her little ones at the Mother's feet, as if asking for her blessings. Two of them grew up to become Big Boy and Kiki, and Kiki was the one who used to attend your meditations. She even had visions and experiences so that her whole body would begin to quiver. But Big Boy was not very impressed by all that and would often fight with her and beat her. (Laughter)

"And the cats were so well looked after, it was as if they were royalty! There was always milk as well as fish for them, and. sometimes you would feed them with your own hand. Nolinida said that the Mother had made a pact of friendship with the King of the Cats. In fact, all kinds of beings and spirits of the animal world and the vegetable world, as well as of the supernatural worlds, came to the Mother to beg favours from her. It all sounded strange, and yet so wonderful! We go and see her so often, she always smiles sweetly and puts her hand on our heads - but we could never imagine these things happening to her! All we know is that she is our Mother, and that is enough to make us happy."

"If you truly knew that, then it is all you need to know. Just be like the little kittens and put your trust wholly in her. That will see you through to the end. This is a spiritual truth."

"Nolinida did not tell us anything about the spiritual life. He said that another thing the Mother had taught them was order. Always to keep all one's belongings in order. But was that a very important teaching?"

"Didn't he explain?"

"Yes, he discussed with us how we keep our things, our clothes, our books and all our belongings. Everything is mostly in a mess, and when we need the least thing, we have to hunt for it in ten different places. So much time and energy are lost, and temper too, very often. He added that we hadn't learnt how to handle material objects, nor did we have any sense of neatness and order."

"Isn't, he right?"

Anand admitted, somewhat ashamed, "Yes, he is. Just

Page - 212

yesterday, it took me half an hour to find a book!"

"Just look at the difference between the untidy, indisciplined student and the good one. The former throws down his books on the bed, hangs his shirt on a chair, looks everywhere for his keys. He has a very late dinner at night, wakes up in the morning too in the same unpredictable fashion. On the other hand, the other boy's room is sparklingly neat, such a pleasure to the eye! Compare the two further, and you will find that they differ even in their temperaments. The latter is quiet and patient, while the former is always restless. For you must remember that wherever there is beauty, harmony, order, there has Mahalakshmi stepped in."

"Yes, the Mother once said that she could tell the state of our mind simply by looking at our cupboards and drawers! She also told us something about you."

"Is that so? And -"

"It was that though you did not keep your things absolutely spick-and-span, you always knew exactly where each thing was. The things that the Mother uses always last long and remain beautiful, because she handles them not only with care but also with love. They have a life, a consciousness. She always treated her old things like old friends. In this context, Nolinida told a funny story. One day, a sadhak, kicking at a door that refused to open, badly hurt his foot. When he asked you for some ointment along with your blessings, you told him: 'If you kick at the door, the door will naturally kick back at you.' " (Laughter)

"But how can we know that Matter too has life, has consciousness?"

"Love it, the way the Mother does. Treat and handle things with affection, with care. Then they will respond, they will show you that they have life. Love can make them do that."

"Nolinida told us so many lovely stories, we learned so much from him. But he said he had many more which would take him ages to tell us."

Page - 213

"Wonderful, then go and see him again. He is one of our oldest disciples. He has seen and heard much, learned much from the Mother. And now...."

"Now, please, resume your story. When did the Mother come back?"

"I know!" cried out Rohit joyfully. "In 1920, on the 24th of April. And that is why it is a Darshan day."

"That's it!"

"So, how did you continue with your work during the intervening five years?"

"After the Mother left, I had to shoulder the full responsibility of the Arya. The Mother used to help enormously with its publication; she would keep the accounts, see to the printing, keep a list of the subscribers and so on. I would do the writing."

"Which is something you do very easily! The moment you sit down to write, words pour out of your pen or your typewriter. Isn't that so?"

"Well, if it had not been so, how could I have written so much, since for six years the Arya was filled with my writings alone. And the subjects toe were so difficult that they have earned me the title of 'philosopher', though I have never studied philosophy! Actually, whatever I wrote was the result of my yogic experience, otherwise it certainly could not have been easy to write 64 pages of a journal every month."

