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ASHRAM CELEBRATIONS In the vast field of human activities ceremonial functions have their own place. It is.not easy to lead a monotonous life. When one gets tired of his routine work, he wishes to breathe an air of relaxation. He desires to do something which would fill his whole being with exhilaration and happiness. It would be difficult to say precisely when in the cultural history of man the idea of fairs and festivities took birth. May be, the habit of holding collective festivals is as old as man himself. May be, it was initiated by the changing charms of Nature—the deep-dark weeping-nights of the rainy season succeeded by the smiling autumnal moon; the cold dewy nights of winter giving place to the sweet honeyed ones of spring. Such changes are bound to intoxicate the human mind and man must give vent to his heart's joy by welcoming each change of season with music, dance and drama. With the march of civilization such practices must have got fixed into festivals. Hence, in every country of the world, festivals are celebrated in one form or another. They are of great importance, if not imperative, as freshners of the grown-up mind and as fosterers of the young. They are valuable also to the spiritual life. In the year 1933-34, besides the Darshan Days and the 1st of January, no anniversary was celebrated in the Ashram except four other days on which the Mother gave her general blessings with the leaves of a plant named by her "New Birth" or with other flowers of a special significance. These four days were the 29th March, the day of the Mother's first arrival in Pondicherry (1914); the 4th April, the day of Sri Aurobindo's arrival (1910); the 25th December, the day of the rebirth of Light; and the 6th January, the festival of Epiphany. Page-142 Though the celebration of the New Year's Day was free from outer show, the solemnity with which the auspicious advent of the Year was celebrated in Sri Aurobindo Ashram was a sight worth seeing. When the Old Year had given its gifts, good and bad, and was about to bid farewell and the New Year stood on the threshold—at that juncture the sadhaks used to assemble in the Ashram and as soon as the clock struck midnight the Mother welcomed the New Year with her music on the organ. This was followed by pranams in the stillness of the night and the Mother blessed everyone by placing her hand on his head. That pranam was a uniquely solemn experience. For a few years it continued in the Meditation Hall on the first floor, the Mother facing the south. She used to sit in the centre of the hall with a dim red light on her left. Thereafter it was in the small room at the top of the staircase. We climbed up to her, one by one, did our pranams and received her blessings. The last of these midnight pranams was on the 31st December 1937. From the 1st January 1939 this pranam began to take place in the morning in the same small room. The midnight silence was replaced by the Mother's "Bonne Année" which we reciprocated. She wrote also "Bonne Année" in the books of departmental reports. Prior to 1939 the Mother used to distribute new clothes to the employees of the Ashram as also to hundreds of outsiders connected with the Ashram, e.g., peons of banks and other institutions. The distribution of clothes to employees still continues but is now done through departmental heads on the Divali Day. Most of the Mother's time was taken up by distribution. She kept on giving things in one form or another, as if it were for giving and giving alone that she had descended upon this earth. One is reminded of Tagore's words : With the arrival of Anandamayi The whole country is overflowing with Delight. Page-143 Every New Year's Day gives a new impetus to human progress. It invites us to do something new. We always looked to the Mother with anxious eyes as to what were the potentialities of the New Year; and she responded by giving a short special message for it. She has kept up this practice. Every one of us waits eagerly for a glimpse of the gifts which the coming year has in store. In the course of time she began to give messages on other important days also, but they relate more to the pursuit of the Sadhana and the fulfilment of the great object which Sri Aurobindo set before himself. After his passing the New Year's message used to be given at the Playground the previous evening, in English as well as in French. The next day everyone who went to the Mother for "Prosperity" received a calendar with the message printed on it. Many townspeople join the Ashramites for the New Year Blessings and the calendar. For 1960,2500 calendars were printed of which 1854 were distributed by the Mother herself, which meant continuous work from 1.45 to 3.30 p.m. In 1962 the number rose to 2332. Since 1963 the distribution of calendars has been taking place as before but not by the Mother. Till 1944 no general importance was attached in the Ashram to any religious festival. Only a few sadhaks used to go to offer their special pranams to the Mother on the morning of Dassera, Divali and other auspicious days. Once a newly-arrived sadhika from Calcutta felt the lack of festivities in the Ashram on such a great day as the Ashtami of Durga Puja. She meticulously decorated with flowers the staircase leading up to Sri Aurobindo's room. Her earnestness had earned for all of us the special blessings of the Mother on this and other ceremonial days, e.g., Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja, etc. At sunset the Mother would appear at the landing of her staircase. Page-144 A year or two later she started coming down1 and the floor around her chair was decorated with coloured designs called alpana in Bengali. The lights of the Pranam hall were dazzling. This sunset time was altered to 10 a.m. in 1951 and continued up to 1961. With the beginning of 1962 these occasions have ceased to be observed. The only exception was in the case of March 29, 1964. This special terrace Darshan marked the 50th anniversary of the Mother's first meeting with Sri Aurobindo in 1914. Similar are the circumstances which led to the celebration of the Christmas Festival, observed here as the rebirth of Light. When there were only about a dozen children in the Ashram, an English sadhika would invite them to her residence, entertain them and give them toys etc. In those days the Mother used to appear on the roof-terrace of the Ashram between 11 and 12 in the morning. The excited children, merrily singing and dancing, would go for her darshan with their red, blue or green paper-caps on. As their number increased the festival began to be observed at the Playground in the traditional way with a Christmas tree decorated by the children themselves. The Mother used to distribute cakes and toys in plastic bags to young and old alike. For some years from 1953 a few bags had in them diaries with the words of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on each page. In 1958 the Mother shifted this function on to the sadhika who had initiated the festival. Since 1959 this celebration has been taking place at the Theatre Hall to accommodate a huge gathering. On December 24, 1961 the Mother graced the occasion with her Presence but 1. Whenever the Mother came down to give her General Blessings, the passage from the Samadhi to the Meditation Hall, and especially the interior of this Hall and the space round the Mother's throne, were decorated with ferns, branches and pots with various flowers according to the season —sunflowers in summer, lotuses in the rains, 'Victory' flowers on the Vijaya Dasami Day. Page-145 left before distribution. An American gentleman named Fairfield who had heard about Sri Aurobindo in California was here during the Christmas of 1953. He was interested in athletics and the various systems of Indian dancing and gave such a skilful performance of the tandava-nrtya that we were all spell-bound. Of all the Ashram festivals the anniversary of the school occupies the most prominent place. The aim is the integral development of children, giving them enough scope and opportunity to develop their faculties by dance, music, dialogue, orchestra and drama. Here these activities are based on the principle of the Master's own words on the subject; "Art stills the