Life and Teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother

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5. PARC-A-CHARBON, BANYAN TREE, GANESH TEMPLE

Mother had subtle vision, subtle hearing and all other subtle powers. Often when She saw a person She did not see his physical form. Instead She saw what he would be ten years later or in his next birth or what he was in a previous birth. Inanimate objects communicated with Her. The gods were in relation with Her.

One evening at 6 o’clock, She asked to see a certain sadhak. He was not available. She asked for someone else. He too was away on work. Then she asked for anyone available to come see her urgently. An elderly sadhak presented himself and offered to do any work that was required of him. She spoke to him saying, “The Banyan tree near the Matrimandir in Auroville is in pain. Just now the tree came to me and complained. Please rush to the spot and relieve the distress of the tree and report to me.”

Auroville is five miles away from the Ashram and the Matrimandir is at its centre. The Banyan tree is very old and has spread its roots all around. It is very close to the Matrimandir, standing between the foundation stone of Auroville, which contains the soil of all the world’s nations, and the Matrimandir. The Aurovillians all worked to build the Matrimandir, which was under construction, and their houses were around the Banyan tree. Since the tree is centrally located and people live close by and work there during the day, nothing can happen there which will escape the notice of the sadhaks. The elderly sadhak rushed to the Banyan tree, wondering what it could all be about. It was already dark. There were no lights around the tree. He was an old man who could not climb up the tree. What was he to look for? What kind of distress could a tree feel? If it were anything that could be seen by people, it would have already been noticed. If it was something subtle or something on top of the tree, what could this old man do there in the dark? Soon he reached the spot. At the foot of the tree, a worker had fixed his axe. When workers want to keep their hatchets or axes, they have the habit of hitting a tree trunk with the sharp edge to lodge the instrument there. Someone, as was his wont, had fixed his axe in the foot of this tree. The moment the sadhak saw the axe fixed into the tree, it became clear to him. He quickly removed the axe, searched for the owner and while giving the instrument back to him, instructed him not to do that anymore. He returned to the Ashram at once with joy and reported to Mother. When he told her at what time he had removed the axe, She replied that exactly at that moment She had felt the relief of the tree.

One day some years ago She called a trustee of the Ashram and said She wanted to give a small piece of land from the backyard of one of her buildings to a Pillaiyar (Ganesh) temple which was adjacent to the building. The trustee explained to Her that for some months the trustees of the temple had been wanting some space. It was a small temple situated in the midst of residential buildings. During the days of the French rule, the temple was dilapidated and very few visited it. Legend says that some Frenchman was annoyed at the superstitions of the Indians and one day took it into his head that he must save these ignorant Indians from superstitious worship. He removed the idol of Vinayagar (Ganesh) and drowned it in the sea. The next morning there was a sensation in the temple area and a crowd gathered. People were outraged at the improper high-handed behaviour of the Frenchman but were helpless to prevent him. The following day they gathered in a large number and found the Vinayagar idol back in the temple intact, as if nothing had happened. After this incident the temple became very popular and streams of worshippers began visiting there. Now it was time to renovate the place. Because of a lack of space in front of the temple, the authorities had built a mandapam across the road with the traffic passing underneath. They needed some more space for devotees to do pradakshina around the temple. It is for this purpose the authorities of the temple tried to acquire more space on any one side of the temple. Being a residential place, their attempts had met with failure everywhere. Their attempts with the Ashram had also met with no success.

Mother listened to the explanations about the temple with interest. She said the previous night, while she was in meditation, Ganesh had come to her and said he needed some space from her building. She said she had decided to give the space and passed orders to that effect.

About 50 years ago Selvaraj Chettiar was the Mayor of Pondicherry. He was an import merchant. As a mayor he was very influential in France and with the French Government. He had a coal godown right on the beach. Sea waves lashed against the compound wall and washed it away. He re-erected the wall a few times, but each time it was washed away. The Mayor consulted the French engineers, who were the leading marine engineers in the world. French engineers had built the Suez Canal. As he was influential and wealthy, he availed of the best consultation from the leading engineers and with their advice put up the compound wall again. But again it was washed away. It became clear that the sea erosion could no longer be contained. The godown was very big and was a very valuable property in those days. This work was the talk of the town, and there was no question of its being a secret. The Mayor decided to sell the property as early as possible. No buyer showed up and things came to a standstill. It was clear that the longer the sale was delayed, the worse it would be for the seller.

The Mayor sent word to Mother asking whether She was interested in buying the godown. Her sadhaks all knew what had happened, but as a duty reported the request of the Mayor to Mother. She had no idea of what had gone on. The sadhaks told her the entire story of the Mayor’s failure. No one wanted the property to be bought but it was not for them to give such suggestions to Mother. Having given the offer and answered her questions on the history of the earlier attempts to put up a wall, they awaited Her decision. After some consideration, Mother asked them to buy the property. Everyone who heard her decision was dismayed and certain that in a few years the entire godown would be washed away. But every sadhak also had faith in Mother. So they went happily and bought the godown.

After the purchase was over, they asked for her guidance. She asked them to build a compound wall. They did, but it was washed away. They repeated this a few times, and each time it was washed away. Finally they reported the results to Mother. She asked them to stop the work and She would come to visit the place. One evening she went to the site and sat for a while on a chair. She asked the sadhaks to re-erect the wall. The next day the wall was put up. Today it is still there.

She explained later that on the day She came to the spot, the sea god came to her and announced his decision to enter into that area. Mother told the sea god that she wanted the place for herself and he must not come in. Mother said that these beings always used to obey her. But the sea god started a discussion and Mother had to stay there a while. She explained to him that she had important work in the Ashram and in that place, so he must not come there. At last, She said, he agreed.

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6. THE MOTHER AND THE ASHRAM

The Mother joined Sri Aurobindo in the hope she could work for divinisation of life on earth. Sri Aurobindo Ashram was founded by her in 1926 for this purpose. The occasion for founding the Ashram was the retirement of Sri Aurobindo on November 24, 1926, when his yoga moved into the final stages of realisation.

