10 APRIL 1940PURANI : It seems that Germany collected all its navy, merchant ships and trawlers to carry its army to Norway. And the British navy is firing on them. SRI AUROBINDO: If the whole German fleet is out and gets attacked and intercepted by England, then it will be Germany that will have to turn back. Hitherto the Germany navy has not proved itself superior to the British navy. But it depends on what proportion of the navy is there. If it is only a part or if they have to collect it from various places, then it will be difficult for them. Of course, if the French fleet is also there, then it will be all right. If they had possessed foresight, they would have gathered their fleet nearby. It seems they knew that Germany thought of making some such move. At least Denmark and Norway ought to have known. It is their imbecility that is responsible. If they knew, they should have made some secret agreement with the Allies. SATYENDRA: Germany has given the fine reason that if it hadn't taken these countries, the Allies would have done it. So it has taken them under its protection. SRI AUROBINDO (laughing): Too entire a protection. PURANI: If England occupies part of Norway — SRI AUROBINDO : That depends on her sea-power. If she can, it will be a tremendous economic blockade of Germany. PURANI: And then the Allies can try to invade Germany through this front. SRI AUROBINDO: That is difficult because just as they have the Siegfried Line in the west, the Germans have here the Kiel. EVENINGNIRODBARAN: It is reported that about five of England's destroyers were damaged and one ran ashore, while there were few losses on the German side. SRI AUROBINDO: It couldn't have been a big battle then and the battle must have been near the shore. Page-599 11 APRIL 1940SRI AUROBINDO: (suddenly to Nirodbaran): What is all this that Dilip writes about sadhaks siding with Meghnad Saha against X in the controversy between the two? And what is this discussion about Aldous Huxley? NIRODBARAN: It seems that in his controversy with Saha, X made a mistake, for which he got a licking from Saha. Some sadhaks were glad about X's defeat. At this, two other sadhaks were very puzzled. They couldn't understand how anybody could feel elated at one's own people being beaten. Y said that he hadn't seen such feelings even at Shantiniketan. SRI AUROBINDO: That may be true, but what was the point at issue? NIRODBARAN: I don't know. I haven't read the writings. PURANI: I believe it was the philosophic interpretation of the theory of relativity and the change that is coming in among scientists—for instance, Jeans and Eddington. SRI AUROBINDO: But scientists don't recognise any metaphysics—except perhaps some scientists in America. On the Continent no recognition is given to the metaphysical views of Jeans or Eddington. The scientists there say that Science is concerned only with explaining the processes of the universe; as for the rest, it is not their business. You can no more say that Science is turning towards metaphysics from Jeans' example than that fiction is becoming yogic from Huxley's. NIRODBARAN: The point about Huxley seems as follows: Y told Z that Huxley had undergone a great change, becoming a Yogi and having spiritual experience. Z denied it, saying, "What is there of Yoga here? It is all mental."; Then Y spoke of Huxley's experience of peace as described in Eyeless in Gaza. This again was contradicted by Z. Y asked him, "But have you read the description? Have you gone through Huxley's latest books?" Z replied, "No." At this, Y said, "How then can you speak like that?" Y was pained that without reading about the man Z had passed judgment. Z does not believe that there can be any change in Huxley. SRI AUROBINDO: Why? Just because a man has once been one way, can there be no change in him? NIRODBARAN: Y told him what you had said to me that Huxley might have had some experience in the mind. To this, Page-600 Z replied, "People interpret in their own way what Sri Aurobindo says." SRI AUROBINDO: I don't remember what exactly I said. It may have been to the effect that Huxley had some mental experience. NIRODBARAN: But mental experience is quite different from spiritual, isn't it? SRI AUROBINDO: No, not quite different. For, it is not something obtained by mental discussion or understanding. It is an experience of the Truth in the mind. PURANI: To go back to your statement about the change in Science, that we are fifty years behind Europe and that, except