Nirodbaran

Talks with Sri Aurobindo

Volume 1

10 December 1938 – 14 January 1941

4 October 1940

Purani said that Girijashankar had written another instalment of Sri Aurobindo’s life in Udbodhan. Nolini sent it up through Purani.

Sri Aurobindo: Is anything written there about my life which I don’t know? (Laughter. Then Sri Aurobindo began to read it. After a while he gave a hilarious laugh.) He says “Night by the Sea” has been addressed to my English sweetheart. (Laughter) And “Estelle” to a French girl! He is trying to make my biography out of my poetry! He also says that “Baji Prabhou” was written in Gujarat under the influence of Tilak and the Mahrattas. In fact it was written in Calcutta. (After reading the whole instalment) He has not made enough out of the poetry. He ought to have said that Myrtilla was addressed to a Greek girl – a girl whom I loved and buried on an island. Seshadri said about the poem “Revelation” that the girl spoken of there must be somebody I came across on the Pondicherry beach! (Laughter)

Purani: What would he say about “The Hound of Heaven” then? An ordinary dog?

Satyendra: That is not interesting.

Sri Aurobindo: There is nothing about my life here. It is all about my poetry, also the poetry of Tagore, Das, Monomohan, etc. He also says “Love and Death” and “Baji Prabhou” are ballad poetry. (Laughter) People are funny. Somebody criticising “Love and Death” said it was all Keats, and Girija says there is nothing of Keats, but it is a ballad!

Satyendra: As in your Life Divine, people find Shankara, Ramanuja, etc. (Laughter)

Evening

It appeared that Veerabhadra had been going to the labourers and teaching them Hindi. Also a pamphlet had been circulated that he would deliver a speech on Gandhi, on Gandhi’s birthday. If all this was true, naturally it would go very much against the Ashram. Sri Aurobindo was anxiously inquiring about it from Purani. Some days earlier Purani had spoken to Sri Aurobindo about it. Sri Aurobindo had said, “In that case Veerabhadra will have to leave the Ashram. He ought to know that the Ashram is not allowed to join in any public activity.” It seems the Mother also heard about the pamphlet and told Sri Aurobindo of it. Both the Mother and Sri Aurobindo were rather concerned.

Sri Aurobindo: There are already people here who are looking for any pretext to use against us. There was an enquiry some time back as to whether we were an enemy of the British. It was reported that we were concerned only with philosophy. Now if they get to know this? Mother has been telling me that something is going on in the subtle plane against the Ashram. Of course we knew – like that.

Purani: I don’t know why he should meddle with these things. He is a fool to do that.

Sri Aurobindo: I may be forced to make an official statement. (laughing) If they made a real enquiry and cross-examined Y, for instance, then …

Later on it was found that the pamphlet had been circulated by somebody else. Veerabhadra had nothing to do with it.

Sri Aurobindo (smiling): There is still another charge against him.