April 4, 1970 It's sixty years since Sri Aurobindo arrived at Pondicherry.... (silence) Do you still get the Aphorisms?... I don't remember having read those things.... Clearly, he wanted to break rules and conventions at all costs. [[Exactly what aphorism Mother is referring to is not clear, perhaps this one: 446 - "Errors, falsehoods, stumblings!" they cry. How bright and beautiful are Thy errors, 0 Lord! Thy falsehoods save Truth alive; by Thy stumblings the world is perfected. ]] I strongly felt that was what resulted in the European attitude: that mixing of sex and yoga and all that.... That [sort of aphorism] must have been indispensable at the time, but now I feel we have

January 7, 1970 I found some old papers.... (Mother points to a few notes) But first, yesterday I received Aphorisms, two of them, and suddenly ... (gesture of descent) Sri Aurobindo came and wrote - in French. Afterwards, I didn't even remember what he had written. I only said (since it was he who had written) that I would like to have the text right away. They brought it to me yesterday evening so I could show you. (Mother holds out a sheet of paper) 271 - He who would win high spiritual degrees, must passendless tests and examinations. But most are anxious only to bribe the examiner. 272 - Fight, while thy hands are free, with thy hands andthy voice and t

February 25, 1970 It has become very interesting, but one can't speak ... (Mother coughs) and it's better not to speak. Very interesting. I spent the whole of last night with Sri Aurobindo, but with a WORLD of explanations. He made me understand lots of things, but quite ... well, extraordinary. And practical: on the present state of things.... Shouldn't speak, that's why I am coughing, it's on purpose (!) It's extraordinarily interesting. (silence) A demonstration in detail of the difference between the two consciousnesses. (silence) Among other things and in a quite practical and positive way, he explained to me that the cause of all illnesses, all disorders, all

August 1, 1970 (Mother gives Satprem the message for August 15:) "Even the body shall remember God." Savitri, XI.I.707 *** (Then she translates another quotation from Sri Aurobindo:) "Whatever sufferings come on the path, are nottoo high a price for the victory that has to be won and if they are taken in the right spirit, they become even a means towards the victory." Letters on Yoga, 24.1636 *** Soon afterwards We've made brochures, On India, and then five cards with quotations. (Mother gives Satprem the texts) I am told you said that the Chinese threat to India was "inescapable"? No, I didn't say that.... Who said that? It's

February 7, 1970 (We will never know how or why, but a perceptible change in Mother's condition can almost be dated from that day.) Someone has given me a fantastic cold, I cough and cough and cough. The whole day yesterday, I was unwell. I feel as if we are going through a storm. Oh!... Oh, it's worse than a storm. (silence) Ill wills, denunciations, the government is alarmed. I have been told to beware of someone you know ... a marquis. Oh, yes, I know. Page 69 Do you? Yes, they've been pursuing this man. For ten years, they preventedhim from entering India. He is blacklisted, suspected of ... Spying? No, no, smuggling. Oh

May 23, 1970 (Satprem hands over his pension to Mother. She goes on:) This is the time of discoveries ... everywhere!... Something seems to have exerted a pressure until things can no longer put on a pretense - all has to show itself as it is. So then (laughing), what discoveries! And naturally, if you hear both sides, it's an almost contradictory story, so ... you don't know where reality is. But it's not only here [at the Ashram]: it's in the whole country. And then, they tell me all the miseries and ask me to intervene (not outwardly, of course). It's such a mess.... (silence) Have you seen the latest Aphorisms of Sri Aurobindo?... He tells us to lose all our moral sens

January 31, 1970 Someone wrote to me from France that he had tried everything, that everything had failed, that he is quite desperate and ... So I answered this: It is when all appears to be lost that all can be saved. When one has lost trust in one's personal power, one must have faith in the Divine Grace. It's useful for many. It has been said I don't know how many times, but it always seems necessary to repeat it. (silence) So the old system of personal property is collapsing in the world. Only, as usual, it collapses in a disgusting manner.... Here, they've set up a spying system all over the country, a repugnant espionage

September 26, 1970 What's new? Here there's nothing (Mother shakes her head). Nothing interesting. It's all right (in an unconvinced tone). (Then Satprem reads the "Comments on the Aphorisms" and "Mother Answers" for the next Bulletin.") My impression now is that all this is written here (gesture just above the head) and that I have gone to my highest consciousness (gesture far above).... But that can't be expressed yet. It's not through words and ideas that it has to express itself. It's the means of expression that must be found. Ultimately, the big difference with man is that he invented language - language, and naturally, writing and so on. Well, a means of expression

September 23, 1970 (Mother appears very withdrawn.) I found some old papers again.... (Satprem reads) "When you stand in the light of the Supreme Consciousness you must not make a shadow." I told you the story.... [[See Agenda X of April 16 and May 3, 1969. ]] That's fine. (silence) What have you brought? There is the November Bulletin.... Is there anything new? No. (Then Satprem proposes to publish some fragments of the con versation of September 9 - the infernal Agenda - in the Bulletin.) Regarding Sri Aurobindo, [["The tortures he was subjected to." ]] we mustn't put it in the Bulletin.... That's impossible, it would cause a revolut

July 22, 1970 (The following conversation is a first and highly instructive outline of the phenomenon that gave birth to all the religions of the world, a phenomenon that will try to crystallize once again after Mother's departure.) I have something about this Tamil Swami who had that experience of the body's transformation.... You remember this Swami Ramalingam who had that vision of the "Grace-Light"? You made a few remarks, part of which I passed on to the person who had asked the question.... And I've raised a storm. Oh, why? Not with this good man [Ramalingam's Tamil disciple], not atall, but with A. [[An old disciple, author of several books about Sri A