November 30, 1966
Are things better than last time?
Oh, it’s all right.
These are decisive moments … they come now and then. From an occult point of view it’s a well-known phenomenon: Théon told me about it, so did Madame Théon. But when you have gone through it, afterwards things are immediately better, there is quite a considerable improvement.
But there are lots of people doing a kind of black magic.
Again?
Yes, a great many. I have been told this several times, but naturally … There are a great many of those so-called swamis and sadhus who are quite simply tricksters, but they have a rudimentary occult knowledge in a field where, unfortunately, it takes very little knowledge to be able to do a lot of mischief. There are lots of them – not one or two, but lots. And I know people who went and saw them, who begged them and tried to make them intervene [against Mother]. They have turned either against people around me or against myself. Not many against myself, but one or two of them think they are the “lords of the world,” and therefore completely immune, so they have tried, but … It can cause a little friction, that’s all, it’s nothing. But when it’s directed towards people around me, it’s more difficult to counter because there is always … there’s always a slight response. They aren’t pure enough. Then it gives me a lot of trouble. That’s what happened last time, it was towards all those around me: it gave me a lot of work.
With C. [Mother's attendant, who had fallen sick] I did think it
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was something of the sort, because two days beforehand I was warned about a formation: a formation which came with a grimacing face and told me, “It’s over and done with all C.’s fine work.” You know, they are very small consciousnesses with a big spitefulness, and also some rage or other – why? Towards something they don’t understand. And then, they use a rather rudimentary occult knowledge. I did what had to be done, but in the beginning I didn’t think it was exactly magic: there were lots of reasons. Then, yesterday, C. himself had a dream in which someone was chasing after him (someone or something, he didn’t know exactly what), and he ran and ran to escape. He ran till he woke up, and he woke up completely out of breath, as exhausted as if he had really run. Then I said to myself that what I had thought was correct.
Last night I was attacked: I saw two huge black beasts, like bulls, or bison, rather, huge, with gigantic breasts – “forces,” really, all black. One of them paid no attention to me, but the other came charging at me, to attack me, so I ran, and then I woke up.
Oh, there too …
And strangely, I saw the other beast that didn’t attack me: someone came up to it, laid his hand on it, and it lay down quite gently. It’s strange – that sort of huge power lying down like a docile animal. But the other one came attacking me.
(Mother concentrates for a moment) Well, that’s it. That’s it. But there are lots of them, you know! I could say at least a hundred, constantly, at all times.
Men are really imbeciles: what they don’t understand they hate. Instead of saying, “I don’t understand this, so I won’t bother about it, that’s all,” no, they hate it! They want to destroy it.
***
Soon afterwards
An American wrote to say how sad it was to see all this disorder in India (a very nice letter), and at the end he said, “If all of India could be a large Sri Aurobindo Ashram, then she would go on and on progressing.” It was very nice.
There is clearly a great movement…. Yesterday again I saw a
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man who was governor of Madras for a while. He came here (he was passing through Pondicherry but wanted to stop here), and the man asked me, “Is there a solution?” And he added, “We are all praying that you may give it.” I answered … (Mother smiles) that I had nothing to do with politics. But he represents a whole category of people in India who now think that there is indeed only one solution, which is precisely an attempt to realize a higher life.
There is a great movement.
Yesterday there came a letter from S.M. [[A disciple of Sri Aurobindo's and Mother's who is close to the Government. ]] in which he said that Indira Gandhi is really relying on him in the hope of finding a way out and that things will improve a little. And he said that he hoped he would make the true spirit and knowledge triumph…. Only, his health isn’t good, otherwise he would have there a wonderful opportunity to do something, because she calls him every day to ask him his advice on what should be done, and he is present at all the ministers’ meetings. Which means that the two things are really going together: the new movement and the apparent disorder.
***
Mother takes up the translation of “Savitri”:
It’s still this Gentleman….
Immortal bliss lives not in human air
(Laughing) Unfortunately the fact is easy enough to note! Immortal bliss lives not in human air. But she could answer him, “That’s because of you, so you don’t need to boast about it!”
***
(Soon afterwards, regarding the difficulties of a blind disciple. The following fragment was noted from memory, the tape recorder having failed.)
… In my case, strangely, I seem to see through a thick veil, that is to say, everything is blurred. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, I see an object, some thing or other, clearly, so clearly,
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precisely, with a detailed accuracy, as if it were shown to me. Or else when reading a letter, for instance, if I read it without paying attention to anything else, I see perfectly well, but if I start thinking of an answer or concentrate, if the consciousness starts working, everything disappears and I can’t see anything anymore – the next minute, the words become clear again. Which means it doesn’t depend on a defect of the sight or the material organ: it’s something else – something else that one wants me to learn. Because it constantly comes back as if to show me something. But there’s so much work and so many people that I don’t always have the time to stop and concentrate to see what it is. I would have to catch the exact point when the sight comes and when it goes, and follow the conditions of the consciousness at that moment. I don’t have the time.
It’s really like an attempt to demonstrate to me that sight doesn’t depend on the eyes.
The organ is in good condition, it doesn’t have any lesion. But the sight isn’t the same with this eye as with that one. With this one (the right), it’s only an overall, slightly blurred vision. With that one (the left), it’s a precise, clear vision, but there’s a tiny spot in the corner, like a black spot, because of which I see everything clearly but with a patch in the corner. Then if I concentrate, I see that patch grow bright and luminous, like a dark blue star, and that star moves in front of me (it doesn’t depend on the eye), it moves about, and if I fix my eyes on someone, for instance, I see that dark blue star go and rest here or there (gesture at different levels of the person), at the exact spot where some work has to be done. So it means it doesn’t depend on the eye, it’s independent of the eye. And also if I look at a photo, with a certain position between the right eye and the left, I suddenly see the photo come alive, in three dimensions, with the person’s head sticking out. That’s how I can see the character. It’s really strange, like an attempt to teach me to see in a different way.
We are learning our lesson.
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December