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 [20]1
[1916–1918]
Dear M.
I have not written for a long time because nothing
definite came to me to be written. We are in a state of things in which every
movement fails to come to a decisive result because everywhere and in everything
the forces are balanced by contrary forces. At the present moment the world is
passing through an upheaval in which all forces possible have been let loose and
none therefore has a triumphant action. Ordinarily, there are certain
puissances, certain ideas which are given a dominant impulsion and conquest,
those opposing them being easily broken after a first severe struggle. Now
everything is different. Wherever a force or an idea tries to assert itself in
action, all that can oppose rushes to stop it and there follows a “struggle of
exhaustion”. You see that in Europe now; no one can succeed; nothing is
accomplished; only that which already was, maintains itself with difficulty. At
such a time one has to act as little as possible and prepare and fortify as much
as possible – that is to say, that is the rule for those who are not compelled
to be in the battle of the present and whose action tends more towards the
future.
I had hoped that we should be much more “forward” at
this period, but the obstacles have been too great. I have not been able to get
anything active into shape. Consequently, we have to go on as before for some
time longer. Our action depends on developing sufficient spiritual power to
overcome the enormous material obstacles opposed to us, to shape minds, men,
events, means, things. This we have got as yet in very insufficient quantity.
You have done well in confining yourself to Vedantic
Yoga; 
you can see for yourself that the Tantric
bears no secure and sufficient fruit without a very strong and faultless
Vedantic basis. Otherwise you have a medley of good and bad sadhakas associating
together and the bad spoil the Kriya of the good; for a collective yoga is not
like a solitary one, it is not free from collective influences; it has a
collective soul which cannot afford to be in some parts either raw or rotten. It
is this which modern Tantrics do not understand, their aspiration is not
governed by old Shastra founded on the experience of centuries. A chakra,
for instance, must either be perfectly composed or immediately governed and
protected by the spiritual force of some powerful guru. But our modern minds are
too impatient to see to these things.
As for your external difficulties, I mean with regard
to the bad ideas the Government or the police have about you and the consequent
obstacles and pressure, that is a result of past Karma and probably of some
present associations and can hardly be cured. I see people are interned who have
no connection at all with politics or have long cut off whatever connection they
had. Owing to the war, the authorities are uneasy and suspicious and being ill
served by their police act on prejudgments and often on false reports. You have
to sit tight, spiritually defend yourself and physically avoid putting yourself
where the police can do you any harm and, so far as possible, avoid also doing
anything which would give any colour or appearance of a foundation for their
prejudices. More can hardly be done. One cannot throw aside friends because they
are “suspects”; in that case, we should have to begin with ourselves. If on the
ground of such associations we are ourselves more suspected,– as, for instance,
the officials make it a grievance against me that although I am doing nothing
political myself, yet I associate with my Madrasi friends against whom they have
chosen to launch warrants for sedition, etc, it cannot be helped. We cannot
suffer political or police dictation in our private friendships.
What has become of the “Pravartaka”. The last number
was very good, but for a long time we have had no other. Is the administration
withholding visa or are there other reasons for 
the irregularity? I hope it is not a discontinuance. We have the “Arya” here
visaed without delay or difficulty.
If you have difficulties of any kind, it is as well to
let me know at once; for I can then concentrate what force I have more
particularly to help you. The help may not be always or immediately effective,
but it will count and may be more powerful than a general will, not instructed
in the particular necessity. You must not mind if you do not get always a
written answer; the unwritten will always be there.
I leave it to the Manager of the Arya to write to you
about business matters.
K.