Lover of Light Among Luminaries Dilip Kumar Roy

Author(s): Amruta Paresh Patel
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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FULLER PORTRAITS (A) Portrait :
Dilip Roy has written in detail about Krishnaprem in (a) Sri Aurobindo Came to Me
(b)
Yogi Sri Krishnaprem
(c)
Pilgrims of the Stars
Dilip Roy held both Sri Aurobindo and Krishnaprem in almost the same high esteem. When he speaks of one, the other naturally comes in. We learn at length of Krishnaprem in Sri Aurobindo Came to Me even as we learn a lot of Sri Aurobindo from Yogi Sri Krishnaprem. The chapter captioned 'Sri Aurobindo vis-a-vis Krishnaprem' in Sri Aurobindo Came to Me is the same as the chapter bearing the caption 'Krishnaprem vis-a-vis Sri Aurobindo in Yogi Sri Krishnaprem, Part I, with only slight changes here and there. In this chapter, he speaks of the guidance he received from both Krishnaprem and Sri Aurobindo in solving the difficulties he felt on the path of spirituality. In Part II of Yogi Sri Krishnaprem, Reminiscences', we are told how Sri Krishnaprem spiritually grew under loving guidance of Yashoda Ma, In Part III, 'Letters', there are numerous letters written to Dilip Roy by Krishnaprem and Sri Aurobindo.
In his autobiography, Pilgrims of the Stars also Dilip Roy shows "Krishnaprem's swift flowering into a harmonious man of God."
In all of these three books the author has exhibited all those distinctive qualities of Krishnaprem's personality which impressed him the most.
Krishnaprem's versatile reading, his love of Hinduism and particularly his love of Krishna endeared him to Dilip Roy and many people in India. Remembering the first phase of his acquaintance with Krishnaprem at Lucknow Dilip Roy notes
"His contact was delightful, conversation illuminating and faith in Hinduism inspiring. I was wont to listen with rapt attention when he discussed the Vedas, the Gita, the Tantra etc. ... He used to be a great admirer in those days of Buddha, Krishna, the mystic in Lawrence, the Tantras, the Gita.... and the
Upanishads". 39
He did the comparative study of the Gnosis of Plotinus, the Greek NeoPlatonists, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. From his own study of the original Sanskrit texts, he spoke of Shankara and Advaita philosophy.
But, by this variety of study, he arrived at last at the one goal of "Nitya Vrindavan--the eternal City of Love where Krishna plays his eternal flute of flame in an eternal garden of beauty."40 As Haridas Chaudhuri writes :