"Really, it seems so incredible, when one thinks about it. We always believed that a great deal of thought and study is required before one can write. But for you the words just came pouring down and page after page was filled. It was as if the melted snows came streaming down from the Himalayan peaks of knowledge."

"All Knowledge, Peace, Light, Force are gathered above your heads, waiting to come down. Between you and That, there is only a lid. Remove it, and you will see how everything comes rushing down." .

"We really would never have believed this if it had not

Page - 214

been you yourself who had told us. We have not heard of these things from anyone else before. Besides writing, was there any other work that you did?"

"Yes, and a very great work, that of Sadhana. A part of that work was to prepare for the Mother's coming, to remove all the obstacles that might hinder her coming."

"How could you do that, staying in Pondicherry? Is it not very far from where she was?" asked Sampada.

"When you are in danger or difficulty, don't you call for our help? Don't even those who live in far-off lands? And doesn't the help reach you?"

"Oh yes, it does!"

"Help is of two kinds, the outer and the inner. The external help is often expressed by money, for instance. But in order to understand the inner help, you have to go within, because it is of a subtler kind. Haven't I told you that even when the Mother was in France, she used to have the vision of many great souls who would help her in many ways? Such things and more are possible by the power of Yoga. For it was due to the yogic force that several people here, who had no poetic abilities earlier, suddenly found themselves writing poetry! These are all complex matters, you will understand them later."

"Didn't the Mother write you letters?"

"Of course she did! They were all about her Sadhana."

"Is it true that she fell seriously ill after she left Pondicherry? And that it was your Force that saved her?"

"Who told you so?"

"Our teacher," replied Anshu.

"Then why did you ask me how I could send my help from here?"

"Yes, true, I never thought of that!" (Laughter)

Another child now broke in, curious to know:

"Did you really stay in your room all day? You never went out, even for a walk or a chat?"

"I did go out to see people, but I never went for a walk; nor did I chat in the way you do. I was invited to two

Page - 215

weddings in the early years, which I attended. I would also spend some time with my boys, or meet whoever came to see me.

"So this was how I lived during those five years. There were a few other things perhaps, that I may have forgotten to tell you. If anyone of you wishes to become a historian, maybe he would like to find out those details after doing some research."

"Why, what is the matter with you today? You are all looking sparklingly bright, as if bursting with happiness!" began Sri Aurobindo.

"We had been to see Nolinida again, and he told us many interesting stories. This time he seemed really happy to see us."

"Thank God! Nolini has come to my rescue! And what did he tell you, may I know?"

"He said that one of the first needs he and his companions felt on coming here was the need for books. They saw you much of the time absorbed in the study of the Rig Veda. They felt they could afford to spend Rs.10 every month for books.

"There were no shelves for them, so they lay stacked on the floor. A chair, a table and a camp-cot were there for you. And even the canvas of your camp-cot was torn, so that you had to be careful to sleep on the untorn side. As for your boys, they all slept on mats. The mosquito-net was a luxury they could not even dream of. If there were too many mosquitos, well, they had to take the mats out on the terrace! And he added that there were a few rickety chairs too, for the use of visitors.

"And light? Today there are electric lights everywhere, we are flooded with lights. But they did not even have a respectable oil-lamp or lantern. Nolinida remembers that there was one single candle-stick which was kept for your

Page - 216

personal use. Whatever conversations or discussions they had after nightfall had to be in the dark; but mostly they practised silence.

"He also described to us the great joy they felt when they got electricity in the house. They had gone out one afternoon to play football, and it was dark when they returned. As soon as they opened the door and entered the Guest House compound, what a delight it was! The place was full of light - two lights downstairs and two upstairs!"

