Correspondence 1932, July (I)

July 1932?

I return the photograph of the Hungarian lady; there is evidently something in her which she can develop into a capacity for Yoga. The meaning of her dream is evident and her experience about the star is a common initial experience in Yoga. The star is always a promise of the Light to come; the star changes into a sun when there is the descent of the Light. It is not possible to fix the actual value of these signs for the future; they indicate a turn or a possibility, but everything depends on herself and the future orientation she gives to her being.

Do not allow yourself to admit any movement of vital depression, still less a depressed condition. There can be no good reason for it, since the Mother found in the meditation with you an immensely increased receptivity and a free and unhampered descent of herself into you. As for… [incomplete].

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July 1932

(Commenting on a Bengali translation of
Sri Aurobindo’s poem, “God”)

Why niyama? “rule” does not mean that here. It is the master of those who govern. Some word conveying the idea of power would be more in place.

The translation of the second verse seems to me to take away the force and idea-substance of the original and to substitute a sentimental pseudo-Robindrian half-thought without much meaning in it. He who is the greatest of the great, mahato mahī yām, does not disdain to dwell in the clod and the worm, and the vast impartiality shown in this humility is itself the very sign of the greatness of the Divine, — that was the idea behind this verse. Does your rendering convey it?

As to Nixon, the matter is of no great importance. But if a mistake of the kind was made either by Nixon or by the Gujerati, it must have been because something of the “old (musical) Adam” got through subconsciously into your letter. Every artist almost (there are rare exceptions) has got something of the “public” man in him, in his vital-physical parts, the need of the stimulus of an audience, social applause, satisfied vanity or fame. That must go absolutely if he wants to be a yogi and his art a service not of man or of his own ego but of the Divine.

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July 10, 1932

Yes, you can print the letter. I have gone through the translations and made one slight alteration.

Your solo was truly wonderful. The Mother asks me to say that there was a strong white light and a great power coming down while you sang^[1] — that was expressed in your singing. The other songs also were very good. It was a very successful day of music.

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July 12, 1932

I have made a few alterations in the first page so as to make it represent more precisely what Mother said and I am getting this page retyped by Nolini before returning the whole to you.

The white light is the light of the Divine Consciousness and specially of the Mahashakti. The golden light is closely connected with the supermind, though of course it is not the only supramental light. Kali’s light in the material is red, but when it comes from the supramental it is golden in hue.

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July 14, 1932

I quite agree with you. This new translation of “God” is quite inferior to the first. Improvements often deprave. On the other hand the opening of “Rishi” is very fine. A style at once severe and strong and lofty seems best to suit his genius.

It is rather an innovation to send the “Conversations” to one not interested at all in Yoga; but we can make an exception in this case.

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July 18, 1932

I think there can be only one solution of Maya’s affair. It is hardly possible to tell her (just now) to leave everything and come here; that might have been done if she had been alone in question and not drawn back by other considerations. Esha’s presence makes a great difference; for she is very evidently marked out for a higher life, the psychic being in her is already awake even at this early age. Nothing should be done which would either prevent or make difficult the possibilities of her spiritual fulfilment. It seems to us the only thing to be done is for Maya not to break with Shankar, but to insist on coming here for a stay every year with Esha. There ought not to be any difficulty, for she says that Shankar admits the idea of her coming, though he refuses to come himself, and if he finds her determined, he may be glad to accept it as a compromise. There are two possibilities, one is that she should come here every year for three or four months, the other that she should come twice or even thrice, if possible, on the occasion of the anniversaries for a shorter time. A system of more frequent visits would keep up the influence of the atmosphere for her throughout the year and might for that reason be preferable, if it is otherwise possible.

You will get a copy of the Conversations for your friend Ronald Nixon [Krishnaprem], The case of Jane F. is different. Her photograph does not show any readiness for a spiritual life; she is living entirely in the outward. If she wants to come here, it must surely be because you are here and I don’t think she would have been interested in the life here if it had been someone else than you who had written about it. But you must admit that that is a very poor foundation for taking such a step and not a sufficient reason for one accepting it. If there had been a predisposition in her own way of thinking or feeling or in her character or otherwise, it would have been different, — for where the soul is working from behind, it makes use very often of very slight circumstances to push the mind and vital into the way. But here there is nothing visible. To send the Conversations would be to put a pressure on her which is not advisable in these cases.

Yes, I will write about the Divine and the Supramental. For the moment I need only say that the Divine can be and is everywhere, masked or half-manifest or beginning to be manifest, in all the planes of consciousness; in the Supramental it begins to be manifest without disguise or veil in its own svarūpa [true form].

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^[1] Under its pressure there was proceeding from you a very generous distribution of vital force — in the best sense of this term — all around you. And the resolution of the conflicts into the chords of Victory was remarkable. Even, above some of the notes you sang the Mother contacted a vast Peace and Ananda. (Added by Sri Aurobindo on July 12 while revising Dilip’s reproduction of what Mother said regarding the song, and written out by Dilip.)