The Mother

Prayers and Meditations

Collected Works of the Mother
In 17 volumes

Volume 1

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The first edition in French, entitled Prières et Méditations de la Mère, was published in 1932. The second edition, which included one additional prayer and an introductory note by the Mother, was issued in 1944. The third edition appeared in 1952 and the fourth in 1973, both under the shortened title Prières et Méditations.

English translations of sixty-one of the prayers were published in 1941 under the title Prayers and Meditations. There are manuscripts in Sri Aurobindo’s hand for five of the prayers. For the rest, there are manuscripts written by a disciple and extensively revised by Sri Aurobindo. He also revised the typed copies of some of the translations, as well as the proofs at the time of publication. Three more prayers were added to the second edition, printed in 1962. New editions were issued in 1969, 1971 and 1975.

The Mother wrote an introductory note for the first edition, which she dated “September 1941”. It was recopied for the first translation of the entire text, published in 1948. This second note, dated “1941-1948”, is reproduced in facsimile at the beginning of the present volume. The introductory note to the 1944 edition is also reproduced in facsimile, with a translation on the facing page.

As mentioned in the Publisher’s Note, this volume is a new translation of the text, with the exception of the prayers translated or revised by Sri Aurobindo. An appendix is included which contains four letters by Sri Aurobindo.