emotions and teaches them the delight of a restrained and limited satisfaction. Music deepens the emotions and harmonises them with each other. Between them music, art and poetry are a perfect education for the soul; they make and keep its movements purified, self-controlled, deep and harmonious. These, therefore, are agents which cannot profitably be neglected by humanity on its onward march or degraded to the mere satisfaction of sensuous pleasures which will disintegrate rather than build the character. They are, when properly used, great educating, edifying and civilising forces." Prior to 1956 the Ashram had no auditorium of its own. On the anniversary of the school a temporary stage used to be raised at the Playground for the performance of the drama produced for the occasion. The stage used to be artistically decorated with pots of ferns and flowers, bright footlights and coloured sidelights against a background of canvas-scenery. Government officials and prominent citizens used to be invited to the show. In 1954 when the number of visitors was much greater than before, a gallery with seating arrangements for 800 spectators was put up at the Playground. That year the special attraction was Le Grand Secret written by the Mother. The whole programme, including recitations, dances, etc., lasted Page-146 for seven hours! After our Cottage Industry section had been organised, refreshments prepared there were distributed during the interval to the Ashramites and guests—one day salty titbits and the next day sweets. In 1956 the Mother purchased a large plot of land, with a large godown thereon situated at a little distance from the sea. Working day and night we built there for the year's annual celebrations a permanent stage complete with its green-rooms, galleries and projection room, as also a well-lit auditorium fitted with microphones and having a seating capacity for 1500 persons. The first performance at the new theatre was The Ascent to the Truth for which the Ashram had to prepare eight back-drops. In 1966 Perseus the Deliverer was staged. The acting of the Priest of Poseidon by a student of our Centre of Education was most impressive. To quote an observant critic : "People interested in 'dialect' would have enjoyed the accents of Indian, French, English, Australian and American, all speaking the same language (and no mispronouncing !) and giving the performance a sublime touch of internationalism." The Mother's guidance in Dramatics is no less effective. In connection with the Annual Day celebration of 1949 she introduced a new technique for the students of getting by heart (not by rote) a hundred or two lines from Savitri. Each of them was to read his or her part three or four times before going to bed and read the same lines again on waking up at dawn and continue the process till the day of acting. While reading they were to understand the meaning of the lines so that the text might go home to them and be so imprinted on their consciousness as to render forgetting virtually impossible. In this setting the boys and girls acted their parts with no lacuna or failure of memory. Page-147 Till the 15th anniversary 1958 the Mother supervised much of the rehearsal work and guided those concerned with the annual programme. In this year Sri Aurobindo's Vasavadutta was enacted. This play was directed by Madame Varvara Pitoeff now known by the Ashram name Shrimayi. Since 1957 the number of visitors has been so great that it is found necessary to repeat the performance specially for the invited guests. When artists from other places give their performances, they are also staged at this theatre, as was done in November 1958 when a troupe from the Suramandir and Dancing School of Calcutta came to the Ashram to stage Tagore's dance drama Chitrangada. Similarly in 1959 the Prachyavani Mandir of Calcutta gave performances of three different Sanskrit plays at the Theatre to packed houses. The anniversary of the school is celebrated on the 1st December by dance, drama, etc. and on the 2nd by a demonstration of physical activities at the Playground. Since December 1955 this part of the programme has been taking place at the Sports Ground. Some of the items are performances on the Roman Ring, the Pole, the Malkhamb, the Pommelled Horse, the Vaulting Box, various drills, weight-lifting and yogic asanas. Pictures of some of these asanas were published in English and German Journals. In 1956 as a result of the visit of the Soviet Gymnasts who had given some training to our aspirants, some new itmes were introduced, viz. the uneven parallel bars, the balancing beam and free standing exercises. In the same year the Trampoline was also imported from the U.S.A., the performances on which are spectacular. In 1957 the novelties were the Archer's Drill and the Swedish Drill. The programme of the 2nd of December begins in the afternoon at about 5 p.m. and lasts for two to three hours, for which elaborate lighting arrangements are made at the Sports Ground. It begins with March Past and Salute to the Mother. Then Bande Mataram is played by the J.S.A.S.A. band. The next item is a Page-148 symbolic welcome to the guests. This is followed by the Mass Drill, after which other items are performed and the programme closes with a farewell to the guests and Jana-gana-mana played by the J.S.A.S.A. band. Commenting the 1966 Physical Demonstrations the above critic remarked : "...There was never a dull moment and items followed each other without any delay. The Ashram Band was at their best with Bande Mataram. They play it so well that one wishes the recording of the piece could be available to us all." Since 1954 there has been provision for awarding Prix d'Honneur to students of outstanding merit, academic and physical, and for conduct in conformity with the Ashram ideals. The sports over, the Soviet Gymnasts expressed their desire to know something about the aims and ideals of the Ashram. The following is an extract from the talk they had with Nolini Kanta Gupta. It throws a flood of light on questions that may arise in other minds too: "Here we find a very pleasing sight", they began. "We mean the groups of little children and your love and affection and solicitude for them. It's very rare and very touching. You like children so much and yet we are told you do not like to be parents of children. We don't understand this." "Do you understand self-restraint ?" I asked them. "We are told that you don't drink, don't even smoke. Why?" "Because the effect of drinking and smoking on the body, especially the body of an athlete, is harmful. That's why", they replied. "Exactly so," said I. "When you have progressed a little further, you too will arrive at our conclusion." Then Nolini Kanta makes his own observations of great interest: "...all those who wish to acquire a special power, benefit or perfection, who set out to acquire a new capacity—in our case nothing short of a transformation of the body, life and mind— for them such self-imposed restraint is a "must"...and the world Page-149 will not collapse because of our unwillingness to add to its population. As for the future, who can tell ? Who can say that the time-worn biological process shall remain, for all time, the only means of birth and manifestation ? To-day ignoring the weight and other limitations of the body, ignoring laws of Newtonian physics, we travel, with what ease, across distances and the silence of infinite spaces. As in the physical field, so in the field of life, who can say that new rules will not emerge ? Sri Aurobindo has openly hinted at such a possibility. Our society is based on blood or paternal relations. But the Russians themselves have tried to set up another sort of relationship...The child belongs to the state, to the service of the almighty state...Now, if instead of the secular state we think of a spiritual group, or use the word "God", a new and altogether different possibility opens up. Not the link of biology but the closeness of the spirit within is all, the same in all, a relationship in terms of reality or the Divine. How deep and intimately satisfying such a relationship, based on Truth, can be—I think our Soviet gymnasts had a glimpse of that truth here in the Ashram. And they naturally wondered." Till 1945 the events connected directly with