Chapter 4January 14, 1970

No, Mother.

Is your mother well?... I wanted to give her flowers. Here I have flowers for you, and also for Sujata – where is she?

Sujata?... She’s here!

Here, behind my back? (laughter)

No, right next to you!

(To Sujata:) But we need roses for his mother.

It was to you that Baron [Pondicherry’s last French governor] said he wanted to be buried in my woolen blankets! (laughter) Yes, it seems he was cold. S. looks after him, and she wrote me that he would wake up shivering; she asked me, “Could you send him a blanket or two?” It seems there was in the meditation hall one of those big wooden trunks full of magnificent woolen blankets! So I sent him two. I only said, “Provided he doesn’t carry them away with him... because he’s quite capable of taking them!” (laughter) Then he told F. he was, oh, so happy: “I’ll ask to be buried in these blankets”! (laughter)

I have a question to ask you for the Bulletin. It’s about this note in which you said: “Why do men

want to worship? It would be much better to become than to worship.”

(Mother laughs)

Could we add to this the comment you made last time? You added, “It is out of laziness to change

that people worship.”

It’s true. But it’s harsh! (Mother laughs)

Do you think we should?

(silence)

But then we should add: “One may not worship ONLY on condition that one changes.” – Many want