Sri Aurobindo
Autobiographical Notes
and Other Writings of Historical Interest
Part Two. Letters of Historical Interest
1. Letters on Personal, Practical and Political Matters
(1890–1926)
Letters and Telegrams to Political and Professional
Associates 1906–1926
Extract from a Letter to Parthasarathi Aiyangar1
Be very careful to follow my instructions in avoiding
the old kind of politics. Spirituality is India’s only politics, the fulfilment
of the Sanatan Dharma its only Swaraj. I have no doubt we shall have to go
through our Parliamentary period in order to get rid of the notion of Western
democracy by seeing in practice how helpless it is to make nations blessed.
India is passing really through the first stages of a sort of national Yoga. It
was mastered in the inception by the inrush of divine force which came in 1905
and aroused it from its state of complete tamasic ajnanam. But, as happens also
with individuals, all that was evil, all the wrong sanskaras and wrong emotions
and mental and moral habits rose with it and misused the divine force. Hence all
that orgy of political oratory, democratic fervour, meetings, processions,
passive resistance, all ending in bombs, revolvers and Coercion laws. It was a
period of asuddha rajasic activity and had to be followed by the inevitable
period of tamasic reaction from disappointed rajas. God has struck it all down,–
Moderatism, the bastard child of English Liberalism; Nationalism, the mixed
progeny of Europe and Asia; Terrorism, the abortive offspring of Bakunin and
Mazzini. The latter still lives, but it is being slowly ground to pieces. At
present, it is our only enemy, for I do not regard the British coercion as an
enemy, but as a helper. If it can only rid us of this wild pamphleteering, these
theatrical assassinations, these frenzied appeals to national hatred with their
watchword of Feringhi-ko-maro, these childish conspiracies, these idiotic
schemes for facing a modern army with half a dozen guns and some hundred
lathis,– the opium 
visions of rajogun run mad,
then I say, “More power to its elbow.” For it is only when this foolishness is
done with that truth will have a chance, the sattwic mind in India emerge and a
really strong spiritual movement begin as a prelude to India’s regeneration. No
doubt, there will be plenty of trouble and error still to face, but we shall
have a chance of putting our feet on the right path. In all I believe God to be
guiding us, giving the necessary experiences, preparing the necessary
conditions.
13 July 1911