for the Russian Communists and perhaps a few scientists elsewhere, Science does not hold its old position any more. I think even the Russian Communists may be getting disillusioned with the old position. NIRODBARAN: Yes, but not our Indian Communists. Possibly because they are Communists as a fashion only. As Suhrawardy says, they call themselves Communists but build fine houses in Ballygunj. SRI AUROBINDO: That is because real Communism hasn't come here yet. Their standpoint may be: "It is better that we Communists rather than non-Communists should have fine houses." (Laughter) AFTERNOONDilip had sent Sri Aurobindo an extract from Huxley describing his experience of peace. As soon as the door opened, Sri Aurobindo started to speak. SRI AUROBINDO (to Nirodbaran): You have to take this extract back to Dilip and tell him I have read it. Say that it is a big yogic experience—a psycho-spiritual one. It shows a going through the psychic down into the vital being and finding there the unitarian principle, the principle of oneness with everybody. Huxley speaks of "dark peace" because it is down below that he goes and from there opens to the Light above. All the details are quite recognisable, and they cannot be a mental construction. This experience must have changed his life. Page-601 EVENINGSri Aurobindo saw in the afternoon that Nirodbaran was reading the extract from Huxley. SRI AUROBINDO: Have you read it? Remarkable and significant, isn't it? NIRODBARAN: Yes, very much so-a fine description. SRI AUROBINDO: It is no poor mental imagination at work here. PURANI: Is the extract from Ends and Means'? SRI AUROBINDO: No, it is from the last chapter of Eyeless in Gaza. PURANI: In Ends and Means he more or less describes the remedy for the present troubles of the world, and speaks of non-violence as a means. SRI AUROBINDO: He also discusses the future of the world and speaks of Mohenjodaro and says that the people of those ruins must have been doing Yoga. NIRODBARAN: Huxley has a powerful self-expression. SRI AUROBINDO : Yes, he has a remarkable style and a subtle and plastic mind. He must have done Yoga for some time to get that experience. NIRODBARAN: I wonder how from being a cynic and atheist he got converted to this. SRI AUROBINDO: Cynicism and atheism were the inheritance of the age. Even then he was dissatisfied with world conditions and there was some psychic aspiration for better things. NIRODBARAN: Joad seems to be veering round again. SRI AUROBINDO: He is floating. He had come to a spiritual standpoint but he gave it up, he said, owing to the hard knocks of the philosophers. Now he sees that it can be upheld; so he is changing. NIRODBARAN: Einstein seems to have said that cosmic religious feeling is an incitement to Science. SRI AUROBINDO: I see. But what does he mean by "cosmic religious feeling"? If Einstein could use such words, Meghnad Saha can't say that he is not a scientist. Or perhaps he will say that Einstein is only giving his personal views. NIRODBARAN: By the way, who are the Chaldeans? Page-602 SRI AUROBINDO: They are the ancient Babylonians who came to be known as Sumerians. In the places they occupied, archaeologists have found several things like those at Mohenjodaro. 12 APRIL 1940NIRODBARAN: Authorities in England say that the Allies have captured Bergen and Trondjheim, 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 Page-603 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 Marvin. 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 a 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. EVENINGSRI AUROBINDO: (looking at Purani): All this news seems to be travellers' tales and rumors. 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 organization, strong and efficient organization, but no military genius and, in this organization, there is no room for initiative. It reminds me of the Italian historian who said that organization 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 organization. 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. Page-604 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. 