the Ashram were the only ones to be observed and celebrated here. No event of the outer world had ever been made the occasion of a festival. Sri Aurobindo had sensed long ago that Red China might one day swallow up Tibet and that she would prove a menace of India. During the Second World War he saw that the Nazi domination of the world would set back the clock of evolution by hundreds of years and that the Japanese incursion into India, if successful, would mean the seating of a new blood-sucking power on her chest, which it would be difficult to shake off. These would Page-150 be disasters far more serious than the then decaying and spent authority of the British. (Hence he declared the War to be the Mother's War, despite the Ashram principle of not to dabble in politics.) In a letter to a disciple dated the 29th July 1942 We shall come back to this later on. Suffice it to say here that the whole Ashram would be swept by a wave of quiet joy whenever there arrived the news of the Allied progress. And when at long last the news of the final victory came, we celebrated it as the victory of the cause of the Light. This was the first time that the Ashram openly celebrated an event of the outer world. The Secretary of the Ashram declared, "By and by we shall celebrate the Independence of India," which actually came off in a couple of years. We celebrated that event on the 15th August 1947, which saw the realisation of the dream with which Sri Aurobindo had begun the battle of his political life. He was invited to give a message on this great occasion, and this is how it began : "August 15th is the birthday of free India. It marks for her the end of an old era, the beginning of a new age. But it has a significance not only for us, but for Asia and the whole world; for it signifies the entry into the comity of nations of anew power with untold potentialities which has a great part to play in determining the political, social, cultural and spiritual future of humanity. To me personally it must naturally be gratifying that this date which was notable only for me because it was my own birthday celebrated annually by those who have accepted my gospel of life, should have acquired this vast significance. As a mystic, I take this identification, not as a coincidence or fortuitous Page-151 accident, but as a sanction and seal of a Divine Power which guides my steps on the work with which I began my life..." It was on this occasion that for the first time the Mother hoisted her flag over the terrace of Sri Aurobindo's room. The Master called it the spiritual flag of India. After the special radio programme in the afternoon the Mother appeared on the ground-floor terrace of Dyuman's room when the members of the Ashram greeted her by the singing of Bande Mataram at the end of which the Mother called out "Jai Hind " with a look and a gesture the sight of which some of us still remember. The evening programme included illumination inside the Ashram. The liberation of India coincided with the 75th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo's birth. Flags and festoons with the Mother's symbol printed on them decorated the Ashram premises for the first time. More than a thousand visitors joined the Ashramites that day to celebrate the occasion. The total number rose to two thousand. That was the largest gathering in the Ashram during the life-time of the Master. To provide the extra accommodation for the visitors a big new tarpaulin had to be put up in the Playground. The next festival of importance was celebrated on the 1st November 1954 when after 280 years of French rule the French Settlements in India were transferred defacto2 to the Indian Union. The manner in which the transfer was effected is an event unparalleled in history. On this occasion the Mother distributed the Spiritual Flag printed on paper, and stated : "Its square form, its colour and every detail of its design have a symbolic meaning."3 On the reverse of the sheet were printed the following words of Sri Aurobindo : "A free and united India will be there and the Mother will gather around her, her sons and weld them into a single national strength in the life of a great and united people." 2.The de jure transfer was effected on August 16, 1962. 3.Bulletin, February 1955. p. 130. Page-152 It is of interest to note what is said in the Bulletin about this Flag: 'This flag was originally intended to be only the flag of the J.S.A.S.A.,4 but later, on the day when India's liberation was celebrated here (on 15th August, 1947) it was found that it expressed also the spiritual mission of the whole of India. It is, therefore, to us the symbolic flag of a resurgent, united and victorious India raising itself out of the torpor of centuries and having cast off the shackles of enslavement and passed through all the pangs of a new birth, to emerge once more as a great and united nation leading the world and its humanity to the highest ideals of the Spirit."5 One of the Mother's momentous declarations was on the de facto merger: "I want to mark this day by the expression of a long-cherished wish : that of becoming an Indian citizen. From the first time I came to India—in 1914—I felt that India is my true country, the country of my soul and spirit. I had decided to realise this wish as soon as India would be free. But I had to wait still longer because of my heavy responsibilities for the Ashram here in Pondicherry. Now the time has come when I can declare myself. "But, in accordance with Sri Aurobindo's ideal, my purpose is to show that truth lies in union rather than in division. To reject one nationality in order to obtain another is not an ideal solution. So I hope I shall be allowed to adopt a double nationality, that is to say, to remain French while I become an Indian. "I am French by birth and early education, I am Indian by choice and predilection. In my consciousness there is no antagonism between the two; on the contrary, they combine very well and complete one another. I know also that I can be of service to both equally, for my only aim in life is to give a concrete form to Sri Aurobindo's great teaching and in his teaching he reveals that all the nations are essentially one and meant to express the 4.Jeunesse Sportive de I'Ashram de Sri Aurobindo. (Ibid, February 1949, p. 4.) 5.Ibid., April 1949, p. 34. Page-153 Divine unity upon earth through an organised and harmonious diversity." The 80th Anniversary of the Mother's Birthday Because Sri Aurobindo had left his body before entering the 80th year of his physical existence, we all the more eagerly awaited the 21st February 1957 when the Mother would enter upon her 80th year. As usual, a week before that date she distributed to every sadhika a white sari, this time, with her symbol embroidered in silk on the border. Ever since the time when there were only 30 sadhikas in the Ashram, the Mother has been distributing saris6 to them before the Darshan. Once (in 1956) she took out over 500 saris of her own, enriched by her own consciousness by having been previously worn by herself, and she distributed them to the sadhikas. In February 1960 she distributed 600 saris with golden borders. Young girls receive frocks stitched in the Ashram itself, while sadhaks receive handkerchiefs, napkins or garnachas before each Darshan. In addition, everyone participating in the grand mass drill at the Sportsground on the 21st February 1957 was given a special white uniform. The same afternoon the Mother opened the long-awaited swimming pool which has added to the scenic beauty of the Sportsground. Nothing is done in a haphazard way in the Ashram; neither labour nor expense is spared and every possible effort is made to bring the beauty of perfection into everything touched by the Mother. The water in the swimming pool is always kept fresh and sparkling. Not a speck of alga can be detected there at any time of the year. The water, taken from two artesian wells, is 6. Dr. Tyberg, an American lady, had received from the Mother, a sari with Her symbol on it in February 1950 and preserved it for 17 years. She revisited the Ashram in 1967 and met the Mother in that sari. A simple thing but of great import. Page-154 first treated with alum and after being filtered through two sand-gravel beds, is again treated with copper