Sri Aurobindo
Autobiographical Notes
and Other Writings of Historical Interest
Part Three. On Indian and World Events 1940–1950
1. Public Statements, Messages,
Letters and Telegrams
On the Second World War 1940–1943
Notes about the War Fund Contributions [1]1
As to your suggestion about a note on the subject of
the contribution to the War Fund Sri Aurobindo does not feel very much inclined
to enter into any public explanation of his action or any controversy on the
subject. In his letter he made it very clear that it was on the War issue that
he gave his full support and he indicated the reason for it. Hitler and Nazism
and its 
push towards world domination are in
his view an assault by a formidable reactionary Force, a purely Asuric force, on
the highest values of civilisation and their success would mean the destruction
of individual liberty, national freedom, liberty of thought, liberty of life,
religious and spiritual freedom in at least three continents. In Europe already
these things have gone down for the time being except, precariously, in a few
small countries; if Britain were defeated, that result would be made permanent
and in Asia also all the recent development such as the rise of new or renovated
Asiatic peoples would be miserably undone, and India’s hope of liberty would
become a dead dream of the past or a struggling dream of a far-off future. The
abject position to which the Nazi theory relegates the coloured races is well
known and that would be the fate of India if it conquered and dominated the
world. Mankind itself as a whole would be flung back into a relapse towards
barbarism, a social condition and an ethics which would admit only the brute
force of the master and the docile submission of the slave. It is only by
Britain’s victory in the struggle to which she has challenged this destructive
Force that the danger can be nullified, since she alone has shown at once the
courage and power to resist and survive. This is Sri Aurobindo’s view and,
holding it, he could do nothing else than what he has done. There is no just
reason here for any misunderstanding. This is what you can explain to anybody
who questions, if it is necessary.