Kriti intervened, "We really feel so bad when we hear of all this hardship you underwent for our sake. Sometimes, lying in my cosy bed, or eating in Corner House all the delicious dishes we are served, I remember your prison days, and those early times in Pondicherry. It is a peculiar mixed feeling I have - either I have tears in my eyes, and I do not enjoy the food, or I relish all the more, in gratitude, what you have given us."

"And I remember ever so often these lines from the Mother's prayer:

Grant that we may never forget to own towards Thee a deep, an intense gratitude.

'Grant that we may never squander any of the marvellous things that are Thy gifts to us at every instant.' "

Sri Aurobindo was smiling at all the bright young faces.

"Nolinida told us about the funny situations that often arose between them and the servant, because no one really knew what the other was saying! There was a language problem, a communication gap! The boy used to do the shopping. Bijoy would say: 'Meen moon anna - fish three annas; illé, then nal anna - if not, then four annas.' (Laughter) Then there were the cooking sessions....

"According to Nolinida, the way of living changed completely once the Mother came and -settled here. Even the relationship with you changed. She made the boys realise

Page - 217

that you were the Guru, the Lord of Yoga. Until then, you had been a friend and companion for them, and such had been the relationship. Of course, deep down inside, they had always accepted you as the Master and Guide, but they treated you as a friend and almost an equal. Also, you yourself had never liked that they should use words such as Guru' or 'Master' when they spoke of you. But the Mother taught them both by her words and her ways what devotion to the Master signified. She was a living example of bhakti. When she was with you she would never sit on a chair. It would show a lack of respect for the Master. So she would always sit on the floor. It was indeed a lesson in ideal and beautiful humility. Once you said to them, perhaps with a tinge of regret, 'I have tried to stoop as low as I can, and yet you do not reach me.'

A small surprised voice now spoke up:

"Didn't Nolinida and others accept you as their Guru in those days?"

"Why should they have done so? I never wanted them to, nor did I want to start an Ashram either. All these changes took place after the Mother's coming. The boys had come here before she had, they had been my companions from my revolutionary days. We had worked together and lived together, and that is all that they wanted when we came here - to live with me, work for me, doing whatever I asked them to and studying whatever I taught them. This to them meant everything."

"Didn't they do Yoga?"

"They were too young for that in a regular way. It was more or less the same with them as it is for you now. Have you come to do Yoga, or do you want to, even? All you are interested in are your food and sleep, your play and your studies. But something is slowly ripening within. If someday you feel the need for a deeper spiritual life, then you will take to this Path. It was the same for those boys. My Sadhana was incomplete until the Mother's coming. She came and the Ashram grew around her, the Sadhana

Page - 218

became more intense; higher realms and planes were revealed to my vision. Do you understand? This was the Ashram's most brilliant period. I will tell you more about it later. Did Nolini tell you anything more?"

"Yes, he did. He told us about how the Mother came to live in the same house as you," replied Vinit.

"Oh! What was his story?"

"He said that the Mother had already arrived for the second time, this time for good. She was at Bayoud House, the building just opposite our Library. You and the others were in the Guest House. Every Sunday you, with Nolinida and the rest, used to go to dine with her. The menu was decided by the Mother herself, and she supervised the cooking in person; she also prepared some of the dishes with her own hands. That is why Nolinida says they were really lucky to have a share in those meals. At that time, he added, they could only appreciate the physical taste of the food they were served. Today he realises what lay behind it.

"After dinner, all of you used to go on to the terrace overlooking the sea. You and the Mother stood aside talking. Sometimes they would request you for some automatic writing after dinner. And the writings that came through your hand were 'frightfully interesting'. Once somebody came and began to give an analysis of the character of each one there. Someone suggested that something might be given about the Mother. But she immediately protested, 'No, nothing about me, please.' At once your hand stopped moving.

