the rear.
SRI AUROBINDO: That cannot prevent the advance, it can or hamper it.
PURANI: The French also could gather their mass against the Germans.
SRI AUROBINDO: That is what they should do. I don't know why they don't. I suspect they have dispersed their forces too much. In the east, of course, if Italy comes into the war, it would be helpful. In the last war they found some counter-measures against German attacks. This time they don't seem to have found anything yet.
EVENING
SRI AUROBINDO: Have you seen that India is going to be a great military country? The Viceroy is forming civil guards for defend (Laughter)
PURANI: If they were trained to handle machine-guns and tanks, that would be something.
Nirodbaran (smiling): They will be given only batons!
SRI AUROBINDO: Batons?
NIRODBARAN: Yes.
PURANI: Gandhi will object even to that. It is against non-violence.
SATYENDRA: Why? He doesn't object to the nation using violence, if it wants to. His ideal is only for himself.
PURANI: Yes, the nation can have its army for defence.
SRI AUROBINDO: But he changed his principle with regard to monkeys.
PURANI: Monkeys?
SRI AUROBINDO: Monkeys in his Ashram!
PURANI: Oh, yes. You mean he may change with regard to Hitler-monkeys also? (Laughter) He is quite capable of that.
SRI AUROBINDO: Hitler was born to prove the inapplicability of Ahimsa.
NIRODBARAN: The small neutrals seemed to have followed Gandhi's method in submitting to Hitler so easily.
SATYENDRA: In Holland and Belgium he met some resistance.
NIRODBARAN: In Holland? There was no fight there, I think.
SRI AUROBINDO: There was a fight there but they allowed themselves to be killed more than kill. Perhaps Gandhi's non-violence? They did not go the whole hog in the Gandhi way.
SATYENDRA: The Poles also surrendered very quickly in spite of their being good soldiers.
SRI AUROBINDO: That was because of their generals and leaders. If they had had somebody like Mannerheim, then Germany would have been foiled.
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