Letter to the Editor of the "Bengalee"*

Sir,

Will you kindly allow me to express through your columns my deep sense of gratitude to all who have helped me in my hour of trial ? Of the innumerable friends known and unknown, who have contributed each his mite to swell my defence fund, it is impossible for me now even to learn the names, and I must ask them to accept this public expression of my feeling in place of private gratitude; since my acquittal many telegrams and letters have reached me and they are too numerous to reply to individually. The love which my countrymen have heaped upon me in return for the little I have been able to do for them, amply repays any apparent trouble or misfortune my public activity may have brought upon me. I attribute my escape to no human agency, but first of all to the protection of the Mother of us all who has never been absent from me but always held me in Her arms and shielded me from grief and disaster, and secondarily to the prayers of thousands which have been going up to Her on my behalf ever since I was arrested. If it is the love of my country which led me into danger, it is also the love of my countrymen which has brought me safe through it.

Aurobindo Ghose
6, College Square, May 14, 1909

* This letter was written by Sri Aurobindo after his acquittal in the Alipore Conspiracy Case, in view of a public appeal which had been issued by his sister Sarojini Ghose for funds to defend him.

KARMAYOGIN

Sri Aurobindo, shortly after his acquittal in the Alipore Conspiracy Case in May 1909, started an English Weekly Review named Karmayogin. Since almost the entire journal was written by him, until he retired in February 1910 to Chandernagore, the editorial comments and principal articles are reproduced here exactly as they appeared from issue to issue. This volume, however, contains only the political observations and those on the spirit of Indian Nationalism. Articles on Yoga, Religion, Philosophy and Literature appear in their respective volumes.

THE IDEAL OF THE KARMAYOGIN*

Q: Have you seen my review of "The Ideal of the Karmayogin" ?

A: Yes, I have seen it, but I don't think it can be published in its present form as it prolongs the political Aurobindo of that time into the Sri Aurobindo of the present time. You even assert that I have "thoroughly" revised the book and these articles are an index of my latest views on the burning problems of the day and there has been no change in my views in 27 years (which would surely be proof of a rather unprogressive mind). How do you get all that? My spiritual consciousness and knowledge at that time was as nothing to what it is now — how would the change leave my view of politics and life unmodified altogether ? There has been no such thorough revision; I have left the book as it is, because it would be useless to modify what was written so long ago — the same as with YOGA AND ITS OBJECTS. Anyway the review would almost amount to a proclamation of my present political views — while on the contrary I have been careful to pronounce nothing — no views whatever on political questions for the last I don't know how many years.

SRI AUROBINDO

21.4.1937

* A few articles from the weekly Karmayogin were brought out in book-form in 1918 under the title, The Ideal of the Karmayogin. The fourth edition in 1937 was revised. Sri Aurobindo's letter refers to this revision.

Facsimile of the Cover of the Karmayogin

Sri Aurobindo (extreme right) at Uttarpara on the occasione of his historic speech

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