Nirodbaran
Talks with Sri Aurobindo
Volume 1
10 December 1938 – 14 January 1941
22 January 1940
Purani showed Sri Aurobindo four pictures of Buddha’s life by Nandalal Bose published in theBombay Times.
Sri Aurobindo (after seeing them): They are not realistic pictures. Buddha remains young till the end. His Nirvana doesn’t look like Nirvana but like going to sleep, nor does it show that he had indigestion at the time.
There were a few pictures of Mogul art about which Sri Aurobindo said “Very fine.” Then he came across a coloured picture of Krishna playing on the flute and Gopis dancing, in the usual modern style.
Sri Aurobindo: Ah, this is a masterpiece – bacchanal! (Laughter)
Purani: I didn’t want you to see that.
Sri Aurobindo (after some time): Why do they say that Buddha, after passing through four dhyanas, entered Nirvana? How do they know it?
Nirodbaran: That is the Pali text. All of them say that.
Sri Aurobindo: Now they are trying to prove that sukara khanda was not meat but some vegetable root which caused his death; khanda meaning root.
Nirodbaran: My Pali teacher used to give another ingenious explanation. He said that sukara means what has been cooked well, and many good things jumbled and cooked together may act as a poison. It is not khanda but maddava, a stew-like preparation.
Sri Aurobindo: Then it should not be sukara but sukrita as the adjective.
Nirodbaran: In Pali it may be sukara.
Sri Aurobindo: It is your Pali teacher’s explanation. It may be Gujarati also; sukara meaning “what are you doing”? (Laughter)
After this, some discussion followed about Aryans, Dravidians and Tamilians.
Sri Aurobindo: Most of the Tamilians have a straight nose, very few have a flat nose.
Evening
Sri Aurobindo (leading the talk): I have finished Nishikanto’s book. I don’t see why Dilip says that he has no intellectual substance.
Purani: Nishikanto was telling me about it just now. He says the poems at the end of the book contain substance.
Sri Aurobindo: Why only those? The earlier poems have it too.
Nirodbaran: That was Dilip’s earlier statement. I don’t know if he would still hold that view.
Sri Aurobindo (after his walk): You have seen that Gandhi has been authorised by the Working Committee to negotiate with the Viceroy. As a matter of fact he is already doing it. He has been given the sole power.
Purani: Perhaps the Viceroy is coming down now. The Times comment suggests that. Have you seen it? It says that Jinnah’s demands are unreasonable. That may be the British Government’s view too.
Sri Aurobindo: Yes, the Times is their official organ.
Purani: There is a reason too. It seems Russia and Japan are trying to come to a settlement. In that case they may have designs on India. Even if the Muslims combine with the Congress, still another difficulty remains – that of the Princes.
Sri Aurobindo: Yes.
Nirodbaran: Gandhi says that he has no objection to the Princes if they remain like the King of England.
Sri Aurobindo (with a smile): If the Princes remain at all, I am not for stinting them any power. If a Prince is capable or if he has capable ministers, he can do a lot of good which a parliament can’t.
Nirodbaran: Yes, moreover the Princes are getting wise.
Purani: The present Gaekwar has already curtailed a large amount of his privy purse. Sayaji Rao was bad in that way. He used to grab a heavy amount for his private purse but at the same time he did a lot of public works.
Sri Aurobindo: Yes, he didn’t starve the public services.
Nirodbaran: Only, he spent a lot of money in going frequently to Europe, and has also erected a lot of buildings.
Sri Aurobindo: His European visits and the buildings have been good for the State.
Purani: Sir Sikandar has frankly admitted that the question is after all about the loaves and fishes of office and is not religious at all.
Nirodbaran: The Muslims don’t really trust the Hindus, it seems. Even Sir Akbar said he couldn’t trust Gandhi.
Sri Aurobindo: He doesn’t trust Gandhi because of his way of life and philosophy.
Sri Aurobindo then rested.
Purani: It seems The Life Divine is finished now.
Sri Aurobindo: Not yet; only the first draft is done.
Purani: The Psychology of Social Development won’t take much time.
Sri Aurobindo: No.
Nirodbaran: Is that the next book?
Sri Aurobindo: Yes. (Then looking at Purani) The Ideal of Human Unity will have to be rewritten perhaps. Things have changed and Hitler is mainly responsible.