11th December 1938 Disciple : Is there no justice for the misdeeds of people like S, V and N? Surely they will have to bear the consequences of their actions? And yet how is it these people succeed in life? Sri Aurobindo :  Justice in this life? May not be. Most probably not. But justice is not what most people believe it to be. It is said that virtuous people will have happiness, prosperity etc. in another life while in this life they have the opposite effects. In that case, the people you speak of must have been virtuous in their previous life. There is justice in the sense that the virtuous and pious people advance towards Sattwic nature while the contrary one go

5th January, 1939 Disciple : How long does human bone continue to grow? Sri Aurobindo : Cranium fifty-five years, Madulanta fifty years. Disciple : What was your age when you entered politics (openly)? Sri Aurobindo : 33 years. Disciple : When did you begin yoga? Sri Aurobindo : Somewhere in 1905. Disciple : How did you begin? Sri Aurobindo : God knows how! It began very early perhaps. When I landed on the Indian soil a great calm and quiet descended on me. There were also other characteristic experiences – at Poona on the Parvati hills and then in Kashmir on the Shankeracharya hill, – a sense of a great infinite Reality was felt. It was very real

8th January, 1940 Disciple : Have you read C. V. Raman's address at the Science Congress? Sri Aurobindo : Yes, I have. Disciple : It seems they have discovered two new elements. Sri Aurobindo : Not discovered, but created by changing the position of the particles in the atom. What are they going to do with them? Disciple : The cost of producing them will be prohibitive. Though the method of breaking up by Cyclotron is cheap. Raman has supported Einstein's theory about unity of matter and energy. Sri Aurobindo : Has anybody doubted it? Disciple : No. Sri Aurobindo : But what is energy? Page – 248 Disciple : Modern scientists ha

AUGUST 1943 7th August, 1943 Letter from Siddhartha (Nolini Sen's son). 1. Faith-Blind in Guru's words. 2. Religion is superfluous and injurious to India. 3. What is Sri Aurobindo doing? What has he done or is doing for India? Sri Aurobindo : Why does Siddhartha want to argue about his faith? How can he prove his faith by arguments? He must know that it can't be done. And now-a-days it is well-known that one argues in favour of what one likes. It is not for arriving at the Truth. One can't arrive at the Truth by arguing. He can find plenty of proof of people whose faith has succeeded where all outer reason was against them. There are many such

DECEMBER, 1938 10th December, 1938 Disciple : Why did you choose Pondicherry as the place for your Sadhana? Sri Aurobindo : Because it was by an Adesh – command from Above – I was asked to come here. When I was leaving Bombay for Calcutta I asked Lele what I should do regarding my Sadhana. He kept silent for some time [probably waiting to hear a voice from the heart] and replied, "Meditate at a fixed time and hear the voice in the heart." I did not hear the voice from the heart, but a different voice and I dropped meditation at a fixed time because meditation was going on all the time. When Lele came to Calcutta and heard about it, he said that the devil had caught

DECEMBER, 1939 14th December, 1939 Disciple : Did you meet Swami Dayanand of Bengal? Sri Aurobindo : No. I met one of his disciples, a scientist, in the Calcutta National College. When I wrote – in those days – about the Avatar, he said the Avatar is already there. Afterwards he himself recanted his avatarhood when the shooting affair took place. He has an idea of establishing world peace by bringing all nations together. He can say that he established the League of Nations and somebody else has disestablished it. Disciple : He used to keep nothing for the morrow in his organization – he depended entirely on Divine Grace. Sri Aurobindo : Yes, and he

APRIL, 1943 16th April, 1943 General Tokezyswaki : Polish leader came through Umadevi, a Polish lady. 17th April, 1943 General Tokezyswaki saw Mother at 3-30 for nearly an hour. 1. Synthesis of Elements of different cultures. 2. Nearly 3500 Polish refugees in India. 3. One or two hours to himself for reading about this literature. Sri Aurobindo : "Such men will find great difficulties after the war because the peace seems much more difficult – war is difficult enough". Page – 313  From the notes. 18th April, 1943 In Russia before the war there were 18 million in prison – 1/10th of the population!

7th February, 1939 Disciple : Bose has called his leftist Conference. I wonder what programme they are going to formulate. Sri Aurobindo : That is what they are not going to say. The only thing they are to do is to give an ultimatum to the British Government. After that they will break some laws or ask the Ministers to resign on the States' issue, if they have not done so by that time. Disciple : The States' question will be an all-absorbing matter and the split in the Congress may be avoided. Sri Aurobindo : But it is not definite what the princes will do. They are under the thumb of the British Government. Only a man like Holkar and Nabha may side wit

18th December, 1938 (4-30 P. M.) Disciple  :  It is surprising that Swami Nikhilananda should write about you. (There was an article in the Hindu by Swami Nikhilananda) Sri Aurobindo  :  It is Nistha (Miss Wilson) who arranged for its publication through him, her friend, before she came here. (After some silence) It is peculiar how they give an American turn to everything (Ref. to the article) Disciple : How is it that the Americans seem to be more open? Sri Aurobindo : Yes, because they are a new nation and have no past tradition to bind them. France and Czechoslovakia Page – 29 also are open. Many are writing from there to do yoga. Disciple : Nisth

30th December, 1939 Disciple : The Hindu Mahasabha this year has got a large number of delegates from the two provinces with Muslim majority. Sri Aurobindo : The two provinces with a Muslim majority? Disciple : Do you think that the Hindu Mahasabha if it is organized would weaken the Congress? Sri Aurobindo : The Congress may allow the Mahasabha to settle the question with the Muslims by organizing the Hindus instead of nationalist Hindus quarreling among themselves. If the Congress can do something effective then it would be all right. Disciple : There are some people who object to "Vande Mataram" as a national song. And some Congress men support the remov