PART ONE SRI AUROBINDO ON HIMSELF NOTES AND LETTERS ON HIS LIFE SECTION ONE LIFE BEFORE PONDICHERRY This section, relating to the earlier part of Sri Aurobindo's life prior to his arrival at Pondicherry in 1910, is compiled from notes given by him during 1943-46 while reading the manuscripts of his three biographers submitted to him for correction or verification and approval. The notes were intended either to elucidate their statements by supplying the relevant facts or to correct and modify them wherever necessary. In most cases brief references to the points in the original uncorrected manuscripts or to incomplete or erroneous statements in them are given

SECTION TWO BEGINNINGS OF YOGA BEGINNINGS OF YOGA AN EARLY EXPERIENCE Q: X says that it is written somewhere that you had a realisation in 1890. Is it true? A: A realisation in 1890? It does not seem possible. There was something, though I was not doing Yoga and knew nothing about it, in the year of my departure from England; I don't remember which it was but probably 1892-93.... I don't remember anything special in 1890. Where did he see this written ? 22-8-1936 GLIMPSES OF SPIRITUAL POSSIBILITY Q: Is it true that only those who had, before beginning their Sadhana, a clear knowledge of their spiritual possibility through a definite

SECTION FIVE THE MASTER AND THE GUIDE THE MASTER AND THE GUIDE CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE AS DISCIPLES I do not very readily accept disciples as this path of Yoga is a difficult one and it can be followed only if there is a special call. * If he wishes to accept my Yoga the conditions are a steady resolve and aspiration towards the truth I am bringing down, a calm passivity and an opening upward towards the source from which the light is coming. The Shakti is already working in him and if he takes and keeps this attitude and has a complete confidence in me, there is no reason why he should not advance safely in the Sadhana. 9-12-1922 * As

SECTION FOUR  HELPERS ON THE WAY   HELPERS ON THE WAY REASON FOR FORMING THE ASHRAM There was no Ashram at first, only a few people came to live near Sri Aurobindo and practise Yoga. It was only some time after the Mother came from Japan that it took the form of the Ashram, more from the wish of the Sadhaks who desired to entrust their whole inner and outer life to the Mother than from any intention or plan of hers or of Sri Aurobindo. * The facts are: In the meantime, the Mother, after a long stay in France and Japan, returned to Pondicherry on the 24th April, 1920. The number of disciples then showed a tendency to increase rather rapidly. When the

PAR TWO SRI AUROBINDO ON HIMSELF AND ON THE MOTHER   SECTION ONE LEADERS OF EVOLUTION   LEADERS OF EVOLUTION SRI AUROBINDO AND THE MOTHER AS AVATARS Q: We believe that both you and the Mother are Avatars. But is it only in this life that both of you have shown your divinity? It is said that you and she have been on the earth constantly since its creation. What were you doing during the previous lives? A: Carrying on the evolution. * Q: I find it difficult to understand so concise a statement. Can't you elaborate it? A: That would mean writing the whole of human history. I can only say that as there

SRI AUROBINDO ON HIMSELF COMPILED FROM NOTES AND LETTERS Sri Aurobindo     Sri Aurobindo Ashram   Pondicherry First edition 1972 Seventh impression 2000           (P B) ISBN 81-7058-019-6 © Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1972 Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department Printed at Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, Pondicherry PRINTED IN INDIA NOTE Sri Aurobindo was very emphatic in stating that only he could write truly about himself; but he never wrote any comprehensive or systematic account of his life. Only in his corresponden

SECTION NINE SOME EARLY LETTERS This Section consists of some letters written by Sri Aurobindo during the early period of his stay at Pondicherry after his arrival there in 1910. Part I includes letters relating to his personal Sadhana written during 1911 to 1916. Part II contains two letters written in 1920 in reply to appeals to him from two Indian nationalist leaders to come back to British India to resume leadership of Indian politics. Part III contains three letters written in 1922 relating to the plan that he had then conceived to extend his work outside after his long retirement in inner Sadhana.   SOME EARLY LETTERS I. EARLY SADHA

SECTION EIGHT  MESSAGES MESSAGES ON THE WAR 1Some forces are working for the Divine, some are quite anti-divine in their aim and purpose. If the nations or the governments who are blindly the instruments of the divine forces were perfectly pure and divine in their processes and forms of action as well as in the inspiration they receive so ignorantly they would be invincible, because the divine forces themselves are invincible. It is the mixture in the outward expression that gives to the Asura the right to defeat them. To be a successful instrument for the Asuric forces is easy, because they take all the movements of your lower nature and make use o

SECTION SIX THE POET AND THE CRITIC THE POET AND THE CRITIC READING AND POETIC CREATION AND YOGA   A literary man is one who loves literature and literary activities for their own separate sake. A Yogi who writes is not a literary man for he writes only what the inner Will and Word wants him to express. He is a channel and instrument of something greater than his own literary personality. Of course, the literary man and the intellectual love reading — books are their mind's food. But writing is another matter. There are plenty of people who never write a word in the literary way but are enormous readers. One reads for ideas, for knowledge, for the stim

SECTION SEVEN  REMINISCENCES AND OBSERVATIONS REMINISCENCES AND OBSERVATIONS LAST WORD IN HUMAN NATURE Lies? Well, a Punjabi student at Cambridge once took our breath away by the frankness and comprehensive profundity of his affirmation: "Liars! But we are all liars!" It appeared that he had intended to say "lawyers", but his pronunciation gave his remark a deep force of philosophic observation and generalisation which he had not intended! But it seems to me the last word in human nature. Only the lying is sometimes intentional, sometimes vaguely half-intentional, sometimes quite unintentional, momentary and unconscious. So there you are !... Of cours