The aim of Integral Yoga is not moksha, release of the soul from the body, but the conversion of human life into a Life Divine. When She founded the Ashram, devotees and disciples began to gather around Her. Though She threw the door of the Ashram open to everyone, irrespective of position, creed, religion, sex, or nationality, She made a very careful selection in matters of admission. Decades later She disclosed that everyone in the Ashram had been with her and Sri Aurobindo in their previous births, working for the same ideal. She indicated that Sri Aurobindo had been Napoleon and Leonardo da Vinci in previous births and was Krishna, too. Among the disciples She once said there were people who were rishis and emperors in their previous births. She described Sri Aurobindo Ashram as the cradle of the new civilisation composed of the new race of supermen. It was an experiment to evolve the Superman from humanity, and for this purpose man had to conquer his human nature. The civilised man conquers his behaviour while his inner feelings remain the same. The cultured man changes his inner feelings and character, too. But even in him his consciousness remains the same as the animals from which he evolved. Especially his subconscious is the untamed brute. To convert human life into a divine life, it is not enough to change the behaviour or character. It is also essential to change this basic animal consciousness into a higher consciousness. This, She calls transformation. It is not given to man to bring about this change. Only the Divine can do this miracle. All that is asked of man is a total surrender of all that he is.

Mother once said that until the number in the Ashram grew beyond 150, she guided and controlled every inner and outer movement of each sadhak. In other words, She herself took charge of their sadhana and guided them. It is said that a rishi or a yogi could bless, at a time, one person seeking his grace. The greatest known rishi is said to be capable of blessing seven persons at a time. In her public Darshans Mother used to emanate the vibrations of her Grace, meant individually for everyone, to all the three thousand devotees gathered. That is why no one, not even her permanent attendants, would miss this public Darshan.

She said she held herself responsible for everyone She had seen even for a minute. She is the Mother, not only to human beings but to all life on earth. Trees in her garden used to complain to her, if they were not watered. Animals under her care have always sent their silent messages to her. The sea god himself listened to her and obeyed her commands. She is the Mother of all life on earth, and she showered her love and blessings and Grace on all. She does the sadhana in all, too. She loved India and said India would be the Guru of the world. When the French settlements merged with India, She sought Indian citizenship and secured it. She felt France and India have a common destiny. The ideal of the Ashram was extended in founding Auroville, where the yogic experiment was extended to a wider cross-section of people.

The whole world is her Ashram, as she sought to kindle the light in the heart of every living being. On the evening of November 17, 1973, a sadhak saw a huge light breaking into a million sparks and shooting to all sides of the earth. Finally each spark lodged itself in the heart of a person. He couldn’t understand the meaning. Next morning he heard from All India Radio that Mother had attained Mahasamadhi. She loved all of humanity and lives in its heart.

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7. SAMADHI DARSHAN

We go to temples on auspicious days like Fridays or during festivals. Many visit temples on their “janma Nakshatra” to conduct an archana. When we go there, we carry coconuts, camphor, flowers, etc., known as the articles of archana. We pay a dakshina to the priest to recite our name, nakshatra, and conduct an archana in our name. Normally we visit the temple during the daily puja, after which the priest distributes prasad and thirtam. All this we know, as it is our tradition. We hear of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, their Ashram, their Samadhi and conceive of going there, impelled by faith and bhakti in these avatara purushas. One does not know what to take with him or what to expect there or what to do. When he finally gets to the Ashram, he finds no deity, no puja or prasad, and has no way of conducting an archana in his name. He finds a Samadhi covered with flowers and a meditation hall with a bed at one end. It has the touch of Chidambar Rahasyam. This vast difference is there simply because temples are created to organise religious worship for the masses, whereas the Ashram was founded for the spiritual realisation of the soul. Religion carries with it the deity, puja, worship, archana etc., whereas spiritual realisation is by the opening of the human soul to the Divine reality. The Ashram does the latter.

“Gopura darsanam papa vimochanam” (“The sight of the temple tower will deliver you from sin”) is the old adage. A visit to the samadhi gives the individual the opportunity to open his soul to the Supreme. Mother has said that the Samadhi is a place of realisation. A young unmarried girl during her first visit to the Ashram was part of a group going to Sri Aurobindo’s Room. As the room would be open only at 11:45 a.m. and there were fifteen minutes more, she sat at the Samadhi and simply became lost within. The party became concerned after it passed 11:50, but still she did not open her eyes. As it was not proper to disturb someone lost in meditation, nothing could be done. The silent calls of the party finally made her open her eyes, and she got up. She explained, “I was lost in ecstasy and had no desire to open my eyes. As you called out my name I awoke and came away.” Indeed, no one had called her name. She ‘heard’ the calls of the party. She heard like that because she was at the Samadhi. That is the power of the Samadhi.

If you plan to visit the Ashram, it is best to make it an exclusive visit to the Ashram, so that the heart will be focussed on it. A simple, pure, silent aspiration qualifies a person to wish for a visit. The two articles that are taken to the Samadhi are flowers and incense.

As the Presence of Sri Aurobindo extends to seven miles from the Ashram, one can feel the spiritual peace before reaching Pondicherry, as Nehru felt it and as an American devotee felt in the plane even when he crossed over Indian soil. On reaching the Ashram one can visit the Samadhi in which the bodies of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo are interred and also visit the meditation hall.

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8. MOTHER’S LIFE IN THE ASHRAM

Mother says that, when Sri Aurobindo was there, he took charge of her yoga, and she looked after his needs and the Ashram management. She adds that in those thirty years she was able to manage the affairs of the Ashram without the least trouble.