"As regards the Mother's moving out of Bayoud House, this is what Nolinida told us. There came a heavy storm and rain, one day. The house was old and looked as if it would collapse in the rain. You said, 'Mirra cannot be allowed to stay there any longer. She must move into our place.' 'That is how the Mother came in our midst and stayed on for good, as our Mother,' says Nolinida. But they did not call her Mother then. It took them six years before they learned to call her so. And then, Nolinida gave a very sweet touch by

Page - 219

saying, 'You can see now how that spell of stormy weather came as a benediction. Nature did in fact become a collaborator of the Divine Purpose.' " Sri Aurobindo was smiling.

"Nolinida explained to us that at first she did not appear to them as the Mother. She had been to them a friend and companion, a comrade almost, at the most an object of reverence and respect.

"In the beginning, you would refer to the Mother quite distinctly as Mirra. For some time afterwards - perhaps over a period of years - they noticed that you stopped at the sound M and uttered the full name Mirra as if after a slight hesitation. To them it seemed rather queer at the time, but later they came to know the reason. You were on the verge of saying 'Mother', but they were not yet prepared for it so you ended with Mirra instead of saying 'Mother'.

"Just imagine! It took them years to call her 'Mother'. Isn't it incredible?"

"Yes," answered Sri Aurobindo, "I had to prepare them, to remould them gradually. All the old mental formations and traditional habits had to be broken and a new light poured down in their place - all this was not done in a day. For you it is relatively easy, firstly because you are still young and you don't believe yourselves to be great and wise, as if already possessing all that is to be known. Then again, the times have changed, the atmosphere in the world around you is different today. But it was because those early sadhaks learned to accept her as the Mother that they prepared the way for you, making it easier for you to call her 'Mother' unhesitatingly. And now, what else did Nolini tell you?"

"He told us about a Sannyasi who was actually a revolutionary disguised as an ascetic so that the police might not recognise him."

"Oh, Amar Chatterjee?"

"Yes, but he called himself Kaivalyananda. The way Nolinida described the incident to us was fascinating. He told us that one day, a Sannyasi with a striking appearance

Page - 220

came to see you. He was very handsome, tall and fair. From beneath a huge turban a few locks of hair hung down on his shoulders. He begged to have your darshan. And before you, he disclosed his identity: he was the famous revolutionary leader - Amarendranath Chatterjee! The British were moving heaven and earth for his capture. And perhaps they had set a price on his head too. Nolinida and the others were full of joy and excitement to see their Amarda amidst them in person!

"Amarda had been to many places, in various disguises: a primitive savage in Assam, a Muslim selling eggs in East Bengal, etc. Finally in the guise of an ascetic, a Guru, he set up an Ashram near Tanjore. Now he had come to see you, in order to ask you what he should do next!"

"Yes," smiled Sri Aurobindo, "I remember. I was very surprised to see him. I had been told that a Sannyasi was teaching my Yoga and philosophy in South India, but that Amar should be that Sannyasi, the revolutionary who had come to see me off when I boarded the Dupleix, was something I could never have dreamed of!"

"What did you advise him to do?" asked Rohit.

"I asked him to give up his ascetic disguise and even his revolutionary activities, and take up the work and responsibilities of an ordinary man, a citizen. And I believe he did just that. He started a shop in Calcutta, a cloth shop, and was our faithful follower till his death."

"Another story too is very interesting, it's about ghosts and spirits, the ones who were throwing stones in your house. But he said that he was himself not present at the time, because he had gone back home to Bengal for a while. So he asked us to request you to describe the incident to us."

"Oh! that old story! All the sadhaks here know it by heart, I am sure. It has been so often repeated that it's become almost stale. All right, I'll tell it to you, but another time."

"But you promised us last time that you would tell us a ghost story!"

Page - 221

"I promised, did I?"

"No, maybe not promised, but you said you'd think about it later," put in Sudeep.

"Oh! so that's how it was. But if you really want to hear about ghosts, you should do so in the dark. Otherwise, it's not fun. When all is dark and silent late in the night, and just one small oil-lamp burns dimly - no electric lights - then one should tell ghost stories. You will feel as if the spirits and ghosts are moving, present among you. It will make your flesh creep and yet you will feel still more fascinated by the forces!"

