Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
Volume 4
Letter ID: 1066
Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar
December 9, 1949
I don’t think there is much either in this man himself or in his teachings. It does not seem to me that he is a Yogi in the true sense of the word but rather a man with some intellectual ability who is posing as a spiritual teacher. His photograph gives an impression of much pretension and vanity and an impression also of much falsity in the character. As for what he teaches it does not hang together. If all books are worthless, why did he write a book and one of this kind telling people what they should do, what they should not do and if all teachers are unhelpful, why does he take the posture of a teacher since according to his own statement that cannot be helpful to anybody? Krishnamurti1 was before he broke away on his own, certainly the disciple of two gurus, Leadbeater2 and Annie Besant3: if he has denounced Mrs. Besant, Krishnaprem is quite entitled to denounce him as a gurudrohi [betrayer of guru].
1 Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), a world famous writer and speaker on psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasized that such a revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.
2 Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934), an English clergyman, author, clairvoyant and prominent member of the Theosophical Society.
3 Annie Besant (1847-1933), a prominent Theosophist, women’s rights activist, writer and orator. She launched the Home Rule movement in 1916 and was also elected the President of the Congress.