Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Letters

Fragment ID: 15831

(this fragment is largest or earliest found passage)

Sri Aurobindo — Rene (Aga Syed Yakub)

October 12, 1929

Rene,

In answer to your letter about your clash with Pavitra.

If anybody in the Ashram tries to establish a supremacy or dominating influence over others, he is in the wrong. For it is bound to be a wrong vital influence and come in the way of the Mother’s work. If you feel anything of the kind in anybody, you are quite right to resist it and throw off the influence; to accept it would be bad both for him and you.

But there should be no quarrel or ill-feeling or keeping up of resentment or anger; for that too is not good for either. Certain things must be said in fairness to Pavitra. He can have had no conscious intention of injuring you with the Mother; for, if it were there the Mother would have seen it. And you may be sure that nothing of the kind could shake her confidence in you; she has seen your work, ?he knows your capacity, and she can judge it for herself without being swayed by the words of others.

He may not be very communicative about the contents of the “magic cupboard”, but he did not intend to keep you in ignorance. Once he showed you in the Mother’s presence the things that came from Europe and he must have thought that you knew already what was there.

He says that he never intended to order you about, and I am sure he I thinks what he says. If you felt something wrong of this kind in his manner, it is evidently something of which he was not himself conscious.

As to the work, part of what you ask is quite just and reasonable. You ; must be kept informed of what is there with Pavitra; otherwise you will ;’ be hampered in your work. You should also be consulted as to your requirements when an order is sent. As to the plans, the Mother, as you know, arranges them with you whenever any work has to be done. Put I suppose you are thinking of the plans for the new house of which Pavitra showed you a map. These are his suggestions and, as his rooms and offices and the electrical installation for his work with the motors will all be there, he has a voice in the matter. Nothing is definitely settled and nothing can be till the house is ready; then it will be the Mother who will decide everything and you will certainly be taken into confidence.

On the other hand, all orders must actually be drawn up and sent by Pavitra for it is part of the business with France and that is his department; none else can do it. Moreover, you are not right in asking that you alone should draw up plans, for that would be to prevent the Mother from taking advantage of Pavitra’s scientific training and knowledge and his long experience.

You must remember that just as the Mother uses your capacities and gives them their field, she must be able to do the same with the capacities of others. If she gives charge of a department of work to one, that must not stand in the way of her consulting or using others. Thus Benjamin and Chandulal are in charge of the building work, but the Mother consults Pavitra too because of his scientific knowledge as an engineer and he has the right to make suggestions or criticisms or indicate any possible improvements, although he is not in charge. So too the Doctor is not in charge of the dispensary, but he is associated with the medical work and the Mother makes use of his expert knowledge and experience, when ever necessary or puts in his hands the treatment of a case of illness. It must be the same between you and Pavitra.

It will be best if you fix in your mind and keep to the true rules of the work; then you will have no difficulty or trouble.

All the work should be done under the Mother’s sole authority. All must be arranged according to her free decision. She must be free to use the capacities of each separately or together according to what is best for the work and best for the worker.

None should regard or treat another member of the Ashram as his subordinate. If he is in charge, he should regard the others as his associates and helpers in the work, and he should not try to dominate or impose on them his own ideas and personal fancies, but only see to the execution of the will of the Mother. None should regard himself as a subordinate, even if he has to carry out instructions given through another or to execute under supervision the work he has to do.

All should try to work in harmony, thinking only of how best to make the work a success; personal feelings should not be allowed to interfere, for this is a most frequent cause of disturbance in the work, failure or disorder.

If you keep this truth of the work in mind and always abide by it, difficulties are likely disappear; for other will be influenced by the rightness of your attitude and work smoothly with you. Or, if through any weakness or perversity in them, they create difficulties, the effects will fall back on them and you will feel no disturbance or trouble.

Sri Aurobindo