May 8, 1971
How are you?
It’s not easy!
What’s the matter?
Well, EVERYTHING gives the impression of being like that. The
feeling something is fiercely after the world, after people.
Yes.
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Something very fierce, which wants to destroy everything.
Everything seems topsy-turvy.
Yes.
What has happened up there [in Delhi]? I have no idea…. Indira only said….
Here, I’ll give you an example: yesterday, from a quite reliable source, I was told that every country — almost every foreign country — has recognized Bangladesh and only India has not (and another one I don’t remember). Today I am told that Indira said that no country has granted recognition. Well…. So you see, the lying is official.
Yes, it’s official. But did you see…? I’ve just now seen Indira’s
statement in the newspapers:
“The Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi today set
to rest all speculations about an early recognition
of Bangla Desh by indicating quite clearly that the
government of India did not propose to do so in
the near future.” (The Hindu, May 8, 1971)
Also I was told that Russia was the one opposed to recognition because she wanted to bring about a compromise with Pakistan. That’s what I was told. But since everything is lies, one just doesn’t know.
Yes. In any event, no country, not one has officially recognized
Bangladesh — not a single one.
So what she said was true then!
Yes, and here [in "The Hindu"] they say:
“The Soviet Prime Minister, Mr. Kosygin, is
reliably reported to have sent two letters to Presi
dent Yahya Khan of Pakistan urging a negotiated
settlement on East Bengal crisis, and to have asked
Mrs. Indira Gandhi not to escalate the crisis so that
the peaceful solution which both Russia and India
want may be achieved.”
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In other words, they’re seeking a compromise, like the last
time at Tashkent.
(Mother raises her arms) … Everything has to be started all over again.
Yes, everything has to be started all over.
(silence)
But is it true, there was a rumor going around the Ashram
yesterday or the day before that you had sent a new message to
Indira Gandhi saying that if she did not recognize Bangladesh,
there was no point in her asking your advice….
No, I didn’t send the message.
But it may be that…. If U.[[A disciple who left for Delhi several days ago, on the 2nd. ]] sees her (I didn’t ask him not to say anything to her), it may be that he’ll tell her…. I said it to U. just like that.
Oh, I see!
So he may have got it into his head to tell her, I don’t know.
And I heard also that you said that if she didn’t recognize
Bangladesh, there would be even more serious consequences in
the future.
Yes, I think so.
You think so, yes.
It becomes more difficult each time.
Each time they put the thing off…. Oh, if only they had done it immediately, it would have been very good. Now, it’s five weeks already….
Yes, five weeks.
It’s already more difficult. If they put it off again, it will be even more difficult.
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But anyway, I didn’t send any message. [[Mother wrote only a note that was published in one of the Ashram periodicals: “The situation is serious. It is only a strong and enlightened action that can pull the country out of it.” (April 30, 1971) ]]
Naturally, she thinks I don’t have all the facts — but of course!
She knows better than you obviously! But really if she had the
slightest inner discernment, she would understand that you
have a wider vision of things.
Yes, but that….
You see, there are different … (what shall I say?) they’re like “layers of conditioning” (gesture of levels), and I always try to lead people to the highest layer so that things happen without too much difficulty; but they always insist on being on the lowest layer, the nearest one. So that causes…. That’s how things get complicated. If those who are capable of pulling down from above at one stroke were there [in the government], things would go swiftly and smoothly, but it’s those who have the nearest conditioning and naturally understand the nearest who are there — those people are there [in the government]. And so things have to follow a certain (meandering gesture) path, and it’s endless.
Well, that means the world is not ready!
(silence)
It will take another few hundred years.
Terrible….
(Mother raises her arms) Well, it will take a few hundred years.
Oh, but in that case, I’d prefer Kali!
(Mother laughs)
People don’t understand. Things have to follow a comfortable little path. (Mother draws meandering paths in the air) That way, they understand.
Well.
(silence)
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You see, the faith of people is a superstition — it’s not faith, it’s superstition. Now there are more and more people who think they have faith, and they ask me ridiculous things! They have superstitions like…. Someone brings me a child born with a deformed arm, and the superstition is that if I put my hand on the arm of the child, he’ll be healed…. Things like that. It’s completely stupid. That’s not Power! They need a little miracle, you know, at their level.
Yes.
Humanity is still very small, very small, very small.
Yes, one feels that.
But even those who might have a power…. Look how it is: certain people could have a power, they would just have to have the true inspiration — they’re afraid of it, mon petit! They reject the true inspiration, because they think that things have to follow their “natural” course — so-called natural.
Humanity rejects the true miracle. It only believes in….
So when I say I won’t say anything anymore because they didn’t listen to me, I look like someone who’s upset, which is completely ridiculous, I really don’t care! Personally there’s nothing for or against or…. Only I SEE, I see that since the direct relation was not possible [the highest conditioning], naturally things are going to have to follow … (sinuous gesture) every possible complication of the ordinary way.
While we are right in the midst of the true miracle!
So, if they say, “Mother is angry, she is leaving you,” that’s one more stupidity added to the already existing ones. That’s all.
All that….
They have chosen, they have chosen the path of the turtle. So that’s how it will be.
There are moments — what Sri Aurobindo called The Hour of God — there are moments when the true, the true miracle is possible; if that moment is missed, then the world will go … at its turtle pace.
And it’s hard — a lot of suffering, a lot of complications…. But faith, who has faith? True faith.
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But you see, even those who are here attribute purely human feelings and reactions to me…. So….
But Mother, I’m hopeful.
Yes?
I have one hope. There is something I feel as a strong possibility,
more and more so.
What?
All the youth, those who are 16, 17 or 20 now, who seem to be
going completely mad, well, in reality, all those young people
NO LONGER WANT the present Machinery — they don’t want it
anymore. So they do foolish things….
Oh!…
They take drugs, they do all sorts of foolish things.
Oh, even worse than that, mon petit! They’ve become murderers. [[Mother is probably alluding to the Naxalites of Calcutta. ]]
Yes, there are all sorts of things, but in spite of everything, I
feel it’s a good sign, that the movement is going to increase
more and more and that the whole Machinery of the men of
yesterday is going to collapse — the social and political
machinery and all the rest….
(silence)
For instance, I see many of those so-called hippies, you know,
those wanderers, those young people who have turned their
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backs on society, who do all sorts of foolish things; well,
several times I took one aside and simply spoke to him the
language of Truth, and he understood at once! He had simply never been told anything.
Oh!…
All those people have never been told the true thing. And I
have the feeling that all the so-called lost youth isn’t lost at all!
It needs only to receive the true word.
Yes, but who’s going to give it to them?
Well, I don’t know, Mother. If I had the power, I would do it
willingly. But the miracle is still possible with these people.
Yes. Yes, but … there has to be someone to say it.
Yes, there should be a Vivekananda for Sri Aurobindo.
(Mother laughs, very amused)
And their reversal could be effected swiftly and easily, I’m
sure. You see, they’re not perverted, they’re simply … they
don’t know.
(silence)
That’s what you should call for, Mother: a great inspired man.
Ah!
That’s what you should call for.
But I’ve been calling him for a long time.
Yes, Mother, a great inspired man with physical strength.
Yes, oh, yes!
It has to be someone physically solid.
Oh, yes!
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(Mother looks,
then goes within for a long time)
All the time, day and night, like this (Mother holds her clenched fists in front of her as though pulling or calling the Force).
(silence)
It is a world event. It is not the event of one country [Bangladesh], it is a world event. And that’s why….
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