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PART TWO
LETTERS ON THE MOTHER
THE
MOTHER
AND THE
PURPOSE OF HER EMBODIMENT
WHO IS THE MOTHER ?
Q: Do you not refer to the Mother (our Mother) in your book, "The Mother" ?
A: Yes.
Q: Is she not the "Individual" Divine Mother who has embodied
"the power of these two vaster ways of her existence" (Part One, p. 20.)
― Transcendent and
Universal ?
A: Yes.
Q: Has she not descended here (amongst us) into the Darkness and
Falsehood and Error and Death in her deep and great love for us ?
A: Yes.
17-8-1938
Page - 47
Q: There are many who hold the view that she was human but now
embodies the Divine Mother and her "Prayers",
(Prayers and
Meditations of the
Mother, See Part Three.) they say, explain this view. But, to my mental
conception, to my psychic feeling she is the Divine Mother who has consented to
put on her the cloak of obscurity and suffering and ignorance so that she can
effectively lead us ― human beings ― to Knowledge and Bliss and Ananda and to
the Supreme Lord.
A: The Divine puts on an appearance of humanity, assumes the
outward human nature in order to tread the path and show it to human beings, but
does not cease to be the Divine. It is a manifestation that takes place, a
manifestation of a growing divine consciousness, not human turning into divine. The Mother was inwardly above the human even in
childhood, so the view held by
"many" is erroneous.
Q: I also conceive that the Mother's "Prayers" are meant to show
us ― the aspiring psychic ― how to pray to the Divine.
A: Yes.
17-8-1938
THE MOTHER'S MANIFESTATION AND THE SUPRAMENTAL DESCENT
Q: Is there any difference between the Mother's manifestation
and the descent of the Supramental ?
A: The Mother comes in order to bring down the Supramental and
it is the descent which makes her full manifestation here
possible.
23-9-1935
Page - 48
Q: The Mother does not work on the Sadhak directly from her own
plane above, though she can do so if she wants to ― she can even supramentalise
the world in a day; but in that case the supramental Nature created here would
be the same as it is above, and not the earth in Ignorance evolving into the
supramental earth, a manifestation which will not be in appearance quite the
same as what the Supermind is.
A: That is a very important truth.
17-6-1935
PURPOSE OF THE MOTHER'S EMBODIMENT
Q: Am I right in thinking that she as an individual embodies all
the Divine Powers and brings down the Grace more and more to the physical plane,
and her embodiment is a chance for the entire physical consciousness to change
and be transformed ?
A: Yes. Her embodiment is a chance for the earth-consciousness
to receive the Supramental into it and to undergo first the transformation
necessary for that to be possible. Afterwards there will be a further
transformation by the Supramental, but the whole earth-consciousness will not be
supramentalised ― there will be first a new race representing the Supermind, as
man represents the mind.
13-8-1933
There is one divine Force which acts in the universe and in the
individual and is also beyond the individual and the universe. The Mother stands
for all these, but she is working here in the body to bring down something not
yet expressed in this material world so as to transform life here ― it is so
that you should regard her as the Divine Shakti working here for that
purpose.
Page - 49
She is that in the body, but in her whole consciousness she is
also identified with all the other aspects of the Divine.
There are not many Mothers, there is One in many forms. The
transcendental is only one aspect of the Mother. I don't know what is meant by
the embodied aspect of the transcendental Mother. There is the embodied aspect
of the One Mother ― what she manifests through it depends on
herself.
7-7-1936
Q: Why does the Mother in her universal action act according to
the law of things, but in her embodied physical by constant Grace ?
A: It is the work of the Cosmic Power to maintain the cosmos and
the law of the Cosmos. The greater transformation comes from the Transcendent
above the universal, and it is that transcendent Grace which the embodiment of
the Mother is there to bring into action.
13-8-1933
Q: What would you say about the utility of the physical approach
to the Mother ?
A: There is the utility of the physical approach to the Mother
― the approach of the embodied mind and vital to her embodied Power. In her
universal action the Mother acts according to the law of things ― in her embodied physical action is the opportunity of a constant
Grace ― it is for that
that the embodiment takes place.
