Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
Volume 3
A most engrossing day writing editorial notes on music for my syllabus. Thrilling though. Most delectable technical gymnastics, what? Feeling otherwise all right innocent like lamb and pure like dove.
I enclose a letter from Prof. Bhattacharya the savant. He has spotted my mistake I had imagined in Bahūballabh Doved by many] crescent moon dotted by a star in the sky. Obviously it cannot be as he points out, as the upper part will cover the dot since it has not melted because it is not lighted up by the sun. Clever that. But a good critic – what? To find out such real mistakes. I am glad as I always plume myself on my meticulous attention to such details. The darpahārī [humbler of pride] has crushed my darpa [pride, vanity]. Halleluja, what? But note his tribute withal. Halleluja – twice, what?
Yes, it is a little bit of a blunder – but, after all, quite small and unnoticeable if you compare with the bold and wild impossibilities of many great writers – e.g. Browning’s impossible feats of horsemanship in “How they brought the good news to Ghent.” These slips happen to everybody.
I enclose a lovely book [love poems in Hindi] by O. C. Ganguli1]. Please glance at it once or twice and read on page 39 the lovely aka [metre of twelve)tot syllables in Sanskrit poetry] hindi song and on page 47 the magnificent varsa [monsoon] song. Wonderful! No? What kallol2 and rhythm. But laghu guru pure mind you. Read also his letters. It is strange he so much values my praise – the praise of an ignoramus on painting. But tell me how do you find the plates? Tagore and Roerich3 do praise them lavishly. Are they deserving of so much praise? Please enlighten me and edify me, O Guru. If possible open in me some eye. I frankly confess most Indian art means nothing to me. Is there any good painting here? If so which plates show that? Will you tell me? I want to learn, you see. I am ashamed to advertise my ignorance about such an art as painting. Disgraceful.
Very beautiful pictures, but you have to accustom yourself to the conventions of this school of art. Difficult to choose, there are so many that are excellent. It would need time and reflection.
Don’t be desperate about your incapacity as a connoisseur of painting. I was worse in this respect, knew something about sculpture, but blind to painting. Suddenly one day in the Alipore jail, while meditating saw some “pictures” on the wall of the cell and lo and behold! the artistic eye in me opened and I knew all about painting except of course the more material side of the technique. I don’t always know how to express though, because I lack the knowledge of the proper expressions, but that does not stand in the way of a keen and understanding appreciation. So, there you are. All things are possible [in Yoga].