The Issue – by an Aspirant

[The following is anonymous note is written by an inmate of the Ashram and represents the views of the silent majority of Ashramites.]

The issue is not Peter and his book. The issue is the force of falsehood that underlies the book and which more importantly, also underlies the gradual and steady deterioration in the attitude of those who run the Ashram.

Resorting to falsehood and betrayal in order to achieve the immediate goal (the forgery case), lack of transparency, partiality, cultivating a power circle by doling out Ashram facilities, intimidation that stifles any dissenting voice, vengefulness, arrogance of power, the condescension leading to the delusion that they are providing the facilities to the Ashramites for which the Ashramites must feel grateful and obliged to them (as the Trustee’s letter to Kittu says, “unfortunate that…an inmate who has enjoyed the facilities and amenities provided by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust should choose to make such allegations”) ─ these are some of the external manifestations of the kind of influence that the Trustees seem to be under. In short, change is needed ─ a new system or constitution of the Ashram Trust. 

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Peter’s book is an ultimate manifestation of the degeneration of values here. It is a direct and indirect result of all these deteriorating values, which need to be rectified even more urgently than any action on Peter. Destiny, through the hubris of the authorities has brought about this book, so that the current reprehensible status of the Trustees may be highlighted for the world to see. It has come about to expose the fact that the current system only keeps up a show of being the followers of   the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, turning it into a cult, rituals, talks and professions so that they may seem to be followers and retain their positions of power. It has come about to expose to the Ashramite that the current Trustees care more for their positions than for their faithfulness to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. This weakness of the Trustees has been utilized by the forces of falsehood, using them as instruments. If they feel that the times have changed and that what the Mother and Sri Aurobindo have said is not exactly relevant today, they are free to follow their inclinations elsewhere, instead of pretending to be the custodians of the Ashram of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The negative forces that have been blinding our Trustees have gradually grown so self-confident of their invincibility that they have dared to raise the stakes enormously through the Peter episode. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of us Ashramites, for our complacence, fear, inertia and avoidance of inconveniences in allowing this gradual deterioration resulting in the hijacking of the Ashram by the wrong kinds of forces through all these years. The issue is not so much the book, not the external man Peter, not even the external men, the Trustees ─ they are under the influence of forces of falsehood ─ those forces are the issue. If Peter goes, does it mean that all is well here, and are the Ashramites content to have the current system continue, knowing very well that the current system has violated the explicit guidance of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo? It seems that a process to replace the bunch of Trustees who have betrayed the Trust is needed.

To outsiders, the book could mean something entirely different from what it means to us. Reasoning can be used to support entirely opposing points of view. But to us it is clearly a violation of what the Mother and Sri Aurobindo have clearly said about any writings on Sri Aurobindo’s life. The root cause has to be solved first by us, the Ashramites, in the Ashram. There is no use debating about Peter and his book any more. The need is to solve the root cause within the Ashram through the collective aspiration of the Ashramites. Then the right action regarding Peter and his book would naturally follow.

The fact that the Ashram Trustees have totally ignored the very explicit words of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo is a much graver issue for us than the fact that a misguided or hostile individual has written this book. The fact that this individual is an Ashramite and did it with the acquiescence and support of the Trustees is what bothers us most. The forces behind him and behind the authorities who have supported him are not to be rectified by his going away or for that matter even by the going away of the falsehood-supporting trustees. The forces behind them would only take other forms, as long as we Ashramites remain the same.  The reaction of the Ashramites against the deterioration of the values in the Ashram and the aspiration for a change must bring about a new setup. That is the way in which the forces behind the deterioration can be got rid of. For us, Ashramites, the immediate need is to raise our aspiration for a change in us and if that would lead to a change in the current setup, then not to hesitate, flinch or be scared to let the change come about.

Let us aspire for the divine guidance in this regard.

An Aspirant