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: German troops are pouring into Rumania, it seems. Do they anticipate a British invasion through it?
SRI AUROBINDO: No, it is more a move towards the Balkans by Germany, if it is also true that Italy has concentrated troops in Albania against Greece.
PURANI: But war on two fronts will be costly for Germany.
SRI AUROBINDO: But how can the British help there? They have no army to spare unless Turkey joins and brings her troops.
PURANI: Kalelkar has rearranged the Gita text leaving out some of the portions which according to him are not essential. And he gives each chapter a separate name: for example, Utthapana Yoga.
SRI AUROBINDO: And Kalelkar Yoga? (Laughter) Nobody has so far tampered with the text of the Gita.
PURANI: No, they have done so with the Ramayana and the Mahabharata but not the Gita.
SRI AUROBINDO: Yes.
EVENING
PURANI: America and Russia will check Japan in her imperialist policy in the East.
SRI AUROBINDO: It seems they are not willing to go to war. They only want to help China so far.
Somebody writing about Egypt says that it is the British who don't want Egypt to take any action against Italian attacks just now. I don't see why. They may have their reasons.
PURANI: Kalelkar says that after the war it will be India's lead.
SRI AUROBINDO: Kalelkar's lead? (Laughter)
PURANI: He says the Western powers will be crushed. Only Russia and India will survive. They will see the futility of violence, the fruits of such atrocious wars!
SRI AUROBINDO: How is communism a substitute for violence? And why does he call it an atrocious war? In the past also there have been massacres, pillages, sackings, burnings, etc., only in a different way. In these air-attacks on England the death rate so far is less than death by motor accidents. Only the destruction of property is great.
NIRODBARAN: If Russia and India alone survive, India will be a great opportunity for Russia. .
SRI AUROBINDO: It will be like the story of a lady of Niger and a tiger—in Edward Lear's limerick. You know the story?
PURANI: No.
SRI AUROBINDO: A lady of Niger went for a ride on the back of a tiger. The tiger returned with the lady sitting inside and the tiger bearing a smile on its face. (Laughter) There are good stories in his limericks. You know the story of the cow?
PURANI: I have heard it. Moni's favourite, I think.
SRI AUROBINDO: It can be very well applied to passive resistance. It is like this:
There was a young man who said, "How Shall I melt the heart of this cow?" So he sat on a stile And continued to smile Till he melted the heart of the cow. (Laughter)
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