Nirodbaran

Correspondence with Sri Aurobindo

Second Series

3. Matters Medical

The Doctor

The Successful Doctor: rajasic – sattwic

On what does the success of a doctor depend, so far as he himself is concerned?

Immense energy, enthusiasm, vital force, 100 miles an hour determination to succeed and a 2000 horse power confidence, “I will do it”, vital absolutely convinced of the force, and constantly finding reasons for belief in it (not as you and others do equally or more, admitting reasons against); rapid intuitions getting there in spite of many errors of speculation, decision of mind and will accompanied by a mobile and plastic observing mind adapting itself to the circumstances and then overcoming them – that's the secret of a powerful instrumentalism at least in a rajasic man. A sattwic fellow would do it also but on other lines. You – ahem!

It seems to me that intuition is not enough, one must know one's business too.

Naturally one must know the  business. But there is an enormous difference between a man who knows his business and has confidence and intuition and one who knows his business and has not. I have known doctors with an excellent knowledge of medicine who succeeded much less than others who had far less but had dash, decision and drive.

Even if you had knowledge and experience, you would still hesitate: there would be always an “after all, is it this or that?”, “I may be off the track”, “Is it this, is it that?” etc.

The self-confident doctor decides as best he can and acts – if he finds he is making fausse route he retraces his steps and corrects. He develops in himself the coup d'oeil which does not depend only on reasoning and finally manages to be right in the majority of cases. You may say that he may kill his patients when he is wrong. But so does the hesitant doctor by his hesitation, e.g. by not taking a step which is urgently required.

All this is of course general. I am not asking you to imitate the quick step people – because without their confidence and savoir faire you would only bungle it. (of the patient, of course), ¹

I hoped that the Force would drop in one day and dynamise the being. That illusion has gone. Now I find that I shall have to work for it, till one day,  one year, one decade my labour culminates in what I hope for.

One century, one millennium – be complete, please, in your enumeration.

That is just it. It is the “slowly slowly” mind and “let us consider all the facts and reason the whole thing and its possibilities and impossibilities” mind that stands in your way.

You have said, “A sattwic fellow would do it also, but on other lines.” Will you tell us how?

I would prefer to wait till I have the said sattwic man in my hand. The sattwic man would have less vital rush, more balance, harmony, even working out of the Force. He might do less surprising things or rather give them a less surprising appearance, but possibly he would be more quietly sure.

¹ svadharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ: “Death in one's own law of being is better, perilous is it to follow an alien law” (The Gita).

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