TALKS BY NIRODBARAN December 1969 – July 1970 TALKS by NIRODBARAN December 1969 – July 1970 Edited by Sunayana and Maurice Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry First Edition: 2018 Rs 210 ISBN 978-93-5210-152-8 © Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 2018 Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department Pondicherry 605 002 Web http://www.sabda.in Printed at Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, Pondicherry PRINTED IN INDIA Foreword Four years before Sri Aurobindo’s birth centenary, at a teacher’s request, Nirod-da agreed to speak to the students of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education about Sri Aurobindo. It was thought that this would help to prepare them for the occasion. Having had a privileged contact with the Master for twelve years as well as a voluminous correspondence with him, Nirod-da soon became a big draw with the students. As the audience kept increasing for his talks, the venue was shifted to the larger Hall of Harmony. Each week Nirod-da’s talk to the students was tape-recorded on a cassette; then it was immediately transcribed and made available for the following session. In this way, a hundred and fifty talks were recorded and meticulously transcribed by Sudha and Kokila. It is interesting to note that Nirod-da’s Twelve Years with Sri Aurobindo was born of notes taken for these talks; before the book was published, it was read out to the Mother in instalments by the author himself. “Thanks toN irod,” the Mother wrote, “we have a revelation of an altogether unknown side of what Sri Aurobindo was. It is extremely interesting and very instructive.” In his talks, Nirod-da related many revealing vignettes about Sri Aurobindo; his perceptive observations give us a picture of the Master’s life at that time. Nirod-da also quoted extensively from his correspondence with Sri Aurobindo as well as from some reminiscences by other sadhaks; in the course of their exchanges, an extraordinary relationship developed between Master and disciple, full of warmth and wit and wisdom. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram is happy to publish this new vo- lume of Nirod-da’s talks, which has been edited by Sunayana and Maurice. This book comprises talks from 31D ecember 1969 to 29 July 1970. With regard to references, only the titles of the books have been mentioned without the respective page numbers. The quo- tations conform to the edition of the books from which they were taken. This explains the discrepancies in spellings, capitali- sation, etc. 31 December 1969 Well, we have at last been provided with the New Hall! Before this new arrangement, I was told that our class would be held there in the verandah, and that inspired me to compose a rhyme. Now that we have been shifted here, I don’t know whether it would be any good to read out that composition of mine. But had we been there, it could have been relevant. Here it is: We are wandering from place to place Like Jewish foundlings of God! Now pushed next to open space We are held by wooden rail and rod. We wonder what awaits us next? Headlong crash or psychic rest (Laughter) Then all shall rush to see Our souls from school rooms free Were holding class in the air. Or still under T. K.’s care! (Laughter) Now, the other day we ended our talk with a splendid vision of mine which I need not repeat. If some of you call it poetic ima- gination, I would remind you again of Joan of Arc’s retort that it is in the form of imagination that visions come, or I may refer to a greater authority – almost my ancestor in some way – the poet Valmiki. He begins his Ramayana with a grand vision of the de- scent of Lord Vishnu and his consort and his divine companions, as Ram, Lakshman, etc… into this world. So, if you accept that vi- sion why not accept mine! I have read somewhere that old men dream and young men see visions. You may put me into either of the categories – something of the dream, something of the vision. Now, you remember perhaps, I told you of another vision of mine long, long ago which was published in Mother India 1 and established me as a great yogi and as a great poet – particularly a great yogi who could see a film and at the same time hold conver- sation with the Lord (Laughter). And you’ll believe me when I say that I’ve received many letters of congratulations on that vision 1. Talk of August 6, 1969. Mother India, Nov-Dec. 1969 2 Talks by Nirodbaran of mine, one of which I shall read out to you: The Mahabharata War and Sri Aurobindo written by your expert self is lovely, amusing, filling, full, – Wait, wait (Laughter)... deep, clear, striking, enticing, inspiring. – I have not exaggerated at all! So, you see a flood of epithets. Now if I get this vision of mine published then the cataract of epithets will blow their trumpets, but ladies and gentlemen, and particu- larly the ladies, all this praise I owe you, to a great extent, because of this class of which you were the initiators and inspirers. I owe the encomium, or whatever you like, to you of this class. Had there been no class I would have gone unheard, unsung! (Laughter) So, I share the credit with you and at the same time I would refuse to endorse the dictum on the ladies that says “women are the gate to etc., etc...” 2 I would on the other hand say that “Women are a short- cut to heaven.” (Laughter) Now in this respect I’m going to read out to you some extracts from Sri Aurobindo’s writings that a friend of mine received, where Sri Aurobindo comes in a very spirited defence of the ladies. Here they are: The medieval ascetics hated women and thought they were created by God for the temptation of monks. – We have no monks here. Now mark his humour – One may be allowed to think more nobly both of God and of woman. Second one: If a woman has tempted thee... – Young men, remember (Laughter) – 2. Women are the gate to hell – Nari narakasya dwaram. Talks by Nirodbaran 3 ... is it her fault or thine? Be not a fool and a self-deceiver. Thirdly: There are two ways of avoiding the snare of women, one is to shun all women, – which won’t be allowed in this Ashram of ours – and the other to love all beings.3 – Not only women, remember, but to love all beings. So, you see, Sri Aurobindo has come in a very spirited defence, as I told you. I have also had discussions with him on that very spicy subject – they say. I don’t remember whether I have read out this discus- sion to you but I suppose it can bear repetition... By the way, yes, a woman-acquaintance of mine whom I shall call my “Monaco- sister”, because she used to present me with a packet of Monaco biscuits (Laughter), bought a copy of my Correspondence and saw that there was a section on women. She was so piqued that at once she began to read it and the result was that by mail she asked me a lot of questions. Here I shall read out from Correspondence, the discussion Sri Aurobindo and I held in 1935. [Correspondence with Sri Aurobindo]: Myself: Is it not true that women are more receptive and psychic than men? All outward signs would direct that way, at any rate. Sri Aurobindo: Rubbish! Neither more receptive nor even more hysteric. Men, I find, can equal them even at that. It is true that they declare hunger-strikes more easily. ... because at that time, you don’t know friends, there used to be a lot of hunger-strikes by ladies, and the Mother used to send me and others to persuade them to give up their hunger-strikes... If you think with Gandhi that that is a sign of psychicness (soul force). But after all Non-cooperation has taken away even that inferiority from men. 3. Thoughts and Aphorisms. 4 Talks by Nirodbaran – You know Gandhi went on hunger-strikes more than once. A few days later I wrote to Sri Aurobindo [Correspondence]... A medical man writes that in Greece and Rome during the Middle Ages women had great freedom and a superior form of instruction, yet they did nothing outstanding.... Then again, there have been no women of first rank in painting, music, literature etc. …except Rosa Bonheur, who however had to shave her chin and dress as a man. Perhaps you know also that women novelists had to take men’s names in order to get fame. Not so long ago – in the 19th century – George Eliot, as you know, was a woman. Sri Aurobindo: In Greece woman was a domestic slave ex- cept the Hetairae and they were educated only to please. In Rome, ‘She remained at home and spun wool,’ was the high- est eulogy for a woman. It was only for a brief period of the Empire that woman began to be more free, but she was never put on an equality with man. Your medical man was either an ignoramus or was talking through his hat at you. What an argument – from exceptional conditions as against the habits of millenniums! What about administration, rule, business, in which women have shown themselves as capable, and more consistently capable, than men? These things need no brains? Any imbecile can do them? Myself: Of course no one can dispute that in another sphere.