Chapter 2October 7, 1970

So the next time, you’ll bring your book.

* * *

(After Satprem’s departure, Sujata tells Mother about young women of her generation, who do not have the advantage of being “close to Mother” or in the circle of “important persons,” and who suffer from never seeing Mother. This was in fact – which is why we record it – a very central problem at the Ashram: a sort of dichotomy between the simple elements who washed the dishes, stitched clothes or greased cars, and who were there simply with their love for Mother, and the “leading” elements, who increasingly revealed their ambitious and therefore warped nature. Yet it was with that thick circle that Mother had to work almost daily, and that is what made her difficulty, if not suffocation. With Sujata, Mother agreed to receive in rotation a number of those young and simple elements – unfortunately, that new opening will soon be blocked by circumstances: a new serious turning point in Mother’s yoga, then other “impossibilities.”)

I have received quotations from Sri Aurobindo. Read this.

“To persevere in turning towards the Light is what is most demanded. The Light is nearer to us than we think...

This is interesting!

“...and at any time its hour may come.”

On Himself, 26.216

It’s from 1943.

What he called “the Light” is the Consciousness that came in... (Mother tries to remember), it came in 1969.

Oh, the New Consciousness.

OM Sri Aurobindo Mira

Open my mind, my heart, my life to your Light,

your Love, your Power. In all things may I see the

Divine.

16 July 1938

On Himself, 26.512 That’s good.

What do we do with all this?

The first could make a message for the November darshan?

For November, yes, that’s very good.

(Mother repeats) “The Light is closer to us...”

The other one could make a message for February?

I don’t much like my name in it.

What about putting “Ma” [Mother] instead of “Mira”?

But he put “Mira.”

I think you could put “Ma” instead of “Mira.”

No, I don’t much like to do things of that sort.

(Mother still breathes with difficulty)

The message should be put as it is; if, later, we change it into a mantra, then we can put “Ma.”

Should we put it as it is for February?

Yes. Either not put it, or put it as it is. To quote Sri Aurobindo, we must quote as it is. Then later on, we can make a mantra out of it.

(long silence)

What do you bring?

You look very absorbed, Mother?

You understand, when he uses this word [“Mira”], he refers to this body (Mother touches her body), that is to say, he identifies everything with the body.... And this process of change is being carried out, so the body doesn’t feel that it’s legitimately holding the... I don’t know how to say.... Or perhaps it’s concerned about its peace?110 I don’t know.

Maybe it will be ready in February? That’s possible.

(silence)

It has changed a lot, a lot.

Yes...

A lot. But it’s not over – far from it. So what should we do?

This [the mantra] is for when it [the body] has finished – when the work is finished. If we put the name [“Mira”], it means this body.

(silence)

It’s not that the body isn’t conscious, but it feels too clearly that it isn’t transformed. But it’s conscious. What you call “absorbed” is that it’s conscious of the work of transformation (Mother makes a gesture of churning).

How much time it will take, it doesn’t know. We’ll decide that in February.

As a message, at any rate, it should be left as it is.... It’s almost an obligation on me, you understand?111

Yes.

You understand what I mean.

(silence)

And the earth, do you find it more ready?

The earth? I don’t know. But in humanity, yes, some elements are touched. There are unexpected responses. And then (laughing, but that shouldn’t be said), there’s a sharp increase in the people regarded as mad; and they are certainly those who have received the first waves. I have seen one or two regarded by others as mad – they were touched, but the amount of transformation isn’t sufficient for them to keep their balance.

That’s better left unsaid!

110Mother means that she does not want to draw attention to herself or to her body by publishing the text of this mantra.

Ah, I know a lot of them. From every side people write to me.

(silence)

Do you have things to read me?

Last time, we spoke about that book.... Would you like me to read it?

Yes, I am listening.

It’s a first draft.

It’s not the beginning of the book?

Yes, yes, but I mean, all that I’ve written, I really feel as if I were writing automatically.

Oh!...

So you know, it’s really a... for me it’s something of an anguish to write this book. Not only I don’t know what’s going to come when I write a chapter, I don’t know what’s going to come when I write a paragraph, and when I start a sentence I don’t know how I am going to end it.

Oh! That’s interesting.

But I’m in anguish!

No! (Mother laughs) That’s a blissful condition!

I have dedicated the book “At the feet of the Truth.”

That’s good.

It’s entitled “On the Way to Supermanhood – Essay of Experimental Evolution.” For the introduction, I start with a quotation from Sri Aurobindo. That quotation is:

“Or we may find when all the rest has failed Hid in ourselves the key of perfect change.”

Where did he write this?

Oh, interesting.

(Satprem reads the introduction)

It’s magnificent, mon petit, magnificent!

It’s just the thing needed.

What could we do to spread it?... It should be... (gesture in every direction). A book isn’t enough. We need something that would go everywhere.

(Mother remains thoughtful)

And it’s complete. It’s the introduction, and it’s complete in itself. It should be translated, under your supervision, into English, German, Italian, and it should be published all at once in a newspaper... one of those widely circulated newspapers. But the translations should be ready and it should go like this (simultaneous gesture in every direction).

The translations, you can have them done here.

Do you have more?

I’ve written nine chapters in all.

Oh!... But this [introduction] stands on its own very well.

Every time, you will read me one chapter. We have time, since you haven’t finished, but this introduction is what must be spread (the book will be a study). It must go everywhere.

Who could translate it?

In English, I don’t know.... There’s T, who translated my first book.

T. can translate. In English, it’s easy.

In Italian, there’s N.

He is very busy, but I’ll ask him. Just the introduction. For the rest, we have time. It’s only the introduction that should be cast like that over the world.

What about the German?

A young man... (Mother does not find).

Only the introduction. And we should have thousands and thousands of copies.

We should reach the big magazines.

Yes. But I want it to come out everywhere at the same time – not one here, then six months pass by, and then... No: all of it at the same time.

(silence)