Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 2. 1937

Letter ID: 1885

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

March 22, 1937

Another letter from Chand – family matters and something about his Bank trouble! What a fine thing to be an Avatar, what?

Why? You think an Avatar has to take in the Bank troubles of his Chands? No fear!

How the devil could I mean that I don’t want my poetry to improve? I certainly want it to improve to its zenith, but it must not bring in the egoistic idea that I have done it by my own power, as your expressions “you have to do this”, “you have to bring this etc., etc.” is very likely to feed the egoism. That’s all, Sir! Not clear?

Well, sir, if I can’t say you, must I write “that body” or “the phenomenon of an apparent Doctor-poet”? Or there must be an impersonal commotion in the apparently personal part which might be pragmatically called “doing this” or “bringing this”. That would discourage egoism; but it might discourage my writing also as well as stifle your poetic inspiration while you stared at the roundabouts.

“What book?” you ask after 2 or 3 weeks? My “Mahabharat”, Sir, or Ramayana, if you like!

Good heavens! who would have thought of that?

Yes, I tried reading The Mother, but the first chapters gave me a fright and made my blood freeze – “no use, no use” resounds everywhere, resulting in the idea of giving up even the ghost of Yoga!

I suggested to you to read the passages referring to the necessity of effort so long as the Force does not take up the whole business.

About “internal discharge”, I had a talk with Rajangam. Could you please wait till tomorrow?

Yes, certainly.