In 1920, the ‘Ashram’ was a dozen disciples around Sri Aurobindo. One who was there at that time says, “The first thing Mother taught us was how to keep our books and things in a proper order. In those days we had no shelves and kept the books on the floor.” This shows the magnitude of the work she had to do, especially when she had to start with the merest physical details. It was she who did the cooking and the serving too! Those were the days before the Ashram was officially formed, and there were only a few houses in which the disciples lived. Only in 1926 when Sri Aurobindo retired into silence did the Ashram come into official existence, and Mother took charge of the disciples’ sadhana along with the material-physical management of daily affairs.

In those days the present rule that disciples should wake up at 3 a.m. was introduced. Each had his own round of activities woven around the schedule Mother had given. Mother used to appear at the Ashram balcony at the rear of the Ashram building at 6:15 a.m. All the disciples would gather on the road to receive her blessings. She used to stand there, meditating, invoking Grace on the day’s activities. She would silently give each sadhak a special help for the daily work. This came to be known as the Balcony Darshan, which she continued till 1962 when she retired into her own room where she stayed until 1973.

Whenever work demanded, she even undertook journeys to Cuddalore and Chidambaram or places around Pondicherry itself. I remember Alampoondi Bashyam Reddiar narrating the visit of Mother to his house at Cuddalore in the 30s. He was coming to her till his old age and met her on his birthday a few days before his death. She once visited a timber shop at Cuddalore to buy rosewood and teakwood for making new furniture for Sri Aurobindo. Generally in the afternoon She undertook those visits.

She spent the forenoon in meeting all the sadhaks once again, receiving the heads of departments to whom she allotted work, and receiving those sadhaks whose birthday fell on that day. The Ashram later developed over 50 departments of activity, but all of them grew gradually. She met each department head periodically to discuss the work. Some of them, such as the manager of the Ashram, secretary, and cashier, met Mother everyday. As the Ashram later came to own 100 buildings and to rent about 300 more, as well as owning a press, a workshop, a woodworking unit, a cement casting factory, 2,000 acres of land, several guest houses, an international school, a book shop, photo studios, sports ground, restaurants, etc., the daily load of work for Mother was considerable.

Mother considers the birthday of a sadhak as a special occasion. She says during that day and around that day his capacity to receive the Divine Blessings is greatest. Therefore, birthdays are special occasions in the Ashram. Each sadhak would meet Mother with a bouquet of flowers on his birthday. She would bless him with flowers, a birthday card on which she wrote her blessings and signature, and any special gift, such as a book that she wanted to present to him. Sadhaks cherished their birthdays and Mother’s blessings to them on that day.

In the evening Mother would go to the tennis ground to play tennis for a while. Until she was 80, she was playing tennis. After this exercise, she would go to the playground, where the sadhaks do their physical exercise. At the end of those activities, the sadhaks used to file past Mother, receiving Her blessings once again. She conducted meditations in the playground on Wednesdays and Saturdays. She started classes on yoga for children on those days. Of course, every sadhak joined the classes for children, as all are truly her children.

On every first of the month sadhaks used to receive their personal requirements such as paper, pencils, ink, soap, toothpaste, etc. Mother distributed these items herself. Those days came to be called ‘prosperity days’ in the Ashram. She would distribute clothes to the sadhaks on a Sunday preceding each of the four Darshan days. As sarees were given to the ladies and napkins to men, these came to be called ‘saree distribution’ days.

The four Darshan days were February 21st, Mother’s birthday; April 24th, Mother’s final arrival day at Pondicherry; August 15th, Sri Aurobindo’s birthday; and November 24th, Sri Aurobindo’s siddhi day. During the days of Sri Aurobindo, Darshan on these days meant Darshan of both Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Outside his room where he did his yoga sadhana for 24 years, they sat together on a sofa in a small room. The queue of sadhaks and visitors filed past through his room and came for Darshan one by one. The disciples that were with Sri Aurobindo would explain who the next person approaching was—his name, age, and any special detail—before the person came in front of them. The disciples came before them and made pranams. Sri Aurobindo would put his hand on the head of the disciple and bless him. All that took one or two minutes for each person. It was a solemn occasion and a new birth for many.

Mouni Sadhu, a member of Ramanashram, once came to a Darshan. Before coming in front of Mother and Sri Aurobindo, he had to pass through Sri Aurobindo’s room. On entering the room, he said, his mind went blank and silent. Even if he had wanted to talk, he said, he could not have done so.

Once an American wrote to Sri Aurobindo asking for an interview. He was asked to come on a Darshan day. On seeing the line and learning that he would have only one minute with Sri Aurobindo, he said to a nearby sadhak in a tone of disappointment, “I have come from 12,000 miles away, can I not be given some time to meet him?” When he had his Darshan of a minute and came downstairs, the same sadhak went to him and found him filled with peace, silence and richness. The American had apparently lost his speech and was so full inside that he could barely talk. The sadhak asked him, “Was it too short?” He replied, “The one minute was too much.” Such was the spiritual power Sri Aurobindo transmitted in a minute.

After He left his body, She alone sat on a single seat at the opposite end of the same veranda and blessed the sadhaks and disciples on the same four days. Apart from that, she gave Darshan to the sadhaks on January 6th every year. She also gave Darshan on days dedicated to Maheswari, Mahalaxmi, Mahakali, and Mahasaraswati, and on Deepavali. On December 5th, when Sri Aurobindo attained Mahasamadhi, and December 9th, when his body was laid in the Samadhi, she also gave Darshan. Christmas was another Darshan day when Mother used to sit under a big illuminated Christmas tree and distribute several presents to the children. On that day she gave cakes and gifts to the elders too.

New Year day has always been the merriest day at the Ashram. Mother herself used to distribute calendars to the sadhaks. It was the prosperity day of the year at the Ashram. Calendars always carried her picture with a special message from her chosen for the occasion. Until 1962 she carried on all these activities personally. From 1962 until 1973, she continued most of them from her room. In 1973 on November 17th she attained Mahasamadhi.