12-8-1933
Page - 50
DIFFERENT APPEARANCES OF THE
MOTHER
The Mother has many different personalities and her appearance
varies according as one or another predominates. The something common, of
course, exists. There is first, the one whom all these personalities manifest
but that cannot be expressed in name or word ― there is also the
supramental personality which from behind the veil presides over the aim of the
present manifestation.
9-11-1933
The Mother has not only one appearance, but many at different
times.
Behind the physical body there are many forms and powers and
personalities of the Mother
14-5-1933
Q: Two days back I saw in a vision that the fire of aspiration
was rising from my heart and going upward with the constant remembrance of the
Mother. Then I saw that the Mother, as we see her in her physical body, was
descending in the fire and filling all my parts with peace and strength. What
does this vision indicate ? Why did I see the Mother exactly as we see her in her
physical body and not in her divine form ?
A: It indicates an aspiration and an action for realisation in
the external nature and not only in the inner being. When it is an inner action
or an action of another plane one can see the Mother in any of her forms, but
for realisation in the physical her appropriate form is that which she wears
here.
15-7-1933
Page - 51
Q: Why does the Mother appear different at different times, as
at Pranam or Prosperity or while giving the interview ? Sometimes even anatomical
differences are visible. What is the reason of these differences in her
appearance ? Does it depend on the extent to which she turns outwards ?
A: It is rather, I think, dependent on the personality that
manifests in front ― as she has many personalities and the body is plastic
enough to express something of each when it comes forward.
4-12-1933
Q: Often when I see the Mother I feel as if she is the image of
divine Ananda and her form looks like that of a young girl. Is there any truth
in my feeling ?
A: Ananda is not the only thing ― there is Knowledge and Power
and Love and many other powers of the Divine. As a special experience only it
may stand.
30-4-1933
Yes. Many see like that, as if the Mother were taller than her
ordinary physical appearance.
29-9-1933
REVELATION OF THE MOTHER'S COMING
Q: When Ramakrishna was doing Sadhana, Mother was on earth
physically for the first eight years of her childhood, from 1878 to 1886. Did he
know that Mother had come down ? He must have had some vision at least of her
coming, but we do not read anywhere definitely about it.
Page - 52
And when Ramakrishna must have been intensely calling Mother,
she must have felt something at that age.
A: In Mother's childhood's visions she saw myself whom she knew
as "Krishna" ― she did not see Ramakrishna.
It was not necessary that he should have a vision of her coming
down as he was not thinking of the future nor consciously preparing for it. I don't think he had the idea of any incarnation of the Mother.
11-7-1935
I don't say on what plane X is, but his method is that of
Adwaita Knowledge and Moksha ― so there is no necessity for him to recognise the
arrival of the Divine. Y's Guru was a bhakta of Divine Mother, believed in the
dynamic side of existence, so it was quite natural for him to have the
revelation of the coming of the Mother.
23-1-1936
X is very much of a Vedantist. He does not believe in what we
believe or in the descent etc. At the same time he himself had experiences in
which the Mother interfered in a visible free material form and prevented him
from doing what he intended to do.
7-7-1936
SEEING THE DIVINE IN THE MOTHER
Q: This morning I perceived a great beauty in the Mother. It was
as if her whole body was glowing with a supernatural light. In fact I felt as if
a Supreme Goddess had come down from the heavens above. Kindly explain
that.
Page - 53
A: It was only that you felt the Divinity with her which
is always there.
20-7-1933
As for seeing the Divine in the Mother at first sight, he is not
the only one to do that. Plenty of people have done that ... e.g. X's cousin, a
Musulman girl, who as soon as she met her declared, "This is not a woman, she is
a goddess", and has been having significant dreams of her ever since, and
whenever she is in trouble, thinks of her and gets helped out of the trouble. It
is not so difficult to see the Divine in the Mother as you make it out to
be.
23-7-1935
Q: I don't know what the Musulman lady exactly saw. From what
you say it seems to be a flash of intuition.
A: Not at all, it was a direct sense of the Godhead in her ― for
I suppose you mean by intuition a sort of idea that comes suddenly ? That is what
people usually understand by intuition. It was not that in her case nor in
X's.
29-7-1935
Q: But is it not extremely difficult to see the fully flaming
resplendent Divine Mother ?