"You are evading the issue, aren't you?"

"No, not really. There is a time for everything. And a place too. Things are best enjoyed when the right occasions arise for them. But the story you are asking for is not really a ghost story. So I can tell it to you now.

"I don't quite remember when it happened, but we used to live in the Guest House then, in what is now called the 'Dortoir Annexe'."

"That's where I live," said Aditi.

"And that's where we Green Group children play, in the courtyard after our Group activities," added Aloka.

"I really love that part of the day. I feel the happiest then. There are innumerable games for us. It's indeed a wonder- land!" said Smita happily.

"Yes. Well, we were living in that house then. The Mother too was there with me. A servant called Vittal used to work for us whom for some reason we had sacked. Absolutely furious, he screamed threats and abuses at us, warning us that we would soon find it impossible to continue living in that house. So saying, he went to see a Muslim Fakir who knew some black magic.

"One evening, out of nowhere, we suddenly found stones falling on the roof of our kitchen. The boys thought that someone was playing the fool. They went out to see, but there was no one outside. The next day, the shower of stones again fell for half an hour, and there was a more and

Page - 222

more prolonged shower every day after that. The stones rained down like hail, thick and fast, and they grew progressively bigger too. Finally, once it continued up to midnight. The stones fell, making a big noise, on the kitchen roof, the courtyard and elsewhere. We had to inform the police. The police came. Suddenly, while a constable was looking carefully around the place a stone shot out from between his legs. Frightened out of his wits, the poor man ran for his life. So then we began to examine the problem ourselves. We searched thoroughly, especially in the directions from which the stones were coming. But there was no sign of a human being anywhere. And a stranger thing began to happen now - the stones started raining down even inside the closed rooms. One day they fell on the simpleton of a boy who used to work for us. Poor fellow! He was badly hurt and bleeding. This was a terrible mystery - this falling of the stones inside a closed room and hurting the boy who was there. In fact, that boy became the chief target. So Bijoy took him into his own room, but even there he found no shelter. Then Bijoy called out for me and as I entered I saw the last stone fall on the boy. The two of them were sitting side by side; the stone was thrown straight at them, but there was no third person in the room - unless the 'Invisible Man' of H. G. Wells was present!

"Until then we had been watching the incident, making our own observations. But when we found that things were going too far, were becoming dangerous even, we decided that something had to be done. The Mother knew a great deal of occultism and the world of spirits. She understood that there was somehow a link between our house and that young boy working for us. That link had to be cut and if the boy could be given a job elsewhere, then the stone-throwing would stop. So he was sent to work in another house.

"The Mother told me, 'We'll see what it is.' She went into meditation and gave a call, 'Let us see, who is throwing stones at us now? You must come and tell us.' The Mother saw three little vital entities which have no strength and just

Page - 223

enough consciousness confined to one action - they are at the service of those who practise magic. They were terribly frightened! The Mother asked, 'Why do you throw stones like that? What is this bad joke?' They replied, 'We are compelled. We are compelled. It is not our fault.'

"The Mother felt like laughing, but still kept a serious face and told them, 'Well, you must stop this, understand?' Then they told her, 'Keep us; we shall do all that you ask.' 'What can you do?' the Mother asked them; they replied, 'We know how to throw stones.' (Laughter) She said, 'That doesn't interest me at all. I don't want to throw stones at anyone... but could you bring me some flowers? Some roses?' Then they looked at each other in great dismay and answered, 'No, we are not made for that, we don't know how to do it.' She said, 'I don't need you, go away, and take care specially never to come back. Otherwise it will be disastrous!' They ran away and never came back!"

There was absolute silence in the room, all the children were staring at Sri Aurobindo with shining eyes. Nobody even dared to stir! Then Sudeep spoke, "But did the matter really end there?"

