Chapter 6November 20, 1968

Several times, when the body was... simply disgusted at its pettiness, its incapacity, its ignorance, its stupidity... (laughing) the response was very fine: "Be quiet! It’s not you who do things." So the body wondered (laughing), "But then, what use am I?!" It said... I don’t know, I got the impression of the place where two currents are joined (you know, when you connect one current with another?), the impression that the body was like that, that was its use!... It had the sensation of being like one of these tools... (Mother points to the electric socket).

A socket.

(Mother laughs

silence)

That is to say, becoming conscious of its very existence instantly hampers the work. It ought... not to be aware that it exists.

In fact, that’s what makes it ill, that’s when it’s conscious of itself.

(silence)

Just today, I saw a German lady who worked for a while in N.’s dispensary. Naturally, she noticed he lacked everything he needed from a modern viewpoint; and for a reason I don’t know, she has to go back to Germany, but she wants to come back with the full equipment. And she asked to see me before leaving. I’d never seen her before. She came, I told her a few words about what she should do, then she didn’t want to leave anymore! She was sitting. So I simply did as I usually do, that is, the body... (I don’t know how to explain) seems to disappear, then the Lord (gesture of Descent) ...And then a thing which has happened, I don’t know, maybe hundreds of times: poff! she got up and... (laughing) did a "pranam" and left. Hundreds of times it’s happened! And you know... it’s a Supergoodness (I don’t know how to explain it to you), something so marvelously loving and good and... but it’s awesomely powerful! I think what terrifies them is the power. It happens all the time. The body goes like this (gesture of standing back or disappearing), and the Presence is there. And I simply look. But nine times out of ten, they take flight!

Some are used to it and are on the contrary very happy, but they aren’t many.

(Mother looks weary. Her face is swollen by a tooth abscess.)

Oh!... tell me, it’s interesting.

P.L. has sent photos of the man supposed to be doing magic. You know that he is an intimate

friend of the Pope’s, his private collaborator, and at the same time archbishop at the State Secretariat of the Holy See. Here’s his photo.

Oh, he wears such a big hat!

(Mother looks for a long time)

And what does V. say?114

He isn’t here at the moment.

Are archbishops dressed like this? What nationality is he?

He is from [such and such a country].

(Mother remains silent)

Brother A.115 has become close to the Consul and his wife... and with people he speaks ill of the Ashram. I don’t know why. These people, their whole mentality is based on "the end justifies the means." That’s what comes out of the photo.

(silence)

And we’ve heard that a whole Catholic school with chaplains is coming on a visit to the Ashram.... From where? I don’t know. From France, I believe.

But give these people all you can and they give you all the poison they can.

Yes.

And the best among them are like that.

They don’t simply come to see and learn: they come to discover all that they can criticize – and in the appearance, there’s no dearth of things to criticize!

(Mother goes into

a long meditation)

I think it will take a lot more time before all this changes.

114V. is the disciple who had a vision of a prelate repeating mantras.