A: I don't believe X or anybody would have that at first view. That can only come if one has already developed the faculty of vision in the
occult planes. What is of more importance is the clear perception or intimate
inner feeling or direct sense, "This is She". I think you are inclined to be too
romantic and poetic and too little spiritually realistic in these
things.
Page - 54
With many people the faculty of this kind of occult vision is
the first to develop when they begin Sadhana. With others it is there naturally
or comes on occasions without any practice of Yoga. But with people who live
mainly in the intellect (a few excepted) this faculty is not usually there by
nature and most have much difficulty in developing it. It was so even with
me.
It would be something of a miracle to see things without the
faculty of seeing. We don't deal much in miracles of that kind.
29-7-1935
RECOGNITION OF THE MOTHER'S DIVINITY
There are people who start at once, others take
time.
X recognised the Mother as divine at first sight and has been
happy ever afterwards; others who rank among Mother's devotees took years to
discover or admit it, but they arrived all the same. There are people who had
nothing but difficulties and revolts for the first five, six, seven or more
years of the Sadhana, yet the psychic ended by awaking. The time taken is a
secondary matter: the one thing needful is ― soon or late, easily or with
difficulty, to get there.
Q: Many times I find that old Sanskaras come up and disturb my
faith in the Mother and her divinity. How is it possible to prevent
it ?
A: It is only if you see the divinity of the Mother that there
can be a settled conviction ― that is a question of the inner consciousness and
vision.
5-6-1937
Q: How to convince the mind that Mother is divine and that her
workings are not human ?
Page - 55
A: It is by opening up the psychic and letting it rule the mind
and vital that this can be done ― because the psychic knows and can see what the
mind cannot.
Q: It seems that part of my external being which was not
accepting the Mother is now recognising her divinity. But why do I forget it
when I physically come before her ?
A: It is the physical mind in its most external action that sees
physical things as only physical.
15-8-1937
This struggle in you [between bhakti for Sri Krishna and the
sense of the divinity of the Mother] is quite unnecessary; for the two things
are one and go perfectly together. It is he who has brought you to the Mother
and it is by adoration of her that you will realise him. He is here in the
Ashram and it is his work that is being done here.
1933
Q: Even a good devotee and a brilliant student like X finds it
difficult to accept the Mother. I cannot understand why he cannot see the
simple truth about her.
A: If he finds it difficult to accept Mother, how is he a good
devotee ? A devotee to whom ? A brilliant student is another matter; one can be a
brilliant student and yet quite incompetent in spiritual matters. If one is a
devotee of Vishnu or some other Godhead, then it is different ― one may see only
one's object of worship and so not be able to accept anything
else.
14-11-1934
Page - 56
Q: Some people seem to be quite misled in understanding the
Mother's status with regard to the higher planes. When they are in these planes
or receive something from them, they begin to think that they have reached a
great height, and that the higher planes have nothing to do with the Mother. Especially about the Supermind they have such queer notions
― that it is
something greater than the Mother.
A: If they have a greater experience or consciousness than the
Mother, they should not stay here but go and save the world with it.
Q: Is the attitude that I am the Brahman not necessary in the
Integral Yoga ?
A: It is not enough to transform the whole nature. Otherwise
there would be no need of the Mother's being here. It could be done by simply
thinking of oneself as the Brahman. There would be no need of the Mother's
presence or the Mother's force.
27-12-1935
THE MOTHER'S OFFER OF TRUTH
The Mother cannot decide for you whether you should follow the
Path of Nirvikalpa Samadhi or accept this Yoga, she can only offer to you the
Truth and if you accept it, guide you towards it.
8-9-1933
THE MOTHER AND THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE
Why should Mother dislike the Yoga of Knowledge ? The realisation
of Self and of the Cosmic being (without which the realisation of Self is
incomplete) are essential steps in our Yoga; it is the end of other Yogas, but
it is, as it were, the beginning of
Page - 57
ours, that is to say, the point where its own
characteristic realisation can commence.
26-3-1936
Certainly, Samadhi is not barred from this Yoga. The fact that
the Mother was always entering into it is proof enough of that.
10-6-1936
Page - 58
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