Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 3

Letter ID: 841

Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar

October 9, 1936

I did a lot of meditation this afternoon too. Felt quite all right and a little liking for japa, etc. I will now try to do it rather regularly. My trouble is I am very irregular.

Nalina came this evening. I made her a little coffee – poor thing. She wept naturally [because of her husband’s death yesterday]. I was rather moved, but with the right movement. I felt it was all right that we are here and the sufferings here are in some way connected with the Divine. To him all our allegiance and our sufferings too will be kritārtha (gratified) because our aim is the Highest. However feeble the clay the flower is in the bud and it will blossom. I felt like that as she wept and it was very beautiful. I wonder if I felt like that because it was another who suffered. Anyhow the movement was right I felt in spite of the cynicism of La Rochefoucauld,“We are always brave enough to stand the sufferings of others”,what?

I expect I will receive the reply to the other question tomorrow morning. I wrote to Vidya all about it and that it is now pending. I wrote I will write your final reply tomorrow.

What you said to Nalina is indeed very true, especially the phrase “However feeble the clay, the flower is in the bud and it will blossom”. That is true not only of individuals but of the world as a whole – Earth is a feeble clay for the spiritual planting, but what is sure is it buds eventually and the bud once there, will blossom.

La Rochefoucauld’s saying is true in general, but not quite true. There are some who can bear their own sufferings much better than they can bear the sufferings of others, while the Yogi can bear the whole world’s suffering in himself and yet not falter.

I spoke of your proposal to the Mother, but she does not regard it as practicable. Even for sadhaks thus to house a whole family in the Ashram is a difficult experiment and for visitors it has never been contemplated. Especially as the children are coming, she does not care to try it and even for the Yuvaraj and Yuvarani she does not think the arrangement is suitable. The only thing to do is to trust to luck and look for a house.