Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1. 1935

Letter ID: 1480

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

November 20, 1935

Now that S has been resuscitated – without any impending danger – I would like to know how far R’s treatment has contributed to it. Dr. Nibaran said he doesn’t believe at all that R had anything to do with the cure. It was pure and simple Mother’s Force throughout. What was wanted by the Mother was complete suspension of medicine, but since the patient didn’t have so much faith, homeopathy was allowed – which is as good as no treatment.

That is the allopath’s prejudice.

I quite believe that homeopathy has a place. I’ve heard from Mother to that effect and, from other authoritative sources, of some miraculous cures by it.

Dr. Valle himself, who is an allopath and not likely to be bamboozled, has studied homeopathy and uses it in many cases.

I asked Mother about R, and she said that he has a magnetism around him, which he can put into his patients. I have also marked that he has enormous self-confidence and a capacity to create confidence in others.

That is his real strength along with the magnetism and power of suggestion. The man is a tower of vital strength and a dynamo of vital force – but with all the turbidity of a vital force.

I can’t altogether dismiss his treatment as rubbish and make-believe, because you yourself have said that if the diagnosis is correct and appropriate medicines are administered the Force can work quickly and effectively.

Yes, certainly. On the contrary, when there is a grave error in the treatment, as in R’s encouragement of the bilious vomiting and of the orange-fed hyperacidity, then the Force has to fight that as well as the illness, and it becomes difficult.

I hear you have said that it’s because S surrendered himself to the Mother that he was saved.

? No, certainly not. I never said that – to whom should I say it? Besides, he was not saved till now. And S’s surrendering would be a greater miracle than anything else.

... Anyway, even if his explanations are exasperating, I’ve learnt something from R – calmness, self-confidence and faith.

Right – that is the thing every physician should have.

But a few days’ dealing has shown me that if my ego is a “chubby chap”, R’s seems a giant.

Pretty big at any rate.

But big egos are a sign of greatness, it seems, since only big people have them.

Not always, sometimes only a sign of great egoism.

Those who are non-entities, what can they egotise on? Poor man as I am, I can’t boast of wealth. I can’t say I have done miraculous cures, because I haven’t.

Yes, but even if R had not done miracle cures, he would say he had and people would believe him.

All that about S’s surrender is rubbish; he is not surrendered at all,... But the man has a belief in Yoga-force and that helps; only he had gone so wrong that at first his body was not responding. Even I was not able to put much force, the contrary forces surrounding him were so thick that the higher Shakti refused to act except in a half-hearted way. I was hoping you and Becharlal being accustomed to him would pull him out as the old Doctor who knew the right way with him had done – in spite of the greater danger this time, with the limited help I could give. It was only when the heart began to misbehave seriously, that, as often happens, in response to the danger a big Force began to come down and S’s body also responded – it was that response that saved him, not any surrender. At the same time I resolved to give R a chance – because energy and élan were needed and he had them, also I had certain [proofs of] how effective he had been in one or two cases of which I had knowledge.

All the same I think the Force can take more credit than R’s medicines, although the latter were very useful, one might say an indispensable assistance. Yet it was whenever a big Force came in that S made a bound forward and each time on the lines indicated by the Force, first the heart’s recovery, next the deliverance of the liver, third the overcoming of the hyperacid excesses. R was an obstacle as well as a help,– twice. First, in his confounded decision to encourage “yellow fever” – the bile had to be cleared out of course, but not in that dangerous way; next in his “lime-juice” excesses, the orange-juice was useful, but frantically overdone. As soon as he dropped his first mistake, the bile set itself right – as soon as he dropped his second to some extent and administered orange juice + medicine reasonably, the rest ameliorated. That is at least how I read it. And if so, it was because the Force got a chance to work straight – helped and not impeded. Now the only thing is to confirm the cure and convalesce – I hope there will be no farther difficulties. But that is R’s weakness, he is as energetic in going wrong as in going right and his colossal bluff and bunkum in trying to show himself in the right even when he knows he has made a mistake or rather most when he knows that doesn’t help at all. There!

N.B. Please keep your eye on S. I don’t feel safe with the animal.