Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 4

Letter ID: 953

Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar

April 26, 1943

I enclose a letter from Krishnaprem.

About therapy, etc. I am not genuinely interested. But I confess I am rather intrigued about Surya Deva. Inever thought of worshipping him as a Deva. How about it? Does Krishnaprem mean that Surya is a conscient god?

Yes, obviously.

If it is meant god in the sense that sarvam khalvidam brahma [All this is the Brahman. Chhandogyopanishad, 3.14.1] – the point is lost for why then pick out Surya Deva as a God – the little stream flowing there is surely as much a flowing God?

No, every being and thing is not a god. Well, because he is supposed to be one of the great cosmic Powers – the little stream is not.

I have heard of sun-worshippers (I don’t know if there are moon-worshippers) but I could never take them seriously.

There were both. Even now the Sun and Fire [get] reverence, I believe, from the Parsis. The Gayatri, which is a very potent mantra, centres round Surya.