I have replied endlessly, I have given all sorts of explanations about the organization of the School, about World Union, [[World Union - a 'movement' launched through the personal initiative of a disciple. ]] about the true way to organize industry (its true functioning) - so many things! If all that were compiled we could publish brochures! Sometimes I've spoken three-quarters of an hour non-stop to people who listened with delight and were receptive but quite incapable of making a written report of it. At times like that we could have used one of your machines! But when things are organized in advance, it may well be that nothing comes out at all - mentalizing stops the flow. if I is in front of me, I can't say anything to her because she doesn't understand. I already have trouble writing to her - what I have to say is always brought down a bit; but if she were here in the room and I had to speak to her, nothing at all would come out!

page 22 , Mother's Agenda , volume 2 , 10th Jan. 1961
Oh, World Union! ... What troubles you?

Listen, mon petit, you don't need to ask, I will tell you right away.

Sri Aurobindo has written somewhere that the movement of world transformation is double: first, the individual who does sadhana [[Sadhana: spiritual quest and discipline. ]] and establishes contact with higher things; but at the same time, the world is a base and it must rise up a little and prepare itself for the realization to be achieved (this is putting it simply). Some people live merely on the surface - they come alive only when they stir about restlessly. Whatever happens inside them (if anything does!) is immediately thrown out into movement. Such people always need an outer activity; take J. for example: he fastened onto Sri Aurobindo's phrase, 'World Union,' and came to tell me he wanted....

He has been like that since the beginning (gesture expressing agitation), and he had a go at a considerable number of things - but none ever succeeded! He has no method, no sense of order and he doesn't know how to organize work. So World Union is simply to let him have his way, like letting a horse gallop.

I used to send him around to the various centers (because he had to do something!), and he would visit, speak to people ... I don't know about what. And during one of his trips to Delhi he happened to meet Z, who had been sent by the government of India to the Soviet Union, where it seems he delivered an extraordinary speech (it must have been extraordinary, because I have been receiving letters from everywhere, including America, asking for the text of this sensational speech in which he apparently spoke of 'human unity'). So Z returned with the idea of forming a 'World Union,' and J. and Z met. Furthermore, they were encouraged by S.M. [[A politician, disciple of Sri Aurobindo and friend of Jawaharlal Nehru. ]] and even by the Prime Minister, [[Nehru. ]] who probably had a special liking for Z and had given him a lot of encouragement. That's how things began.

I treated it as something altogether secondary and unimportant - when people need to gallop, I let them gallop (but I hadn't met Z). Then J. and Z left together on a speaking-tour of Africa and there things began to go sour, because Z was working in one way and J. in another. Finally, they were at odds and came back here to tell me, 'World Union is off to a good start - with a quarrel!' (Mother laughs) Z was saying, 'Nothing can be done unless we base ourselves EXCLUSIVELY on the teaching of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and they are behind us giving support.' And J. said, 'No, no! We are not sectarian! We accept all ideas, all theories, etc.' I replied, and as it happens, I said that Z was right, though with one corrective: he had been saying that people had to recognize us as their guru. 'No,' I said, 'it's absolutely useless - not only useless, I refuse. I don't want to be anybody's guru. People should simply be told that things are to be done on the basis of Sri Aurobindo's thought. [[This is the text of Mother's reply to J.: 'I have read Z's account and your own letter on this subject. in the faith of his devotion, he must have been quite offended. The truth in what he says is that any idea, WHATEVER its degree of truth, is ineffective if it does not also carry the power acquired through realization, by a real change of consciousness. And if the proponent of this idea does not himself have the realization, he must seek the backing of those who have the power. On the other hand, what you say is true: an idea ought to be accepted on the basis of its inherent truth and not because of the personality expounding it, however great this personality may be. These two truths or aspects of the question are equally true but also equally incomplete: they are not the whole truth. Both of them must be accepted and combined with many other aspects of the question if you want to even begin to approach the dynamic power of the realization. Don't you see how ridiculous this situation is? Three people of goodwill meet in the hope of teaching men the necessity for a "World Union" and they are not even able to keep a tolerant or tolerable union among themselves, because each sees a different angle of the procedure to be followed for implementing their plan.' ]]

So they kept pulling in opposing directions. Eventually they tried to set something up (which still didn't hold together), and finally they wrote me a little more clearly. (There is one very nice man involved, Y. He isn't particularly intellectual but has a lot of common sense and a very faithful heart - a very good man.) Y asked me some direct questions, without beating around the bush, and I replied directly: 'World Union is an entirely superficial thing, without any depth, based on the fact that Sri Aurobindo said "the masses" must be helped to follow the progress of "the elite" - well, let them go ahead! If they enjoy it, let them go right ahead!' ... I didn't say it exactly like that (I was a bit more polite!), but that was the gist of it.