"No. The next day Vittal's daughter, who was our maid- servant, came early in the afternoon in a state of intense fright and said to the Mother, 'My father is in the hospital, he is dying. I am terribly frightened.' The Mother came to me and said, 'You know, Vittal is in the hospital, he is dying.' Then I looked at the Mother and smiled, 'Oh! just for a few stones!' That very evening Vittal was cured. But he never started anything again. At last there was peace in the house. This, in short, is the ghost story you were so keen to hear. When the Mother had gone to North Africa, she had made a deep study of occultism, gaining much knowledge of it and mastery over it."

"And you?" asked Bittu.

"Oh, I! Well, I too know something .about the subject, of course."

Page - 224

Vinit spoke, somewhat hesitantly, "I too know of a story similar to the one you recounted to us the other day. It is about spirits and stones too. But I don't know if it is true."

"We shall hear it and judge for ourselves," said Sri Aurobindo, giving the boy some confidence.

Vinit started his story:

"It happened in our village, when I was ten or eleven years old. My mother told me about it,

"There was a poor woman who lived alone with her baby. Her husband was away. One day she found stones falling on her land. She thought the village boys were teasing her and paid no attention to it. A few days later, they began falling in her courtyard, then inside the house. She grew really frightened. The neighbours got to hear of it. They came to see for themselves. What they saw shocked them. Stones were falling on the woman herself. When she sat down to eat, her plate was overturned. Her child was thrown out of the cradle. It became practically impossible for her to remain there. Everyone decided it would be best if she left the village for a while to visit her mother. The moment she went away, all the trouble ceased, everything became quiet again, only to start once more the day she returned! It was as if something was forcing her to leave her house.

"The elders of the village called on the pundits and the priests. They believed that if there was chanting of mantras and singing of hymns in the house, there would be peace in it once more. They found that as long as the chanting went on, all was well. Everyone smiled proudly. 'The ghosts are powerless against our hymns,' thought they. But the moment they thought this, big stones started raining down into the courtyard. Everyone was struck dumb with fear. Only after the ceremony of offering 'pinda' - a special ceremony at Gaya - did the whole thing finally stop."

"Then it must have been some ghost or spirit who was haunting the place," Sri Aurobindo remarked. "But did not

Page - 225

anyone try to find out the cause, by yogic means?"

"Well, the story goes that earlier the woman used to live there with her mother-in-law. The latter fell very ill, and when the woman who was very young then, a girl really, saw this, she was terrified. She wouldn't go near the old woman, not even to give her a drink, although the mother-in-law was calling out for water. So the old woman died, her thirst unquenched, and then came back as a ghost to haunt the house. Do you think the story is true?" asked Vinit.

"It does seem to have some element of truth in it. For this is how ghosts are born. If one dies with an unsatisfied desire or craving or passion, some part of the being, usually the vital part, may behave in a similar manner. That is why our Scriptures advise the shrāddha ceremony after death. It helps to bring peace and rest. In this case, the ceremony at Gaya finally liberated the woman's spirit."

"We never before believed that such things really happened."

"That is because you are born in the Age of Science. What you cannot see, touch or hear does not exist - this is what Science teaches you. But doesn't the great poet Shakespeare say that:

'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy'?"

"And you?" asked Sampada.

"I? I am not a scientist. I just told you a story about the Mother and me. She has surely told you many more stories. For us, for all yogis, the whole universe is a play of visible and invisible forces in the hands of which man is but a plaything. On the one side there are ghosts and demons that are at work, on the other are the gods and goddesses. Who can fathom the intricacies of this Divine Play? However, let us end today's session on this ghostly note!" (Laughter)

"But, you did not explain where the stones came from and how they could fall even in a closed room."

Page - 226

"Perhaps we will talk of it some other time. Now, it is time for you to say good-bye."

There arose a loud chorus of 'Why?' from all sides.

"Because there is nothing more to recount."

"You have hardly said anything about the Mother, nor have you explained why you went into seclusion, and how the Ashram was begun. Then there was your accident - how did that happen?"

"All these things are closely connected with our inner spiritual life. Otherwise, in themselves they are simple enough and could be described in very few words."

