Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

3. The Mother and the Practice of the Integral Yoga

Fragment ID: 19586

As for the feeling of people that there must be something bad in you, it does not arise merely from your relations with X. The Mother and I do not speak of “good” and “bad” in this way; we look only at what helps or hinders the sadhana. There is nothing in you that is not in many other sadhaks. What makes people hesitate to help you is your subjection to vital moods – all this weeping, self-starvation, uncertain temper; your unsteadiness – for today you accept help, tomorrow you reject it; your want of trust in others – which you have often expressed in your letters; your quickness to take offence, your readiness to suspect people’s motives, especially in their behaviour towards you. Others have these faults, but they try to control them. You, when a mood like these comes upon you, seem to yield to it and let it have free course.

If you want to get on in your sadhana and if you want people to feel comfortable with you and ready to help you, you must get rid of these vital moods and defects – you must put a control on yourself and try to change. The Mother’s Force is there to help you, but there must be your active consent and cooperation, your own steady will and endeavour.

1 November 1933