The
brief factual Aide-Memoire on the ongoing debate on the book of Peter Heehs titled
“The Lives of Sri Aurobindo” could serve to focus on the fundamental issues
concerning not just the Sri Aurobindo Ashram commune at Pondicherry but also
the extended Ashram body of devotees, disciples and followers of The Mother and
Sri Aurobindo – living in India as well as overseas.
Though
a large majority of people are aware that there is trouble and mudslinging
between those critical of Peter Heehs and those who defend him, the surprising
thing is that both the groups have their epicentre at Pondicherry. The fact
that the problem has taken a larger dimension about the way matters are handled
by the management of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram leaves us in no doubt that all is
not well over there.
For
the purpose of clarity it is worth mentioning that all who have turned to Sri
Aurobindo and The Mother are sadhaks – though not necessarily living physically
in the precincts of the Pondicherry Ashram in buildings hired or otherwise. And
the Ashram consists of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo and all those who have
accepted them as embodiments of the Divine or as spiritual guides on the path
of Integral Yoga, and who reach their offerings in physical or monetary form to
the Masters through the Ashram Trust. Consistent with this fact, the Ashram
Trust exists basically for providing the administrative and managerial support to
look after the interests of The Mother, Sri Aurobindo, as well as to assure the
basic necessities of life to the Ashram inmates and meet with the requests of the
followers of the Masters for correspondence, reaching Blessings to them and logistics
for their stay etc. The Ashram Trust (with the exception of The Mother) is
neither a team of spiritual leaders nor its Trustees are spiritual successors
to The Mother.
Of
late it has emerged that not all those who stay within the Ashram precincts,
i.e., in the dwelling units at Pondicherry under the aegis of the Ashram Trust,
are either devotees or serious spiritual aspirants. The profile of activities
of some of those staying there seems to indicate that they are not interested
in spirituality or yoga, but are seekers of commercial benefits with profit-motive
driven activities and using the cover of the Ashram insignia to further their
private ends. It is time that the world at large knows who are on the side of
the Divine and who act against the Divine by misusing the trust of the inmates
and devotees.
Having
said this, let us look at the genesis of the trouble which has brought to the
fore the schism and turmoil at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. The inter-personal
problems could have brewed from earlier times but became apparent in 2008. A
gentleman by the name of Peter Heehs (from USA), who has been staying at the
Ashram for around four decades, engaged himself with work at the Archives
section of the Ashram. From time to time he was publishing articles in his
personal name for commercial consideration, but using the badge or the stamp of
the Archives and the Ashram. This probably was happening with the tacit
approval or acquiescence of the Ashram Trust management. Though there were
rumblings within the Ashram on the activities of such persons, things continued
to be under the lid. But the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back was the
publication of his book titled “The Lives of Sri Aurobindo” by Columbia
University Press in USA in 2008.
The
publication has raised a hornet’s nest. The content of the book does disturb
many objective readers, disciples, devotees and admirers of Sri Aurobindo, who
have a conscience. This owes to the fact that there is a perceptible
undercurrent of effort in the book to derate Indian culture and spirituality as
well as Sri Aurobindo’s contribution to the freedom struggle of India, despite
his being the first Indian to call for Poorna Swaraj. The book also reflects
the personal prejudices of the author about Sri Aurobindo as a person,
including his physical features and appearance, even though Peter Heehs never
had the good fortune of seeing Sri Aurobindo in person! There are also snide
snippets on Sri Aurobindo’s integrity, character, knowledge and wisdom, his
writings and teachings. The very spiritual content of Sri Aurobindo’s approach
and his spiritual dimension are undermined as if it is not original but
borrowed from others. (It is a certificate from a person who does not appear to
profess any interest in matters of the spirit, notwithstanding his long stay at
the Ashram!) Furthermore, there are disgusting references that allude to a
conjectured romantic relationship of Sri Aurobindo with his spiritual collaborator The Mother.
Notwithstanding
the views and the ill will contained in the book of Peter Heehs, there are
still people around who have met the Mother in person and those who have had
first hand interface with Her and Sri Aurobindo (unlike Peter Heehs) and who have
progressed on the path of Integral Yoga; all of them stand as one to vouch for
the spiritual content of the teaching of the manifest glories in human form known
as The Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
Perturbed
at this slanderous write-up, a group of devotees and good Samaritans knocked at
the doors of the Judiciary; this together with the swift response of governmental
authorities resulted in the ban on the book’s publication or release in India
in April 2009. That Peter and his friends are litigating and making efforts to revoke
the ban and his generous offer to come out with a sanitised version of the book
exclusively for the Indian audience and readership only gives credence to the underlying
motivation of the writer for earning a few more dollars or rupees.
