January 17, 1971 (Satprem reads to Mother some passages from yesterday's con versation that will be published in the "Bulletin." Mother's voice is like a long moan, but her laugh is still ready to break out, as if laughter were the only true physical thing remaining.) It's good, you've done just what was needed. It's just right, you've said it just perfectly. It really wasn't useless.[[The long period of suffering. ]] (silence) I have such an impression -- such a vivid and clear impression that the contact (with Satprem) was CONSCIOUS the whole time. It was a conscious contact. As if we were making an effort together to try to understand things -- circumstances

December 4, 1971 (On December 2, eight months after the bloody repression in Bangladesh, India launched a general offensive against the Pakistani troops.) So they've declared war. Page 317 Yes, it's done. It began, yes, yesterday. The ministers in Delhi have made a brochure on Sri Aurobindo, and they asked me for a message. I sent it in English. This (Mother hands a text) is the French. "Sri Aurobindo est venu annoncer aumonde un glorieux avenir et a ouvert la porte sur son accomplissement."[["Sri Aurobindo came to announce to the world a glorious future and opened the door to its realization." ]] (silence) Will they go to the end this time, without s

April 17, 1971 A. told me he liked your book[[On the Way to Supermanhood. ]] very much. Oh, yes! Good. That's good.... I was happy for him! (laughter) But you know, from the first reactions that are starting tocome in, the book is creating a sort of schism! What? A sort of schism, yes. How do you mean? Well, there seems to be one whole group of open and enthusiastic young people, who see the new Possibility, and then there's another "school," which has done a lot of tapasya [austerities] and very much believes in the virtue of all sorts of disciplines, which says, "That can't be it! It can't be that way!" Oh! Page 94 People who believe in the v

January 16, 1971 (Satprem has not seen Mother since last December 2. The latest turning point in her yoga has just occurred, similar to those of 1962 and 1968. Her small voice quivers and is lost in a murmur, yet her laugh is fresh as a young girl's.) I am happy to see you! Page 18 Good morning, Mother. Are you feeling better? Yes, Mother. It's been a long time since I've seen you.... Yes.... One of my legs went dead for a long time -- it's just starting to come back to life -- it was paralyzed. This leg (the left). So naturally everything was difficult.... I had an intestinal ulcer, but that didn't last long. It was more serious but it didn't last. An in

June 5, 1971 All circumstances have been furiously teaching the body to ... call all the time, all the time -- to call the Divine. And so now it's got into the habit of repeating its mantra, and it repeats it ALL THE TIME. It's a curious thing: if it repeats it, everything runs smoothly; if it doesn't, it can't even swallow food -- everything seems on the verge of falling apart; so it repeats its mantra, and everything goes quite well. When it thinks of nothing but the Divine, everything is fine. This morning, while I was having breakfast, that's how it was. It was so plain! If the body thinks about eating, everything goes wrong; if it repeats its mantra, it can absorb the food, it doesn'

July 17, 1971 Day before yesterday I was almost cured, I thought it was over, but then yesterday there was an avalanche of things ... oh, bad will, quarrels and ... it was so dreadful that the cold started up again. That's why it won't go away. I see that when things quiet down here and I can get back into my normal atmosphere, it's as if everything vanished -- I don't have a cold anymore, I am not in pain anymore. But back it comes from outside like a ferocious attack: people quarreling, squabbling, circumstances going awry, everything. And all that is thrown on me, so.... So it started up again last evening. It was over, you know: my nose and throat were clear, it was all gone. It r

December 18, 1971 Good morning! Here, I was going through my handkerchiefs the other day, and kept three for you! How are you? What's news? Well, they've stopped fighting in the west....[[On the Kashmir and Rajasthan front, that is, the road to West Pakistan, the heart of the trouble. ]] (Mother nods her head) Which means it's not the end of the problem. Again it won't be for this time. It won't be done that way. I've seen how. It won't be done through a battle: the different parts of Pakistan will demand separation. There are five of them. And by separating, they'll join India -- to form a sort of confederation. That's how it will be done. It will break up from

July 28, 1971 (Mother sits looking long at Satprem, her eyes open, then she smiles.) Ooh!... When you were sitting here [in front of Mother] and I looked at you, you took your body and opened it like this (gesture as if Satprem were ripping his body in half from the stomach down), all, all the way. Were you in pain? No, Mother, I wasn't in pain, but I'm fighting a lot with my nature. (Mother laughs) You opened it up wide, like this. (silence) But it's funny, it was as if ... here [lower abdomen] there were a black spot like this (gesture), something like a black spot. It was as if you wanted to show me that black spot.... Now, the spot has gradually faded away. It

June 2, 1971 (Concerning Satprem's difficulties) I myself had felt that something in you, some part of the consciousness -- a very external and superficial part -- was pulling. Yes, that's right. And I was wondering how come?... When it came, I went on saying: things are guided, therefore this has a reason and I have something to learn. But I see this thing is really untransformable. It must be rejected from the nature. You see, it's something that has to be transformed from life to life -- it must be eliminated from your personality. (Satprem puts his head on Mother's knees, Mother bends down to kiss him) I've suffered a lot.... May I be capable of serving you

October 9, 1971 Did you send your letter to ... what's his name, in France? My letter?... You mean to Malraux. Yes, yes, I sent it. With whom? Directly, to an address in Paris. Registered? No, Mother. The mail works very poorly these days.... Did you keep a copy? (Mother goes within for 25 minutes) Do you have a question? You know, I think I've seen Malraux's inner being. Really! Yes, just the day before I received his card, at night I saw abeing dressed in golden clothes, all golden, and he was even wearing a golden turban. And he came to me and offered me something on a tray.... But the clothes were very important! Page 259 And he was