14 APRIL 1940PURANI: It seems the Germans are carrying their guns and machines in aeroplanes to Norway. SRI AUROBINDO: Why can't England do the same? They don't seem to want to do anything that involves work. They want to capture or conquer without doing anything. They don't have any initiative. In individual actions they have so far shown superiority, but in group actions what they have is organization and they have perfected only that. Even Gamelin has organised his army perfectly but he has not shown any military genius. So long as Chamberlain is at the helm, nothing will happen. He applies only business intelligence to politics. PURANI: They have captured the Faroe Islands which appear to be strategically important. SRI AUROBINDO: Where are they? PURANI: Somewhere between Orkney and Norway. SRI AUROBINDO: Then they are of no importance. Hitler is not such a fool as to go and occupy Iceland or Greenland. NIRODBARAN: Does Chamberlain direct the military operations? SRI AUROBINDO: No, he supervises all the departments and is advised by the military, but if the Ministry is against any move of the military, they can't do anything. If Hore-Belisha had been there, he could have done something. SATYENDRA: He was the man we were thinking of the other day and, on this very point you have mentioned, he resigned. Somebody remarked about the occupation of the Faroe Islands that the Governor there had only six guns. The British had no difficulty in occupying it. (Laughter) SRI AUROBINDO (after some time): I can't understand the moves of the British. As soon as they heard of the German occupation, they could have occupied Bergen. Bergen would have been far away from Oslo and yet within striking distance. If Germany had six Page-605 destroyers, they could have brought twenty. Even if a great part of. their fleet had been lost, they would have gained a lot. They seemed to be enamoured of the idea of blockade, the navy's starvation of Germany and they are daunted by the presence of the Siegfried Line on their east. They don't want to risk anything. They are tied up by their organization, while Hitler fixes himself to nothing. He considers all possibilities and strikes according as it suits him. PURANI: Yes, the British must have their plans and moves fixed beforehand: "If such things happen, then we shall do this or that." Instead, they appear to do things too late and decide only after a move has been made by the enemy. The countries still remaining neutral are already scared and can't rely very much on the Allies. SATYENDRA: There was something in the papers about the Balkans - some threat to the Allies. SRI AUROBINDO: And I suppose the Allies said they were watching the situation. (Laughter) NIRODBARAN: Without Norway, can the Allies' blockade be effective? SRI AUROBINDO: It can be. They can impose it with their navy. If they can smash the German fleet now, then there is a chance of peace as was prophesied by the London astrologer Blake. NIRODBARAN: If the Germans have only 20,000 troops in Norway, scattered in various places, they can be easily routed. SRI AUROBINDO: If the Norwegians could have fought like the Finns, there would have been some resistance. EVENINGSRI AUROBINDO: (looking at Purani): The French news says that one German officer was shot by Hitler's order because he criticised Hitler's invasion of Norway, saying that it was a blunder which would bring economic ruin to Germany and all sorts of faults and crimes would be imputed to Germany. PURANI: The German people will perhaps like it as a deserved punishment. SRI AUROBINDO: Many people must be thinking like this officer, only they won't dare to speak out. He, being a military man, was outspoken. His conviction got the better of his prudence. The news report also says that one more major left the puppet ministry and joined the Norwegians. Perhaps he has become Page-606 wiser. This puppet ministry is composed not only of professors: there are many majors in it. The German fleet seems to have lost heavily - two big battleships have been destroyed. If the whole navy is destroyed, the Germans will be in a very bad position. They will be quite isolated in Norway. PURANI: They are said to be carrying troops in aeroplanes. SRI AUROBINDO: That can't come to much. Only ships can carry enough. PURANI: If the Allies can set up a base somewhere there, it will be very advantageous for them: they can then attack German bases. SRI AUROBINDO: Of course. PURANI: In Denmark the Germans can't do much because Denmark has to depend on import for foodstuff. It has very scanty resources of its own. SRI AUROBINDO : Yes, Germany will have to support the Danes when it can't even support itself. PURANI: It seems the Norwegian industrialists and landowners are in favour of Germany. There's news that the Russian fleet is in the Arctic. SRI AUROBINDO: Fleet? Only some