17 JUNE 1940 Reynaud has resigned, Pétain has become the Premier and other members of the Cabinet have been picked from the military. NIRODBARAN: Was there any difference in policy among the members of the Cabinet? SRI AUROBINDO: Probably. Reynaud is unpopular. Now it is practically a military dictatorship. PURANI: Even after the war it may remain. Most of them seem to be Catholics and from the right wing. NIRODBARAN: Weygand hasn't shown any remarkable qualities till now. SATYENDRA: Pétain has no time, and besides the supplies and equipment are too poor. What can he do? At present what is most necessary is men; equipment doesn't matter so much.

10 June 1969 You know Ramchandra?32 He was a great homeopath, though he was erratic - all great men are. He claimed he'd cured some difficult cases by his homeopathic medicine. Sri Aurobindo said, "Yes, some due has to be given to his homeopathy, but I think the main credit goes to my power! It is by my bringing down of supramental power that the patient did not die here." So to live in the Ashram and to die in the Ashram is no joke, no ordinary matter, you see. Once I was not very well, and I went to the Mother every morning, and Mother asked me, "How are you?" I replied, "I'm the same, no change." Next day when I went, She asked me again, "How are you?" I had to repl

4 June 1969 After a long relay of stories, to use a term from athletics, we come back to our main subject. But I've been asked to add one more story - one more for your teacher's birthday!28 So here is one - of 27Sri Aurobindo's yoga aims at the achievement of immortality in this mortal frame and the sadhaks in the Ashram are pursuing the yoga towards this end. 28Nirod-da's birthday. Page-12 which I don't know how much you'll understand.29 I am going to read to you about Mother's experience: It was very interesting, the experience I had that night. Nothing like it I ever had in my life. It was the night before the day he passed away. The time

27 August 1969 Let me begin, ladies and gentlemen and friends (I'm being somewhat formal), with a word of apology to those elderly people here who are beginning to show some interest in our leisurely talks. I would like to remind you a bit gently that this class is meant for youngsters. My young teacher-friends156 have selected me perhaps because I am not a philosopher, not a 'savant', so that I may talk to them in a simple manner, of simple things. The word 'savant' echoes in my memory of something that happened long, long ago. Once, when I had just learnt French and I had taken up teaching French (I shouldn't say teaching, but rather, learning French by teaching),

3 September 1969 In our last talk, I referred to my initial adventure in the spiritual field. I told you how I walked into the lion's den with just a stick in my hand, somewhat perhaps in the manner of Mark Twain appearing in the court of the Emperor of China; and both of us had strange experiences as a result, at least some of which I have related to you. I believe that you had much food for amusement at my cost! But what I've been musing upon since our last class was the destiny or adverse fate of those friends of mine who helped me in this path, and helped others too. You know very well what has happened to them, to one at least. While they have left the Ashram

17 September 1969 Well, light has descended on my home front! (Laughter) What with the descent of light on my home front and the breeze that is coming from the Himalayas ... I am especially happy, my friends, this morning; I have a reason to be happy. The reason of my happiness is this that, after a long, long time, I heard His voice last night, calling me by name, right into my right eardrum. I was very Page-157 much puzzled, sprang up from my deep sleep, looked this way and that; saw nothing but a dark void. But I understood whose voice it was. I looked at the watch; it was about quarter past eleven. So I was wondering why He had called me at this unearthly

Talks by NIRODBARAN at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education HELIOS * BOOKS Chennai Published in 2012 by Helios Books Co. Private Ltd. Ghatala Towers, 19, Avenue Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai- 600034 Tamil Nadu, India www.heliosbooks.com ISBN 978-93-82540-01-4 Copyright ©Sudha 2012 Edited by Ranganath R. and Sudha All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordingor otherwise), wit

31 October 1969 Today is our real swansong. It seems some of you were not pleased with the last swansong - the swan didn't sing well! So I thought, since you say we are friends, we shouldn't part in grief; I thought of meeting you again to see if we can part in a happy mood. I still don't know why you were disappointed - perhaps you expected too much. Perhaps you wanted me to pour out all my treasures, which I refuse to do. If I empty it into your capacious basket, all at one go, what shall I live with? It seems that when Dickens finished writing his Oliver Twist, he began to weep, because that was his most favourite book, and he didn't know what to do afte

11 June 1969 Some more material about the Mother has come into my hands. It seems that the Divine is taking interest in this class! I will read to you some stories from Srinvantu34 dated 24 April 1969. Some of you must have heard them when you were little children, but they are always fresh, always inspiring, and they never seem to become old. Let me first tempt you with the pictures, if you're interested in them. Come closer - I don't know whether you have long sight or short sight! I remember I once asked Sri Aurobindo about his revolutionary days: 33Francis Thompson, "Kingdom of Heaven". 34A magazine in Bengali, published from Bengal. Page-16

13 August 1969 Well, today I scratch my head; I have entered this - what shall I call it - 'the hall of expectancy' with a somewhat guilty face, for which I as well as you are responsible. We share the great fault, for I understand that, in our last talk, I've confounded some of you about the veracity and genuineness of the conversation I had with Sri Aurobindo. Well, it is none of my fault. However, the very fact that you enjoyed the talk makes me free from all the guilt, and proves the purity of my intention, which is to give you delight. To weave some fanciful myth around Mother and Sri Aurobindo is itself something ennobling, uplifting and satisfying. So, on th