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4 The Mother Writes to Parichand on Sadhana Sometimes the vegetables in the Dining Room have an unpleasant taste, but I am eating them in spite of it in order to break old formations and achieve an equality of taste. Is this what you wish me to do ? Certainly it is indispensable to break down the narrowness and limitations of taste — the vegetables that taste bad to you others find excellent. c. 1936 Mother, In your prayer of 7 December 1912, there is the following sentence: "Thy Peace is in me, and in that Peace I see Thee alone present in everything, with the calm of eternity." Does the phrase "the calm of eternity" refer to "I" or "Thee"? It is not so clear-cut as that. It is the atmosphere in which the experience takes place. In your prayer of 5 December 1912, there is the line "Thou, nothing but Thou, without any analysis or any objectivising ". What is the exact meaning of the world "objectivising"? To consider nothing as being outside the Divine and oneself. 1936 Mother, We are having some difficulty in understanding the true meaning of the following sentence in your prayer of 17 May 1914: "The first, as though the power of the prayer would not be complete unless it was traced on paper." One makes one's prayer with the help of words, but is a written prayer Page-37 more powerful than a spoken one? Please clarify the meaning of this sentence. One should never read this book as if it were giving general rules. Each experience recorded there is a particular case. Moreover, the very form of the sentence implies that it is a particular case, even an exceptional one. These are subtleties of form that no one with a good knowledge of French could mistake. From the occult point of view: 1.Something formulated in words is more powerful than something only vaguely thought. 2.Something spoken aloud is more powerful than something formulated in words. 3.And lastly, something written is more powerful than something only spoken aloud. But this concerns an occult action exclusively. c. 1937 Mother, Half an hour, from 10:00 to 10:30, does not seem to be enough time for my work on the "Visions". I can work until 11:00 if You permit it. But then I will not be able to join the meditation because I will be on gate duty. I don't think it would be good to give up the meditation, which is an opportunity to immerse oneself again in the true consciousness. c. 1938 Meditation is a time of recollection during which one should renew one's offering, one's dedication, one's surrender to the Divine. It is important for the poise of the day not to miss it. c. 1938 Mother, This evening during meditation I felt a sense of suffocation Page-38 and dizziness on two occasions and I thought that I was going to faint. This sensation interrupted my meditation twice. I noticed that my trust in you was wavering; otherwise nothing could interrupt my meditation. I have felt a similar sensation in the past, especially in the midst of a large crowd or in a room too full of people. Perhaps this dizziness comes precisely because the room is too full of people. Wouldn't it be better for you to sit outside in the open air? c. 1938 Mother, When the outer nature becomes too restless and the spontaneous peace and concentration are lacking, any effort on my part to concentrate (urns into a kind of tapasya. Various suggestions are coming to divert me from this effort, saying that this attitude of tapasya is not as effective as an effortless state. But it seems to me that this effort, this tapasya is necessary so long as the outer nature is not purified. Please give me some direction. Both are necessary and each comes in its own time. c. 1938 Mother, Something in me says that You should not be disturbed by asking questions about unimportant things. Is this suggestion true? It cannot be said that it is either false or true, for each case is different. A general mental rule cannot be true. It is only through the inner contact that one can be guided with a certain sureness. In any case, it is better to ask too many questions rather than too few. c. 1938 Page-39 Mother, Questions in plenty have been cropping up about work and my inner attitude, some clearly and others vaguely One part of me says, "Catch these questions as best you can, even the smallest ripples, and put them before the Mother." But another part suggests, "That the Mother won 7 like because she has very little time to spare. Wait until things become clearer from within." But in following this latter suggestion, I have sometimes committed blunders which would not have been done if I had referred to You. What attitude on my part will smoothen Your purifying work? A general attitude of quiet opening to the Light and the Force is more important than to go into details. Always remember the will to surrender, the precision in details will surely come afterwards. My love and blessings. c. 1938 Mother, You once told me that the impulses or suggestions which strike the mind first when one sets about doing something were the right and true ones. But so often the perverse forces of the mind and vital lie in wait and bring about a great confusion. As my discernment is not yet clear and sure, I feel I should refer these first intuitions to You physically, in writing, in order to do away with any chance of distorting the movement. But will this not involve going into details, which You told me is not so important at present as a general attitude of quiet opening? How then can this going into details be avoided? It is the inner attitude of surrender and consecration which is the most important and must be kept all through day and night, if possible. The physical referring to me by writing must come only Page-40 occasionally as a control of what has been received in the inner silence. That is to say, if you have asked a question and received an inner answer and you are not quite sure of the exactitude of your perception, you can write to know from me the truth about it. My love and blessings. 