There's an American living in Madras, a rather important man, it seems, and an intimate friend of Kennedy, the new President. He has read and reread all of Sri Aurobindo's books and is extremely interested. He wrote to Kennedy that he would like him to come here so he can bring him to the Ashram. This man has posed a very interesting question, drawing an analogy.... Deep in a forest, a deer goes to quench its thirst; no one is aware of it, yet someone who has made a special study of deer hunting would know by the tracks that the deer had passed by - not only what particular type of deer, but its age, size, sex, etc. Similarly, there must be people with a spiritu

Do you know the story of the two simultaneous operations of E. and of T.? T. is that vice-admiral who came here and became quite enthusiastic - he had a kind of inner revelation here. The two of them were operated on for a similar complaint, a dangerous ulcer in the digestive system. He was in one town and she was in another, and they were operated on a day apart - both serious operations. And in each case, after a few days had gone by, the surgeon who did the operation said, 'I congratulate you.' Practically the same phrase in both cases. And they both protested: 'Why are you congratulating me?' (Each one wrote me about this separately; they were living fa

I was given a similar experience with the sea.... In the house where I distribute "prosperity"[[ Library House, where Sri Aurobindo and Mother lived for several years (from 1922 to February 1927). ]] there's a veranda with a little nook, and set in the nook is a window (not a window, actually - an opening), and through the opening you can glimpse a patch of sea, no bigger than this (gesture). And at that time too the body was feeling closed in, a little weary and confined. I used to give meditations to about twenty people on the veranda (afterwards I would always tell Sri Aurobindo what had gone on). And one day, as I am walking across the veranda to give the meditati

"In order to remove many misunderstandings which seem to have grown up about his Asram in Pondicherry Sri Aurobindo considers it necessary to issue the following explicit statement: "An Asram means the house or houses of a Teacher or Master of spiritual philosophy in which he receives and lodges those who come to him for the teaching and practice. An Asram is not an association or a religious body or a monastery-it is only what has been indicated above and nothing more. "Everything in the Asram belongs to the Teacher; the sadhaks (those who practise under him) have no claim, right or voice in any matter. They remain or go according to his will. Whatever money he receives

Now, according to Theon, Jehovah was the chief of the Asuras, [[Asura: demon of the mental plane embodying the forces of division and darkness. ]] the supreme Asura, the egoistic God who wanted to dominate everything and keep everything under his control. And of course this act made him furious, for it enabled mankind to become gods through the power of an evolution of consciousness. And that's why he banished them from Paradise. Although told in a childish manner, there's a great deal of truth in this story, a great deal. page 62 , Mother's Agenda , volume 2 , 4th Feb. - 1961 According to Theon, the serpent wasn't the spir

I've had a very interesting experience (not personal). Did you know Benjamin [[An old disciple who has just died. ]]? ... His psychic being had left him quite some time ago and, as a result, to the surface consciousness he seemed a bit deranged - he wasn't deranged but diminished. And he lived, as I said, out of habit. The physical consciousness still held a minimum of vital and mind and he lived out of habit. But the remarkable thing is that sometimes, for a few seconds, he would live admirably, in full light, while at other times he couldn't even control his gestures. Then he left altogether: all the accumulated energy dwindled little by little, little by

I went to inaugurate the sugar factory# the other day. I had an amusing experience. From the material point of view, it's almost hellish - the noise, the smell - a nauseating smell. I had to apply all my will not to be physically disturbed - they made me climb up narrow little stairs, go down, climb back up, look into deep pits. At some places there weren't even guardrails, so I had really to control myself. I was watching all this sugar cane - piles of sugar cane - which is thrown into the machine, and then it travels along and falls down to be crushed, crushed, and crushed some more. And then it comes back up to be disti

When they're in too much of a hurry to burn them, sometimes they burn them alive! ... They should wait. For there's a consciousness of the form, a life of the form. There's a consciousness, a consciousness in the form assumed by the cells. That takes SEVEN DAYS to come out. So sometimes the body makes abrupt movements when burned - people say it's mechanical. It's not mechanical, I know it's not. I know it. I know that this consciousness of the form exists since I have actually gone out of it. Once, long back, I was in a so-called cataleptic state, and after awhile, while still in this state, the body began living again'; that is, it

Your healer has arrived, I am told. Yes, this morning, I think. So I asked A. to bring him to you - you're the one he has come to see. Me! Yes, of course (laughter), the author of your book! ... No, you can speak with him and see. You'll tell me how he is .... I put him up at "Castellini" because there's a large garden - I hope he'll be comfortable there. But you'll see, you'll try to make him tell a little what he is seeking by coming here. Page 336 , Mother's Agenda , volume 10 , 20th Sep - 1969 So did you see this healer? Yes, I saw him. Tell me