20th January, 1939 After discussion about local affairs, Sri Aurobindo : I find X’s letter to Y is written with his usual clear vision. He advises Y to guard against mixing up his own feeling of personal wrong with the legitimate decision not to shake hands with one who has wronged the Guru. About A he says, “these people like A, when they take to yoga it is more ornamental than anything else”. It is a fine phrase “ornamental yoga”. Disciple : (giving a turn to the talk) Nothing seems to have come out of Chamberlain – Mussolini interview. Both parties say, they are satisfied with the results. Sri Aurobindo : I can’t understand England’s policy. I do not know what

16th January, 1939 There was a humourous sequel to a telegram requesting for "ashes". It was a puzzle for some time and after some effort the word ashisha", meaning "blessing" was rightly understood. Disciple : I do not understand why he is asking for "ashes". Page – 129 Sri Aurobindo : I don't understand either. When I used to smoke I could have sent at least the cigar ashes. But now I do not smoke ! Disciple : But we are burning here the mosquito-coils. The ashes of the coils can be sent. (Laughter) Disciple : But I think he is asking for Blessings – the post office in receiving the Sanskrit word Ashisha seems to have turned it into "ashes"! (Laughter)

12th January, 1939 There was a controversy about a child who was underage and had an intense aspiration to remain in the Ashram, i.e. to be under Mother's protection and guidance. But being under the guardianship of her parents the child could not carry out her inner wish. Ultimately the parents, particularly the Mother, took the child away. Some Evening-Talks refer to this incident. Sri Aurobindo : She – the child – has developed character and intelligence quite beyond her age. When she wrote to us she used to cast reflections on the world and on people that was even beyond a grown up woman. She is remarkable for her age. The Mother has found it difficult to be

29th January, 1939 Sri Aurobindo was in a communicative mood. Looking at X he said. "Have you read Hitler's interview with Col. Beck in the 'Sunday Times'? Disciple : No. What about it? Sri Aurobindo : It was shouting at each other. It is said that when Hitler begins to shout his eyes become glassy and it means disaster.  But in this interview when he began to shout and eyes turned glassy, Beck began to shout louder. Hitler was much surprised to find this unexpected return and himself toned down.  Disciple : What was the result of the interview?  Sri Aurobindo : Relations with Poland were not much improved I suppose. (The topic changed) Sri Aurobindo turned

16th May, 1939 A letter from a disciple received on the 29th April written to co-disciple here spoke of his experience at Tiruannamalai. He mentioned in his letter that the resistance in his physical being was broken by the spiritual experience he had there. In the evening a disciple asked Sri Aurobindo: "What Page – 226  do you think of his saying that the resistance in the physical is gone?" Sri Aurobindo : I have heard people saying that the body of Maharshi is shaking. How could he have done what he did not do, or did not care to do, for himself, for someone else? Disciple : But he describes his experience in detail : for instance, the triangle a

FEBRUARY 1940 23 February, 1940 Disciple : The world is Swayambhu – self-existent – according to Jainism. God can't have created world because he lacks motive. Sri Aurobindo : Do you create because you are unhappy? Nirod writes poetry because he is miserable? Disciple : No, to get more joy. Sri Aurobindo : He is then full of joy and wants more. Disciple : If God has not created the world, you can't get his help in liberation. Disciple : In Jainism each one gets liberation by his own effort. Even Tirthankars don't help. Sri Aurobindo : Of what use are they? Disciple : He is like an example. It is Shasan Devatas who are worshippers of Tir

15th January, 1939 Sri Aurobindo opened the topic by referring to a letter from an American. Sri Aurobindo : There is a job which perhaps "X : " would like to attend to. The letter is addressed to Sri Aurobindo Ashram under the belief that it is a person. The man wants sporting items, and "predictions". He says : Page – 123  As you are a Yogi you "can go into trance" and we will share the profits!! Let me know your terms. Then he says : "If you don't want to take the money, you can give it to the poor! (turning to X.). You        can go into trance or send "Y" into it. I will be a hard nut. I have no objections to sharing profits, only we share in profi

X GODS 4-4-1924 Disciple : In the Bhagwata there are descriptions of beings on the mental and other subtle planes. What influence is the Supramental yoga likely to exert on them when it is perfected ? Sri Aurobindo : What do you mean ? Do you refer to the mental in men or to beings who have no bodies but are living on the mental plane ? If you say that a plane is Supramentalised then all the beings on that plane also must be Supramentalised. Then by that time the Pushwala also may have his being transformed. You can't expect the Universal Law to change like that. These planes and the beings on them change in relation to you or in so far as they come in contact with you. But t

XI 15th August, 1923-1926 Sri Aurobindo spoke on the 15th of August 1923. Formerly we used to celebrate the event of my physical birth in a "vital" manner. There was the seed of the inner Truth in it, but the manifestation was vital. Now, I wish that if the day is observed it should be in keeping with the Truth it symbolises. You all know of the Supramental Truth that has to descend into our life. This day that Truth is symbo­lised. But there are several obstacles in the way of its coming down. There is the Mind and the mental ideas that grasp at the Truth coming from Above and try to. utilise the Truth for their own aims. There is, for instance, the Vital, or

VIII PSYCHOLOGY 10-7-1923 Disciple : When a man leaves his body, does his soul assume another birth at once ? Sri Aurobindo : It depends on what you mean by the "body" and by the "soul". Disciple : It is said that the soul has to take another physi­cal life in order to complete its evolution. Sri Aurobindo : What do you mean by "evolution" of the soul ? If you mean by the 'soul' the essential self then it requires no evolution. Disciple : What is the law of connection between the living and the dead ? Sri Aurobindo : Your question seems to imply that the physical manifestation is the whole manifestation. The body is merely a circumstance in the manifestati