While
those who are upset and agitated about the derogatory content of the book are
well-wishers of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, those who support or swear by
Peter Heehs appear to be well-wishers of themselves and Peter Heehs. The latter
category includes the Ashram Trust, who by their silence have demonstrated
their tacit acquiescence in the vilification of Sri Aurobindo and his
teachings; and some others who were earlier against the scurrilous writing but
have subsequently fallen in line with the supporters of Peter Heehs in order to
safeguard their personal luxuries and perquisites. The vast majority of the
Ashram inmates, who are peeved at the way events are unfolding, are but silent
spectators in as much as they are at the mercy of the Ashram Trust which is allegedly
threatening to stop their food, stay arrangements and medical facilities if
they dare to speak against Peter Heehs or about the rampant mismanagement in
the affairs of the Ashram. The Peter Heehs matter according to some is only the
tip of the iceberg since there were allegations of alienation of properties of
the Ashram to benefit private interests. It was also alleged that there were cases
of sexual harassment of women inmates! Possibly taking note of these,
the Pondicherry Government moved in for cleaning up the stables of the Ashram
Trust. An enquiry was ordered by the Pondicherry Govt, but the Ashram Trust approached
the Court against the enquiry. When the Madras High Court was pleased to order
an enquiry in 2013, they had to reluctantly relent. The enquiry however did not
proceed fast since the initially appointed retired Judge could not continue the
work owing to his taking up practice at the Supreme Court of India, and the
second Enquiry Judge unfortunately breathed his last in January 2014. The
matter stands still and stalled as of now.
Be
that as it may, the present write-up in this posting is mainly concerned with
the Peter Heehs matter. A quick reference to it in the nature of an
aide-memoire is presented below to recapitulate the basis of the controversy
for the benefit of all, especially for those who still strive to uphold the
cause of Peter Heehs. Since much has been written on this matter, my endeavour
now is to highlight only select postings on this site, which would help in appreciating
the various ramifications. The write-ups referred here can be viewed from the
year of reference and corresponding to the date and title as given below.
(1)
“The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Peter Heehs - a Controversial Biography”
(November 6, 2008)
(2)
In the Main Menu of this site, the list of Categories of Postings
indicates the broad types of postings published on this site. The nature of
distortions by Peter Heehs are given under different headings. (December 12,
2008)
(3)
“The Writings of Sri Aurobindo – Comments Apropos of Extracts from The Lives of Sri Aurobindo” – by Krish Patwardhan (December 25, 2010)
(4)
“Squint Eyed Scholarship” – by Nileen Putatunda (November 23, 2012). Reproduced
from an article in The Statesman dated 17 November 2012.
(5)
In addition there is an interesting correspondence between Manasi Pahwa (a Ph.D
scholar, Dept. of Psychology, University of Delhi) with Peter Heehs. A set of
three letters brings out in bold relief the defective tenor and content of the
biography. (October 30, 2008)
(6)
Though the book is banned in India, excerpts from it are available on the web.
Further, the discourse by those who have had access to it overseas is
reflective of the twisted nature of the book’s contents. It is a monumental
effort that Peter appears to have done to portray Sri Aurobindo in as bad a
light as possible, right from his appearance and physical features to his
health, even commenting on a supposed kidney problem and malfunctioning of the
urinary organs, as if Heehs has seen Sri Aurobindo in person. Some references
to the distorted and derating writeup by Peter Heehs along with scholarly
comments exposing the distortions can also be found at another site with the
title below:
Some
samples of the sordid contents are quoted there from the relevant pages of the
book of Peter Heehs. Viz:
§ History of
Kidney trouble – page 406
§ Undermining
the Adesh – page 204
§ Misleading
remarks – page 328
§ Distortion of
the episode involving Vivekananda’s
guidance to Sri Aurobindo in Alipore jail – page 178
guidance to Sri Aurobindo in Alipore jail – page 178
Even if those who support Peter Heehs are
unconcerned about his derating Sri Aurobindo, they should at least sit up on
reading the following references to the disciples and inmates of the Ashram in
the book. Read below the extract from page 373 :
“Such
experiences were comparatively infrequent even for those who were advanced
enough to have them. As a rule, people spent most of their time in what Sri
Aurobindo called the lower consciousness, caught up in the play of ordinary
thought and emotion. They did their work, but sometimes argued with their
colleagues. They met their neighbors, and sometimes slandered them behind their
backs. At home they read Sri Aurobindo’s works, or indulged in sexual
daydreams. They attended pranam, and sometimes were consumed by jealousy
because the Mother smiled more warmly at another. Then, while walking on the
pier or sitting at home or dusting books in the library, they might again be
lifted above the mind and perceive the one soul in all, or plunge into their
heart and feel the fire of the psychic being.”
This is just a sample to read and digest
(or not to digest)!
Opinionated writers and those writing for
lucre can bend themselves and the facts, but for a person, who claims to have
lived in the Ashram for many decades, writing this kind of stuff on Sri
Aurobindo and his disciples is appalling.