sulphate and chlorine before it goes into the pool, where it is aerated so as to give it its beautiful sparkle. After the Mother had opened the swimming pool, she watched some aquatic exercises including swimming, diving and life-saving. It was in the courtyard of the Theatre Hall that the March Past was held and the salute taken by the Mother on February 21, 1958 when she completed eighty years. A grand Flower Show was organized. Thousands of pots with ferns and flowers displayed a variety of colours and were lit up later in the evening. A tank full of white lotuses added to the charm of the Flower Show. The celebrations were spread over two days. On the 20th the Mother read out a message specially prepared for the All India Radio. To add to our joy, she was treated to a performance by dancers from all the four traditional schools of Indian dancing, viz., Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Kathakali and Manipuri. The serpent dance of the exponents of Bharat Natyam held us spellbound while the Kathakali mudras of Gopinath were wonderful. The Golden Book depicting various aspects of the Mother's, activities, bound in white velvet-like leather with the Mother's symbol embossed in real gold, was presented to the Mother by one of her disciples on behalf of the Pathamandir, Calcutta. It was valued at Rs. 100/- a copy, and the purchasers received their copies direct from the Mother's hands with her autograph. In the evening at the Theatre, refreshments in specially designed card-board boxes covered with silver paper were distributed to all present. Cold drinks were also served in the Green House, which formed a part of the Flower Show. This was followed by a Garba dance and the dance-drama of Chandi, both of which were performed magnificently by our Ashram dancers. The Mother's personal presence at every function throughout the two days made the celebrations memorable. Page-155 This 80th anniversary of the Mother's Birthday was celebrated in all our Centres. The Pathamandir of Calcutta appointed a special committee for the purpose and the activities were spread over three days. Shri Narendrasingh Singhi, a zamindar from Ajimganj, who has never been to Pondicherry was good enough to lend his spacious lawn and garden at Ballygunge, Calcutta, which was the venue of the celebrations. The Mother's flag, bearing the symbol, was hoisted in the morning. The Mother gives the spiritual significance of her symbol as follows: "The central circle represents the Divine Consciousness. The four petals represent the four powers of the Mother. The twelve petals represent the twelve powers of the Mother manifested for Her work." Likewise, she has given the spiritual significance of Sri Aurobindo's symbol as follows: "The descending triangle represents Sat-Chit-Ananda. The ascending triangle represents the aspiring answer from matter under the form of life, light and love. The junction of both—the central square—is the perfect manifestation having at its centre the Avatar of the Supreme—the lotus. The water—inside the square—represents the multiplicity, the creation."7 We may here permit ourselves a short digression about the use and importance of the Mother's symbol. It made its first appearance in 1928 on the cover of Sri Aurobindo's The Mother. On the 15th August 1947, the Independence Day, the Mother distributed its printed copies with pins to be attached to our 7. This water reminds us of apas in mantra 4 of Isha Upanishad and Sri Aurobindo's interpretation of the word : "the seven cosmic prin ciples and their activities, three inferior, the physical, vital and mental, four superior, the divine Truth, the divine Bliss and divine Will and Consciousness, and the divine Being." Eight Upanishads, p. 7. Page-156 uniforms. A year later a Gujarati disciple of the Mother showed her the symbol embroidered in silk on cloth attached to a piece of card-board, l1/2 School children are seen using it embroidered on their shirts. The Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education has prepared for itself a symbol based on the amalgamation of these two symbols. On the 21st February 1951 a sadhak from Hyderabad offered 800 symbols in gilt metal, round in shape, which the Mother distributed to the members of the various groups. The same year on the 15th August he offered 2000 metal replicas of Sri Aurobindo's symbol which the Mother distributed to every Ashramite and visitor. The supply of these metal symbols continued as long as we had access to the Mother. Gold lockets, brooches and rings with the Mother's symbol are also used by individuals. Like a golden sun it shines in the heart of India's map which is on the wall of the Playground. It is here that the Mother used to stand and take the salute during the evening march past. A picture of the map can be seen on the cover of Mother India. The greatest event in the 90th year of the Mother was the laying of the foundation-stone of Auroville. Two other features were : Slide-show of H's paintings from Savitri with Mother's recorded readings of relevant passages and appropriate music composed by S. All India Radio broadcast talks on various aspects of the Mother. Page-157 The golden day celebration demands a brief survey of its background. As far back as 1904, which was a leap year, long before Sri Aurobindo arrived at Pondicherry, he had declared in his Bhavani Mandir: "India must send forth from herself the future religion of the entire world." In the weekly Bande Mataram,* dated 12-4-1908, we come across the passage : "...To realise that ideal, to impart it to the world is the mission of India. She has evolved a religion which embraces all that the heart, the brain, the practical faculty of man can desire but she has not yet applied it to the problems of modern politics. This therefore is the work which she has still to do before she can help humanity." But how was India's mission to be achieved ? Sri Aurobindo saw the possibility in the coming down of the parama prakrti in the form of the Mother, as it is only her power of Supermind that can achieve it. Earth must transform herself and equal Heaven Or Heaven descend into earth's mortal state.9 The Mother speaks of the Supermind : "I do not, however, mean to say that the whole world will at once feel its presence or be transformed; but I do mean that a part of humanity will know and participate in its descent—say, this little world of ours here. From there the transfiguring grace will most effectively radiate."10 There was a general expectation that something special was in store for the Darshan of the 24th April 1956. An unusually large number of visitors were present under the Balcony on 23-4-56 because of the succession of five consecutive numbers 8.In 1966 the Indian National Library preserved microfilmed Bande Mataram Volumes as of historical importance. 9.Savitri, p. 552. 10.Words of the Mother, Third Series, p. 91. Page-158 involved in that date. On April 24, the Mother spoke out about the event that had taken place on February 29 of the same year: "The manifestation of the supramental upon earth is no more a promise but a living fact, a reality. "It is at work here, and one day will come when the most blind, the most unconscious, even the most unwilling shall be obliged to recognise it." The same evening we received the Bulletin containing the above message with a modification of the message of the 29th March 1956 which was an extract from the Mother's Prayers and Meditations,11 addressed to the Supreme. The message was: "The Lord has willed and Thou dost execute : A new light shall break upon the earth, A new world shall be born, And the things that were announced shall be fulfilled." A copy of this was given to each of us with a portrait of the Himyamaya Purusha. The Bulletin of the 24th April 1956 contains the following changes: "29 FEBRUARY—29 MARCH Lord, Thou hast willed, and I execute. A new light breaks upon the earth, A new world is born. The things that were promised are fulfilled." Notice the change from the future to the present tense. The Mother made the change immediately after she had distributed the message on 29th March : she asked the Secretary for a copy of it and made the necessary alteration. A few sadhaks who were near her had their copies also changed by her. In 1960 on February 29 the Mother disclosed to us in the following words exactly what had happened during the common 11. 