Sri Aurobindo : conversations
THEME/S
14th January, 1939
The topic of opathy came up. It was said that it has cures for religious depression and anger also.
Disciple : Anger, the scientists say, is due to the reaction of glands. But can "egoism" be cured like that?
Disciple : If it can be cured, I would be the first to apply for it.
Disciple : "The fact you are conscious about the "ego" makes half the cure–is it not?" he said turning to Sri Aurobindo.
Sri Aurobindo : Not necessarily. But it is the first step.
Disciple : And what is the second?
Sri Aurobindo : To detach oneself from all these things; to think as if all these things belong to the other being, or some one else. As one goes on doing this the Purusha gradually withdraws its sanction from the Prakriti and
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the Prakriti loosens its hold over nature till a spiritual control takes place. But if one associates oneself with Nature, Prakriti, then the Purusha becomes slave to it. Rejection, of course, is the stronger way. One has to reject these things before they enter, as I did the thoughts. It is more powerful and the result also is quick.
There is also a mental control; but there too it is the nature of Mind trying to control the nature of the Vital. It has only a temporary and partial control. The thing is rather suppressed within and can come out at any opportunity.
I heard of a Yogi in Benares bathing in one of the Ghats. In the neighbouring ghat a Kashmiri woman came to bathe. As soon as he saw her he fell upon her and tried to outrage her. That is evidently a case of mental control. But by Sadhana – yogic effort – sometimes things which have not been there come up. I have heard about it from many persons.
In my case, I saw anger coming up and possessing me. It was absolutely uncontrollable when it came. I was very much surprised as to my nature. Anger has always been foreign to me.
At another time while I was an undertrial prisoner at Alipore jail, a terrible catastrophe was avoided. Prisoners had to wait outside for sometime before entering the cells. As we were waiting a Scotch Warder came and gave me a push. The young men around me became very excited, and I did nothing but gave him such a look that he immediately fled and called the jailer. It was a communicative anger and all the young men rallied round to attack him. When the jailer, who was rather a religious man arrived, the Warder said, I had given him
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a "subordinate look". The jailer asked me and I told him that I have never been used to such treatment. The jailer pacified the whole group and said while going, "we have all to bear our cross."
Disciple : Is Rudra Bhava something like Ramakrishna's story about the snake, where anger is to be shown without really feeling it.
Sri Aurobindo : Not at all. It is something genuine, a violent severity against something very wrong. e.g. the Rudra Bhava of Shiva. Anger one knows by its feeling of sensations, it rises from below, while Rudra Bhava rises from the heart. I will give you an instance. Once X became very violent against the Mother and was shouting and showing his fists. As I heard the shouting, a violent severity came down, that was absolutely uncontrollable. I went out and said : "Who is shouting at the Mother? Who is shouting here?" As soon as he heard it he became very quiet.
Disciple : I heard X had a very violent temper.
Sri Aurobindo : Yes, he was otherwise an earnest Sadhaka, became conscious of many things and made progress. But these fits used to come to him now and then. Some Asuric forces used to catch hold of him and he could not control himself. It is these forces that have failed him in the yoga, for I hear he does not have these attacks now outside. When under the grip he could not see that he was in the wrong. He blamed me and the Mother, though we had been very lenient and considerate to him. After sometime he was able to recognize his faults, admit it and promise that he would not do it again. But again he would be swept away by the forces. Sometimes his vanity and self-respect would come in
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the way of his admitting the fault immediately. That is the mistake. One must not justify one's wrong. If one does that, it comes again and makes it more difficult to get rid of it.
Disciple : 'Y' after doing so much Tapasya is thinking of leaving the Ashram and that too after twelve years of stay.
Sri Aurobindo : What Tapasya? If complete control was given to him he would have stayed perhaps.
Disciple : He says, he is helping the Mother.
Sri Aurobindo : Helping only? I thought he was conducting the Ashram? (Laughter )
Disciple : but these kinds of people–will they ever realize the Divine?
Sri Aurobindo : Everyone will arrive at the Divine. 'A.' once asked the Mother if he will realize God. The Mother replied that he will, unless he did something idiotic and cut short the life, and that is what he has done.
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