ships perhaps. Their fleet is either in the Baltic, the Black Sea or at Vladivostok. And if it is in the Baltic it will be noticed if it comes out. 15 APRIL 1940SRI AUROBINDO: If the radio news is correct, the Germans have only one pocket battleship left, two being destroyed, two big battleships also being sunk and many cruisers. By cruisers are meant battle cruisers perhaps; they have then some light cruisers. So half their cruisers are also destroyed and many merchant ships - a heavy loss. PURANI: It is reported that the Allies have broken through the line and penetrated into the Baltic. SRI AUROBINDO .If they enter the Baltic, then the Germans are done for. NIRODBARAN: So it seems true then that Hitler has blundered by extending the war front. Page-607 SRI AUROBINDO: It was a very rash thing to do. These things depend in the end on sea-power. Without sea-power you can't transport supplies, mechanised troops, etc. PURANI: They counted on the aeroplanes. SRI AUROBINDO: Hitherto aeroplane attacks have not been a success except in Poland and Finland. Aeroplanes are only a powerful aid. You can't conquer a country with them. PURANI: No, except in places like Abyssinia, perhaps. There too the Italians were hard put. SRI AUROBINDO: Some French general said that Hitler's move was well-planned, well-executed but not well-judged. If the prohibition of the use of petrol, etc., is true, then Germany's condition is pretty bad. Hitler seems to succeed only where there is not much resistance. EVENINGDevata, Dr. André's lab assistant, was on the point of dying from heart failure. André said, "If he is dead, I will resuscitate him," and by giving him injections he brought him back to life. This was related to SriAurobindo. SRI AUROBINDO: This attitude reminds one of Oscar Wilde's definition of life—happy anticipation of the future. NIRODBARAN (after some time): There have been fifteen election suits in the Calcutta corporation election: three by the Bose party, one by the Hindu Sabha and one or two by the Muslims. In one of the suits the charge by the Bose group was that the Hindu Sabha candidate tried to coerce the voters with fanatical religious threats, divine displeasure, wrath of God, etc. SRI AUROBINDO: God is angry with Bose because he is a Socialist? PURANI: In Dacca also there was a clash between the student federation and the Bose party students, in which one student of the federation died. SRI AUROBINDO: What did the other party do? Did they not fight? PURANI: Yes, they did. SRI AUROBINDO: That's better. PURANI: Here in Pondicherry schoolboys were asked to write an essay on the war. A boy of fifteen wrote against the Allies, saying Page-608 that it was an imperialist war. The teacher foolishly sent the essay to the Director, then to the Governor. The boy's scholarship was suspended. SRI AUROBINDO: Naturally. When it was forwarded to them, they had to take action on it. They could not do otherwise even if they wanted to. PURANI: In France the rules are still more severe for such crimes. SRI AUROBINDO: It is treason and one must bear the consequences. If India were free and had to fight she would do the same. CHAMPAKLAL: Mithran said some boys were shot. SRI AUROBINDO: Shot? Can't be. How old were they? CHAMPAKLAL: Below twenty perhaps. SRI AUROBINDO: I can't believe it. They couldn't have been shot. They may have been given some other punishment. This Quisling of Norway should have been shot. Do you know what he has done? When the Norwegians were defending Trondjheim with their coastal batteries, Quisling sent them directions to stop fighting and by the time they realised that he had betrayed them it was too late. Also in Holland I don't know why they keep their traitors under supervision instead of shooting them. 16 APRIL 1940NIRODBARAN: Dr. André was so happy last evening, thinking he had saved Devata. The poor man is dead today. SRI AUROBINDO : He was too optimistic. The attack was too strong for the man. I did not expect him to survive tonight. PURANI: André also said that if he survived a seizure last night, he would recover. NIRODBARAN: I don't understand why the attack came in the early morning on three successive occasions. SATYENDRA: It is said that one's vitality is at its lowest in the early morning. SRI AUROBINDO: Yes. NIRODBARAN: Could it be an attack of some force as he had just returned from visiting various places? SRI AUROBINDO: What places? PURANI: Kumbhakonam, Trichinopoly, etc Page-609 SRI AUROBINDO: Oh, then