Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1. 1935

Letter ID: 1285

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

March 18, 1935

N.P. has pain in the eye which he says is of a throbbing character as if somebody were “pricking” from within the centre of the eye.

“Throbbing” and “pricking” are two quite different things. Pricking pains are quite normal in ordinary eye-illness. N is not a good “pain-bearer” and those who are like that, always get pain worse and find it more difficult to get rid of it.

R came to see him at my request and advised him to do palming.

We must first know what the damned thing is. If it is glaucoma, then sunlight treatment is the only chance of cure. Let us hope it is not.

My impression is that R is more concerned with treatment than diagnosis; then the treatment is bound to be symptomatic.

I don’t think R is any good at diagnosis. The old Doctor was the man for that. I would define R’s method as “book work + imaginative experimentation”. (It is a confidential estimate).

But I really wonder why the Divine can’t do something! You said people were saved from death by prayer, and here the Divine himself can’t save this fellow from pain and suffering!

Such questions are all “my eye”.

N got remarkable response from the Divine, then why not N.P.?

Every man does not get response, and every man does not give response.

Khas a thick crop of eruptions on the face, and temperature. I was thinking it may be measles. You seem to think it may be due to dengue. But rashes are not so numerous in dengue.

Don’t know. Mother was thinking of X’s case more than K’s. These do not seem to be the characteristic signs that are precursors of measles. Anyhow we shall have to see and if it’s anything, must be careful it doesn’t spread. Especially one must be careful to keep to the rule – “Don’t give purgatives in high fever unless you are sure of the nature of the fever”.

S’s case is really puzzling. It does not seem to be apoplexy since there is no paralysis nor is the pressure high.

It seems to me a congestion such as comes at his age to people who live well (S is a good eater). Perhaps it might have been worse if he had not bled.

Anyway there doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger, is there?

Probably not – people carry on for many years like that – I mean with that tendency. Provided it does not turn to real apoplexy.

N.P. has got a complicated eye trouble. It looks like iritis.

I think you had better ask N if he is willing to show his eyes to R’s ophthalmologist – for diagnosis only. It is evidently difficult to act without knowing definitely what the matter is – without any doubt.