object:0.04 - Letters to a Sadhak
book class:Some Answers From The Mother
author class:The Mother
subject class:Integral Yoga
class:chapter
Series Four
Series Four
Letters to a Sadhak
To the sadhak in charge of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram’s cows,
bullocks and carts during the 1930s.1
Special new ropes for the bullocks have been prepared
by the milkman. When the bullocks are working, it may
be safer to use those ropes. As soon as the work is over,
the ropes will be removed. Those ropes are not tight;
they are loose, so it is no hardship to the bullocks.
Pray sanction them.
I thought they have strongly refused to have the ropes put upon
them. The ropes may not be tight, but most probably they will
spoil the nose of the bullocks. There again it seems to me that it
is a matter of training.
8 May 1932
*
I beg to submit some facts for your gracious consideration. The weakest and smallest of the bullocks used by
X’s cart-men are carrying more than 600 Dem of sand.
How can you speak of that! Do you know how the cart-men
here kill their bullocks in a few months or in even less time?
11 May 1932
*
This correspondence was written entirely in English.
Tomorrow is a holiday. The day after, these repairs can be made
to the cart.
As there will be a big crowd tomorrow in town, you will
have to be very careful when taking to and bringing back the
bullocks from the Agricultural Garden.
13 July 1932
*
The coolie did not come last night. He simply put the
feeding tubs before the bullocks and went away. He is
not working satisfactorily. He does not keep things clean.
As there is no better man I am trying to get on with
him.
The bullocks seem to like this man and this is the most important
point.
For cleanliness it is a matter of supervision.
15 July 1932
*
No wonder that Ojas2 gave some trouble. These bullocks are
quite intelligent enough to feel the change of people. This new
man is not an expert and moreover he has something of a brute
around him. You will have to look carefully after him, for I do
not like his way of dealing with the bullocks.
I object strongly to his way of twisting the tails of the beasts.
If somebody twisted one of his limbs like that, what would he
say? And I am pretty sure that our bullocks are more sensitive
than he is.
3 September 1932
*
A bullock.
Series Four – To a Sadhak
I have watched the thing from the roof, and saw with the inner
sight also. There is absolutely no doubt about what is happening
and once more I shall try to make you understand it.
The bullocks are not mischievous. On the contrary, they are
very good and peaceful creatures, but very sensitive — unusually
sensitive perhaps — (of this I am not sure as I have not followed
other bullocks so closely). The truth is that they dislike and distrust the present driver, and not without reason. When they were
working under the previous one they were happy and cheerful
and worked well. Since this one is driving them they are sad and
dejected and work reluctantly. I see no solution but to change
the man and to find a better one.
The proposal to frighten them in order to master them is
unacceptable. Some kind of submission can thus be obtained
perhaps, but of the worst kind. The beasts lose more and more
confidence and joy and peace and finally their strength and even
their health goes.
What is the use of being a sadhak if, as soon as we act, we
act like the ignorant ordinary man?
I can tell you this to finish with the subject, that from the
roof I concentrated the power on the bullocks ordering them to
yield and obey and I found them quite receptive. To use a quiet,
steady, unwavering conscious will, that is the way, the only true
way really effective and worthy of an aspirant for Divine Life.
I hope that this time I have made myself clear.
14 September 1932
*
It seems to me that, at least for a time, it would be better not to
try to turn out much work every day, as Ojas may truly need rest.
I do not find the new man better than the previous one. He is far
too nervous and restless. If he could be a little more quiet and
peaceful in dealing with the bullocks they would surely work
much more willingly.
22 September 1932
*
I think that Chakki work3 is very disgusting for the bullocks;
it brings down their vitality because of that, and makes them
become old very soon. That is why I do not wish them to be
given that work.
11 January 1933
*
Saturday the 14th is cattle festival day. Generally in all
the places, many things are observed on that day. Horns
are painted in red and blue colour, no work is given and
so on. I am not submitting all this to have permission
to do like that for our cattle. But I am tempted to beg
you for your kind gracious permission to use this kind of
necklace which I am enclosing herewith for our darling
Ra4 on that day.
Yes, the necklace is nice, you can put it on; but no painting of
the horns; it is so ugly! And I think you must be careful not to
take out Ra in the street that day as usually children run after
the calves and frighten them very much; they even hurt them
sometimes.
12 January 1933
*
Is not 19 trips too much for the bullocks? It seems to me that
they are not getting much rest.
8 June 1933
*
What is this? If the cart-man made a mistake or misbehaved
with the bullocks, I must know and will tolerate none of THESE
MYSTERIES.
7 August 1933
*
Milling work.
A bullock calf.
Series Four – To a Sadhak
I will explain what happened. X was with the cart, but as
he himself says, he was fully merged in solving a problem
of chess play. So till the cart was turned over and touched
the ground, he did not know.
I do not see what a chess problem has to do either with work or
with sadhana. Is X here to solve chess problems? He could do it
just as well elsewhere.
26 August 1933
*
I am sorry to submit to Thee the following about X. For
no reason he has beaten Ra with the back of his sandal in
her shed at 5.10 p.m. I saw it from Ba’s shed. He removed
one sandal from his foot, took it into his hand, turned it
over and beat on Ra’s mouth and face. He had put two
baskets, one of plantain peels and another of vegetable
cuttings, beside the feeding tub. Ra did not take the feed
as he wanted her to. This was her mistake. When I ran
and questioned him he did not care to answer. Servants
tell me that he has beaten Ra like that with a sandal
before too and it seems he wants to control her like that.
If truly he does it, it is brutal and stupid; apart from spoiling
her head, which is bad enough, he will make her vindictive and
violent which is worse.
18 November 1933
*
I find Tej5 very much reduced. He is certainly ill and needs some
close attention. I would like to know from the doctor if it would
not be good for Tej to let him move freely in a pasture for some
time, so that he may have air, sun and movement without doing
work. This question must be put clearly to the doctor asking for
A bullock.
a precise answer. It is well known now, that there is no better
cure for illnesses, whatever they are, than air and sun.
1 February 1934
*
I thought there would be no objection from the Municipality or others to fixing rings on foot-path walls to tie
the cows. I wanted to have one ring fixed.
All this is absolutely forbidden by the Municipal rules, and if
any of these things were done by us it was a great mistake and I
intend that it should never be renewed.
10 March 1934
*
The boy X who was working in the Building Department
was dismissed some two days back, not for the crime
of theft but for some rash dragging of a cart and thus
causing some slight hurt to a dog. So may I keep him as
a substitute for his brother?
Certainly not.
*
If you are pleased to permit, as it is only for a day, I
have no objection. He works very satisfactorily. Awaiting
orders.
No, he is very rude and a boy who can almost willingly hurt a
dog is likely to do the same with the cow and calf.
This boy has been dismissed by my orders and will not be
given work in the Ashram.
A man who is cruel with beasts is worse than a beast.
2 April 1934
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