Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1

Letter ID: 381

Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar

July 17, 1933

I had thought of asking Mother, but somehow didn’t: what was the matter last evening with Purushottam¹? Champaklal² says there was nothing wrong there. Others say it was a possession. I trust my appeal to Krishna hadn’t reached other quarters than that of the Benign Evergreen? It is rather disquieting that’s why I ask.

There was no misdirection of your appeal to Krishna; if there was anybody responsible it was Anilkumar with his tabla. But there was nothing wrong and no “possession” in the evil sense of the word; nothing hostile. The beat-beat of the tabla more than anything else created a vibration which was caught hold of by some rhythmic material Energy and that in its turn caught hold of or was caught hold of by Purushottam’s body which considered itself under a compulsion to “execute” the rhythm by a dance. There is the whole (occult) science of the affair, Purushottam thought he was inspired and in a trance, Ambu³ thought Purushottam was going to break his head and other people’s legs, a number of others thought Purushottam was going cracked or already cracked, some thought Purushottam was killing Ambu which Ambu contemptuously rejects saying he was able to hold Purushottam all alone, and out of these conflicting mental judgments – if they can be called so – arose the whole row. A greater quietude in people’s minds could perhaps have allowed the “incident” to be “liquidated” in a less uproarious fashion – but the Mother was absorbed in the music and could only intervene later when Champaklal consulted her. That is all.

¹ A Gujarati disciple. He was put in charge of “Prosperity.”

Back

² Champaklal Purani (2 February 1903 – 9 May 1992) came from Gujarat and had joined the Ashram in 1923. He was a painter and Sri Aurobindo and Mother’s faithful attendant.

Back

³ Ambu, a Gujarati young man, expert in Yogic asanas.

Back