Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1. 1935

Letter ID: 1441

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

October 9, 1935

In our discussion of yesterday about Adhar Das, if “not exactly”, what exactly then do you mean by “Our Yoga is not for our sake but for the Divine”?

Well, I once wrote in my callow days “Our Yoga is not for ourselves but humanity” – that was in the Bande Mataram times. To get out of the hole self-created I had to explain that it was no longer for humanity, but for the Divine. The “not for ourselves” remained intact.

Is it something like the Vaishnava idea of absolute surrender, without even desiring to see Him, have milan with Him; only give, give and give? A very sublime conception, but is it possible and practical?

Quite possible and practical and a very rapturous thing as anyone who has done it can tell you. It is also the easiest and most powerful way of “getting” the Divine. So it is the best policy also. The phrase, however, means that the object of the Yoga is to enter into and be possessed by the Divine Presence and Consciousness, to love the Divine for the Divine’s sake alone, to be turned in our nature into the nature of the Divine and in our will and works and life to be the instrument of the Divine. Its object is not to be a great Yogi or a superman (although that may come) or to grab at the Divine for the sake of the ego’s power, pride or pleasure. It is not for salvation though liberation comes by it and all else may come; but these must not be our objects. The Divine alone is our object.

Why not write something about the Supermind, if only to give us an idea about it? Saying that it’s only a different consciousness, is hardly enough. Any realisation of the Divine would mean that, I suppose. Or have you said something about it somewhere?

What’s the use? How much would anybody understand? Besides the present business is to bring down and establish the Supermind, not to explain it. If it establishes itself, it will explain itself – if it doesn’t, there is no use in explaining it. I have said some things about it in past writings, but without success in enlightening anybody. So why repeat the endeavour?

Dr. B is going home tomorrow for a month. Please see that Messrs. H. F. [Hostile Forces] may not entangle me into trouble.

For one month you may make yourself like iron and look fierce.

A worker from Cycle House – Cassel (?) has conjunctivitis.

Author of the dictionary? I suppose you mean Keshavalu?