Now it has all fallen flat. They are carrying on with their little activities, but it's absolutely unimportant. They publish a small journal, and V, who writes for them, is far from stupid. She is rather intelligent and I have some control over her, so I will try to stop her from writing nonsense.

They also had a sudden brainstorm to affiliate with the Sri Aurobindo Society. But the Sri Aurobindo Society has absolutely nothing to do with their project: it's a strictly external thing, organized by businessmen to bring in money - EXCLUSIVELY. That is, they want to put people in a position where they feel obliged to give (so far they have succeeded and I believe they will succeed).But this has nothing to do with working for an ideal, it is COMPLETELY practical. [[Although it began as a fund-raising organization for the needs of the Ashram and Auroville, this 'strictly external thing,' which had 'nothing to do with working for an ideal,' would, after Mother's departure, coolly declare itself the 'owner' and guide of Auroville. ]] And of course, World Union has nothing to offer the Sri Aurobindo Society: they would simply siphon off funds. So I told them, 'Nothing doing - it's out of the question!'

page 109-10- Mother's Agenda , volume 2 , 4th March 1961

I told them.... Because at World Union they asked me what their mistake had been (they didn't state it so candidly, but in a roundabout way), and I replied (not so candidly, either - not exactly in a roundabout way, but in general terms). I told them their mistake was being unfaithful and I explained that to be unfaithful means to put everything on the same level (that's when I sent them those lines [['... What Sri Aurobindo represents is not a teaching, not even a revelation, it is an ACTION direct from the Supreme.' (See conversation of February 18, 1961.) ]] ). I told them, 'Your error was in saying: "One teaching among many teachings - so let us be broad-minded and accept all teachings."' So along with all the teachings, you accept every stupidity possible.

page 112- Mother's Agenda , volume 2 , 4th March 1961

(Before Satprem leaves, Mother gives him the latest issue of "World-Union," a magazine launched by some Ashram disciples.)

It makes me uneasy.

I know what you mean! It even makes some people here furious. Because it's published from here (most of those people are here), but there's never any mention of the Ashram, any mention of Sri Aurobindo, nothing.

What's worse is that when they do speak of Sri Aurobindo, they put him on a level with everybody else.
Exactly! Exactly!

You know, Sri Aurobindo, Teilhard de Chardin, Schweitzer and so on and so forth.
Yes, a mishmash.

As for me, I would have rejected it [World-Union] altogether, but there are in it those who started the whole affair: there are three persons through whom I do something - not this! (the issue of "World-Union") Something else, of which they themselves are very little aware. (They are very interested in this [the "World-Union" brochure!, not me!) So I didn't quite declare, "I don't want to have anything to do with that," but when people ask me, I say it has nothing to do with the Ashram, absolutely nothing.

page 326 , Mother's Agenda , volume 4 25th Sep 1963



Then there are the others, that World-Union - as for them, from the first day (there were five members), from the first day, they have all been quarreling among themselves, they've never stopped quarreling! I told them it was a strange beginning for a "World-Union" - individually they all agreed with this, but they all went on quarreling! And it's still going on.

This time, they decided to name me president. I didn't ask them anything, naturally - they decided. And then, M. has withdrawn. She has written to me today to tell me, "I believe I cannot do anything more in World-Union." If you put the two things together, it's rather funny: the others write to ask me to be president, and M. withdraws - "I cannot work for World-Union anymore."

page 168 , Mother'a Agenda , volume 5 , 19th Aug - 1964

Another note:

If you want peace in the world or upon earth,

first establish peace in your heart.


If you want union in the world, first unify the different parts of your own being.

That went to "World-Union"![[World-Union: a group for the union of the world, launched by a few disunited disciples. ]]


page 119 - 20 - Mother's Agenda , volume 6, 5th June - 1965

This World Union, oh, how outmoded they are!... There are hundreds and hundreds of such groups that chatter, do nothing and change absolutely nothing whatsoever.

Oh! ... Moreover, as soon as the group was set up, they kicked out the man who had started it! They did it under the pretext he was dishonest, but still he was the founder. He had gone to Russia, and it was in Russia that the idea of World Union came to him. So four or five of them came together to form this World Union, and fifteen days later they started quarreling - a year later they kicked out the one who had founded it! Then it was the turn of S., who, at least, has some ideas.... Anyway, he too was thrown out. Then they came to me to tell me their miseries! I told them, "Listen, you are profoundly ridiculous: you want to preach world unity, and the first thing you do is quarrel! It shows that you aren't ready." And I left it at that. Then A.B., who was very well known in Africa, recruited all kinds of people and made me see a few of them to ask me if they were able to do something - absolutely nothing, you know, nothing at all: old pillars of a house in ruins, nothing else....


page 268-69 , Mother's Agenda , volume 8 , 26th Aug - 1967