it is quite possible. Sacred places are the places for such forces, also the places of priests and Pandas. PURANI (after some time): The British have landed troops at different points, leaving the occupied areas. SRI AUROBINDO: Of course. But "what is their manoeuvre? They seem to intend to occupy Bergen and Trondjheim because they are concentrating their attacks on them. PURANI: The Indian Express says that one third of the German navy is gone. SRI AUROBINDO: May be true. The radio says half, but it may be one third. PURANI : Have you read the report of the officers in the Khaksar shooting enquiry? They have made some amazing disclosures — that Allama Mushriqui intended to enlist twenty-five lakhs of volunteers and be a dictator. SRI AUROBINDO: Twenty-five lakhs! That means all the Muslim adults. PURANI: After this, Sikander will hesitate to lift the ban - especially after Sir Chimanlal's accusation that he was also a party to the Pakistan scheme. SRI AUROBINDO: But, in the scheme, if the Sikhs and Hindus were separated, they would have poor success. They may try to bring in Afghanistan. But Afghanistan is not wealthy and its people have a certain contempt for Indian Muslims. And in Bengal the West Bengalis will want a separate province. After this Purani out read a letter from a correspondent of his, a man eighty years old. He had been doing some sadhana for a long time, such as reading Shastras, mentally seeing the Divine in everybody, etc. Now he wanted some direct guidance from SriAurobindo. SRI AUROBINDO: The difficulty is that he is too old. It is like X trying to learn Greek at eighty. These things take too long and before he has taken a few steps he may be off. Then Purani gave Sri Aurobindoa typed review of The Life Divine by N. C. Brahma Sri Aurobindo read it and kept silent.
PURANI: He says that what you have said is what Shankara hassaid. (Laughter) It is all Adwaita philosophy. Page-610 SRI AUROBINDO: Adwaita, yes, but not Shankara's Adwaita. And so many people have interpreted Shankara in so many ways that had he been alive he would himself have been shocked at what they had made of him. 17 APRIL 1940PURANI: The French army seems to have landed in Norway. SRI AUROBINDO: The French army also? PURANI: Yes. Narvik is said to be in Allied hands. SRI AUROBINDO: Nobody knows what is happening there. Have the officials said that? PURANI: No, not the officials. They say that the situation is quite clear now. SRI AUROBINDO (shaking his head and smiling): It is not at all clear. It may be clear to Chamberlain but not to us. SATYENDRA: Chamberlain is doubly convinced that the Allies are going to win. SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, now he finds that right is on their side. He had suspected perhaps that God was not on his side. (Laughter) PURANI: The Allies have laid extensive mine-fields. Hitler has not much chance of success in Norway. SRI AUROBINDO: I don't know what made him take this step. PURANI: His inner voice, perhaps. SRI AUROBINDO: His inner voice must have been wild then. NIRODBARAN: Is there any chance of his attacking the Balkans? SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, when he gets wild he can do anything. NIRODBARAN: But that would be very hazardous. He would have to lose his head to do that. SRI AUROBINDO: He has already lost it. The Allies are waiting for him to fall into that trap. They want nothing better. PURANI: Italy seems to be intending to take sides. SRI AUROBINDO: With whom? She says she won't allow her-self to be found like Norway. PURANI: She may join the Germans. SRI AUROBINDO: She can do anything. Today she will declare you her friend and tomorrow join your enemy. But if she intends to join Hitler, she should have done that at the beginning when the Allies were unprepared. Now if she joins she will have to keep her Page-611 control of the Mediterranean or she will be put into a worse position than Germany. And in the navy the English and French will be stronger than Mussolini. Moreover the Italians are not good fighters; they will open themselves to attack by land. In Abyssinia they did not achieve any great success. Only after using mustard gas could they get victory. On the other hand, if they joined the Allies, they could confirm their position, though Mussolini would have to give up his idea of a Roman empire. PURANI: Here is a letter from Sundaram on his meeting with H, who tried to explain why he went away from here. He could not understand