Napoleon
(Pranab:) “Once I strongly felt like reading the life of Napoleon. I was told that Sri Aurobindo had asked some older sadhaks in the Ashram to read Abbot's Life of Napoleon. I found a copy of the book and I would read it daily in Mother's room. One day at noon while Mother was resting, I was reading the book in a corner near the window.
Mother suddenly woke up from her rest and asked me: “What's happening? I suddenly saw Napoleon get into my room. He was showing me his maps and charts of the war.”
I said: “I don't know anything about that but I'm reading here a book on the life of Napoleon.”
Mother asked: “Who's the author?”
“It's by Abbot.”
“But Abbot's an Englishman. The English don't like Napoleon,” said Mother.
I said, “Mother, that's true, but this writer writes beautifully.” And I read the entire preface out to Mother.
Mother was pleased.
Once I heard that K. M. Munshi who was one of Sri Aurobindo's pupils wanted to make a poetic rendering in English of Abbot's book.
But Sri Aurobindo stopped him by saying: “Instead of this useless labour why don't you write something in Gujarati?”
Later he jokingly told his friends: “You've all been deprived of an epic poem because of Sri Aurobindo.” ”[1]
(Sri Aurobindo:) “Napoleon regarded his [life] as a Titanic epic and when facts would not fit in ideally with his conception of himself as its great protagonist, he would alter & falsify them with as little scruple as a dramatist would feel in dealing licentiously with the facts of history.”[2]
- (Purani, 1939:) “Anatole France, though not an imperialist, says Napoleon gave glory to France.
(Sri Aurobindo:) Not only glory. He gave peace and order, stable government and security to France. He was not only one of the greatest conquerors but also one of the greatest administrators and organisers the world has seen. If it had not been for him, the whole ideal of the French Revolution would have been crushed by the European Powers. It was he who stabilised the ideals of the Revolution.”[3]
- ↑ Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, I Remember...', p.23
- ↑ Early Cultural Writings, p.199, “Vikramorvasie: The Characters”
- ↑ Talks with Sri Aurobindo, p.166, 17 January 1939