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: It seems America's war with Japan is inevitable.
SRI AUROBINDO: Why?
PURANI: As a consequence of the opening of the Burma Road by the British.
SRI AUROBINDO: Not likely.
PURANI; And Prussia also will have two ports—the Balkans and Japan.
SATYENDRA: Japan won't go to war.
SRI AUROBINDO: None of them is willing unless they are obliged to.
Have you any idea what Churchill meant when he declared that Mussolini would very soon see the surprise that the British has for him? What Churchill means in simple words is, "I will show you." (Laughter)
NIRODBARAN: He may have something up his sleeve. He doesn't give out empty threats.
SRI AUROBINDO: Not usually.
(Addressing Purani with a little smile) Baron went to see Schomberg on some business.
PURANI: I see.
SRI AUROBINDO: He said that he had come to know it was on Schomberg's demand that he had been called from Chandernagore, Schomberg with great surprise exclaimed, "Oh, what a lie, what a lie! Who told you this? It is the Governor who called you; I had nothing to do with it." "But the Governor himself told me that you did it." "What a lie! it is not true, it can't be true." And then when Baron met the Governor he told him what Schomberg had said. The Governor now exclaimed, "What lies, what lies!" (All of us burst into laughter.) Baron thought one of them must be lying. He forgot the possibility that both may have been lying.
PURANI: Yes. The Governor may himself have called him back in order to please his Vichy Government.
EVENING
PURANI: Veerabhadra has gone, it seems.
SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, he was asked to give up his public activity, if he wanted to stay here. He says he can't do that as public activity is part of himself. He has got permission to come to the Ashram but live outside. He is fit for nothing else but propaganda. I was many times on the point of driving him out, but he escaped.
PURANI: I wonder how he was teaching Hindi when he himself knows so little. He knows even less than Amrita, I think.
SRI AUROBINDO: It is like Amrita's teaching French in Madras. You know the joke about old French?
PURANI: No.
SRI AUROBINDO: While he was teaching in the class, the students said that what he was saying was different from the book. Amrita replied, "That is old French." (Laughter)
PURANI: Yes, yes, I remember Moni and others used to taunt him.
SRI AUROBINDO: It was a standing joke for a long time.
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