Chapter 12No Politics

In the Ashram one must do only what one may do publicly, for nothing remains hidden. As for my protection it is equally over all and not over some as against others.

* It is impossible to give a single answer for all cases. With each person and on each occasion, it will differ. But, at any rate, it can be said that whoever lives in a community must follow, as much as possible, the rules of that community. Moreover people have a right to go against collective rules only when all their actions are prompted exclusively by the Divine in them. If all they do, all they say is done and said as they would do and say in the presence of the Divine, then, but then only, they have the right to say, “I follow my own rule and no other.”

28 January 1960

* With “personal feelings” nothing can be done in the Ashram.

Rise above personal feelings and the doors of realisation will open.

3 February 1965

* It is high time that peace and harmony should reign in the Ashram.

*

(About a fight between two Ashramites)

All that seems very much like going back to the time of primitive man in the caves.

We do not wish to live the artificial life of civilised society, but it would be better to climb up the ladder towards a greater civilisation rather than to fall backwards to the rule of the blows.

* I have sent for the “delinquent” to tell him that this kind of activity is out of place in the Ashram, though unfortunately it is only too often practised here; but I am sending you this letter before seeing him so that you may know that he has nothing to do with what I am writing to you.

But the second part of your letter made me see that, without justifying the aggression, for an aggression cannot be justified, at least your state of mind warrants it. I have rarely seen such a display of hatred and envy, bitter criticism and commonplace morality arising from unsatisfied and repressed desires.

All this is not very nice and immediately takes away the sympathy one could have felt because of the blows you received.

I thank you for reminding me that my position gives me duties and responsibilities, but it is better to call the Grace rather than justice, for if it were to come into action very few would be those who could stand before it.

* Sexual relations are forbidden in the Ashram.

So, honesty demands a choice between the Ashram and sexual relations. It is a matter of conscience.

12 June 1971

* The Ashram is not a place for being in love with anyone. If you want to lapse into such a stupidity, you may do so elsewhere, not here.

We are not here to do politics but to serve the Divine.

* Sri Aurobindo thinks that it is not possible for us to intervene by a wire in a political matter of this kind. At most you might write to X your private opinion about the best course for him to take in these painful and difficult circumstances.

With love and blessings.

24 February 1939

* I have received X’s letter. You can write to him: “It is absolutely out of the question for anyone connected with the Ashram to intervene in politics of any kind.” He must not go to Y (it would be useless in any case). If he went and Y spoke to us of it, we would be obliged to disavow his action as not sanctioned by us.

3 June 1939

* Sri Aurobindo and myself object to anybody here corresponding with X and especially receiving money from him, because although he was here for some months we know nothing about him except the little he himself told us.

From certain observations he let fall it seems that he is violently pro-Nazi and does not hide it, and any connection with him might in these times bring serious trouble on the Ashram.

25 June 1940

* Early this morning, your mind came to me and put me some questions to which I have answered.

I have noted the questions and the answers so that your exterior consciousness can benefit by it.

“Why are you not angry at the British Government when it acts in a way so detrimental to the Ashram?”

Why be angry? It is quite natural that they should do so as it is in their interest and they have the power.

“But it is not right and charitable!” When did you see that a government is righteous and compassionate? In their outward dealings they are all the same.

“Then why do you support one against another?” This is quite another matter and depends on the play of forces acting behind the surface. Some forces are working for the Divine, some are quite anti-divine in their aim and purpose.

If the nations or the governments who are blindly the in-struments of the divine forces were perfectly pure and divine in their processes and forms of action as well as in the inspiration they receive so ignorantly, they would be invincible because the divine forces themselves are invincible. It is the mixture in the outward expression that gives to the Asura the right to defeat them.

To be a successful instrument for the Asuric forces is easy, because they take all the movements of your lower nature and make use of them, so that you have no spiritual effort to make.

On the contrary, if you are to be a fit instrument of the divine force you must make yourself perfectly pure since it is only in an integrally divinised instrument that the Divine Force will have its full power and effect.

4 July 1940

* The world situation is critical today. India’s fate too is hanging in the balance. There was a time when India was absolutely secure, there was no danger whatever of her being a victim to Asuric aggression. But things have changed. People and forces in India have acted in such a way as to invite Asuric influences upon her: these have worked insidiously and undermined the security that was there.

