All Creatures Great and Small

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Animals

— Compiled from the Writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and other Sources

		Price: Rs 280 Soft Cover Pages: 143 Dimensions (in cms): 18x24     Publisher: AuroPublications, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry ISBN: 978-81-7060-419-8
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About All Creatures Great and Small

This compilation, whose title is a line drawn from an 1848 hymn for children, draws our attention to the animal world and our relation to its creatures in the light of Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s words. The quotations are interspersed with many photographs, some of the Mother’s sketches of animals, and numerous graphics. The book also includes recollections recorded by disciples during their interactions with Sri Aurobindo and the Mother relating to animals. Chapters are organised around subjects such as the yogic attitude towards animals, intelligence in animals, animal stories told by the Mother, and the development of consciousness in animals.

REVIEW

For many people you could say that this is the book they have been waiting for, one subject that has not been adequately covered before. There are so many books on the Yoga, on collections of sayings by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, on spiritual life in general, and so on—even on flowers and their meaning. But apart from comments which appear almost by chance as illustrations of various aspects of Yoga, no one has ever attempted to collect together in one book almost everything that Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have said about animals. And what a treasure trove they have come up with! Above all, after reading this book no one can any longer dismiss animals as far inferior to us.

Most of us from birth onwards have been led to believe that animals are… well… just animals, usually having four legs, generally different to us in appearance, surviving on different diets, living almost universally outside dwellings, and are there to eat, to serve mankind, to add life and colour to the landscapes and seascapes around us, all of which helps sustain us.

The book starts with a leading question for all sadhaks, namely, what should our attitude be towards animals, or in particular the yogic attitude? The answer is to never be afraid of them. We are just one species out of around seven million. We see ourselves as the top of the pile, but are we? It depends on what you judge us by. Certainly we are technologically ahead of the other animals, but who is to say that in the long run that matters and puts us in the number one position? There are plenty of other attributes one could choose from. For example, gorillas are stronger than us, the cheetah runs faster, the elephant can communicate over greater distances, the chameleon and the octopus can change colour, certain ticks can go for years without food, cockroaches and fruit flies can withstand radiation better than us, and so on. There are literally thousands of ways animals can outdo us, thousands of reasons for us to respect them, and reading this book will make you think twice about our self-proclaimed superiority, because in the long run it comes down to which species is likely to survive over time. For humans, that is by no means a certainty.

Animals have a soul, and can respond to the psychic in man; in many ways they are superior to man. We need the animal world to sustain us, though it is highly questionable whether they need us. Where would we be without pollinators, without bats to keep insects under control, without sharks to ensure weak and diseased fish are eliminated before they infect other fish, or without wolves, lions and tigers to keep the numbers of other species in balance. Animals are much nearer to man than is generally supposed. Europeans imagine a big difference between man and animals, but the only difference is they can’t form concepts and can’t read or write or philosophise. They can think and reason, but their intelligence has evolved within the narrow limits of life. The tiger cannot be blamed for killing, because it is nature that kills and eats. Likewise not killing, because it is full or responding to another principle of nature. It is love, in a darkened and corrupted form, that is associated with all the impulses of physical and vital nature. The essential being is the same in a cat and in trees, the essential Self is one. The difference exists in what is put forth in Nature. One could go on musing about the role of animals in the world today. The book illustrates that animals are essentially vital creatures that reincarnate as the same species, just as we do, and we need them alongside us. They are capable of love and friendship, of a more simple and honest consciousness, especially if they have lived alongside humans; of grief and sadness; of shame and compassion; of rescue and altruism; of rage, dominance and cruelty; of fear and concern for their offspring and family; of hatred and joy, etc. All qualities that we are proud of and think are unique to us. Some of these are touched on in this book, but the main point is that animals don’t have the ability to write or speak about their emotions and capabilities, so we think of them as inferior to us. We shouldn’t. After all, we are animals ourselves! Like us, they are also evolving, and feel as we do. This is particularly relevant when it comes to people being cruel to animals. They need to realise that animals are essentially like us. If we fear to be tortured then an animal would fear it also. Only, it cannot communicate the fact.

The book is richly illustrated with photos and drawings related to the text; almost every spread has something for the eye to appreciate. What will particularly be welcomed by readers are the many photos of the Mother and the individual animals which she had a relation with, both her own pet animals and those brought to her by the disciples. There are numerous sketches by her which have not been seen before, and every animal covered by the book is listed in a comprehensive index.

Finally, at the end of the book there are chapters on the symbology behind certain animals, some cat tales, various animal stories told by the Mother, reminiscences of Ashram disciples, and what some disciples have said about animals. Altogether, this is a rich and entertaining book, which will have a beneficial impact on all who read it, hopefully changing their attitude to the animal world around them.

—Tim Wrey

Tim was born in the UK, but has lived half his life in Auroville. A passionate nature lover and conservation proponent, he has produced two books on nature—the first on the wildlife of Auroville, and the second on the wildlife of the Coromandel coastal region. His aim in both books is to interest readers in India’s wildlife in such a way that people feel motivated to protect and conserve it.

Reviewed in February 2021