In Gratitude

Nov 9, 2007

What could I ask for in this life that has not already been given? And that in far greater measure than one could conceive.

I have met the Mother, spoken with Her, knelt at her feet, received Her touch upon my head, Her initiation into the Integral Yoga with the opening of the heart when She put the fire in me, the fire that burns without heat. Her guidance, Her love, her blessings have been with me all these years.

I have met Sri Aurobindo in his home in the subtle physical on a number of occasions. He spoke to me, He touched me and in silence put the radiant power of His light and force into me to work things out in this life. He has guided me in poetry, opened me to it, in fact, and in Savitri has given all the world the key to the future evolution.

I have known Nolini’s love and received his counsel and his blessings and his inner help night after night for weeks. I have chronicled one of my meetings with him on my birthday but there were many others when he would sit with me and Mary Helen and explain words and terms in Savitri. On another occasion, when I came to him exhausted from the hard work at the Matrimandir Nursery

Champaklal called me brother and I had the blessing of taking him up the planks in the Matrimandir to the inner chamber before its completion, where he meditated for a long time.

Dyumanbhai came often to visit at the Matrimandir Gardens Nursery and always had a kind word. He loved me as a younger brother and encouraged me in all my work. One day in the Dining Room Ved Prakash turned to me and said, ‘Our Dyumanbhai loved you very much’ whereupon the psychic tears poured from my eyes. Those standing around began saying, “What has happened to Narad?” But through Ved Prakash, Dyumanbhai’s love poured down on me and thus the psychic tears.

Dayabhai took me into his care and saw that I was always protected and given what I needed. He too was one of Mother’s instruments of love and compassion.

Madhav Pandit encouraged me in all my work, especially with the Savitri Lexicon, and I was the recipient of his love and generosity.

Nirodbaran always welcomed me in his room, praised my poem on Mary Helen, asked me to read Savitri one night late in his life to the group who assembled each week to hear him, spoke to me of Sri Aurobindo’s voice and how he dictated Savitri to his scribe.

Pavitra conveyed Mother’s words to me and always showered his kindness upon me.

Purani whom I met in Sedona and who opened me to Savitri through his lectures and his book. He treated me as a younger brother and I will always remember his warmth and loving tenderness towards me.

Amrita wrote of Mother’s using the carpet we hooked in Her symbol.

Jyotipriya, beloved teacher who wrote to Mother on my behalf which led to my coming to the Ashram. I remember her with great love as she was an example of of a soul completely given to Mother and , in fact, Mother wrote her the following letter. I have photographed the letter, in Mother’s hand. “For you who have realised your soul and seek the integral yoga, to help the others is the best way of helping yourself. Indeed, if you are sincere you will soon discover that eachof their difficulties, each of their failures is a sure sign of a corresponding deficiency in yourself, the proof that something in you is not perfect enough to be all powerful.” Mother – December 1955


Prithwi Singh who at Jyotipriya’s request took me under his wing when I first arrived in the Ashram in 1961 and introduced me to his family with whom I have had cordial relations ever since.

Ambu who always had a smile and a warm greeting for me and at an advanced age let me photograph his asanas. In fact, during one photo session when I was painstakingly setting up the camera and he was in a most difficult asana, he said to me, sweetly and somewhat under his breath, “Do you think you could go just a little faster?”

Monsieur Andre was a friend and elder brother who took my questions to Mother, especially about purchasing the land for Auroville. There were those of goodwill who felt that we should pay the villagers whatever they asked since it had been their land for centuries. Others (including me) felt that we should purchase the land immediately because if we didn’t the prices would skyrocket. Monsieur Andre took the question to Mother whose answer was ‘Buy the land now, you do not know the power of greed.”

Dimitri von Mohrenschildt was a friend of more than 40 years, possessed of an encyclopaedic vocabulary, a brilliant mind, editor of the Russian Review who once told me of the experience he had when he first saw Mother. Dimitri came at the suggestion of Eleanor Montgomery, another friend whose was gracious and kind to me and spoke lovingly of Mother and Her Force. When he arrived in the Ashram he was put off by everything,. He didn’t like the regimentation, the uniforms, the many departments, etc. and was determined to leave. He had come because he had read Mother’s Prayers and Meditations” and wanted to meet the being who se words were the most beautiful and powerful of any he had ever read. As he was preparing to leave a friend said to him, “Why don’t you just go and look at Mother. She is playing tennis now.” So he went and then, as he approached the tennis ground Mother turned and looked at him. In words charged with awe and reverence and emotion he told me this: “The moment Mother looked at me I rose three feet in the air” After he left the U.S.Dimitri came to stay permanently in the Ashram and lived his last years in Golconde.

Amal has been a friend and elder brother since the early 1970’s. For years he answered my questions on Savitri, and even at the age of 97 sent me his replies. He constantly encouraged me in my poetry and gave me excellent guidance when I asked him the following: “If you feel a line is not correct and you don’t want to use the mind to make a mere mental correction, what do you do?” His answer was “Appeal. If you are patient there will always be an answer.”

Tehmi with whom I spent up to 7 hours a day during her last years, reading Savitri together many times and again, being blessed that she shared so much of her life and experience with me. In a series of ten articles published in Mother India I have documented much of her life and education, her years in the Ashram, her evaluation of poets and their poetry and many of her inner experiences.

And lastly, I have been divinely blessed to have had a life of more than 30 years with Mary Helen, to have known her deep and quiet love, the joys we shared, the aspiration of two souls that may have travelled many lifetimes together, her beauty, her radiant atmosphere, her gentleness and goodwill towards all.

And there are so many friendships based in the Yoga that the list is endless. Gilles Froelich who came in the mid 70’s to work with me in the gardens and went to introduce himself to Nolini saying, ‘I am a friend of Narad.’ and Nolini’s response, ‘If you are a friend of Narad then you are a friend of ours.’

Bharati Reddy, my beloved sister who was Tehmi’s friend for forty years and will always be one of Mother’s greatest blessings to me.

And then there is Arindam Basu (Aravinda), my inner guide and upa guru about whom I could write of my gratitude and pour out my soul for his gifts. But since his is still on this earth I will only say that along with Nolini he has been the one who has helped bring me closer to Mother and Sri Aurobindo and my gratitude to him is beyond words.