Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1. 1935

Letter ID: 1234

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

January 2, 1935

I am rather shocked to hear of the behaviour of D.S. lacking all common sense, not to speak of Yogic attitude and that too after living here for so many years!

At any rate it is not Yoga that upset D.S. He never proposed to do any – he was interested only in medicine. That, he always said, was his Yoga, to read, to study, to experiment, to learn more and more about medicine. But perhaps you will say that Yoga of works is responsible.

Then I thought if one has big experiences, he will be safe, but G has shattered that delusion. This man is said to have had overmental experiences! And he also gone. I have heard that you don’t approve of one’s going.

He had no Overmind experiences – he had something of the opening of the cosmic mind and vital in the intermediate zone – and that plenty besides him have done and are doing. I have explained this before.

We approved of it. He went to arrange about his aunt’s property as the family want to live here (not in the Ashram, but outside).

At one time I thought that old people are better off since they have a less active vital, but Doctorbabu and Bhupalbabu have demolished that view. Doctor had a genuine seeking and went away for a flimsy reason! With A the same fate!

He has always been doing that – doing the navette between his family and the Ashram.

A has left the Ashram?

All these cases of failures prove what? I apprehend the same reasons may operate in me and I may behave exactly like an insane person.

What you say may apply to everybody because everybody has things in him which conflict with the Yoga. Logical conclusion – Nobody should try anything in which anybody has failed or in which there is a possibility of failure! I am afraid most human activities would stop on that principle except আহার নিদ্রা মিথুন,¹ and perhaps only the first two. But after all not even these – for people die in their sleep and others die of their food by poison, indigestion or otherwise. So to be safe one must neither eat, sleep nor [do] anything else – much less do Yoga. Q.E.D.

... I don’t know really how I have dared such an adventure knowing full well the other side of my nature. Yet there has always seemed to have been something within which remains to be called up, touched and awakened. What is to be done? Believe in Thy Grace? But I am puzzled a little about the Grace itself

1 suppose you always avoided getting into a railway train because there might be a collision or into a steamer for similar reasons and certainly you would never dare go in an aeroplane!

¹ ahār: food: nidrā: sleep: mithun: sex.

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