1940 Mother, While at work, unpleasant vibrations keep my mind and heart unsettled and perverse movements blind my vision. Sometimes I feel that I am pushed not by impulses coming from You but from undivine sources, and yet I cannot clearly discern the right from the wrong. Mother, because of the dark forces still reigning over my nature it will take time to turn it into Your instrument. It is in the quietness of the mind that the discrimination between the forces can come. Keep you mind silent and most of the problems will be solved. My love and blessings. 1940 Mother, There is a growing tendency in me towards lessening rather than increasing work — doing less work but in a better and more careful way. Mother, is my attitude right or is some wrong idea actuating me? Yes, it is all right, better do well than do much. My love and blessings. 1940 Mother, The constant push to activity after activity has now given place to a tendency to inaction. Exhaustion follows after a little work and the body sinks down forcefully. No zeal, no conquering will. How can I shake it off for good? Page-41 Most probably it is only a period and it may leave you soon. But do nol worry about it and remain quiet. It is the best way to quicken its departure. My love and blessings. 1940 Mother, The day before yesterday I took tea and other preparations at X's and just after lea I drank a glass of water. That night I could not sleep until 1:00 a.m. The next day and today I suffered from a dry cold, uneasiness, heaviness, feverishness and a slight headache. Are these not due to my accepting tea without Your permission ? No, not for that — most likely it is due to the cold water on the hot tea. My love and blessings. 1940 Mother divine, Although my mind says that even if the Mother gives no reply to my letters I should not despond in the least, still my vital shrinks and sinks a little. It craves for some stimulant and tries to cloud the mind. Today 1 have felt a sort of dryness and laxity. I pray, O Mother, let me know inwardly or outwardly where I stand and let me fulfil Your intention. I want to be Yours, my Mother, take me up. You must not worry — depression and anxiety are the result of a hostile influence; they must be rejected at once. It is not by a mental brooding on one's own mistake or [sentence incomplete] c. 1944 Mother, Some parts of my nature are in turmoil. Is it due to some Page-42 wrong attitude or to subconscient upsurgings? By Your grace my inner poise is intact, but my outer nature is still subject to heaviness, weakness and unrest. I aspire to know how to get over them. Ignore them and turn your attention elsewhere. 24 December 1945 Mother divine, In spite of enough physical movement, my constipation persists and there is a consequent lethargy in the body. Since my inner consciousness is still subjected to the body, there is often a depression in the vital and mental parts. If a purgative such as Milk of Magnesia is taken, this disturbance may be avoided. But that will mean dependence on an external aid. Moreover, I doubt whether You approve of taking purgatives. Mother, I humbly and earnestly pray for Thy guidance and uplifting Grace so that I may be able to shake off these morbidities and become a strong, glad and illumined servitor of Thee. Take the Milk of Magnesia at once and also the resolution to be (and not to become) "a strong, glad and illumined servitor"; there is no need of waiting any longer for that. My love and blessings. 9 September 1946 Mother, The past failings and falterings of my nature, its insincerities and faithlessnesses, occasionally cut me to the quick. Should I pay any attention to them? It is better not to brood over these things. A simple detachment is the first step towards liberation. My love and blessings. c. 1946 Page-43 Mother divine, Month after month, year after year pass away, yet no decisive opening is made in mv being, no definite change in my consciousness. Sometimes my heart shudders at the thought that there is something wrong in my attitude, that there are certain perverse habits in my nature which oppose a sweet, devotional, childlike psychic relation with you. Today I feel a strong urge to approach Thee, O Mother, for enlightening me on the real nature of the opposition and showing me a rapid way out of this tangle. The smallest change in the nature especially in the physical needs a very long time to be realised—so the first condition My love and blessings. 15 April 1947 My sweet Mother, Should I also get my hair cut for marching in the Playground? If so, should I simply get it bobbed or clipped closer? Bobbed is all right. 31 January 1949 Mother, Dr. X proposes that on the day of Y's operation (Friday) and one or two days after, Z and I should arrange to remain by turns in the Hospital both in the day-time and at night. He says You have permitted it. Should we act accordingly? Y is very frightened by the perspective of the operation. Consequently I advised him not to get c. 1949 Mother, These days I meet with a difficulty. Special food preparations are widely prevalent and occasionally I am requested. Page-44 to partake of them. Sometimes I refuse, sometimes I find it hard to do so. But whenever I accept I feel a prick of conscience. What should be my attitude? It depends mostly on the people who invite you. I cannot give a general answer. My blessings. 18 March 1950 Mother, X and I were surprised to hear that Y wrote to you for work due to our pressure. I proposed his name to you because I was impressed by his words; I thought he had no objection to taking up the work. Now I hear that you are displeased with our moves. I am not quite conscious of my faults, but it seems I was wrong in my judgment. I pray to you for pardon for any wrong done unconsciously. I have never shown or expressed the slightest displeasure for your moves. Beware of what people may say or express in my name because usually it is disfigured. In any case do not worry. Everything will be all right. With my love and blessings. 25 May 1961 Page-45 |