It is known the world over that Sri
Aurobindo was not only an Intellectual par excellence, but a Philosopher,
Yogi, Nationalist and a Pioneer in unravelling the further course of evolution for
humanity – from man to superman. What is most striking is that he did not found
any religion but emphasised on the spiritual content of life. The true
followers of Sri Aurobindonian thought are not religious zealots but those
who believe in the perfectibility of man and the transformation of human life
to Life Divine. To have missed out on the basics of spirituality despite being
a resident in the Ashram, the effort of Peter Heehs claiming to write an
intimate biography, with his colourable subjective opinions, looks a classic
case of “Being nearest to the Church but farthest from God”! Possibly he would
very well fit into the description in Savitri:
In
a narrow plot he has pitched his tent of life.
(Sri
Aurobindo, Savitri, p 166)
While the real reason for such an effort
of denigrating Sri Aurobindo would be known only to the author of the book,
there is a surmise that the derating biography penned by a so-called “insider”
could possibly be to sensationalise trivia to whet the appetite of a certain
breed of modern scholars who rejoice at the character assassination of national
and international heroes of the Orient. Surely such books would have brisk
sales raking in moolah! This is in line with the mischievous writings of Wendy
Doniger and Jeffrey Kripal as specialists on India.
The work of Peter Heehs in my view cannot
be ranked as authoritative since he never had any personal interaction with The
Mother or Sri Aurobindo, but has devoted his time and energy to scout for stray
events or views of others and to quote them out of context to paint Sri
Aurobindo in bad light. Nor does it appear to be comprehensive since Peter does
not seem to have understood the writings of Sri Aurobindo or the basis of
spirituality, let alone the Integral Yoga. Nor for that matter it could be
ranked as a scholarly effort since his intention is to twist the writings of
Sri Aurobindo by quoting views which are prejudicial to him and out of sync
with his Yoga and spiritual philosophy – Peter has done this to suit his own
prejudices thereby giving a go-by to objectivity.
Despite the long stay, neither Peter Heehs
nor his supporters seem to have come across what The Mother said as early as
3 June 1939 :
“It
is not a question of disobedience. I know nothing about your additions to the
Life Sketch of the sources from which they were taken. My point of view is
this, that anything written by a sadhak about Sri Aurobindo which brings him
down to an ordinary level and admits the reader to a sort of gossiping
familiarity with him is an unfaithfulness to Him and His work. Good intentions
are not sufficient, it is necessary that this should be understood by
everybody.”
(Words
of the Mother 1, p 27, Volume I3, CWM, 2003)
Though uttered in a different context,
another quote from The Mother’s words appears apposite to Peter Heehs and his
supporters:
“Well,
I am constantly struggling against people who have come here so that they
may be comfortable and “free to do whatever they like”, so ….I tell them “The
world is big enough, you can go out”-- there is no soul, no aspiration, nothing…..
To be satisfied with petty personal satisfactions….which take you nowhere, busy
with what they are going to eat, oh!”….But the flame, the flame of aspiration, there
are not many who bring it. Provided they are what they call ‘comfortable’, it
is all they need – and free, to do some nonsense which they would not do in the
world!”
(The
Mother, Notes on the Way, Volume 11, p 252, CWM, 2003)
The above message can very well be deemed
to be tailor made for Peter Heehs.
Those who continue to defend the
atrocities against Sri Aurobindo by supporting Peter Heehs in the name of
freedom of expression should ask him to exercise his freedom outside and not
from the sheltered cocoon of the Ashram. The facilities and freebies given
to Peter and his cohorts, who enjoy the free food, free stay and other benefits
from the funds of the Ashram, is an insult and injustice to the thousands of devotees
and disciples of Sri Aurobindo, who chip in with their resources for the upkeep
of the Ashram and for furthering the yoga and ideals of Sri Aurobindo.
The
defenders of Peter Heehs as well as the silent majority of the inmates of the
Ashram should also be reminded of the story of the two brothers Esau and Jacob
in the Bible as narrated by The Mother:
“In
the Bible there is a story I have always liked very much. There were two
brothers, if I am not mistaken, Esau and Jacob. Well, Esau was very hungry,
that’s the story, isn’t it? I believe he was a hunter or something; anyway, the
story goes like this. He came back home very hungry, and told Jacob he was very
hungry, and he was so hungry that he said to him, ‘ Listen, if you give me your
mess of pottage’ (Jacob had prepared some stew), ‘if you give me your mess of
pottage I will give you my birthright’. You know, one can understand the story
quite superficially, but it has a very profound meaning: the birthright is the
right of being the son of God. And so he was quite ready to give up his divine
right because he was hungry, for a concrete, material thing, for food. This is
a very old story, but it is eternally true.“
(The
Mother, Volume 6, p 162, CWM 2003)
Well, the issue is before all of us –
should we be a party to selling our birthright of belonging to The Mother and
Sri Aurobindo for a mess of pottage? If we are true to our calling, the way
forward is clear for each of us, which is indicated so aptly in Savitri:
Remember
why thou cam’st,
Find
out thy soul, recover thy hid self,
In
silence seek God’s meaning in thy depths,
Then
mortal nature change to the divine.
Open
God’s door, enter into his trance.
(Sri
Aurobindo, Savitri, p 476)
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