Dear Sir,
Sri Aurobindo – a freedom fighter, yogi, philosopher, and seer – through his spiritual writings has comprehensively covered all dimensions of human life. Countless devotees, scattered throughout the world, inspired by these writings and having faith in his Integral Yoga are practising sadhana and endeavouring to lead a higher life in the light of the same.
With utmost reverence the Indian Parliament has enshrined the statues of Mahatma Gandhiji, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Shri Vallabhai Patel and other such eminent personalities in the Parliament House. In a similar manner, the statue of Sri Aurobindo too has been installed there proving to be a source of inspiration to the Members of Parliament and to the citizens of India. Thus, the Parliament, which is symbolic of all Indians, pays too obeisance to Sri Aurobindo.
Such an avatar as Sri Aurobindo has been objectionably portrayed in a book written by an American citizen Peter Heehs, who is incidentally an ashramite residing in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, and availing of all its amenities. Portions of this book published in America have been shown to me and I have found them to be perverse, factually faulty and deceptively distorting Sri Aurobindo’s life and character. It also casts Indian culture in a disgraceful light.
If such betrayers and such damaging deeds are supported and not publicly condemned by the Ashram Trustees, then, this cannot be tolerated. Further, I fully agree with the memorandum dated 15-05-2012 (copy attached along with) submitted to you by 68 of my fellow MPs. I request you to provide the information sought therein to me at the earliest.
With Regards.
s/d. Shri Balkrishna Shukla
Member of Parliament
Vadodara, Gujarat
Encl.: a/a
Scan of the original letter in Gujarati of which we have provided above the English translation:
On writing his biography Sri Aurobindo's coments are very clear
ReplyDelete" If I am to be murdered in cold print, it had better be done without any disciples becoming abettors of the crime.
The general public can know about my philosophy and Yoga and general character of my work, it has no claim to know anything about the personal side of my life.
First of all what matters in a spiritual man's life is not what he did or what he was outside to the view of men of his time ( that is what histority or biography comes to, does it not? ) but what he was and did within, it is only that that gives any value to his outer life at all.It is the inner life that gives to the outer any power it may have, and the inner life of a spiritual man is something vast and full and , atleast in the great figures, so croweded and teeming with significant things that no biographer or historian could ever hope to seize it all or tell it.
There is no one who can write my biography supposing it has to be done at all, the best thing is to have some outsider to do that mess, if mess there must be."
Sri Aurobindo,(CWSA-vol. 35, pp. 6-7)
Has not the Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram gone through it? If he has gone through then how the inmate Peter Hees dared to write such a denigrating biography of the Master and how could the esteemed Managing Trustee permit him for its publication? And the most rediculous fact is that the managing trustee as well as the Trust Board are now again telling that the book is a perfect one amidist all protests from devotees, lovers and public servants. Thanks to honourable two MPs of Gujrat and 68 MPs of Indian Parliament who have revealed the truth and protest the action of the Managing Trustee.
Besides the eminent persons who are telling in favour of the book as a perfect one and very recent, then why they are writing the life history of Sri Aourobbindo again? It is quite strange.It will be wise if the Managing Trusty will cancel his permission of publication of Peter's book and make him out from the sacred Ashram
J N.