1954 Edition, p. 200. Page-159 meditation on Wednesday, the 29th February 1956. She gave us a passage from her own diary of experiences and realisations: "This evening the Divine Presence, concrete and material, was there present amongst you. I had a form of living gold, bigger than the universe and I was facing a huge and massive golden door which separated the world from the Divine. As I looked at the door, I knew and willed, in a single movement of consciousness, that "the time has come", and lifting with both hands a mighty golden hammer I struck one blow, one single blow on the door and the door was shattered to pieces. "Then the supramental Light and Force and Consciousness rushed down upon earth in an uninterrupted flow." This reminds us of the 15th mantra of the Isha Upanishad as translated by Sri Aurobindo: "The Face of Truth is covered with a brilliant golden lid; that do thou remove, O Fosterer, for the law of the Truth, for sight." Sri Aurobindo goes on to explain the significance of the word "Fosterer": "In the inner sense of the Veda Surya, the Sun-God, represents the divine Illumination of the Kavi which exceeds mind and forms the pure self-luminous Truth of things..... "He is the Fosterer or Increaser, for he enlarges and opens man's dark and limited being into a luminous and infinite Consciousness....His rays are the thoughts that proceed luminously from the Truth, the Vast, but become deflected and disordered in the reflecting and dividing principle, Mind. They form there the golden lid which covers the face of the Truth..." In his New Gayatri mantra, Sri Aurobindo enthrones the Mother as the Devata of the mantra, whereas the original Gayatri mantra had placed the Lord or the Fosterer in the form of the Sun. The original Gayatri read :
"We meditate upon that excellent splendour of the Lord Savitr. May he activate our thoughts." Page-160 Compare Sri Aurobindo's version :
"Let us meditate on the most auspicious (best) form of Savitr, on the Light of the Supreme which shall illumine us with the Truth."12 This was distributed by the Mother on the Saraswati Puja Day, the 2nd February, 1960. On the 21st she gave everyone a card in a special envelope showing a pair of golden swans as heralds of the Supramental World. They had appeared in 1956 in a vision to the painter, Promode Kumar Chattopadhyaya. On the 29th there was to be the first celebration of the Day of the Supramental Manifestation—the first celebration because this date can be observed only in Leap Years. The Mother has named it the Golden Day. A significant coincidence of the year was the completion of the 50th year of Sri Aurobindo's arrival in Pondicherry. Then came the great day. The Mother distributed 2517 golden symbols, the obverse with twelve rays indicating the Supramental Manifestation with Sri Aurobindo's lotus in the centre; and the reverse with the Mother's symbol in the middle with the date 29-2-56 at the top and 29-2-60 at the bottom. That day the Ashram put on a look of all gold. The balcony where the Mother used to appear at 6-15 a.m. was covered with gold satin which had Supramental-Manifestation flower embroidered on it. Visitors from all over India and abroad came to Pondicherry for the Golden Day. The women were in saris with golden borders, which they had received from the Mother herself a fortnight earlier. Music is God's gift to man to help him attune himself to a higher plane of consciousness. The Mother played her music at 12.. Sri Aurobindo's own translation. Page-161 10 a.m. for half an hour on a new organ offered by one of her American devotees. One sadhak had the inner experience that the music brought down a veritable shower of golden dew from above. Another listener, a retired District Judge, then present in the Ashram, had a vision of Sri Krishna dancing in the Mother's room and when the Mother was asked about it her answer was "Yes". To accommodate our guests in the Ashram, school children and teachers were seated in the School, where the music was relayed by loud speakers. A young visitor, when he found 2000 people sitting in the Ashram in pin-drop silence, remarked that one had to make no effort to meditate there but the atmosphere itself poured meditation into one's soul. The chief event of the Golden Day started at 4 p.m. when the Mother began to distribute the golden symbols. As soon as one entered the Ashram one was greeted with flowers of various golden hues. The "Service" tree above the Samadhi and other plants were illuminated with little bulbs of gold and other colours. The Mother, clad in a golden sari, was seated in a golden chair covered with orange silk in the Meditation Hall (the walls of which were also covered with orange silk). The dome was specially made of aluminium sheets so as to reflect the golden rays of tube-lights. The distribution lasted till 5.30 p.m. While returning from Darshan we saw an announcement in the Mother's own handwriting in French and in English, put up on a board : The Golden Day Henceforth the 29th February will be the day of the Lord. With the evening meal, plastic bowls with golden tops were distributed, each containing five ounces of fresh honey. In the evening coloured slides of the Mother in her private room were shown in the Playground. The celebration of the Golden Day surpassed all previous festivities. The surpassing weight and import of this great day lies in Page-162 the Mother's words : "...by the very fact that you live upon earth at this moment—whether you are conscious of it or not and even whether you wish it or not—you absorb with the air that you breathe this new supramental substance which is spreading in earth's atmosphere and it is preparing in you things that will manifest all on a sudden, as soon as you have taken the decisive step."13 This was the work for which Sri Aurobindo had lived and laid down his life. Soon after his passing, the Mother had declared to a sadhak : "About a year ago, while I was discussing things, I remarked that I felt like leaving this body of mine He spoke out in a very firm tone : 'No this can never be. If necessary for this transformation, I might go, you will have to fulfil our Yoga of supramental descent and transformation.' " A glimpse of the unerring foresight with which the Mother and the Master have worked to achieve this end may be had from the booklet Towards February 29 which contains the words of the Mother since 1930, published a few days after the celebration. With regard to February 29, 1956 it has been said that it took the Mother 30 years to make the Supermind descend. What these 30 years mean may be gauged from the fact that her work and Sri Aurobindo's has been a challenge to all Nature and signifies the turning of the whole stream of the evolution into a new channel. We may recall the following lines from Sri Aurobindo, when he was asked whether the work would be accomplished even after 30 years : "Considering that by ordinary evolution it 13. a) Bulletin, November 1958, p. 97. b) The force is there, present as never before, it is the insincerity of men that prevents it from descending, from being felt.—The Mother, Mother India, May 1968, p. 245. Page-163 could not have been done even at Nature's express speed in less than 3000 years, and would ordinarily have taken anything from 30,000 to 300,000 the transit of 30 years is perhaps not too slow." 4-5-67 1-2-34 It is supposed to be always a year of manifestation. 2-3-45 is the year of power—when the thing manifested gets full force. 