Evening Talks with Sri Aurobindo

8th January, 1940

Disciple : Have you read C. V. Raman's address at the Science Congress?

Sri Aurobindo : Yes, I have.

Disciple : It seems they have discovered two new elements.

Sri Aurobindo : Not discovered, but created by changing the position of the particles in the atom. What are they going to do with them?

Disciple : The cost of producing them will be prohibitive. Though the method of breaking up by Cyclotron is cheap. Raman has supported Einstein's theory about unity of matter and energy.

Sri Aurobindo : Has anybody doubted it?

Disciple : No.

Sri Aurobindo : But what is energy?

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Disciple : Modern scientists have stopped asking that question. They only concern themselves with the 'how' and not the 'why' or the 'what'. But their own discoveries will make the question more pointed.

Sri Aurobindo : Quite so. Because the question is why a different combination of atomic particles should make a different element.

Disciple : Once energy was said to be tubes of force and there was theory of vortices in vogue.

Sri Aurobindo : That means force in movement. You know energy when it is in activity and then the question arises what is force?

Disciple : They don't answer this question.

Sri Aurobindo : Unless you accept a Being behind who applies the force and also becomes matter there is not other explanation. When they are given this reply they say it is all nonsense. They explain it by saying it is nature. They don't know what is nature. It is merely giving a name. Nature stands for a magic formula, a Maya and they explain everything by that formula.

Disciple : The scientists swore by the rigorous law of causation but now they find it difficult to apply it in their investigations.

Sri Aurobindo : What is causation? It only means that certain conditions follow certain other conditions.

Disciple : How can the presence of somebody behind force be proved?

Sri Aurobindo : There is no other explanation. I have said that in the Life Divine.

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Disciple : He didn't say about somebody but a Being.

Sri Aurobindo : I have said in the Life Divine that you can not explain the appearance of consciousness out of Matter unless you accept a Being behind. The Being may be either Unmanifest and involved in Matter or it may be Manifest.

Disciple : It is the Brahman playing on Brahman or with it.

Sri Aurobindo : They will accept the Brahman playing within the Brahman.

Disciple : They want to catch Brahman with their scientific instruments.

Another Disciple : They have despaired of even that! They have come to the materialistic conception of the Universe. They speak of tensorial law.

10th January, 1940

Disciple : In a publication of the Gita Press the writer is trying to prove the efficacy of repeating Divine name and of the Kirtan. He cites Tulsidas in support of his contention.

Sri Aurobindo : If it was so easy it would have been delightful.

Disciple : There is a story of Ajamil in the Puranas to support the efficacy of repeating the Name.

Sri Aurobindo : The value of Name and Kirtan depends upon awakening of the Psychic Being and its influence over other parts of nature.

Disciple : Has mechanical repetition no effect?

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Sri Aurobindo : If it touches the psychic being it has.

Disciple : In the Kirtan people easily go into ecstatic state or Bhavasamadhi.

Sri Aurobindo : Very often it ends in awakening the vital instead of the psychic being.

Disciple : 'X' is now retired. Do you think now he is doing your Yoga?

Sri Aurobindo : He has his own way of doing the yoga and the seclusion, I believe, is temporary.

Disciple : They cite your own example in favour of retirement.

Sri Aurobindo : It is wrong to say that I do not accept life because I do not actively participate in it. It is true I am not for acceptance of life as it is. I accept life, i. e. nature, for transformation.

Disciple : Some of our disciples are not taking part in ordinary life but can we say that they are retired? Or can we say that they are not doing your yoga?

Disciple : X. here likes ordering people about, he seems full of anger, egoism, etc.

Sri Aurobindo : That changes last because the outer being is the last to change; it does not mean that there has been no progress within.

Disciple : In Raman Maharshi's Ashram one feels at once the peace.

Sri Aurobindo : Is there nobody in the Ashram here who feels quiet and peaceful?

Disciple : In the world also you find people who are not

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jealous and are peaceful. The difficulty is how to find them without attaining inner perfection oneself.

Sri Aurobindo : X felt peace and immediately went in for the yoga. It is nothing compared to what is yet to be done. In many people I see the light which I don't see in worldly people.

"New Statesman" condemns Huxley's book 'After many summer' as a witty parody thrown into philosophy.

Sri Aurobindo : Then it is no worse than Anthony West. He does not seem to admit wit even. They say Forster is also philosophical.

Disciple : They do not seem to like intellectual novels like those of Tagore.

Sri Aurobindo : If not intellectual, will they write stupid novels?

Disciple : Tagore in his novels analyses various psychological movements which common people can't understand. Sharatchandra can be said to be a non-intellectual writer.

Disciple : Yes, except in his 'Shesher Prashna'.

Disciple : So far as I have read he does not seem to be very intellectual.

Sri Aurobindo : He is not much of a thinker.

Disciple : He has in some of his writings pleaded the cause of Western civilization or culture by taking the opposite line of arguments, but to me they have seemed always to be weak. For example, his heroine does not find anything grand in the conception behind the Taj Mahal.

Sri Aurobindo : What is there European about it? The one thing they like is the Taj.

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Disciple : I don't mean the architectural beauty, but he ridicules the ideal of immortal love.

Sri Aurobindo : From that point of view Europeans like the idea of immortal love. In fact love has a great place in their life.

Disciple : Love in the sense of emotion directed to one person alone and continuing even if the person is dead. Sharat's heroines cannot bear this. He seems to advocate re-marriage or no marriage as far as I understand.

Sri Aurobindo : Why is it European? In Europe no one advocates such an idea except a few intellectuals. If you want to abolish the institution of marriage they will raise a hue and cry.

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