Nirodbaran

Talks with Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1

10 December 1938 – 14 January 1941

2 December 1939

Purani brought a copy of the New Statesman and Nation in which there was a review by Joad of a book of Gerald Heard.

Purani: Nolini says that this author seems to have got some of your ideas.

Sri Aurobindo: What does he say? I think he contributes to the Aryan Path also.

Purani: I have gone carefully through the article. What he says is that only in man is further evolution possible.

Sri Aurobindo: But one can arrive at that conclusion by thought. Nothing special is needed to reach it. And then?

Purani: This evolution is to take place by a change of consciousness.

Sri Aurobindo: What sort of change? Moral or spiritual? If it is moral, there is nothing new. Plenty of people have said that. However, you can send him a complimentary copy of The Life Divine when the second volume is out.

Evening

Nirodbaran (while sponging Sri Aurobindo): It seems Norway and Sweden won’t join with Finland against Russia.

Sri Aurobindo began to shake his head, meaning that they would not.

Nirodbaran: But they don’t realise that their turn will come next. Is it to have a naval base that Russia has attacked Finland?

Sri Aurobindo: That is only a pretext. She wants to make Finland a vassal state like Latvia and from there dominate Norway and Sweden. After she has done that and also gained her position in the Balkans, she will become a major power in Europe. She tried to get hold of Turkey but Turkey was too alert, and also bold enough because of the support of the English and French. The English have about a million soldiers in Asia Minor, so Turkey could be quite bold.

Nirodbaran: Some say that Russia is occupying these Baltic countries as a check on Germany.

Sri Aurobindo: No, that’s not the reason, though the Russians know that one day they will have to come to grips with Germany. Their object is to be a major power in Europe.

Nirodbaran (when Sri Aurobindo lay in bed): Professor Mitra has asked me to tell you that his native village is the same as yours: Konnagar.

Sri Aurobindo: I see, but I went there only once. My village is Theatre Road, Calcutta.

Nirodbaran: Mitra spoke of a professor at Shantiniketan who tried to dissuade him from coming here as he thought the Ashram stood for some particular creed.

Sri Aurobindo: What creed? Didn’t Mitra ask him? And didn’t he tell him that we have no creed?

Nirodbaran: Yes, he did, but the man wouldn’t listen. Then this professor read Teachings of Sri Aurobindo. He was startled to discover that we have no creed, and he was very glad. (Sri Aurobindo began to laugh, much amused.)

Nirodbaran: Mitra says that Devendranath Tagore started Shantiniketan for a spiritual purpose, and he made rules, one of which was that idol-worship wouldn’t be allowed there.

Sri Aurobindo: Then that is the place where there are creeds, not here.

Nirodbaran: Mitra has had two visions here. In one he saw a golden light coming down and condensing into the form of the Mother.

Sri Aurobindo: That is easy enough to understand. The golden light is the symbol of the Divine Truth, and the Mother is the incarnation of this Truth.

Nirodbaran: The other vision was of an intense blue light striking him in the eyes.

Sri Aurobindo: That is Krishna’s light.