One of those days when I was totally exhausted not only from the hard physical work in the Matrimandir Gardens Nursery but also from the intense heat of the summer when the electricity cuts could continue through the night and all we could do to get one or two hours of sleep was to soak a sheet in water, then wring it out and put it over our bodies to cool them down, I felt I must go to see Nolini.
I drove to the Ashram on my motorcycle and went to his room. As soon as he saw me he greeted me as he always did with a flow of warmth and love that enveloped my soul. He bade me come in. As I stood before him I said, “Nolini, I need my batteries recharged.” He understood my condition immediately and placed both of his hands on my head for a minute or so.
As he removed his hands he said, “They are recharged!” and indeed, I had so much energy that I’ve told some Ashram friends I felt I could have flown out of his office. As I thanked him, Anima, his secretary, was chanting my name, making a little nursery rhyme. I was then known as Richard. She pronounced it Reechard and so was chanting “Reechard Recharged!”
This then was Nolini, elder brother, friend and guide who admitted that he lived in the Overmind consciousness “and sometimes a little higher”. How blessed I have been to know these giants of the Integral Yoga and how blessed now to know those who are aspiring to give their lives to Sri Aurobindo and Mother, for the hour is at hand.
Narad (Richard Eggenberger)
Copyright 2016