4-5-67 is the year of complete realisation.14 SRI AUROBINDO (2-2-1934) In the next celebration of 1964, the number of Darshanites rose to 3,800 and in the third in 1968 to 5,400. In the second a golden coloured symbolic picture with a line from Savitri: 'All earth shall be the Spirit's manifest home.'15 was distributed to each. The significance of the day can be inferred from the words of the Master : "The Supramental Consciousness will enter into a phase of realising power in 1967." The following question and answers may throw a flood of light on the point: Question : What does realising power exactly mean ? Mother: Acting decisively on the mind of men and the course of events. Question : What is the effect of the realising power on the Mother's own physical being and then the effect upon others and the world in general—(including the outstanding problem of the world today) ? Mother: We can wait with a little patience and we shall see. Question: Does this date (4-5-67) mark the beginning of what the Mother and Sri Aurobindo have called the New Race—The 14.Sri Aurobindo Circle, 1967, p. i. 15.Savitri, p. 794. Page-164 Race of Superman ? Mother: Since a few months the children born, amongst our people mostly, are of a very special kind.16 In commemoration of the day a metal badge bearing the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's combined symbol was distributed. The number of those who visited Sri Aurobindo's room on that day was 3,700.3,500 had their meals in the D.R. From Orissa alone 700 had come, from one Centre in Andhra—Tadhapatri 82 persons and from one family in Hyderabad 75 had come on pilgrimage to the Ashram. There was meditation round the Samadhi in the morning at 10 a.m. and the Mother's special terrace Darshan in the evening. Every inch of space in the Ashram was occupied by the Darshanites and the moment the meditation began there dawned a silence and all were as if gripped by it. One could hardly hear even a whisper. The man in the street encircling the Ashram premises could hardly imagine that more than 3,000 persons were there within the walls. The terrace parapet was a delight to the eye, a sight unforgettable. Just at 6 p.m. the Mother appeared on the terrace and stood gazing lovingly at, and showering her blessing on, the assembled thousands. Another celebration is always observed in the Ashram, to which people look forward for months at a time. Individually, each inmate is given an opportunity which leaves a golden mark on his memory. It is on the anniversary of his birth. Good wishes are showered upon him on that day from every direction. The Mother herself receives him with an unforgettable delightful "Bonne Fete!" Here is Sri Aurobindo's own assessment of the importance of 16. Mother India, June 1967, p. 279. Page-165 birthdays : 'There is a rhythm (one among many) in the play of the world-forces which is connected with the sun and planets. That makes the birthday a day of possible renewal when the being is likely to be more plastic. It is for this reason that Mother sees people on their birthdays." "It is not a question of a physical birthday or of the body — it is taken as an occasion for opening a new year of life with a growing new birth within. That is the meaning in which the Mother takes the birthday." In 1947 the Mother used to take classes in the afternoon in the Meditation Hall on the first floor. At the end of each class she used to answer questions put to her. Here are her answers relating to birthday and new birth, as jotted down by a sadhak: "On birthdays, the anniversaries of one's physical birth, one can have the new consciousness one desires and can start on a higher course to a yet higher plane of consciousness." "Every time one attains to a new field of consciousness, one has a new birth. Thus, one may have hundreds of new births." "New creation is like a new birth—not of an individual but of the whole earth. That is what Sri Aurobindo is trying for." Prior to 1938 every sadhak had the opportunity to go to the Mother on his birthday and meditate at her feet and seek answers to his life's problems. If one prayed for music, she would play for him. She used to come to the Darshan room specially to give birthday blessings. The Ashram Flower-Service would prepare a plate containing various kinds of flowers—"Surrender", "Protection", "Sincerity", "Devotion", "New Birth" and so on. Some would go with a plateful of fresh rose, others only with a bunch of "Gratitude". Later on, the Flower-Service started making two bouquets — one of which was given to the sadhak for offering to the Mother, and the other sent to the Mother who gave it to the person concerned. The same process still continues, though in between there Page-166 were variations several times. Prior to this, she used to select a few flowers from the plate according to individual needs. She would then so arrange the selected flowers as to form a sentence and as she placed them in the sadhak's hands she would smile as she only can. Here are a few of such sentences, as noted down by a sadhak, who is no more with us : "Through Devotion you will get Psychological Perfection made up of Faith, Aspiration, Devotion, Sincerity and Surrender which will bring Integral Opening towards the Divine."(3 flowers) "Open your Vital Being to Radha's Influence, which will bring Integral Opening towards the Mother—This will bring Help." (3 flowers) Some received from the Mother's pen a formula or special hint regarding the sadhana, which gave a new turn and a powerful impetus to their lives. Some had the privilege of getting new names on their birthdays. In 1928 a sadhak prayed to the Mother for a new birth through a new name. He was advised to wait. In those days, after each Darshan, Sri Aurobindo used to discuss with the Mother his impressions regarding the condition of each sadhak. The Darshan following the above prayer fell on the 24th November. On the morning of the 26th the Secretary of the Ashram gave the sadhak a note in which was written the words: "Dyuman, the Luminous One". And he had indeed aspired for a Vedic name. This sadhak has ever since been well known in the Ashram by that name. (His old name was Chunibhai). Other instances are Vinata (whose previous name was Lalita) and Navajata, "the New-Bom" (whose previous name was Keshavdev Poddar). Some of the Mother's devotees from the West are known as Padma, Arindam, Medhananda, while some of her Indian devotees are known as Violette, Aster, Rose, Albeit. Even visitors, desirous of having special names, were so blessed by the Mother. Page-167 One of our oldest sadhaks, R, who was the first to surrender all his possessions to the Mother, even his clothes and whatever else he had, prayed to her in 1928 for something on his birthday from the pen of Sri Aurobindo. He had the book called The Mother with the following words written in it by Sri Aurobindo : "Be always faithful to the Mother, she will be always with you and protect you."(30-4-1928) The following prayer was given to a sadhika by the Master on her birthday : "I pray to be purified from self-will and self-assertion so that I may become docile and obedient to the Mother and a fit instrument for her work, surrendered and guided by her Grace in all I do."(5-l 1-1942) It appealed so much to a Marwari visitor from Calcutta that he got it printed in cards for free distribution to those who asked for it. After 1938 meditating at the Mother's feet individually on one's birthday was discontinued. After a time, however, one could go to the Mother on one's birthday whenever she opened the door at the top of the staircase. In the morning, one received a large bouquet from the Mother's hands; in the afternoon a plateful of various flowers kept ready by the Flower-Service; and finally, in the evening after the Mother had returned from the Playground, a bouquet of flowers. It became almost customary to receive the Mother's blessings and flowers thrice on one's birthday. In addition to this some of us were blessed with an interview. Some sent in a written prayer a day in advance informing the Mother of the difficulties' of their lives; and the next day when they went in for their Birthday Blessings, they received their replies in one form or another: some solution would be found or their difficulties would just blow over. Sometimes people used to send books for their friends so that the Mother might present them to the recipients on their birthdays. In those days it was Sri Aurobindo himself who used to Page-168 sign books after writing on them the name of the recipient and his blessings. "Here are two books for you," with these spoken words Sri Aurobindo gave a copy of The Ideal of Human Unity and one of War and Selj"-Determination to Jules Rassendren on 19th January 1920. They had been published in Madras. Sri Aurobindo did not put his signature on them. With his consent Rassendren went to study Law in France. The Mother gave him a letter addressed to her brother who was holding a high post in France. These