"All the same, do tell us something about the Mother."

Sri Aurobindo smiled and said, "Ah, for that, you need her permission first. She never likes to be discussed."

"But you already have told us something about her. Couldn't you tell us a little more?"

"Well, I told you that after she came my Sadhana became very intense and advanced very rapidly. So much so that I obtained wonderful results within five years. The Mother took up the charge of running our household, so that my responsibilities decreased considerably, and I found I had much more time. The few companions who were there were also slowly attracted towards Sadhana."

"What is Sadhana?"

"There you are! I already said that you wouldn't understand me. My Sadhana was my effort to bring down an enormous Power on earth and this became progressively easier when the Mother's Force and mine came together. It was this that, night and day, I was working at, apart from an hour or two that I spent with the boys or with a few visitors. I also walked seven to eight hours a day as part of my work."

"You just walked?"

Sri Aurobindo said laughing, "Walking was a form of meditation. Instead of sitting down to meditate, I preferred doing so while I walked and this was how I brought down the highest forces."

"Oh yes! we have heard that your regular pacing to and

Page - 227

fro had left a clear impression on the floor, which could be made out from the cement used to cover it, but unfortunately we can't see it any more," said Sachet.

"Where?" asked Kriti.

"In the Guest House," replied Udita.

"Exactly. But why can't you see it?"

"The Mother had given Amal Kiran your rooms and he was happy with that 'path to the Supermind' as he called it. But when he went to Bombay for a long stay, the rooms were repaired and while the masons were at it they redid the whole floor too. But how could you walk seven to eight hours in that tiny space?"

"Why should that surprise you? If it was walking only for the sake of walking, then it might surprise you. But, as I told you already, I was doing my Sadhana. I was bringing down Force, Light, Knowledge and other higher things."

"When you talked with people, did you discuss only Sadhana?"

"No. We spoke of many other matters. Some talked about the books they were studying. Now and then I met a few political leaders or some of my former Nationalist friends who came to see me. Then in 1922 or 1923 we left the Guest House to come to the Library House where the Reception Room and the Prosperity Hall now are. Finally, a few years later, we shifted to this residence."

"Did you continue with your Sadhana here too?"

"Yes, of course."

"Didn't the Mother see anyone?" asked Sampada.

"Not as now. She lived in comparative seclusion. Of course, she kept a contact with the sadhaks, she helped them with their Sadhana, meditated with them. Also, she ran the household and the kitchen, she served them food and ate with them."

"Weren't there any women, any sadhikas present then?"

"Very few. We were just twenty or twenty-five people in all."

"Please, could you tell us something about the 24th of

Page - 228

November 1926? What exactly happened on that day and why is it called the Day of Realisation or the Victory Day?"

"The Mother and I were actively trying to bring down the Power of a greater Consciousness. I had already had an inkling that such a Consciousness existed. I established contact with it and, drawn by the force of an intense spiritual effort, that Consciousness began to descend. From the beginning of November, or even earlier, the sadhaks were aware of an impending event of great importance, and even the atmosphere of the Ashram changed. All of them felt a great Peace, and some even experienced this new descent to some extent. Our daily evening talks began later and later every day. From four in the afternoon when it usually used to start, it now became as late as nine o'clock or ten at night. They would sit waiting for me all the while.

"Finally came the 24th of November. Even from early in the morning, there were some who had already sensed that something very great was to happen that day. The morning passed, so did the afternoon. Nothing happened. In the evening, a few of the sadhaks had gone for a walk along the beach while the others sat waiting for me in the Ashram. Suddenly the Mother came out and said that she would like to see everybody. So everyone was called. They gathered in the upstairs verandah of the Library House. What followed is too well-known for me to relate, even you have heard about it, I am sure."

