Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 2. 1936

Letter ID: 1806

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

December 20, 1936

P.S. consents to give her a new preparation with ergosterd, a vitamin. It is a concentrated product, only 4 to 6 drops to be taken a day.

Mother doubts. Better have vitamins in the ordinary way.

I don’t know if chicory is available here.

No; besides, she would not take it. It is too bitter.

You kept silent about butter.

Quite agree to butter.

What about prunes, dates, raisins?

[Sri Aurobindo underlined “prunes, dates, raisins”.]

Also.

Nolini has given me an article (sent by the Mother) on The Effects of Pān-Supāri¹. As far as I know, in India people believe that pān helps the digestion, and choon (calcium?) is good for health.

Even if it stimulated momentarily, that would not prevent from wearing it out in the end. But the idea is probably a superstition.

... Some believe that chewing supāri is a good exercise for the teeth, especially here where we don’t take any meat!

Lord! I have known people who lost all their teeth at an early age by the habit.

Meat is good for the teeth? Always heard the contrary – Besides millions who don’t take meat have as good teeth as anybody in the world and don’t need pan supari either.

A European eye specialist of Calcutta said that many eye diseases are due to pān-supāri, and he was a dead enemy of them.

Very probably – Teeth and eyes are closely connected.

But what should I do with this typed copy given by Nolini? To enforce on patients? Or others also? A was repeatedly told but – !

That’s like one of my uncles who preferred taking his pan betel to keeping his teeth.

But, Guru, you must admit that pān has a sweet taste, or perhaps you are an utter stranger to it?

Have taken it – can’t say I found it very attractive or enticing. ভিন্ন রুচির্হি লোকঃ²

¹ Betel leaf-betel nut.

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² bhinna ruchirhi lokaḥ: people have different tastes.

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