Two unpublished letters of Sri Aurobindo

You say that this “Introduction” of yours is a warning against the tricks of the hostile forces. As you have written it, it is much more than that – it is an attack on Yogis, Gurus and occultists in general and a warning against them and their ways. According to you they are men who use their knowledge, such as it is, and powers to dominate and impose themselves on their disciples; using the “alien being” in men for their purpose they inflict on them false and misleading experiences in order to farther their own personal objects. You warn all to be on their guard against these occultists, Yogis and Gurus, not to trust or believe in them; for all of them, even the greatest, you have by personal experience found to be the same, ignorant, self-interested misleaders of men and exploiters. You do not except your own Gurus, but rather expressly include them. You specify several elements of the Yoga as it is practised here, transformation, reception of peace, light and other experiences and warn everybody that any such experiences of transformation, peace, light etc. are unreal falsities and illusions imposed by the occult power of the Guru. One can have transformation and the rest, but only through one’s own self; one should accept only what comes from one’s own self; one must go for knowledge to the Upanishads and not follow the misleading modernized distortions taught in the writings of these Yogis and Gurus. If words have any meaning, that is the clear purport of what you have written. Yet you expect me to sanction the publication of this stuff which, whether under your name or anonymous, is perfectly incompatible with what at least is supposed to be your position here. I refuse sanction altogether.

P.S. I may say that publication without permission will be incompatible with your remaining here.

Sri Aurobindo

I do not know to what you refer in your arrogant letter to the Mother. If anyone questions the right of the Mother to control the Ashram or to control his own conduct, his place is outside; there he can exercise his full civic or other rights and do what he pleases. Whoever is dissatisfied, has the right to leave the Ashram just as the Mother has the right not to maintain in it any one whose conduct or attitude she finds unsatisfactory. There is no right, civic or legal or republican or constitutional or any other entitling anyone to do whatever he likes in the house of another or debars that other from objecting or enforcing his objection. There is a discipline of obedience and of abstention from forbidden acts in this Ashram and whoever refuses to recognise it has no “right” to remain here.

Sri Aurobindo