June 1937 "Sitting alone under the shade of the tree Wrapt in a hushed profundity of night. A tree gives shade in the day — here it is night when all is shade! Please change. I was struck by R's sonnet! By Jove, looks like a sheer genii — I mean genius, what? Perhaps both — genii producing genius. [The following question was put by J:] What is the best way to get to the source of epic poetry and have it securely established? One has to grow into it — there is no other way. Once the epic inspiration has opened, this growth is possible and, if the inspiration is sustained, fairly certain. Arjava has fever again. H

May 1937 Shall go tomorrow to enquire about P's operation . . . I think it would be better to see it again on the screen tomorrow evening, for the needle may have shifted. Yes. Why do these things — tooth trouble etc., come to the Mother? I hear that you throw them off very quickly when they try to come to you. The Mother could do the same. I have not to deal with the sadhaks—except through correspondence. I am feeling feverish, cold in the head, bad headache. Due to sea bath and diving? What a pity! Pains of pleasure, I suppose. Which is better: "To a motionless abode —intense hushed seas"? or "of deep hushed seas"?

July 1936 S is much better, feels happy. I forgot to write that jaundice usually takes 2-3 weeks. So I understood, even a month. N.P. is dying more of fear, and thinking if he does this or that the pain may come back! That is why these things continue with him. What about my private book or J's letters? Can't you send them? Not as yet. Could not make up arrears. Today X seemed quite sane. So you see, Sir, after all it is your help that pulled her up. Of course as soon as you wrote I put the shower-bath on her. [About J's novel:] If you say that she'd better follow what Y says, she is willing to do so. Her jury

SRI AUROBINDO "I am here, I am here! " by NIRODBARAN SRI AUROBINDO "I am here, I am here! "   WHEN all over the world there was a growing eagerness to know more and more about Sri Aurobindo and the interest in his work was on the increase, he suddenly disappeared from the earth-scene. Superficially, this is a terrible irony of fate. But a study of his life suggests that more than once the utterly unexpected occurred as if by a choice on his own part. One may say that such an occurrence is almost a regular feature at each decisive turn of the upward spiral of his life. We see the rising curve bending down of a sudden when he threw away the I. C. S. career after a brill

APPENDIX SRI AUROBINDO ON WRITING IN ENGLISH AND ON STYLE IN WRITING As in these Talks there are remarks by Sri Aurobindo on Indians writing in English and on literature in general, it will be both interesting and instructive to quote a few passages from his letters to poet-discples apropos of these themes. 1 Indians have naturally in writing English a tendency to be too coloured, sometimes flowery, sometimes rhetorical.... One ought to have in writing English a style which is at its base capable of going to the point, saying with a simple and energetic straight-forwardness what one means to say, so that one can add grace of language wi

29 JANUARY 1940 Later, after Purani had come, there was an expectation that Nirodbaran would ask a question. All were looking at one another. The situation was so funny that Nirodbaran burst into laughter. PURANI: Nirodbaran is on the point of asking some question. SRI AUROBINDO: Is it a formidable question? NIRODBARAN: Oh, no. But did you say in the morning that the female element Krishnaprem speaks of corresponds or is equivalent to love, devotion, etc.? SRI AUROBINDO: No, I didn't say that. Why should it be so? SATYENDRA: Yes, why? Doesn't Sachchidananda have love! NIRODBARAN: As Krishnaprem speaks of the Vaishnavas' self-ide

25 FEBRUARY 1940 SRI AUROBINDO: That is a different matter. Each one will of course receive in his own language. An Englishman won't receive in Bengali or Gujarati. That depends on the response of the mind, the vital being or whatever it may be . About Ahimsa (non-violence), animals feel if a person is really non violent or not and they approach person according to that feeling. But what I want to know is whether Jainism accepts any intermediary such as a Guru who helps a disciple in the spiritual path. There are religions like Buddhism who don't believe in such things. Buddhism strongly says that one has to rely on one's own effort. Nobody can help one. By t

26 DECEMBER 1938 At about 5.30 p.m., four of our group— Champaklal, Satyendra, Becharlal and Nirodbaran— were seated on the carpet behind the head of Sri Aurobindo's bed and were whispering among themselves. Over some topic Champaklal broke into suppressed laughter and had to run away from the room. Satyendra and Nirodbaran controlled themselves with difficulty. Then at about 6.30 we all assembled by the side of Sri Aurobindo. Purani was still absent. SRI AUROBINDO (looking at us): What Divine Descent was it? NIRODBARAN: It was Champaklal who burst into laughter. SRI AUROBINDO: Oh, then it was Vishnu's Ananda that descended! As soon as he encourage

20 DECEMBER 1938 After Sri Aurobindo 's lunch at about 4.30 p.m. Nirodbaran was reading to him the memorial orations on a prominent figure in local politics and business. One person after another, beginning with the Governor, had praised him in superlative terms: "upright", "generous", "great friend of Page-42 the poor" etc. Hearing this, Sri Aurobindo exclaimed, "Good Lord!", burst into laughter and remarked, "He ought to be canonised—Saint X! Such is public life! When Y died, all his life-long political enemies did the same thing." At about 7.00 the talk started again. It turned on homoeopathy and its difference from allopathy in regard to dosage and other

8 JANUARY 1939 Tonight we were at a loss how to begin. But we saw that Sri Aurobindo was ready; he was as if inviting us by his look. But none could break forth; we seemed to have exhausted all our questions. In that puzzled mood; Nirodbaran once looked up and Sri Aurobindo looked at him. Suddenly Nirodbaran burst into laughter and the rest joined in. Finding an opening or an inspiration, Purani began. PURANI: There is something interesting about snoring in the Sunday Times today. Someone says that snoring is the reaction of the subconscient against some pressure one does not like. SRI AUROBINDO: Nonsense! Does it mean that a man snores because he