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
To Motilal Roy [10]1
[March 1914]
Dear M.
Recently in the papers there has appeared a case of one
Rashbehary Bose against whom a warrant of extradition has been granted by the
Chandannagar Administrator in a political case. Although ordinarily we do
not concern ourselves with political matters, this concerns me and my friends
because it is an attack on the security of our position. If this kind of thing
is allowed to go unchallenged, then any of us may at any moment 
be extradited on a trumped up charge by the British police. I must
therefore ask you to interest yourself in the matter, even though it interferes
with your Yoga. The case is clearly a political one; for the main charges in the
Delhi case seem to be (1) a charge of conspiracy on a clause relating to State
(ie political) offences; (2) a charge of murder under Sc.-302 (?) read in
connection with this State offence section, therefore an assassination with a
political intention; (3) a charge under the Explosive Act, which is an
extraordinary measure passed in view of certain political conditions. Moreover
all these cases are tried together and form part of the same transaction, ie a
political conspiracy directed against the existing form of Govt
and having for its object the change or overthrow of that Govt.
Under the Extradition Treaty between France and England,– unless that has been
altered by the latest Treaty to which I have not had access, there can be no
extradition for (1) a political offence, (2) an offence of a political character
or tendency, (3) on a charge which, though preferred as for an ordinary offence,
is really an excuse or device for laying hands on a political offender.
Rashbehary Bose is reported to be in hiding either in Chandannagar or the
Panjab. If anybody moves therefore it can only be a relative or friend on his
behalf,– a relative would be much better. What you have to do is to get hold of
someone entitled to act for him, consult the text of the latest Extradition
Treaty between France and England and, if it is as I have stated, then let it be
put in the hands of a lawyer of the French Courts who must move in the matter
according to the French procedure about which I know nothing. I presume he would
have to move the Govt in France or,
failing there, the Court of Cassation in Paris, but the latter would be an
expensive affair. So long as Bose is not handed over to the British (if he is in
Chandannagar), the Court of Cassation has, I should suppose the power of
cancelling the warrant. I do not know whether it is necessary first to appeal to
the Procureur Général in Pondicherry before going to the Higher Court. On these
points of procedure Bose’s representative will have to consult a French lawyer.
In case he is handed over, the Hague decision with regard to Savarkar will come
in the way 
and make the thing almost hopeless.
The French Govt might still move on the
ground that Bose is a French subject, but it could only succeed by strong
diplomatic pressure which the present Fr. Govt
might be unwilling to employ. In any case it might be worthwhile to get a decree
of the Court of Cassation so as to establish the principle. There is always,
however, the danger in these political cases, where justice and law are so
seldom observed, of an opposite decision making the position worse than before.
It would be worthwhile finding out what exactly was done and on what grounds in
Charu Chander Ray’s case and seeing whether these grounds can be made to apply.
If you will give me the exact facts of the warrant, the charges etc, I may be
able to get a letter written to France so that Jaurès or others may move in the
matter.
As to your Tantric Yoga, the reasons of your failures
are so obvious that I am surprised you should attribute it all to the Goddess
and not to the unpardonable blunders we have all been making in our Yogic Kriya.
Kali of the Tantra is not a goddess who is satisfied with mere tamasic faith and
adoration. Perfection in Kriya is indispensable or at least a conscientious and
diligent attempt at perfection. This has not been made; on the contrary all the
defects that have made Tantra ineffective throughout the Kaliyuga abound in your
anusthana. All this must be changed; the warning has been given and it will
be wise to give heed to it. If not,– well, you know what the Gita says about
those who from ahankara hear not.
The root of the whole evil is that we have been
attempting an extension of Tantric Kriya without any sufficient Vedantic basis.
You especially were going on the basis that if a man had faith, enthusiasm,
intellectual and emotional sincerity and proffered self-surrender, all that was
necessary was there and he could go on straight to difficult Tantric anusthana.
This basis is condemned. A much stronger and greater foundation is necessary. It
was the basis of the sattwic ahankara; which said to itself, “I am the chosen of
Kali, I am her bhakta, I have every claim on her, I can afford to be negligent
about other things, she is bound to help and guard me”. It is this sattwic
ahankara which I have long felt 
to be the great
obstacle in our Yoga; some have it in the sattwa-rajasic form, others in the
sattwo-tamasic, but it is there in you all, blinding your vision, limiting your
strength, frustrating your progress. And its worst quality is that it is
unwilling to admit its own defects, or if it admits one, it takes refuge in
another. Open your eyes to this enemy within you and expel it. Without that
purification you can have no success. To “do rajasic kriya in a sattwic spirit”
is merely to go on in the old way while pretending to oneself that there is a
change. Going on in the old way is out of the question. That path can only lead
to the pit. I speak strongly because I see clearly; if not yet with absolute
vision yet without that misleading false light which marred all my seeing till
now and allowed me to be swept in the flood of confused sattwo-rajasic impure
Shakti which came with you from Bengal.
My first instruction to you therefore is to pause,
stand on the defensive against your spiritual enemies and go on with your
Vedantic Yoga. God is arranging things for me in my knowledge, but the process
is not yet finished. I shall send you (it will take two or three letters) the
lines on which I wish the Vedantic and Tantric lines to be altered and
developed; afterwards we shall see when we have recovered from the stress that
was upon us, how He intends to work them out in practice.
Please send me the Rs 50 with you, as I am again in the
position of having to replace money diverted to current expenses and have very
little [if]2 any living money left. Also try and get the
rest of the money from Das. If not, you will have to find me an additional 20
for the last month and another 20 for next in addition to the monthly Rs 50 and
deduct the sum of Rs 30 from Das’ payment when you do get it.
Kali
P.S. I have a sum of Rs 10 to pay monthly for a purpose
unconnected with our own expenses and in addition certain additional expenses of
my own which I cannot dispense with; for this reason Rs 50 is insufficient. I
hope Das will be in a position to send the balance of the money this time.