There is always what could almost be called a popular way of presenting things. Take the whole Story of the Creation, of how things have come about: it can be told as an unfolding story (this is what Theon did in a book he called The Tradition - he told the whole story in the Biblical manner, with psychological knowledge hidden in symbols and forms). There is a psychological manner of telling things and a metaphysical manner. The metaphysical, for me, is almost incomprehensible; it's uninteresting (or interesting only to minds that are made that way). An almost childish, illustrative way of telling things seems more evocative to me than any metaphysical theory (bu

-264_Mother's flag.html page 144 - Mother's flag May 18, 1963 page 74 - Ashram's flag and Auroville's page 74-75 - Auroville March 2, 1968

X has spoken to me several times of his lack of esteem formost people in the Ashram: 'Why does Mother keep all these empty pots?' he says. If he imagines for one moment that I believe all the people here are doing sadhana, he is grossly mistaken! The idea is that the earth as a whole must be prepared in all its forms, including even those least ready for the transformation. There must be a symbolic representation of all the elements on earth upon which we can work to establish the link.' The earth is a symbolic representation of the universe, and the group is a symbolic representation of the earth. Sri Aurobind

I wanted to show you something, then I forgot. Maybe you've seen it? It's something I am supposed to have said to M. years ago, many years ago, about Savitri; he noted it down in French, and quite recently (that is, perhaps three or four weeks ago), he showed me what he had noted.... And as it happens, he showed it not only to me but to others (!). They've translated it into English and now they want me to read it aloud so they can play it at the Playground. I wanted to revise the French with you, but they want it in English. The English isn't too good, but that doesn't matter.... They are all enthusiastic and happy - as for me, I don't like it, because the f

(Concerning two teachers at the Ashram's Center of Education who wrote Mother asking if 'only' Sri Aurobindo should be studied. Pavitra was present during this conversation.) An eight page letter - nothing but passion. (Pavitra:) Yes, Mother. It's all from up here (Mother touches her forehead). (Pavitra:) Passion and reactions. Passion, passion - but this passion and these reactions are the same, thing. And then they stuff into it what they consider intellectual reasonings, but their intellectuality is not so terribly luminous - anyway ... (Mother shows the letter) Here,

(Extract from a letter of Sri Aurobindo concerning the invasion of South Korea on June 15, 1950.) June 28,1950 I do not know why you want a line of thought to be indicated to you for your guidance in the affair of Korea. There is nothing to hesitate about there, the whole affair is as plain as a pike-staff. It is the first move in the Communist plan of campaign to dominate and take possession first of these northern parts and then of South East Asia as a preliminary to their manoeuvres with regard to the rest of the continent - in passing, Tibet as a gate opening to India. [[Tibet was invaded four months later, on October 21

A Polytechnician [[An engineer from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. ]] came here with R. [the architect of the future Auroville]. There were nine who came with R.; among them is a Polytechnician who sent me a note asking, "Are you God?" I had seen the man two days earlier: he is very fine. If I hadn't seen him I wouldn't have answered, but as I saw him and he happens to be fine, I suspected from the way he asked the question that he must be a-gentleman-born-in-a-Catholic-family. So I answered, "This question may be asked of EVERY human being, and the answer is, yes, potentially." And out of consideration for his goodwill, I added (I don't re

There was this sudden death of Shastri. [[India's prime minister, during talks in Tashkent with Ayub Khan for the settlement of the Indo-Pakistani conflict. ]] To me it was obvious. Strangely enough, I was told (long ago) that they were to meet in Russia, and when I was told that, I spontaneously answered, "If he goes there, he will die." (I never knew why, but that's how it was.) Then it went out of my mind, and this time, I was told that the conference would take place, but I didn't hear or they didn't tell me (I don't know which of the two) that it would be in Russia, and so ... In between, someone met Shastri about my message [["India must fight

I have had this experience, and I remember it even went on for several days; I saw all material circumstances as an absolute - an absolute that we perceive as an unfolding, but which is an eternally existing absolute. I had this experience, and at the same time I had a very clear perception of what falsehood is - the lie; what, from the psychological, the mental point of view, Sri Aurobindo, translating from the Sanskrit, called crookedness. [[The Rishis distinguished between the 'straight' (almost in the optical sense: that which allows the ray to pass straight through) and the twisted or crooked consciousness. ]] We attribute the course of circumstances to o