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9. COCONUT GARDEN

One day on my way to Pondicherry I reached the bus stand where I happened to see a friend standing with another man. I stopped for a moment and enquired why he was waiting near the bus stand, more to make conversation than to elicit any information. My friend introduced the other man and said they were on their way to the Ashram. I happily invited them to join me. The other man tried to be very friendly and started a conversation. He said it would be his first visit to the Ashram. In reply I said it would be good if he remembered this date one year later and took stock of his position, as anyone who came to Mother would not remain in the same position after a year.

After about a year these two people called on me at my house. I was very happy to see them. The man explained that it was the same day the previous year we had met and reminded me of my earlier statement. He said he had a shop, a good extent of lands, a business in Singapore, a coconut garden and some shares in a few other businesses. He was happy and said that my statement the previous year about Mother’s devotees not remaining in the same station of life for more than a year was true. He summarised his position saying, “Every establishment of mine is doing twice as well. Now I see the truth of what you said. Only in the coconut garden it doesn’t work.”

His coconut garden was situated at the junction of three rural roads and surrounded by paddy fields. As it was a one acre garden, it was not economical to employ a full-time watchman to live there day and night. As long as his father was alive, things were different. Coconut harvests were regular and plentiful. Since his father’s death a few years before, he had expanded his activities to more than one field, and there was no one who could fill the place left vacant by his father. Since then, he had not had a single harvest of nuts, as all the nuts were stolen. He started harvesting them as tender coconuts with a view to salvaging as much as he could. I explained to him that apart from his father’s prestige it must be true that now attention to the coconut garden must be less. He agreed. He was in a difficult situation. He could neither appoint a full-time watchman with his family living in the garden, nor was it possible to prevent pilferage in view of its location. As the pilferage now reached 100% of the harvest, apart from the loss, it was not nice to have one’s produce stolen like that month after month. There was no advice I could offer him in terms of farm management, as he seemed to be more experienced in these matters than I.

Besides all this, I said, trees love attention. Now his attention was diverted to many other establishments. The thieves were constantly thinking of the trees and nuts. Therefore the coconut plants responded to their ‘attention’ by yielding their nuts to these rogues. I asked him to pay a visit to the garden at least once a week for an hour and evince keen interest in their upkeep. Also I suggested that he should remember the garden as often as possible wherever he was. If he could do both these things and pray to Mother that the pilferage should stop, it would be good, I said. About a month later he came to me bringing some coconuts. He said that it was the very first harvest after many years. The theft had stopped suddenly and mysteriously. One day after he had started the prayer, two men came to him and requested an appointment in his fields. They were apologetic. He could not understand their behaviour until they disclosed the full story. They had been part of a gang of four that was stealing his coconuts month after month. Recently their chief had suffered an electric shock, while climbing an electric post, and his fingers were so mutilated that he could not climb coconut trees anymore. Another one of them was caught by his own villagers and beaten for being a shame to the hamlet. They threatened to hand him over to the police, if he resorted to stealing anymore. Now that the gang had broken up, the other two, being camp followers, were on the lookout for jobs.

The story made me happy. I said Mother is great and Her ways are infinite. Also, I added, his remembrance of the garden and weekly visits were a more powerful medium for Mother’s Grace as it was the attention of an owner and hence superior in quality to the ‘attention’ of vile men.

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10. PH.D. THESIS

He is a scientist devoted to his subject. He used to glue himself to his microscope, often until 10 p.m. His profession was teaching in a college. He was not only respected by his students but loved for his sweet, soft manners and devotion to his pupils. No strike, however universal, would prevent him from taking his classes. He was a devoted scholar, devoted to his subject, his students and his professors. After his M.Sc. he did his Ph.D. The Principal of the College was his professor and guide. As ill luck would have it, this man who was universally loved and respected, who identified himself with his duty and fixed himself at his post of duty, who was soft spoken, had for some inexplicable reason fallen out of favour with his Principal, who was also his guide. His course in Ph.D. was a shining success. His expertise was in grapes, jasmine and tomato culture. His thesis came out very well. Even before the thesis was out, his findings were recognised outside.

His guide was more of an administrator than a scientist. When a thesis was written by a research worker, it was necessary that the guide certify it as a bonafide work done under his guidance before the thesis could be submitted to the university for evaluation. This guide, for reasons best known to him, refused to certify this thesis as bonafide. The scholar was dismayed. The entire campus felt outraged. Such a treatment to such a devoted scientist over so valuable a research work! Soon the Principal left the college for a higher job in the Central Government with his office in North India. The statutory rules allow that any thesis may be submitted within four years, though the work is only for two years. If a thesis is not submitted within that four years, the whole work gets cancelled and procedure requires that the scholar must start over again from scratch. For this scholar, the expiry date was only a few weeks away. As he had already given up all hopes, his disappointment was less keen. His friend brought this incidence to my notice at that moment and asked whether a way out was possible. A way out was possible, I said, if the scholar agreed to pray to Mother.

A few weeks later a stranger called on me. He introduced himself as one sent by a friend of mine. I recognised the circumstances. I invited him in and asked where he was coming from. Slowly he warmed up and said he was coming from the Ashram, where he had an occasion to sit in meditation in the Room in which Sri Aurobindo had been in tapas for 24 years. After a while when we felt a little more comfortable and friendly towards each other, he explained as follows.

“Your friend returned from the Ashram and spoke to me about my thesis and asked me whether I would pray to Mother. I know nothing about Mother, but I have often heard from him that She is Divine. I had no difficulty in accepting the idea of prayer, but there was a great practical difficulty. The last date for submission of the thesis was just two days away. I had no idea where my guide was. As a last resort I left for the university office the next day, having hurriedly collected all the relevant papers, certificates and documents in one day. There I met the Registrar and told him my position. It was the very last day, 10 o’clock in the morning. The Registrar took a great interest in my case, appreciated my difficulty and was willing to offer any help, but he said it was totally invalid without the signature of my guide. I told him frankly that my guide refused to sign it and I did not know where he was at that moment. The Registrar agreed to receive the thesis as submitted on that day but also offered a suggestion. He told me that my guide was in the city on that day and I could try my luck in obtaining his signature. I hesitated. He explained that my guide was leaving for America that afternoon to receive an honorary degree and, perhaps, in such a mood he might agree to sign. With a heart filled with anxiety I went to his house. To my surprise, the guide was outside and received me with a big smile. My greater surprise was when he asked me about my thesis and offered to certify it. With a relief felt all over my body I held out my thesis. He readily signed and said he was taking the 2 p.m. flight that day and it was nice I could come in time. From there I went to the Ashram with a sense of wonder still hovering around me. That was my first visit. I offered my gratitude to Mother, about whom I yet do not know much. Straight away I am coming here.”

