2 FEBRUARY 1939 For two days we had no conversation. Sri Aurobindo had suddenly developed some swelling on his injured leg and we were all anxious about it. Nobody was in a mood to talk. At last Sri Aurobindo himself came out with a reference to politics and the talk started. PURANI: X (an Indian political leader), has sent a telegram to Y, saying this is the end of Fascism and the beginning of true democracy and declaring: "You will be a true president." SRI AUROBINDO: Does it mean that the true president follow his followers? That is true democracy! He will choose his followers choose and then follow them. SATYENDRA: Instead of Fascism of the Right, what t

26 JANUARY 1939 PURANI : Barcelona is going! The French people are waking up at the eleventh hour. SRI AUROBINDO: Yes. The democracies are not showing much courage at present at any rate. SATYENDRA: It seems political ideas are not worth fighting for. Today one fights for democracy, tomorrow for monarchy or, dictatorship. Page-208 SRI AUROBINDO: Quite so. All human values are half-values. They are relative. They have no permanence or durability in them. SATYENDRA: Perhaps if men became more mentalised they would understand better. SRI AUROBINDO: Mentalised? No! The difficulty is that they don't follow the principles of life. SATYENDRA: How

4 DECEMBER 1939 SATYENDRA: Ancient Yogis always believed that human nature couldn't be changed. They compared it to a dog's curved tail and left it alone, although they admitted the spiritual principle to be at work. Only Sri Aurobindo thinks it can be changed. NIRODBARAN: And you don't? SATYENDRA: No. SRI AUROBINDO: What on earth has this spiritual principle been doing if the world has remained just the same? SATYENDRA: Meher Baba, the well-known Yogi from Western India, also thinks there can be a change and his mission is to bring it about. But he is himself so changeable that he decides one thing today and changes it tomorrow. SRI AUROBIND

1 DECEMBER 1939 Just as the sponging of Sri Aurobindo started, Nirodbaran prompted to Purani to begin the talk. NIRODBARAN: What are these newspaper cuttings you have brought? PURANI: Cuttings from Paul Brunton. SRI AUROBINDO: What about? SATYENDRA: You have already seen these reports of his views on Yoga. SRI AUROBINDO: Oh! SATYENDRA (after a pause): He says he has plumbed the depths of Yoga. At the beginning he made some foolish exaggerations about the claims of Yoga. SRI AUROBINDO: They were not foolish but deliberate exaggerations with plenty of imagination. He wrote with an eye to the reading public. Page-272 SATYENDRA

Talks with Sri Aurobindo Volume 1 Nirodbaran Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry

29 JANUARY 1940 SRI AUROBINDO (addressing Purani): I have been reading a book of prophecy on the war. PURANI: Prophecy by studying planets? SRI AUROBINDO: Yes, the author says that there is going to be peace but it won't be a satisfactory peace. Germany will fare badly, Hitler will go down and the Third Reich will come to power. Peace is likely to come by March, it will certainly make headway by September. Then he says that Stalin will win. After that he says catastrophic things will happen. There will be terrible destruction — communism will be established everywhere, in England, France, Germany. In England there will be two more dynasties of kings. There will be two

16 JANUARY 1939 SRI AUROBINDO: But what should they do in case of attack? Simply stand by? PURANI: No, they have to die resisting non-violently. SRI AUROBINDO: This idea of passive resistance I have never been able to fathom. I can understand an absolute non-resistance to evil, what the Christians mean when they say, "Resist not evil." You may die without resisting and accept the consequences as sent by God. But to change the opponent's heart by passive resistance is something I don't understand. PURANI: I agree with the Modern Review that by this method one allows evil to triumph. It seems foolish to expect that a goonda's heart will melt in that way

24 JANUARY 1939 NIRODBARAN: As far as I remember, Ramakrishna spoke of loka hita, "the good of the world". SRI AUROBINDO: But that is not the same as service of humanity. The Gita also asks us to work for the good of the world. Loka hita can be done in many ways. PURANI: So far as I know, Ramakrishna didn't say anything about service of humanity. The phrase daridra narayana—"God the poor"—was Vivekananda's. It seems not all the disciples of Ramakrishna were agreeable to the idea. But some submitted, saying, "Vivekananda should know best." Satyeyndra: Even from those who didn't object, all didn't take active part in the service. Brahmananda,¹ for example.

27 NOVEMBER 1939 SRI AUROBINDO: I have given that up, as I told you. DR. MANILAL: You used to say you were pleased, there was some peace, harmony, etc. SRI AUROBINDO: Harmony? Peace maybe. DR . MANILAL : Last time you said, "I can do some things more easily now." SRI AUROBINDO: Are you asking me about my own progress? DR. MANILAL: Your progress is our progress. We go along with you; at least with the tail end. (Laughter) SRI AUROBINDO: I wish you did. Then you would be very near the head. The tail of a comet is very long! DR. MANILAL: Then please tell us about individual progress say, about mine. SRI AUROBINDO: All I can

12 JANUARY 1939 Nirodbaran narrated to Sri Aurobindo an incident that had taken place in Calcutta. The Mother was present during the narration. The incident concerned a girl of about ten or twelve. She belonged to a very well-known family and had visited the Ashram with her parents more than once. Now there was a tea-party in their sumptuous house. Many high-ranking people had been invited. The topic of the Ashram came up. Comments and criticisms started flying freely. Even the Mother and Sri Aurobindo were not spared. The child listened quietly. But when somebody seemed to overstep the limit of decency, she could stand it no longer. In a firm tone she