two books are still with him. Wherever he went he carried them with him in his 12-year world tour. One could then buy books only through Prithwising or the Librarian who, if requested by the buyer, would send the books up through the Secretary or the Manager, and return them the next day, duly autographed by the Master. One could thus get books with Sri Aurobindo's blessings and signature even on other occasions than birthdays. There were people who bought scores of books and sent them up, each of which was blessed and signed by the Master. During Darshan Days, heaps of books used to lie before him, each bearing a slip with the buyer's name. Once a new visitor bought a book worth six annas and sent it up with the names of his three daughters on a slip. In 1946 Sri Aurobindo discontinued writing the buyers' names and his blessings; one could only get his autograph. Later on, even this got stopped, except for the de luxe edition of Collected Poems and Plays. After 1950 one autographed copy had been lying with the Mother and she gave it to Dilip. Prior to 1946 when the Ashram had no printing press of its own, periodicals in French, Bengali, Gujarati and Hindi—called respectively Dortoir, Yatri, Anjali and Ahana — used to be written by young people and presented to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother for favour of their signatures on Darshan Days. When Sri Aurobindo stopped signing, the Mother used to write Page-169 "Sri Aurobindo's blessings" on one side and "Mes benedictions" on the other.17 On the occasion of the Mother's 80th birthday, handwritten magazines in about a dozen languages were presented to her at the Playground. The Mother was the first book written by Sri Aurobindo after the Siddhi of 1926. Copies were distributed to all those who were present at the time of its first appearance on 29th March 1928. The next book was The Riddle of This World and the third one Lights on Yoga. Prithwisingh, when he was in Calcutta got, Bases of Yoga distributed by the Mother in 1936 on the occasion of his son's marriage. Afterwards there was no distribution of books by the Mother in a general way. In 1942 on Sri Aurobindo's 70th birthday Collected Poems and Plays was published from the Government Central Press, Hyderabad. Out of them, 15 copies the Mother presented to some of us. When the Master stopped giving his autograph, the Mother graciously gave to some of us her books with blessings, name and date, as birthday presents. In the beginning we had her blessings only on her books. When the children were allowed to join the Ashram she began to give books more freely as now we had the advantage of having our own Press. She was pleased to give her blessings on the Master's books as well. In between there was a period when the Mother wrote the name and blessings and the Master added his autograph. By this time almost everyone received, on his birthday, books of his choice with the Mother's blessings and signature. One had only to give the Secretary, a day in advance, the names of the books one wanted and one would receive them the next day from the Mother's own hands. Some wrote direct to the Mother. Young and old alike would receive the books chosen by themselves. Sometimes she used to ask on the previous day what book 17. Vide Ahana, 15.8.1949. Page-170 one needed, and she presented it when one came up for birthday pranams. The following illustration may help to give an idea of the significance and importance of receiving something from the Mother's hands. A sadhak used to feel within himself that he had never had a chance to receive a book from the Mother. Once on the eve of his birthday the Mother asked him at the Playground if he would like to have a book. "As you please", came the reply in a grateful tone. "What do you aspire for ?" "Savitri." While the Master was still physically with us, the first part of the book had come out, along with his facsimile of the beginning of the first canto. As this was the only book available with a facsimile many Ashramites, including the person referred to, had bought copies of it. Yet the word Savitri spontaneously came out of his lips when the Mother enquired for what he aspired. Till then he had never dreamt that he would be able to read Savitri in this life. On receiving the book from the Mother, he felt impelled to read it and began to enjoy drops of nectar from its lines here and there. This was the first taste he had of the epic. Afterwards, whenever he took up the book, a few lines so fascinated him that he got lost in ecstasy. It is worth noting that sometimes he would get drawned in the first part, though he never read the second part which is much easier. Even visitors had their books autographed. Once a visitor from Delhi sent his complete set of books for signature. If one wished for a photograph one would receive it. Cases are not rare of individuals asking for two large photographs and thirty or forty books. This practice lasted till the 8th December 1958. Thereafter the books and photographs continued to be given but the Mother signed only one or two of them. Two young girls came here on the same day, one in the Page-171 morning and the other in the evening, in February 1928. One was 12 and the other 13. Since then they have been at the feet of the Mother. They have remarkably retained their youthful appearance except that the hair of the latter is showing signs of grey. To the former the Mother gave a book autographed in Bengali characters. To Shyamaprasad Mukherjee who came to preside over the convention in connection with Sri Aurobindo's Memorial, the Mother presented a set of books with an inscription in Bengali characters "Shymaprasad ke" and her autograph on one of them. There is an instance of the Mother giving a book autographed in Sanskrit characters. So popular were the birthday celebrations that no sadhak missed his opportunity. Every day a number of us assembled to receive our birthday blessing. By 1954 it was only very rarely that one could offer one's pranams at the Mother's feet in the morning. This was possible only in the evening at the Playground before the March Past. At 6.30 p.m. people used to stand near the Mother's room with their offerings in their hands and went in, one by one. The Mother flung on each "her vast immortal look" for a few seconds, bestowed her blessings on him by her gracious touch, and gave him the books of his own choice and toffees made in the Ashram. Some were lucky enough to have the sweets counted out by the Mother herself, according to their age. From September or October 1958 the right number of toffees used to be tied up in a handkerchief and kept ready for the older sadhaks. Often people used to have toffees or other sweets prepared by the Cottage Industries on the occasion of their birthdays and enjoy the sight of the same being distributed by the Mother to their fellow-sadhaks, instead of the usual groundnuts. In some cases sweets used to come from such far-off places as Calcutta. The good wishes of all round him would make the person concerned feel overflowing with gratitude. Someone from Page-172 Bombay once remarked : "One should come here to celebrate one's birthday." For the general distribution of groundnuts or sweets, people used to go to the Mother in the following order: first those who had to attend to the Dining Room and other urgent services, as also those who lived at a distance from the Ashram; next the groups beginning with the youngest; and finally the remaining Ashramites and the visitors. An American sadhak, who stayed far away from the Ashram, used to go at the beginning. One day he was chatting with someone at the gate and did not come up as usual. "Where is X ?" enquired the Mother and someone went out to fetch him. This is by no means a solitary case. A family of five used to go each in his proper turn. One day four of them went together, leaving the youngest with the Green Group. The Mother noticed the change and enquired: "Where is the youngest ?" This touched the whole family very much. Even devotees who could very rarely afford to visit the Ashram have a place in her consciousness. One such devotee served the cause of the Ashram by paying for the flowers which the Mother distributed on the first day of every month at the "Prosperity". Though he is more