He was really a very soft-spoken man and very cultured in his ways. Since then he has presided over international conferences and has risen to the highest position in the university in his own subject. Just now there are six professors working under him.

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11. INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION

He was an industrialist who had made his money in foreign countries and returned to India. He decided to start the same industry here in India as he had acquired an expertise in that field. Around the time he was supposed to found the factory, he was introduced to me when he needed help in digging his first borewell. The man was grateful for the initial help he received and expressed it appropriately whenever the occasion permitted. He personally came to me to extend an invitation to the foundation stone laying ceremony for his factory. At the function, when I found out that outside his family he had invited only six people, all placed very high in the society, I was touched by the man’s attitude.

He was over sixty but was in perfect health. The money he had earned, several crores, seemed to weigh him down. Occasionally we used to meet in a friend’s house, at a function or even on the road. He evinced interest in visiting my projects and knowing the details about them. During these meetings, he told me how he became Mother’s devotee and some related incidents that reinforced his faith in The Mother.

As he had made his money outside India, all his wealth was in foreign exchange. When he started the factory here, he bought all his costly machinery outside India and imported it. On the day the machinery arrived in India, he and his son were at the port filled with enthusiasm and excitement. When the machinery was being shifted from the ship to the wharf, something went wrong with the crane. Suddenly his machines started moving down over the water, instead of up. The machines were worth several lakhs of rupees. The father and son were shocked. The dazed engineers in charge of the operation stood there helplessly. The machines were slowly slipping down towards the water and in another few moments would disappear beneath the surface. What a loss! He said, “I was in tears. My son stood there with his kerchief over his mouth unable to control his grief and fear. My head was dizzy. I could not even shout out. My world seemed to have come to an end. What a beginning for the company! With greatest difficulty I steadied myself, thought of Mother and sent Her the calls of a heart that would burst at any moment. Then a miracle happened. The ropes of the crane that were moving down suddenly stopped. Hope showed in the engineer’s face. Their alert action was able to save the situation. After the safe retrieval of the machinery, the engineers disclosed that the cranes were not meant to lift such a weight and they had taken a risk. My son and I heaved a sigh of relief when the machinery was brought onto the wharf. I have since told this story of Mother’s Grace to several people.” He had told me this already three times, so vivid was the impression on his mind.

One day he came to see me. He was friendly and nice. He did not seem to have anything particular in mind. He said he had read our Society’s monthly letter and found it interesting. Obviously he had something on his mind to consult. After a little while, he said, “I am over sixty, but doctors find all aspects of my health are all right. From any point of view of life—health, food, nourishment, rest—I have everything I need. But there is an overpowering tiredness coming on me in waves. I feel exhausted all the time. Doctors are of no help. I have been in this condition for some years now. Can you suggest anything to overcome this lack of energy?”

I asked him to meet me the next day with a good quantity of Chrysanthemum flowers. The next day he arrived with the flowers. Mother calls this flower Life Energy. Devotees have a certain receptivity and openness to Mother. Devotees are not sadhaks who relate to Mother intensely through concentration, as yoga is not their primary aim. Devotees think of Mother when they do their puja, after which they lose themselves in daily work. This man is an industrialist who is buried in his work. He would naturally think of Mother during his pujas or when something goes wrong. I could not advise him to constantly think of Mother, except during times of crisis. Flowers are a receptive medium and help the devotee to better relate to Mother. We can ask Mother for energy, peace or anything, and can receive it in the measure of our receptivity. I explained to him briefly the meaning of flowers and this flower in particular. I advised him to offer this flower to Mother’s photo at home in the morning, let it remain there for some time and be charged with Her energy. In the evening when he prays, he could hold the flowers and pray for energy from Mother. I told him he could pray like this for a week and then we would see. He came two days later and said, “Three fourths of my exhaustion has already left. I have already started my evening walk. I feel a lot better. Now I would like to consult you on another problem that has bothered me for 20 years. It is an unknown fear that powerfully churns my stomach.”

He was anxious to explain all about it, but I discouraged him from explaining the details. As Mother has given the name courage to the Calotropis flower, I said he could use it in the prayer as he had done with the Chrysanthemum flower.

The following week, he sent word that he did not want to bother me this time but wanted to meet the American sadhak who had written in our monthly letter about Mother's principles in running a business. They met and had a discussion. It seemed that this man’s factory had started only a few years before and had become a great success, but it had some serious trouble getting raw material a year before. As Mother was alive then, he sent word to Her about his raw material difficulty. The difficulty vanished, not only for him but for the entire industry. Later that raw material was produced in such abundance that a little of it was exported, too. Now his company had earned a good name all over India. His company’s name was a household word in many parts of India already. This very positive development encouraged him to expand the factory two-fold. The board approved of the expansion plan and money was there. He ordered the machinery from abroad. All the other connected plans were well drawn up. Everyone in the management was jubilant over the turn of events. But news came that serious labour trouble was brewing. He managed to secure every detail connected with the plans of the labourers. He was alarmed, but he was happy that he had got wind of this trouble before it expanded. The character of the trouble was such that he almost seriously considered dropping the expansion plan for Rs.2.5 crores. As a last resort, he said he thought of consulting the American sadhak whose article on Business Management was recently published. He invited the American to come to his place and address his officers.

