July 22, 1970
(The following conversation is a first and highly instructive
outline of the phenomenon that gave birth to all the religions of
the world, a phenomenon that will try to crystallize once again
after Mother’s departure.)
I have something about this Tamil Swami who had that exper
ience of the body’s transformation…. You remember this Swami
Ramalingam who had that vision of the "Grace-Light"? You
made a few remarks, part of which I passed on to the person who
had asked the question…. And I’ve raised a storm.
Oh, why?
Not with this good man [Ramalingam's Tamil disciple], not at
all, but with A. [[An old disciple, author of several books about Sri Aurobindo and editor of one of the Ashram's magazines. ]]
A.?
Yes, A. must have seen the answer, and through me he sends you
a letter.
Saying?
You know …it somewhat gives me a feeling of a mental falsehood.
What’s wrong? Does it bother him?
Yes, he’s quite indignant.
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At what?! What did I say?
At what I, at least, said. He says, "Mother can’t possibly have said
this…."
What’s this business!… But why? What made this gentleman indignant?
First I’ll read you what I wrote to T. [Ramalingam’s Tamil
disciple]: [[Satprem's letter to T. and the following letter from A. are retranslated here from the French translation. ]]
"The translation of Swami Ramalingam’s experiences was
read out to Mother, and she does not doubt their authentic
ity; she particularly liked the manner in which the Swami
called that light ‘Grace-Light,’ and she said it corresponds
to her own experience. She remarked that over the ages, and
even now, it is quite likely that a number of individuals,
known or unknown, have had similar experiences. The only
difference is that at present, instead of an individual possi
bility, there is a collective possibility – that is precisely Sri
Aurobindo’s and Mothers work: to establish, as a terrestrial
fact and a possibility for everyone, the supramental con
sciousness or ‘Grace-Light’ as Swami Ramalingam called it."
Satprem
Ah, what made him indignant is the mixing of the two, "Grace-Light" and "supramental light"…. I didn’t say it was the same thing. Anyway, it doesn’t matter…. It would have been better not to put "supramental consciousness," because they don’t understand…. It doesn’t matter.
But from what you said, I understood that this "Grace-Light"
was the supramental light.
It’s ONE of the actions of the supramental light. But it doesn’t matter.
So A. says this:
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"Dearest Mother, regarding certain translations of poems of
Swami Ramalingam by his disciple T., you answered him
through Satprem in such a way that he was led to equate
Ramalingam’s ‘Grace-Light’ and the supramental Con
sciousness. …
Yes, I wouldn’t have done that…. So he’s furious!
But you see, to my mind, when I asked you if over the ages there
had been experiences of this sort, I had in mind experiences of
individuals who had individually made contact with the supra-
mental light or the supramental level….
One of the forms of the supramental manifestation…. It doesn’t matter. Read on.
"Did you really mean that Ramalingam was in DIRECT
contact with the Supramental?…
Why not!…
Read on, then.
"… and that he was in contact with it as you and Sri Auro
bindo were?…
No, I didn’t say that!
You didn’t! It’s really a mental falsehood, because nowhere in the
letter did I say such things.
"Premonitions and momentary visions are of a different
order; it is the whole question of a direct supramental yoga,
complete and in its fullness….
Good Lord, how stupid people are! How stupid!
Yes, Mother.
Is that all?
No.
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"Through your answer, T. [Ramalingam's disciple] understood
that the only difference between Ramalingam’s supramental
yoga and yours or Sri Aurobindo’s is that his was concerned
with an individual supramentalization, whereas you and Sri
Aurobindo also worked for a collective supramentalization.
"T. is convinced of this and also declares that Ramalingam
had attained the complete supramentalization of the body….
We didn’t say that!
"… In his opinion, what you said confirms it.
"I tend to regard his whole stand as rather fantastic; it shows
me that T. has failed to understand Sri Aurobindo’s vision,
work and yoga at their true value. I believe that not only the
collective supramentalization , but the individual supramen
talization have never been attempted previously, not to
speak of realization. Even the full knowledge of the Supra
mental through an ascent into the Supramental and a
sovereign entry into the Supramental has not been done.
How then can one speak of a practical realisation of the full
dynamics of the supramental descent?
"At least that is what I understood from a study of Sri
Aurobindo’s and your writings. Am I wrong? A clear indi
cation from you would be very helpful to make us see things
in the true light."
(after a long concentration,
Mother takes a notepad,
then plunges back for a long time)
There’s a refusal to answer.
(long silence)
Was this man alive recently?
No, around 1850. He died two years after Sri Aurobindo’s birth,
and he announced the coming of an incarnation of the Divine
and a new race that would "defy death, ageing" and so on – one
year before Sri Aurobindo’s birth.
(after a long silence,
Mother takes the notepad again,
hesitates, then writes a letter to A.)
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22 July ’70
A.,
It is unfortunate that you make me say what I
did not say.
I have therefore nothing to say in answer to
your groundless conclusions.
Let us hope that peace will return to your
mind, and, along with it, a better understanding.
With my blessings,
Signed: Mother
It’s hard.
When I got his letter, I had the inner feeling of a mental falsehood.
Yes, there’s an excitement.
But what I can do is to correct what you said with Ramalingam s
disciple.
No, it’s not "the Supramental," but one aspect of the Supra-mental, or rather one activity of the Supramental.
Would you like me to send him this correction?
If he chatters about what he’s told, yes.
(Mother looks at her letter to A.,
hesitating to send it)
Oh, let’s leave it – he’ll be upset.
(silence
Mother looks tired)
I’m really sorry!
No! (Mother laughs) It doesn’t matter! It’s not your fault, it’s A.’s fault.
I don’t know why they come to a boil.
Oh, I can see…. All that takes place here (gesture to the forehead).
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Really, the mind is something terribly complicated!
Oh, it’s like that, it’s here (same gesture to the forehead). And when I look, I see so clearly!… Human conceptions … it has always been the same thing with all, all the Avatars: if he isn’t one and only – one and only – and shut in like this (gesture as if under a bell jar), it’s no longer the thing! It disturbs them….
Yes, that’s right!
That’s it, they don’t see the Force doing … (immense gesture embracing everything).
But I see so clearly!… This personalization … You understand, a great Force descends to work, then it "coagulates," so to speak, into a personal point so as to touch Matter. And then, men (laughing) like to take scissors, and they cut (Mother cuts out a little square from this vast flow of Force), make a person out of it, and isolate it (gesture as if under a bell jar). That’s something I see so clearly!
Yes, it’s the door to sectarianism and fanaticism.
Yes, yes, yes.
(Mother holds out to Satprem
a garland of "Aspiration") Would you like?
Yes, Mother, yes!
(Satprem lays his head on Mother’s knees)
I absolutely REFUSE to let myself be put like this (gesture under a bell jar)…. I’d rather – I’d rather dissolve, you understand.
Let it be fluid.
The impression I get is as if people have big scissors, and they always want to cut out pieces of the Lord! (laughter)
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