constant pouring of force into him to keep his mind bright and coherent and clear.Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
Volume 2. 1936
Letter ID: 1764
Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar
October 27, 1936
What, Sir? No comment, not a line or a word or even a scratch!1 Felt heavy the whole day thinking of this mystery! Will you cast a look back?
No mystery. Simply a case of adhyaropa of Shankaric illusion. Made mental answers and thought they were there physically inscribed on your blank page.
You surprise me by the revelations of D.S. What a pity that all his brilliances should have met with such a destiny!
But look here, his brilliances came after his madness. Before that he was earnest, industrious, eager for knowledge, ambitious, but nothing more. I don’t contend that his madness made him a genius, though it would agree with the immortal theory of Lombroso that genius is madness or at least always tied to abnormality and mental and physical unsoundness. It may have been the result of our constant pouring of force into him to keep his mind bright and coherent and clear.
His touchiness seems to have come from an inferiority complex, the cause of all his trouble.
Don’t believe much in complexes.
I am not very cheerful about his prognosis. The isolation, complete suspension of speech are abnormal states.
Why complete? He was talking to Amal at least.
Some believe that he is not only all right but much better. Their judgment is based on the Mother’s gracious smiles to him.
What queer logicians!
I doubt if he will ever take charge of the Dispensary.
Not likely.
Is his off-centre due to a possession?
A very partial one perhaps.
You have written about D.L. that something possessed her body. How? And did that something take her away against Mother’s and your Force? How could you allow it to possess her before your very eyes, especially in her weak moment?
What’s the row? If the mind and vital can be possessed, as happened to B and N and others, why can’t the body? As for allowing it, sir, if people have an inner revolt, they take the risk and, if they refuse to give up the possession, or call it back when it goes, they have none but themselves to blame.
If you knew that there was very little chance of saving her, what could be the meaning of sending a stupendous Force to her as a last resort?
Why not?
Did you even then hope that perhaps the scales might turn?
Of course, they might. It was a question of a battle of Forces.
Was that stupendous Force spoiled by the intervention of M?
Can’t say.
I understand that she was very sincere in her work, faithful to the Mother.
At the end, she got disgusted with it, critical of the Mother, attached to husband, relatives, food, all earth-desires. It was that that made the difficulty of her soul’s passage and the danger of the ghost. For it is these violent earth-attachments that keep the vital hovering about the place after death.
Another problem which puzzles me is that when you accepted her, did you think that she was likely to be cut off from the path?
Destiny is not an absolute, it is a relative. One can alter it for the better or the worse.
You say, “the suggestion was left in the Asram atmosphere.” [20.10.36] Suggestion by whom? Sadhaks or that vital form?
The suggestion that came from what possessed her “I will remain as a ghost”. The sadhaks simply received the ghost of the suggestion, and saw the ghost of a ghost.
Even a suggestion could be caught hold of by a Force? Where are we, eh?
What’s the idea? Forces are always making suggestions – why can’t they catch hold of one that is in the air and ease their labour?
Do you mean to say that the Force that Y was drawing at first, was not the Mother’s Force, but something different which he could control?
Who said that? It was a higher Force at least, even if not taken from the Mother, but drawn down by himself. But it was coming in small doses and he played happily with it. When it threatened to come in earnest and a great mass, he got frightened.
And when the Mother’s Force descended he got frightened feeling it “not itself” by these reactions? [22.10.36.]
“not himself”, separate from himself.
L has general weakness... How to treat her inordinate constipation?
Don’t know. R got it cured for a spell,– but she stopped his treatment. Surely there must be an allopathic way of curing her obstinacy?
I am sure if J’s poems were published, it would be like Blake’s state – a century later people would appreciate her...
What you predict is extremely probable – unless she writes hereafter something they can understand. Then they will say these were her mystic amusements by the way. A great poetess, but with a queer side to her.
1 It refers to the correspondence of the 26th in my private notebook where Sri Aurobindo didn’t write anything at first. After this remark of mine he wrote the first 4 responses.