My American friend went there the next day. All the officers of the company were assembled in the hall. My friend spoke to them in great detail about the principles of Mother in running a business. At the end of the meeting everyone felt somewhat encouraged. Before my friend left the factory, the industrialist asked whether he could come again on another day to speak to the officers. My friend explained to me that, although everyone listened with interest, they had no idea of how to go about warding off a labour situation which had not yet precipitated. My friend suggested that both of us could visit the factory the next time. I agreed.

This time I spoke to the same officers again, but I could see that they wanted a practical clue. Seeing this, I explained, “You are planning for the welfare of the company but find the labour attitude a hindrance and a threat. In such circumstances Mother suggests that if you work for the welfare of the labourers, this trouble you anticipate must disappear.” Having said that, I asked them to fill in a questionnaire that would give all the details of the labourers families, viz. number of members, property holding, lands owned, other income, diseases suffered, recreation practiced, etc., so that on seeing the details, the company could draw up a serious welfare plan for the labourers in their own homesteads to make their lives richer and better. Before winding up I repeated, “You must truly wish for the welfare of the workers. If that wish is true, right results will issue. The key lies in the truth of your wish. The rest is a matter of procedure.”

The industrialist disappeared and I didn’t meet him for over a year. One day I happened to meet him in an Ashram function. He came to me eagerly and inquired about my work, family, project and friends. I asked him about the expansion. He said, “Oh, you don’t know. I have finished the expansion and the new wing will be commissioned in a few weeks.” He neither explained to me about the labourers, nor did I ask him about it.

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12. M.A. IN ENGLISH LITERATURE

One evening when I was sitting upstairs reading, I saw a group of Ashramites coming to my house in a jeep. Soon my friend brought upstairs a letter from USA which was delivered to me from the Ashram post office. The Ashramites, who expected an important information from the USA, wanted to know whether my letter contained it. It was a personal letter written by an ex-colleague now in New York. The letter that disappointed the Ashramites contained a surprise for me. This friend and I had been colleagues at a high school for many years. Later, each of us had followed a different line in life. Now, after more than six years, he was writing from New York. Surely it was a surprise to me.

He and I were teachers in a high school. He was very popular among the students and more popular with the teachers. Everyone considered him a perfect gentleman. He was amiable, a conscientious teacher, a pleasant companion and never rubbed anyone on the wrong side. He came from an ardent Catholic family and was well versed in the Church doctrines. He was one of those who spent a good deal of time with me. He was particularly interested in knowing what attracted me to the Ashram. When he knew Mother’s original name, he was delighted, as it was a Catholic name. He would ask me about Mother, Ashram, their practices, beliefs, etc. and compare them with the practices in their church. Over the years I have communicated to him the basic tenets of Mother’s life. Each time an important issue came up in the school, he would ask me how Mother would act in such a situation. Once, when someone mooted the idea of starting a college in that town, the question of funds arose. This friend at once asked me Mother’s view on collecting money for public service. I explained that Mother had said if the service was genuine, money would gravitate to the service. For the Ashram She never collected funds but accepted only what was brought to Her unasked. This made a great impression on him and he commented, “It requires a great ideal to attract money. This view is really marvelous.”

Once he disclosed to me that he had chronic diarrhea and was able to digest nothing but milk. And he said he had had it for several years. As he was a native of Madras, he had consulted many doctors there in vain. He wanted to know whether I had any thoughts about his ailment. I gave my idea that he had a deep insecurity about his job and his future in life. The illness was only an outer symptom. He agreed that he had a deep insecurity, but did not agree that the illness was its result. After a year, an old classmate of his who had gone to London for medical studies returned and set up practice. My friend wanted to examine his illness afresh through the help of this doctor friend. As this friend was an ENT specialist, he could not do it himself, but introduced my friend to the leading doctors of the locality. The diagnosis of six of them was unanimous that the patient had T.B. and the diarrhea was the symptom. X-rays were taken and the diagnosis was confirmed.

He prepared to leave for Tambaram Sanatorium where he had relatives as doctors, so that he could get personal attention. The whole school was immersed in gloom. Personally I knew that no harm would come to him for the simple reason that he had listened to me about Mother so often. I knew Her protective power extends to all who come into contact with Her directly or indirectly. When he came to take leave of me, I said, “All the doctors have made a mistake, as they all go by the disease symptom and simply overlook the fact that your health is in fine fettle. It may be true that T.B. is indicated by diarrhea, but it is also true that diarrhea has many other causes.” He asked me how he could take my words to be true against the unanimous opinion of six doctors. Then he left for Tambaram. In three days he returned full of smiles and announced that at Tambaram they found out he did not have T.B. Everyone was happy. When he saw that the result at Tambaram confirmed my opinion, he began evincing greater interest in my way of understanding.

Personally I knew he had no real disease. Not only that, but a great opportunity was possible for him. Though he was conscientious, popular and amiable, he had neither much talent nor ideals. He was an ordinary man, but a good man, who believed in his religion. The very fact that he constantly asked about Mother and discussed Her ways of life and admired certain aspects of it brought a new force into his life. Therefore, a new high opportunity was possible. As he was not a direct devotee of Mother, this force lay there unused. When I saw that he was threatened by a chronic disease at a time when he should be rising higher, I decided to speak to him a little more freely. I knew that he could move up in life and forget once and for all disease, disappointment, etc. What was needed to accomplish this was an effort on his part in the positive direction. After some deep consideration of the matter, I recalled he had an excellent endowment for understanding human nature. If only this capacity could be utilised, his life could rise higher. This capacity is a valuable asset to students of literature. So, I suggested to him that he join M.A. English literature and that way his fears about T.B., the reality of diarrhea would vanish. The effort of the individual is necessary in such cases for Mother’s dormant force to act. He dismissed my suggestion summarily, and we continued in the school as colleagues, he with his chronic diarrhea.

