Chapter 17Finance and Economy

with people in the outside world? Why can we not give our love to all?

(Reply of Sri Aurobindo)

That is all right in the ordinary Karma yoga which aims at union with the cosmic spirit and stops short at the overmind — but here a special work has to be done and a new realisation achieved for the earth and not for ourselves alone. It is necessary to stand apart from the rest of the world so as to separate ourselves from the ordinary consciousness in order to bring down a new one.

It is not that love for all is not part of the sadhana,

but it has not to translate itself at once into a mixing with all — it can only express itself in a general and when need be dynamic universal goodwill, but for the rest it must find vent in this labour of bringing down the higher consciousness with all its effect for the earth. As for accepting the working of the Divine in all things that is necessary here too in the sense of seeing it even behind our struggles and difficulties, but not accepting the nature of man and the world as it is — our aim is to move towards a more divine working which will replace what now is by a greater and happier manifestation. That too is a labour of divine Love.2

22 October 1933 What Sri Aurobindo has written is absolutely true and must be followed.

There is only one new fact — from the beginning of this year a new consciousness has manifested and is working energetically to prepare the earth for the new creation.

17 April 1969

* On the occasion of Sri Aurobindo’s centenary, many people will come to the Ashram. What can we do to show them the reality of the Ashram?

Live it. Live this reality. All the rest — talking, etc. — is of no use.

How to prepare ourselves for it?

By communion with the psychic being, the incarnate Divine, deep within us,

an intense aspiration,

a perfect concentration,

a constant dedication.

First of all, from the financial point of view, the principle on which our action is based is the following: money is not meant to make money. This idea that money must make money is a falsehood and a perversion.

Money is meant to increase the wealth, the prosperity and the productiveness of a group, a country or, better, of the whole earth. Money is a means, a force, a power, and not an end in itself. And like all forces and all powers, it is by movement and circulation that it grows and increases its power, not by accumulation and stagnation.

What we are attempting here is to prove to the world, by giving it a concrete example, that by inner psychological realisa-tion and outer organisation a world can be created where most of the causes of human misery will be abolished.

*

A friend wishes to collect money for you. He says he will be very much helped if you write for him a statement about approaching people for monetary help.

I am not in the habit of writing for money from anybody. If people do not feel that it is for them a great opportunity and Grace to be able to give their money for the Divine cause, tant pis pour eux!1 Money is needed for the work — money is bound to come; as for who will have the privilege of giving it, that remains to be seen.

24 April 1938

* 1 So much the worse for them!

The money is not mine, the money belongs to the Ashram and the Ashram does not lend money. Also it cannot favour so particularly someone, especially when this person has not been too faithful to the Ashram.

20 April 1951

* I have received your letters and answered inwardly, confident that you are capable of receiving these intimate communications.

But I feel something must be added to what I wrote to you already.

There is no question of going to people and collecting funds. The thing to be done is to find one man, or one financial group, or one foundation that is in a position to dispose of the total amount needed and is ready to go into this adventure and to run the risk for the sake of doing something new and worthwhile.

Such a man or such people exist. There is only to make the two poles meet.

* You should not ask their help for collecting such a small amount as fifty thousand or a lakh of rupees. You must approach them with dignity and the sense of the importance of your mission. Never forget that this work is not an ordinary superficial one, but a work of the spirit and that it is sure to be done. It is not a charity that we are asking from these people, it is an opportunity that is given to them to come closer to their soul.

Before starting the work, call me and I shall be there. My strength is always with you.

17 December 1952

* You must know that what you will have to coordinate in its most material and exterior form, is not merely an industry or a group of industries, nor a department in an administration, nor a service in a state, but a small world in miniature contain-ing potentially all the possibilities of a human collectivity, plus new and yet unknown potentialities (possibilities) still latent and waiting for manifestation.

You will find already an embryo of organisation which has for its centre of coordination the symbol of the Divine Presence representing the One Supreme Master of the Universe. For here all works are dedicated to the Lord, the One who is all and contains all. And all works are done not for a personal profit but as an offering of love, for here the only power we can dispose of is the power of love; and I am there simply as a symbol and a messenger to guide and unite the efforts.

Practically, if we were a little less short of funds, many difficulties would be wiped off.

We have to be careful about every expenditure and because of that many useful things are not done.

So, if you could find one person or more who might be interested in the enterprise, rather the adventure — for it is nothing short of the creation of a new world — and if they were ready to help financially, by gift or loan it would enable us to move more promptly and completely in our endeavour.

This is the situation in brief. If you want more details, they can be given.

* It is a great mistake to believe that I would agree to the unselfish movement of some people only to satisfy the demands of those who remain selfish and full of desires. The time of egoistic greed is over; each one will have to share in the effort towards economy.

22 June 1940

* In view of the present circumstances in India where the difficul-ties of supplies and transport (especially of food supplies) have