why the Mother granted an interview to the mill owner Hukumchand who had had a monkey-gland operation, while she refused to see several poor people. The Mother replied that he should not think by the mind and judge her motives like that. On another occasion there was some dispute about a servant. That time, he said, you replied that according to French law a master has rights over a servant. SRI AUROBINDO: I never said that and it is not true. In French law the servant has as many rights as his master. PURANI: Then H spoke of consciousness in the heart and the force, the tranquillity, he gained here. SRI AUROBINDO: Why does he object to the monkey-gland operation? PURANI: He objects to the Mother seeing rich men and refusing poor men. SRI AUROBINDO: But the Mother has refused to see rich men also. That is why she asked him not to think or reason by the mind. PURANI: Why doesn't he say plainly that he left the Ashram because he found the path difficult, instead of trying to justify himself? He also says that you made so many interpretations of his poems that a book could be made out of them. SRI AUROBINDO: Interpretations? I simply Said "Very beautiful" and so on. 18 APRIL 1940NIRODBARAN: Somebody, in reviewing Promode Sen's book on you, says that you are saying new things which are not according to the Shastra. Page-612 SRI AUROBINDO: The sin of having new ideas? One must speak only of things already said and otiose? NIRODBARAN: He says the outer world is like a dog's tail. SRI AUROBINDO: That is the old idea. So one has to cut off the tail? PURANI: Vivekananda himself has done many new things. SRI AUROBINDO: One can do new things but can't have new ideas, I suppose! NIRODBARAN: In the same issue Girija Shankar has started writing your biography. SRI AUROBINDO: Good Lord! What does he know about my life? Sri Aurobindo cast a glance here and there at the article and read in the last portion: "It was his mother who played a great part in moulding the temperament and character of SriAurobindo." NIRODBARAN: He writes also that as soon as you heard of your grandfather's death you cried out, "What a calamity!" (Laughter) SRI AUROBINDO: Not a very original interjection. SATYENDRA: The biographers will force you to write your own biography, Sir. SRI AUROBINDO: I shall have to write it just in order to contradict the biographers. I shall have to entitle the book, What I Did Not Do in My Life. (Laughter) EVENINGSRI AUROBINDO: What is the condition of Narvik? It seems to be a mystery. PURANI: They say is is in British hands. SRI AUROBINDO: Who are they? The British Government? The Germans say it is in their hands. The Brithsh have occupied some islands north of Narvik. In that case they will take a long time to come to the South. NIRODBARAN: Chamberlain says they were not at all prepared. All preparations were made at the last moment. SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, so they have sent a small army and the rest is to follow. But in the meantime what will be the condition of the Norwegians? Page-613 SATYENDRA: The Norwegians were so dumbfounded by the sudden invasion that they began to stare at the invaders. It seems some Norwegians have crossed over to Sweden. SRI AUROBINDO: The Swedes have a contempt for them as fighters. SATYENDRA: The Germans are trying to divide Norway from the North. SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, at Trondjheim, where Norway is narrow. PURANI: The Germans were ahead of the British at most by twenty-four hours. SRI AUROBINDO: No, they were preparing for two months. The Germans have foresight and organisational power. (After some time) The Theosophical Society's prophecy about world war in May might come true. The Russians have given an ultimatum to Rumania on fourteen points, of which thirteen are non-existent, Rumania says, and one is unimportant. PURANI: If war breaks out there, I hope Britain will strike the first blow. SRI AUROBINDO: That will depend on Turkey. She has a pact with Russia not to go to war against her. If Germany attacks, then, of course. NIRODBARAN: Hasn't Turkey an agreement with the Balkan powers? SRI AUROBINDO: If she has, we don't know of it. The Balkan powers have an entente, and that is with Bulgaria. NIRODBARAN: These two countries, Russia and Germany, seem to have a sinister scheme between themselves. When one takes Finland, the other keeps quiet. And after Germany takes Norway, Russia goes against Rumania. SRI AUROBINDO: Yes. Page-614 |