That summer he visited his home. Life took a different turn. For what reasons he could not imagine, his father asked him to join M.A. Literature. He could not agree to the idea, but he had never disobeyed his father’s wishes. A Vice-Chancellor was a good friend of his sister’s husband, who was a high-ranking army officer. His father disclosed that the Vice-Chancellor had already agreed to give him a seat in M.A. Half with fright and half with hesitation, he went to the university, submitted the application and was called by the professor of English for an interview. The professor took one look at the certificate and was in a fury, as he had secured only the minimum marks for pass in English in B.A. in a second attempt. His intermediate certificate showed that he had failed in English once. The professor was red in the face. He burst out, “You can never pass M.A. English in this lifetime!” He was shivering with fear and begged the professor to return his certificates, so that he could return to school.

As the candidate was highly connected, the professor could not but admit him. He joined M.A., but was mortally afraid of his professor. But there was some deep satisfaction in joining a higher course. The day he joined M.A. his diarrhea totally disappeared, never to return.

A week later he visited our school and met his old friends. To me he confided his mortal fear of the professor’s anger. I replied that he would be liked by the professor when his buried talents came out. In six months he became very popular with all the M.A. students, as well as his teachers, and became the favourite of the professor, who started sending M.A. students to him for help in the subject and clarification of doubts. Life had turned a full round. Disease was gone. Fear was gone. He was respected for his knowledge, goodness and, above all, his latent endowment. He passed M.A. and became a teacher in a college. From there he joined the staff of his own university, where he was considered by students and teachers as an authority on the subject. Another university that was reorganising its English department sent a special invitation to him for a higher job in the teaching hierarchy.

After he left his own university, I lost contact with him, and at least six years had passed. It was at this point that I received a letter from New York. He said in the letter, “I came to New York a few years ago and am employed as an editor of an accounting journal. As a part-time student I have joined Ph.D. (English) in New York State University and have finished the course. I am awaiting the degree.”

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13. RISHYASRINGAR

It was a rainy morning in November. As I went to bed after twelve in the night, I was still asleep. There was a steady downpour of rain outside. Robert came up to my bed and urged me to come down saying, “There is water all around our house. Water has entered the neighbouring houses. They have come over to our house for safety. Come quickly. We have to decide what to do.” I went downstairs and looked outside. Our house was at the far end of a new colony and, as usual, the roads were not yet laid. There was a sea of water everywhere. Inside the other two adjacent houses, already there was one or two feet of water. The colony was close to the main drainage canal of the town. The canal’s banks were overflowing, and the watermark was more than a foot above the bank. By then the entire colony had vacated their houses and shifted to a raised place two streets beyond. Rescue teams had come with men, ropes, vans, etc. helping people to evacuate. The water level was just about to reach my doorstep. I could see men wading through hip-deep water at a distance and deeper still just outside my house. The rescue team announced that a lake had breached and it would be dangerous for us not to vacate. We contacted the Collector’s office and police headquarters to find out the truth. We were informed that no lake’s bunds were broken, rather the rainfall had been 14 inches that night and, hence, the heavy flooding of all low-lying areas. I was relieved to know the facts and decided against vacating the house. We moved upstairs.

Robert had returned from America only two days earlier. I joked with him saying, “You have brought with you heavy rains. Mother calls rain Grace. You carry Her Grace and that is why this downpour. You are like Rishyasringar of our Puranas.” On his request I told him the story of Rishyasringar. He was interested and intrigued. He said that wherever he went there used to be rain, even in off-seasons, and he used to consider it a bother. He said that I put a positive construction on this aspect of his life, which, he said, might be true in some measure. Suddenly he recalled his very first visit to the Ashram during a non-rainy month. He very vividly remembered that there had been heavy rain at the time. I assented because I had met him at the gate of the Ashram when he came with my friend, and I took both of them to the Samadhi and other places. I too remembered that it was a rainy day. But neither of us had noticed until then that wherever Robert went there was rain.

I know that when we come to Mother and accept Her, our life undergoes a transformation. Generally in one year man rises to a social level twice as high as before. If he is part of an institution and accepts Mother’s way of life in his own life, sooner or later he rises to the topmost post of that institution, however low he started. If there are any capacities in him such as writing, dancing, speaking, skills of organisation, luck, etc. these capacities will continue to increase. If there are defects such as short temper, ill luck, etc., they will soon disappear. It struck me that Robert had had this capacity to invite rains wherever he went before he came to Mother. Now it had increased beyond all proportions and brought down the deluge of 14 inches in one night on his arrival from the USA.

Though Robert continued to give me instances of rain in places that he visited, as a Westerner he found it difficult to accept the Rishyasringar in him. Anyway, I decided to keep a watch over the future. He too amusingly agreed to report to me in future about his visits from this point of view.

After a few months stay in India, he returned to California. Southern California is a desert where the rainfall in a year is less than 10 inches. Drinking water for the largest city there, Los Angeles, comes through pipelines from a river a few hundred miles away. Robert on his return wrote long letters. At the end of one he mentioned there had been 30 inches of rain in one month and there were floods in Los Angeles, which were unheard of. After some time, he said he was moving to his aunt’s house in New York. That year water scarcity had affected the eastern part of USA. Even newspapers in India began to report on those details. New York City announced that there was water in their reservoirs only for forty more days. Another city nearby had only seven days supply left. Tight restrictions were imposed on the use of water. Robert reached New York in February. In New York it rains every month and the rainfall is about two inches. February has a normal fall of 2.1 inches. A few days after Robert reached there, there was a heavy rainfall for one full week and the reservoirs filled up again. The rain gauge recorded six inches for the month.

After his stay in USA, Robert wrote to me saying he was returning to India in October. I wished him to return in summer, as we still lived in the same house and the municipality had not laid the roads. I was afraid of another flood around the house. I wrote back to Robert saying, “You are most welcome and the rains you bring are God’s Grace. That too is equally welcome. But please bring down the rain only in installments!” Robert did arrive again in November and the rains arrived too in copious measure with him. But this time it was only six inches on the day of his arrival.

