Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 2. 1937

Letter ID: 1828

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

January 19, 1937

Excuse you? What do you mean, Sir? You give inspiration only for supramental poetry? Startling news, Sir!

Where have I said that I give inspiration for supramental poetry either only or at all? You said that your inspirer for this or for any other poem of yours was my supramental self. I simply said that it can’t be, because a supramental self would produce or inspire supramental poetry – and yours is not that, nor, I may add, is J’s or D’s or my own or anybody’s.

We fondly believe that you give inspiration, set apart a time for it, and now you say that you are not the Inspirer?

I say that my supramental Self is not the inspirer – which is a very different matter.

Pray tell me the mystery. Why shirk the responsibility now, because a surrealist poem has come out? You are responsible for it, I think.

Excuse me, no. As the Gita says, the Lord takes not on himself the good or the evil deeds (or writings) of any. I may send a force of inspiration, but I am not responsible for the results.

But did you seriously mean that I should send a “petition”?

Not very seriously. I was only afraid that you might land us in the poetry of the 22nd century – and that might be a long time to wait for somebody to understand us.

All that I do is to remember you and call for your help, and whatever comes I jot down. If I hadn’t done this I would have missed these poems. Tell me then what to do.

No need to do anything, but continue.

If spiritual surrealism is what is in that poem [on Kundalini], then it’s not at all bad. But Nolini thinks that there is not much of spiritual surrealism there.

Well, if spiritual is objected to, let us say mystic surrealism. The European kind is vital swapnic.

Why not send me that surrealist sonnet of yours?

No such thing exists, for it was not a sonnet.

By your statement we fear that a mixture is coming up in our poetry, and you will exclaim one day: “What? Am I the inspirer of these?!”

Not at all. In fact I made no statement.

Was there anything objectionable in yesterday’s poem? Really, Guru, this disclaimer of yours is terribly mysterious; the more I think of it the more I am puzzled.

But there was no disclaimer. I simply got my supramental self out of the way and left the brunt to be borne by my non-supramental self.

All this time we have known, believed and prayed that you give us the inspiration, and suddenly this?

Suddenly what? My statement that your poetry is not supramental? Surely you did not think it was!

Please give a satisfactory reply; otherwise this dread will haunt me whenever I take up pen and paper.

Rubbish! There is nothing to dread.

Nolini has been suddenly inspired to translate that surrealist poem [17.1.37]. Will you have a glance at it at your leisure?

Very good translation.