If India is in danger, Pondicherry cannot be expected to remain outside the danger zone. It will share the fate of the rest of the country. The protection I can give is not unconditional. It is idle to hope that in spite of anything and everything, the protection will be there over all. My protection is there if con-ditions are fulfilled. It goes without saying that any sympathy or support for the Nazis (or for any ally of theirs) automatically cuts across the circle of protection. Apart from this obvious and external factor, there are more fundamental psychological conditions which demand fulfilment. The Divine can give protection only to those who are whole-heartedly faithful to the Divine, who live truly in the spirit of sadhana and keep their consciousness and preoccupation fixed upon the Divine and the service of the Divine. Desire, for example, insistence on one’s likes and conveniences, all movements of hypocrisy and insincerity and falsehood, are great obstacles standing in the way of the Divine’s protection. If you seek to impose your will upon the Divine, it is as if you were calling for a bomb to fall upon you. I do not say that things are bound to happen in this way; but they are very likely to happen, if people do not become conscious and strictly vigilant and act in the true spirit of a spiritual seeker. If the psychological atmosphere remains the same as that of the outside world, there can be no sure wall of security against the dark Forces that are working out in it the ordeal of danger, suffering and destruction entering here.

25 May 1941

* I have just read the very silly rumour you have spread yesterday and I must ask you not to do such a thing again. It is well understood that the whole story is ridiculously false without an atom of truth in it. But people are so stupid that they can believe anything and at any rate repeat anything, and if ever it was told that such rumours are initiated from the Ashram it would bring to us the most unpleasant and even dangerous trouble.

I feel quite sure that you will understand my point, and send you my love and blessings.

11 February 1946

* I told you already — no such politics can originate from the Ashram; it could bring a mountain of trouble.

In the present case of this fray I ask you to be true to your faith in Sri Aurobindo and myself and to leave his fate to our responsibility. If it is the truth of his being that he should be liberated, he will surely be liberated.

With my love and blessings.

14 February 1946

* It has been repeatedly stated that all provincial spirit is quite out of place in the Ashram and cannot be tolerated.

I am sorry to say that the meeting which took place yesterday has displayed the most narrow and silly provincial tendency which puts me in the unpleasant necessity of stopping these gatherings.

1 April 1946

*

A DECLARATION Sri Aurobindo withdrew from politics; and, in his Ashram, a most important rule is that one must abstain from all politics — not because Sri Aurobindo did not concern himself with the happenings of the world, but because politics, as it is practised, is a low and ugly thing, wholly dominated by falsehood, deceit, injustice, misuse of power and violence; because to succeed in politics one has to cultivate in oneself hypocrisy, duplicity and unscrupulous ambition.

The indispensable basis of our Yoga is sincerity, honesty, unselfishness, disinterested consecration to the work to be done, nobility of character and straightforwardness. They who do not practise these elementary virtues are not Sri Aurobindo’s disci-ples and have no place in the Ashram. That is why I refuse to answer imbecile and groundless accusations against the Ashram emanating from perverse and evil-intentioned minds.

Sri Aurobindo always loved deeply his Motherland. But he wished her to be great, noble, pure and worthy of her big mission in the world. He refused to let her sink to the sordid and vulgar level of blind self-interests and ignorant prejudices. This is why, in full conformity to his will, we lift high the standard of truth, progress and transformation of mankind, without caring for those who, through ignorance, stupidity, envy or bad will, seek to soil it and drag it down into the mud. We carry it very high so that all who have a soul may see it and gather round it.

25 April 1954

* It is important and urgent that the people of your Unity Party should rise to a higher level of consciousness and stop all attacks of a petty political character on persons. They must learn to fight for the Truth and the Divine Realisation and not against any political party. From the Divine’s point of view there is truth behind all sincere convictions. It is in the mental and practical application to life and action that the falsehood appears and disfigures everything. The time has come when all those who are more or less connected with the Ashram and wish to base their action on Sri Aurobindo’s or my teaching must abstain from all these low movements of political polemic and remain on the higher levels of the spirit.