Once we had an occasion to work with the Tata organisation. They liked the ideas of our Society regarding rural development. Fifty years ago, the Tatas had chosen to install a chemical plant in a desert. They wanted the factory in a place with the least rainfall, as they made large quantities of common salt in open pans to be used in the factory. As the salt would be lost in the rain, they located their factory in Kutch, where the annual rainfall is less than 10 inches. Around the factory they chose 40 villages from which their workers came for rural development. On their request, we sent Robert to them to study the area and report. He did so. Two years later, it was reported in the papers that Kutch was visited by heavy rains that season. So, I was looking for Tata's speech on the occasion of their annual meeting. When it did come, it quoted Tata saying, “Unusually, this year there were heavy rains in Kutch. All salt was washed away. In one day the factory area recorded 20 inches of rain, a thing unheard of in the history of Kutch.”

[admin]

14. UNSOLD STOCK

Perumal was a young man running a 110 year old shop. He was the son of a local rich man of a traditional type. His uncle was the richest man in that place. The wealth was traditional and the boy had the manners of an affluent, traditional, respectable family. He was very able and efficient, but he was timid and lacked initiative. He was visiting the Ashram off and on, following a friend of his who became Mother’s devotee. Each time he visited the Ashram, he used to pay a visit to me. Being very timid, he spoke little. Our conversations were formal and limited, and his visits were brief.

One day when I was busy with visitors from afar, I was told Perumal had been waiting for me for a long time. I know he would wait for me ordinarily, but it appeared he had something on his mind. I excused myself from the visitors for a short while and met Perumal. He was, as usual, calm, quiet and pleasant, but sad. Casually he mentioned they were closing his shop. I explained to him that those who had come to Mother need never fail in their work. As that was not the right time for me to deal with any serious affair, I asked him to meet me at another time. He came on the appointed day.

He told me, as a foregone conclusion, that his father had decided to close the shop, since the sales were dipping. “Unless we sell for Rs.500 a day, we don’t break even. Sales are far below that level. We have waited for a few months. There is no point in postponing the decision.” Being in his early twenties, it is natural that his father makes all the decisions. Though he is formally consulted, Perumal had no say in the matter. Also he seemed to fully understand and endorse his father’s decision.

Closing a shop of 110 years’ standing is a major decision. They seemed to have taken it already. He was not even asking me whether it should be closed. I saw he did not understand his relationship with the Ashram, his visits to the Samadhi, Darshan, etc. I was sure he would pay attention to my words. I was anxious to prevent the closure of the shop. Therefore, I said, “Perhaps you would not close the shop if the sales picked up.” He answered, “Surely not.” I continued, “If you can postpone the closure for about a month, the sales will rise to Rs.1,000 per day. You can reconsider after a month.” He asked, “Is it possible? If that is the case, then there is no difficulty in postponing the decision. What am I to do?” I replied, “It is enough you don’t close the shop. Simply remember Mother. Try to spend more time in the shop. Let us see.”

A month later he met me. He said, “I went home thinking about what you told me. I had no courage to open the subject with my father. I did what you said – spent time in the shop, thought of Mother, and the next day sales were better. At the end of the day father disclosed that sales were near Rs.1,000. Since then sales have never fallen below Rs.1,000.” Now that he had seen this result, I told him that we generally do not think of Mother in Life, we think of Her only when we go to the Ashram. Nor do we relate our life to our devotion to Mother. We function as if life is different and Mother is different. Devotees of Mother carry Mother’s force on them. If they think of Her during their work, the work will flourish. What happened in his case was that his constant remembrance of Mother helped to pull up the sagging sales. This movement was helped by his staying in the shop longer than usual. He left pleased and beaming.

After some time, during one of his visits, Perumal said he had unsold stock worth Rs.25,000 and asked whether something could be done in that regard. I asked him to explain in detail how this accumulation had occurred.

“This is no accumulation. My father bought this particular product in huge quantities. Ever since, this stock has been lying idle. Let me explain. Ours is a state capital and there are over 100 shops of our description in the town. This particular product is sold in backward places. No one would buy substandard products in a city like ours. The company tried to introduce this product in several parts of our state and failed each time. This time the company sent two of its dynamic salesmen here. They knocked at every shop for a week. No one would buy even one rupee worth of this product. This was the talk of the town during that week. The salesmen approached our shop, too. We refused. They came again with some very attractive gifts of glassware and started on their sales pitch. My father gave in. As clever as they were, the men pushed in Rs.25,000 worth of stock. I was standing by, helpless. I could not protest. For the last seven or eight months, we have not been able to sell one piece of it. It stays there.”

This time Perumal asked for my advice. I explained in some detail Mother’s ideas of running an establishment, touching upon cleanliness, orderliness, soft speech, etc. For him, the one important thing was to get rid of this unsold stock. I gave him the following advice: “Mother speaks a lot about giving attention to children, things, even material objects. She says even inanimate objects respond to attention. The case you present seems to be a hard one. Let us first try attention. If it does not work, let us try another method later. You may ask how to pay attention to a dead stock. In your storeroom, try to clean up the place and put the stock in some order, particularly these cases. Dust them well and arrange them in a nice order. That is one way of giving attention. Each time you enter the storeroom, think of Mother and think of them at the same time. Whenever this idea of unsold stock comes to mind, try to think of Mother without worrying yourself. By this you are passing on your burden to Mother. That way your faith in Mother grows. Do it for a few days. Let us see. When they are sold, bring a token offering to Mother from that money.”

As such things begin to show results instantaneously, I was expecting Perumal every day from the following day. He was never to be seen for a week. Finally he came and gave a token offering, saying, “Ever since I left you, I sincerely tried to follow your suggestions. In a day or two people started asking for this product. From that moment onwards only this product sells. Customers came in large numbers and asked for this product. All sales were in retail for Rs.10 or 15. I was pinned to the counter. For several days this went on till late in the night. Totally Rs.12,500 worth of goods was sold. The product had originally come to us in two lots. One lot is now sold fully but in dribbles.”

A few weeks later Perumal again visited me to say someone came and bought the rest of the product worth Rs.12,500 in one lot.