Each document has to be given its due place in the gradation of authenticity

Raman Reddy said... Dear Vishwanath,

I will not go overboard and reject Purani in toto on the basis of the Mother’s comments on the Evening Talks; he was too great a man for us to do that and Heehs is nowhere near him. By the way, he himself did not make use of this particular note, neither did Nolini nor Moni. I would also like draw your attention to the fact that it is technically difficult to remember and later reproduce faithfully an hour long talk or conversation, which is what Purani did when he recorded the Evening Talks. There were no tape recorders then. There is an inherent unreliability of oral notation, even though something will filter through the recorder’s mind. In the case of Purani’s record of the Evening Talks, there is definitely something of the real Sri Aurobindo that comes across, which is acceptable to us but not to the Mother, for she judges from a far higher level than us. I suppose each document has to be given its due place in the gradation of authenticity, and the highest credibility given to what Sri Aurobindo and the Mother themselves said or wrote on their life and Yoga. June 1, 2009 9:21 PM

A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs
committed to objective, academic, respectful and honest discussions
Mar 31, 2009 A Review by Raman Reddy of The Lives of Sri Aurobindo by Peter Heehs