Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 2. 1937

Letter ID: 1979

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

June 24, 1937

Rajangam says that Chyavanprash is indicated for everything – a panacea. So can we fire?

Yes, if it can be done without stopping his eating cold water etc. and confining himself to pickles and cayenne pepper.

K – Well, red and grey hepatisation are parts of morbid anatomy. When there is pneumonia, the lungs undergo pathological changes from red to grey and get the solid appearance of liver. So the stages are called red and grey hepatisation. Nothing alarming, you see!

But hang it all! Has he pneumonia or not? Is there fever now? Alarming or not, what is his present condition?

Black despair has swallowed me up to the neck, except for the hand with which I write! As regards sadhana, I don’t find any rosy tint anywhere. All clouded, clouded and shrouded. As regards poetry, same, if not more. Have devoted myself to a task utterly impossible and wholly useless – a foolish attempt.

Whoosh! Anyhow, as regards your poetry, it doesn’t seem to me there is any ground for any indulgence in this black luxury.