What is meant by sincere sadhana? In the Mother’s definition of sincere, it means “opening only to the Divine Forces” i.e. rejecting the others even if they come. If A and U were like that, how did they go? It would indeed be a miracle.Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
Volume 2. 1937
Letter ID: 1917
Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar
April 21, 1937
What is this I hear – U decamped last night! D’s departure seems to have come as a tempest and blown away many. Victory of the hostile force you can’t yet handle?
I am not handling any hostile force.
U and A were apparently doing very sincere sadhana, no question about that.
What is meant by sincere sadhana? In the Mother’s definition of sincere, it means “opening only to the Divine Forces” i.e. rejecting the others even if they come. If A and U were like that, how did they go? It would indeed be a miracle.
A seems to have gone for health...
A went, not only for health, but to see his dear Guru who is preparing to shuffle off the mortal coil and for other motives of that kind. Quite natural, isn’t it?
As for U, he has been going some dozen or dozen and a half times, only pulled back with great difficulty. Wants immediate siddhi in perfect surrender, absolute faith, unshakable peace. If all that is going to take time, can’t do the Yoga. Feels himself unfit. Not being allowed to reach the Paratpara Brahman at once, had better rush out into the world and dissipate himsell into the Nihil. Besides got upset by every trifle and, as soon as upset, lost faith in the Mother – and without faith no Yoga possible. Reasoning, sir, reasoning – the mighty intellect in its full stupidity. Understand now?
Each time somebody leaves the Asram, I feel a kick, a shock, a heartquake...
May I ask why? People have been leaving the Asram since it began, not only now. Say 30 or 40 people have gone, 130 or 140 others have come. The big Maharattas, B, Y, H departed from this too damnable Asram where great men are not allowed to do as they like. The damnable Asram survives and grows. A and B and C1 fail in their Yoga – but the Yoga proceeds on its way, advances, develops. Why then kick, shock and heartquake?
You said long ago that the Supramental won’t tolerate any nonsense of freedom of movement or wrong movement. Is this the kick he is imparting from high up?... In these two months he has struck a tall tower like K and a fat buoy like D; how many of these!
And what then?
In NK’s letter you wrote that it is the hostile Force that is snatching away people, not the Divine Force that is driving them away. I hold the view that the Supramental is descending concentratedly and that those who resist, who are between two fires, have either to quit or to submit.
Not so strongly or concentratedly as it ought, but better than before.
Even if it were so, that is their own business. The Divine is driving nobody out except in rare cases where their staying would be a calamity to the Asram (for instance it could decide one day to drive H out); if they cannot bear the pressure and rush away, listening to the “Go away, go away” push and suggestion of the Hostiles can it be said then that it was the Divine who drove them away and the push and suggestion of the Hostile is that of the Divine? A singular logic! The “Go, go” push and suggestion have been successfully there ever since the Asram started and even before when there was no Asram. How does that square with your theory that it is due to the concentrated descent of the Force?
The Supramental not tolerating any nonsense comes to that, doesn’t it?... But really, if the more you are busy with getting down the Supramental Light, the more such things are happening, I am afraid you will have to stop the business or let whosoever drops be hanged.
Why should I stop the business – that is to say postpone the possibility for another millennium because A, or U gets shaky or many others look homeward? Will that postponement change the lower nature or get rid of the Asuras?
What’s the idea? What’s the occult secret? You promised to give me some lessons in Occultism – here is an occasion. Please expatiate, and pacify my nervous shocks. Otherwise I have to close down my poetry, vaccination, patients and every blessed thing, and gaze at the sky and exclaim – what? what? what chance?
What occult secret? It is a fact always known to all Yogis and occultists since the beginning of time, in Europe and Africa as in India, that wherever Yoga or Yajna is done, there the hostile forces gather together to stop it by any means. It is known that there is a lower nature and a higher spiritual nature – it is known that they pull different ways and the lower is strongest at first and the higher afterwards. It is known that the hostile Forces take advantage of the movements of the lower nature and try to spoil through them, smash or retard the siddhi. It has been said as long ago as the Upanishads “Hard is this path to tread, sharp like a razor’s edge”; it was said later by Christ “Hard is the way and narrow the gate” by which one enters into the kingdom of heaven and also “Many are called, few chosen” – because of these difficulties. But it has also always been known that those who are sincere and faithful in heart and remain so and those who rely on the Divine will arrive in spite of all difficulties, stumbles or falls. That is the occult knowledge pertinent here.
I have expatiated – but in the line of common sense, not occultism.
I have written 5 sonnets, Sir. Record! Gave a big dose? But are they only great in number, as in your young days?...
Eh?
We are staggered at Romen’s success in poetry. Metre free, blank verse, whatever he touches, comes out remarkable!
Regular metre he has not yet done, but he succeeded remarkably in the free metre of his lyric.
While, in my case, after so many lessons in metre, you damned each one of them!
Surely that’s a misstatement. I believe I gave several of them nice compliments.
Don’t you think D eats too much for his age?
Morning – some raisins, cocoa, 4 slices of bread + banana
Noon – 3/4 bowl rice, curds, greens
Afternoon – fruits
Evening – 4 slices of bread, greens, milk
Night – oranges
Greens and raisins can be stopped. But the diet does not seem otherwise excessive. Raisins may easily irritate.
1 Here A, B, C are not editorial substitutions.