Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

SABCL 26

Fragment ID: 8034

Q: Have you seen my review of “The Ideal of the Karmayogin”?

A: Yes, I have seen it, but I don’t think it can be published in its present form as it prolongs the political Aurobindo of that time into the Sri Aurobindo of the present time. You even assert that I have “thoroughly” revised the book and these articles are an index of my latest views on the burning problems of the day and there has been no change in my views in 27 years (which would surely be proof of a rather unprogressive mind). How do you get all that? My spiritual consciousness and knowledge at that time was as nothing to what it is now – how would the change leave my view of politics and life unmodified altogether? There has been no such thorough revision; I have left the book as it is, because it would be useless to modify what was written so long ago – the same as with The Yoga and its Objects. Anyway the review would almost amount to a proclamation of my present political views – while on the contrary I have been careful to pronounce nothing – no views whatever on political questions for the last I don’t know how many years.

21-4-1937