Chapter 99The Mother’s Attitude towards Music and · The Mother’s Flag

loves them. In government departments and other places they feel the atmosphere mechanical, heavy and rigorous and so they do not find any joy in such play.

I suppose your explanation is correct — at least from the occult harmonies in her accounts.

7 July 1936 Why does the Mother wear rich and beautiful clothes?

Beauty is as much an expression of the Divine as Knowledge, Power or Ananda. Does anyone ask why does the Mother want to manifest the divine consciousness by knowledge or by power and not by ignorance and weakness?2 It would not be a more absurd or meaningless question than this one put by the vital against wearing artistic and beautiful dress.

27 February 1933

* Does it make any difference to the Mother’s consciousness whether she puts on the best saris or the old ones, whether she lives in a palace or in a forest? What do these outer things add to the inner reality?

Outer things are the expression of something in the inner reality. A fine sari or a palace are expressions of the principle of beauty in things and that is their main value. The Divine Consciousness is not bound by these things and has no attachment, but it is also not bound to abstain from them if beauty in things is part unformed, was wearing patched cotton saris; when she took up the work, it was necessary to change her habits, so she did so.

22 October 1935 2 The Mother also replied to this question. She wrote: “Is it your idea that the Divine should be represented on earth by poverty and ugliness?” — Ed.

When I get sleepy during meditation, I often just sit in a quietly concentrated wakefulness and look at the Mother’s photo or your photo. Can I get the same amount of benefit simply by looking at Mother’s photo or yours with all the concentration I can command?

Yes, very many do.

Sometimes in that state I pray; sometimes the inside is void — no thoughts or words at all, so I simply gaze. Am I pursuing the right line?

Yes.

10 March 1933 answer; she has never given any for birds and does not wish to do it. Now even for cats she is not giving names.

28 April 1932 colours are appropriate for the central dot and for the “four powers”? I am thinking of preparing a powder design with a little addition at the circumference.

Centre and 4 powers white. The 12 all of different colours, in three groups, (1) top group red passing through orange towards yellow, (2) next group yellow passing through green towards blue, (3) blue passing through violet towards red. If white is not convenient, the centre may be gold (powder).

20 March 1934

* In the chakra for the central circle you have asked me to use either white or gold — suppose I use gold at the centre, then should I use white at the strap around it? In that case the straps around the two bigger circles will have gold and the central strap alone will have white.

The central circle need not have a strap — simply a gold disc.

11 April 1934

* I have frequently been thinking of the Mother’s symbol (chakra) and its significance. I have understood it as follows:

Central circle — Transcendental power. Four inner petals — Four powers working from the Supermind to Overmind.

Twelve outer petals — Division of four into twelve powers from Overmind to Intuition and mind.

Is my conception at all tenable?

Essentially (in general principle) the 12 powers are the vibrations that are necessary for the complete manifestation. These are the 12 seen from the beginning above the Mother’s head. Thus there are really 12 rays from the sun, not 7, 12 planets etc. As to the exact interpretation of the detail of the powers, I see nothing against the arrangement you have made. It can stand very well.

15 April 1934 About the blue flag. I presume you mean the flag with the white lotus. If so, it is the Mother’s flag, for the white lotus is her symbol as the red lotus is mine. The blue of the flag is meant to be the colour of Krishna and so represents the spiritual or Divine Consciousness which it is her work to establish so that it may reign upon earth. This is the meaning of the flag being used as the Ashram flag, that our work is to bring down this consciousness and make it the leader of the world’s life.

14 March 1949