Nirodbaran

Talks with Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1

10 December 1938 – 14 January 1941

12 April 1940

Nirodbaran: Authorities in England say that the Allies have captured Bergen and Trondheim, but the official circles don’t confirm the news.

Sri Aurobindo: If they have captured them, why should they conceal the fact?

Nirodbaran: Bose’s group has indulged in rowdyism against the new Bengal Provincial Congress by hurling stones and shouting violently.

Sri Aurobindo: And the B.P. can’t retaliate because they are non-violent. This creed of non-violence is very funny when put into practice. Gandhi perhaps thinks that Bose’s heart will melt by it.

Purani: In Denmark, Germany has restricted all food-stuff, even the use of fodder by the Danish people, somebody said. I said, “Will the Germans eat fodder now?” (Laughter)

Sri Aurobindo: Perhaps they want to export fodder to Germany for their cattle. In that case, they can’t have butter from Denmark.

Purani: Germany thought it would have an easy victory over Norway, as in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Denmark.

Sri Aurobindo: Denmark was easy, for geographically it is a sort of suburb of Germany. The Germans had practically to walk in. Poland they conquered because the Allies had no chance of helping it directly. Czechoslovakia was different. The Czechs could have offered good resistance but for the Allies who betrayed them. If the Allies had agreed to help them at that time in combination with Russia, the Czechs could have given an effective fight to Hitler.

Nirodbaran: The Allies didn’t want to combine with Russia probably.

Sri Aurobindo: No, that was not the reason. The reason was that they were not ready for the war. They were not even mobilised and all their war machinery was insufficient. In the case of Norway, Germany’s power will depend on the control of the sea. It will have to transport troops and mechanised units across the sea. If the British navy can intercept them, then it will be difficult for Germany. It is a very well-arranged coup by the Germans. Once they have occupied the main ports and landed troops, it will be difficult to turn them out.

Purani: The British seem to be landing troops at Narvik.

Sri Aurobindo: That won’t help much because it is far off and there is no proper transport facility for mechanised units. If they can capture one of the ports, then it will be very easy for them. Or if Sweden, instead of foolishly guarding its neutrality, joins the Norwegians, then by the time they make a combined resistance the Allies can land their troops in Sweden. Sweden does not seem to realise that it is its turn next to be swallowed up by Germany.

After this, a quotation from Einstein given by Dilip was read to Sri Aurobindo, in which Einstein said that a cosmic religious feeling was an incitement to Science.

Sri Aurobindo: That doesn’t come to much. All depends on what he means by religious feeling. It may be simply a sense of reverence at the sight of the universe or a feeling of worship.

Evening

Sri Aurobindo (looking at Purani): All this news seems to be travellers’ tales and rumours. There is no official statement. There are various contradictory assertions. Some say Oslo is pressed upon by the Allies, others that Bergen is captured and the only truth seems to be that a battle is going on but the result is not yet known. The British navy hasn’t scored any great success yet. What they seem to have is only organisation, strong and efficient organisation, but no military genius and, in this organisation, there is no room for initiative. It reminds me of the Italian historian who said that organisation is the only thing that matters. Napoleon’s successes were considered to be due to sheer luck.

Purani: And any individual initiative is likely to be crushed under organisation. If the Allies can’t do anything, they will lose all the moral sympathy of the world. Already they are on the point of losing it.

Sri Aurobindo: Quite so.

Purani: If they could take Norway, they could even attack Germany through the North.

Sri Aurobindo: That is not easy. Germany has its Kiel fortress, which is one of the strongest in the world.