than a thousand miles away from here, yet every month the Mother, without his asking, had a Blessing flower sent to him. These seemingly minor instances are of great import to us, as they show that each of us has his definite place in her consciousness. There was a progression from darshan through pranam to interview. The darshan was more of a collective privilege, as when the Mother came to the balcony; the Pranam was more restricted and had an individual character; while an interview had a very special significance and was granted only when the occasion demanded it. Yet if one prayed for an interview on one's birthday, the Mother gave a gracious consideration to the prayer. Page-173 If she agreed to grant an interview, the hour was fixed a few days in advance of the birthday. In the beginning this hour used to be before the March Past. As, however, some people took a much longer time than expected, and as a result the March Past began to be delayed, the interviews became more and more rare and gradually it became customary for people to go to the Mother only for a Pranam at the end of the distribution. Thus, on one's birthday one could have her touch only once, instead of twice or thrice, as was the old practice. It was no longer possible to sit individually at her feet and enjoy a few minute's talk with her. Yet there was no shadow of discontent over a single face. To be content with the Mother's dispensation and allow themselves to be carried forward by her will is a quality ingrained in the disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Had she not withdrawn this privilege in order to devote her time to a higher purpose? The sadhana was no longer in a preliminary stage. The plants, now well rooted, were expected to stand firm and self-reliant in expectation of the fruit; they must undergo the askesis of the summer's heat and storms and rains. From the 8th December 1958 to the 14th January 1959 even the Mother's appearance at the balcony stopped—a thing which had never happened before for so many days together. From the first February 1959 she started again with her Prosperity Blessings. For some months one could only send one's birthday offerings through the Secretary or the Manager, who brought back her blessings in the form of a rose. Slowly the birthday Pranams and interviews were resumed, with this difference that even Pranams now required her previous permission and were granted on the first floor of the Ashram, usually at 4 p.m. Prior to the 8th December 1958 everyone, young or old, could go to the Mother on his birthday. Occasionally, the Mother herself was gracious enough to visit individuals at their residences on their birthdays or other important functions and thus make the day memorable in Page-174 their lives. So great is the attraction of the prospect of seeing the Mother that people prepare themselves for the great event months in advance. Young girls in particular spend hours together every day preparing some piece of embroidery for personal use of the Mother; others plan and prepare their offerings months ahead. All have different ways of making their offerings to the Mother. "One of them is to offer an act at her feet as one might offer a flower." Some place at her feet their poems or play music to her on their birthdays. Moni, who came to Pondicherry before Sri Aurobindo's arrival to make arrangements for his stay here, read a poem composed by him before Sri Aurobindo on 15th August 1913. The Master liked it and gave him a garland. Once a sadhak took more than a year to render Essays on the Gita into Hindi in order to have the joy of offering it to the Mother on his birthday. A day before his birthday in 1952 an old sadhak wrote to the Mother: "I beg to submit this article as a Tulsi leaf on my birthday." And in reply the Mother wrote: "I accept your offering for your birthday and give you my blessings." Some of the disciples of the Mother who normally live far away from the Ashram come here to celebrate their birthdays regularly every year. Others seek their birthday blessings by telegram. In 1959 on her birthday a young sadhika was told by the Secretary that she was permitted to see the Mother. Hastily she got together some roses for offering. As she sat upstairs waiting to go to the Mother, she noticed that one of the roses, a very beautiful one, had a few discoloured petals. She thought of discarding it from the bunch. But as she sat looking at it it struck her that it was just like her own being with its beauty and its blemishes. As this thought grew upon her, her consciousness was centred on the rose till she felt one with it. And she decided to offer it to the Mother, for has not one to give all of one's self to the Divine— Page-175 with all one's capacities and short-comings ? All, all should be offered, the good as well as the bad, so that the Divine can uplift and change the whole being. When at the feet of the Mother, she first offered Her the unblemished roses and then, holding up the beautiful but discoloured one, she said, "Mother, this is my present self; pray accept it and change it." The Mother took it and nodded her head and started gazing intently at the girl's eyes. It was a solemn moment and the girl felt that in truth her whole being was given to the Mother and that the Mother had accepted and taken charge of it. Some departments of the Ashram, such as the Centre of Education, the Dortoir and the Ayurvedic Dispensary, celebrate the founding days according to their tastes. Since the time the Mother started coming to the Playground, she has graced many of these departments by her visits. From December 25,1961 there was a time when the Mother was not open to access even for birthdays. X had been contemplating and preparing for one year that he would offer to the Mother his work on his 60th birthday and would pray for a boon, which granted, he would treasure it up all his life. Had he prayed for an interview he might have had it but he did not. On the eve of his birthday he felt a great longing for the Mother's touch. While praying, all of a sudden, he saw his inner being coming out and prostrating itself before her photo two three times. From morning to about 10 o'clock he remained absorbed in himself and had the satisfaction that he had been heard. At 10 a.m. he came and sat on the staircase and when his name was mentioned to the Mother along with those of others he felt an action in his heart followed by a sensation of heat. This kind of action and feeling he used to have on the Darshan days when Sri Aurobindo was among us physically. It was for him a moment of overwhelming joy. Page-176 Since 1962 the Mother has been giving her autographed blessings in artistic folders put in envelopes embossed with Her golden symbol. This process continues even today (1968). We all feel unspeakably happy to have a word from Her pen on our birthdays. Everyday the Mother spends considerable time in writing Blessings with her own hand in these folders despite urgent affairs awaiting her attention. In 1966 wrote a youth to the Mother : "May I be a living example of Sri Aurobindo's teachings." The Mother's answer was: "Your aspiration will be fulfilled." On her birthday, June 10,1966 prayed a girl student: "Sweet Mother! Make me a spark of your splendid Light." On October 27, 1966 the folder that the Mother gave to C who for more than 20 years has been coming from Gaya every year on his birthday, had a symbolic painting, a facsimile of the Mother: "Truth will conquer in spite of the turmoil." Many of the folders have on one side these printed lines : "Let the new birth become manifest in your heart and radiate in calm and joy and take up all the parts of your being, mind and vision and will and feeling and life and body. Let each date in your life be a date of its growth and greater completeness till all in you is the child of the Mother. Let the Light and Power and Presence envelop you and protect and cherish and foster, till all your inner and outer existence is one movement and an expression of its peace and strength and Ananda." On June 19, 1967 the Mother wrote to one of us : "With my love for this year to be a peaceful and happy one and my blessings for the blossoming of a luminous Consciousness." Page-177
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