Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 3

Letter ID: 723

Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar

March 22, 1936

There is no rule excluding emotion from the field of Yoga unless of course it is a Yoga of pure knowledge and nothing else. Emotion is necessary for Bhakti, so it must find a place in any Yoga in which Bhakti is a necessary element. So your increase of emotion does not disqualify you for Yoga. Also cold calm is not the thing aimed at by the sadhak or attained by the siddha [accomplished yogi]. Cold calm is possible to certain kinds of Asuras, but the divine Calm is not cold; it is a basis for Light, Power, Love, Ananda and these are not things that take root in the ice. So there too fear is groundless.

As for the turning of all to the Divine, that is a counsel of perfection for those who want to go fast and far and so don’t care to carry any baggage. But otherwise friendship whether between man and man or man and woman or woman and woman is not forbidden – provided it is the true thing and sex does not come in and also provided it does not turn one away from the goal. If the central aim is strong, that is sufficient.