Chapter 9April 21, 1971

And in fact each time a new world opens up, there will perhaps be a new reversal of this kind. It’s as if our entire spiritual life were made of silver, whereas the supramental life is made of gold – as if our entire spiritual life here were a silvery vibration, not cold but simply a light, a light that goes right to the summit, an absolutely pure light – pure and intense – but in the other, in the supramental world, there is a richness and a power that makes all the difference. This whole spiritual life of the psychic being and of all our present consciousness, which seems so warm, so full, so wonderful, so luminous to the ordinary consciousness, well, all this splendor seems poor in comparison to the splendor of the new world.

I can explain the phenomenon like this: successive reversals will bring about such an EVER-NEW richness of creation from stage to stage, that it will make whatever came before seem very poor in comparison. What to us seems supremely rich compared to our ordinary life appears very poor when compared to this new reversal of consciousness.”

(Agenda I, November 15, 1958, pp. 236-237)

I’ve received some news from my friend in Paris who looked after “The Gold-Washer” and “The Adventure of Consciousness.” I mentioned “The Sannyasin” to him, or rather the difficulties of the “Sannyasin,” and also “Supermanhood.”

On the Way to Supermanhood is the important one.

My friend thinks the two should be presented as a unit.

But On the Way to Supermanhood is like this (gesture above) in relation to the Sannyasin.

They’re two very different kinds of book.

Oh, definitely!... Supermanhood is the important one for me.

We shouldn’t draw the attention to the other one and then....

No, what will happen is that they’ll probably take both or refuse both.

You think so?... They shouldn’t take the Sannyasin and leave the other one.

I can see to that. But I don’t think so, because “Supermanhood” is really much more accessible;

First they have to read them and see.

I don’t very much like the destiny of the two books being mixed together. You see, I had made a special formation [for “Supermanhood”], I had put a special force, but it was on that one.

I can call him, it’s quite easy.

It would be better to tell him.

I’ll write him. But I doubt there’s any kind of danger.

(Mother purses her lips skeptically) We’ll see.

But you know (this is an aside), the “Sannyasin” isn’t so low as that.

But I didn’t say it was “low.” It’s an entirely different kind of book.

Because basically, “Supermanhood” contains the essence of the “Sannyasin”; the whole of the “Sannyasin” is in “Supermanhood.” “Supermanhood” is simply concentrated and said with power, but everything is there in the “Sannyasin” as well.

(Mother nods her head)

The “Sannyasin” is the “story” of “Supermanhood.”

But that’s why, mon petit! That’s just it! I think men like the easier things.

But experience has shown that people don’t understand my story at all, while they will understand “Supermanhood.”

You think so?

Yes. They don’t understand my story. Four publishers have read it and all four have said that it was incomprehensible.

(Mother is reassured)

So I don’t think there’s any danger! [with a touch of bitterness].

Then it’s all right.

* * *