"Yes, we have. Soon after seven in the evening, both the Mother and you arrived. You were wearing a silk dhoti, and a chaddar was draped over your shoulder. The Mother was dressed in a beautiful silk sari. While you took your usual chair, she sat down on a low stool at your feet. Love, Light and Joy were flowing out of you. All the disciples in turn first bowed to the Mother and, when she blessed them by placing her hand on their heads, you put your hand on hers, so that through her it was you also who were blessing them.

"No one spoke, there was no sound. The whole atmosphere

Page - 229

was bathed in a profound Peace and Silence. After half an hour, the two of you left.

"A little while later somebody announced that you had conquered death, disease, and the need for food and sleep."

"I don't know from whose lips fell those splendid revelations. All I can say is that there was the descent of Sri Krishna's or the Divine Consciousness into the Mother and me."

"What does that mean?" asked Rohit.

"It means a great deal. But this much I can tell you which I am sure you will follow, that this descent rendered possible what I am trying to do, to bring down the Supramental Consciousness. It was the descent of the Overmind Consciousness, and it made the coming of the Supermind possible. Therefore this day is called the Day of Realisation, the Siddhi Day."

"But didn't you already have the vision of Sri Krishna when you were in prison?"

"To have a vision is one thing, to bring down that Consciousness into the body or into matter is quite another. The two are worlds apart. One may have a vision in one part of the being, for example in the mind or in the vital, but to experience it permanently in the physical consciousness, and feel it constantly in the body, is something that is possible only when one has reached a very high degree of spiritual realisation. Now what remained for me to do was to bring down the Supermind. And it is for that purpose that I had to withdraw and work from behind the veil. Do you follow me?"

"Not really!" answered Rohit frankly.

"It doesn't matter."

"We have one more small question. Somebody told us that you used to drink tea. But we didn't believe him."

"Why not? Do you think it is a sin to drink tea?"

"No, not that, but -"

"Is it because you yourselves don't drink it? Why does it bother you? Do you know that I used to smoke too?"

Page - 230

"Really?"

"Isn't it awful? You know, once Mahatma Gandhi's son, Devdas Gandhi, came to see me. When he found me smoking a cigar, he asked me in a choked voice, 'Why are you attached to smoking?' I answered him straightaway, 'Why are you attached to non-smoking?' " (Laughter)

"But you don't smoke any more, do you?" asked Mandakini.

"No, I gave up that habit ages ago, and quite effortlessly. The boys who were with me used to smoke too, and the Mother did not approve of it. But since I myself smoked, she couldn't ask them to stop it! So I gave it up. The most important thing is not to be bound by anything. Devdas thought I was very attached to smoking, whereas he had made a vow as strong as Bhishma's that he would never smoke. But that too is a kind of attachment. To be always detached in all matters is the most important thing. If I were attached to the habit, do you think I could have given it up so easily? Since we are talking about attachment, let me tell you the story about tea. I used to love tea. Both tea drinking and smoking were habits I had acquired in England. I drank only a cup or two, but unless I got it, I could not concentrate on my work. At that time, we were living in the Guest House and it was the responsibility of a relative of mine to make the tea. But he used to make it as and when it pleased him, at three o'clock in the afternoon sometimes, or at four, or even at five, whenever he woke up from his afternoon nap. Once, there was an enormous amount of work before me, but because my mind was partly on the tea that failed to come, I could not concentrate on my work. Until then, I had never asked for anything for myself: now I felt like asking, but it was no use. Suddenly, it appeared as if an invisible hand wrote out a time on the wall before me and there was nothing I could do. Exactly at that given time the tea was served! But later, I gave up even that habit. I do not drink tea any more. So now you can all go home, relieved. And think carefully about all that I have told you."

Page - 231

Then Sri Aurobindo said in a mellow voice, "By the way, children, this is our final sitting.

"I shall be too busy now with some urgent work to which I shall have to devote all my available time. You have learnt many things in our meetings. Try to practise some of them at least in your life. You are young and upon you depends the future of our work. The Mother has said, 'When I shall not be there, my children will carry on my work.' Let that be your aim and prepare yourselves to fulfil it."

Page - 232