The Mother

Agenda

Volume 10

April 5, 1969

Now, what's the news of P.L.?

He writes this:

Rome, March 29, 1969

“When I canceled my ticket for Pondicherry, I felt a spell of giddiness as when one receives a sharp blow to the head and one's balance seems lost .... I was summoned to the Vatican and told to remain at the entire disposal of the Holy Father, who entrusts me with a grave and difficult question concerning the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference: I am asked to solve that problem. The Pope is counting on my skill, and so on. I was questioned about the reasons for my remarks of February 24 (on March 24, I did not open my mouth), for there had just been a bombshell: two young Latin American bishops (from Peru and Chile) had left the Church-the first such cases in history, of course after the well-known and unique case of Talleyrand (for other reasons). They were my fellow students at the Rome University. They are leaving the Church because of a religious crisis .... Yet they had everything the Church could give: honors, money; one was made a bishop at the age of thirty-three, the other two years ago .... My remarks of February 24 were therefore prophetic. The reason for their running away? I have just said it ....

“I do not feel inclined to go on giving you the detailed chronology of these facts ....

But it's interesting, VERY interesting!

“...I wanted to leave. But I concentrated very strongly on Mother, and I felt her voice telling me, ‘Stay on ...’

Yes.

“...‘You will come later. Continue to be my WORD where you are ...’

(Mother nods approvingly)

“...‘I am with you.’ So I canceled my ticket.”

It's good.

Oh, you know, I concentrated a lot, but a lot, and I found the Pope extraordinarily receptive – only, imprisoned. That's it, you understand, a rather remarkable receptivity, but... (gesture under a bell- jar) imprisoned in his action. But where he can probably act, he has placed his confidence in P.L. Which means they want to use what he knows rather than try to stifle him. It's adroit. And it can be useful.

Have you written to him already?

No, I was waiting to read you his letter.

You can tell him that it's true I am with him, but very strongly and very consciously.

But that it should have had that effect [the “blow to the head”] is troublesome.

He seems to have pulled himself together afterwards, since he understood you were telling him to stay on.

Oh, was it they who asked him not to go?

They told him to remain at the Pope's entire disposal.

Yes.

Those two bishop's running away really came at the right moment!

It came as evident proof.

*
*   *

(Then Mother records her translation of a few excerpts from “Savitri,” which are to be set to music. Satprem suddenly notices that a corner of Mother's left eye is slightly bloodshot.)

The master of existence lurks in us

And plays at hide and seek with his own Force;

In Nature's instrument loiters secret God.

The immanent lives in man as in his house;

He has made the universe his pastime's field,

A vast gymnasium of his works of might....

He is the explorer and the mariner

Of a secret inner ocean without bourne:

He is the adventurer and cosmologist

Of a magic earth's obscure geography...

Or passing through a gate of pillar-rocks...

He leaves the last lands, crosses the ultimate seas,

He turns to eternal things his symbol quest;

Life changes for him its time-constructed scenes,

Its images veiling infinity.

(I.IV.66-70)

Isn't it clear?

A car was just passing by.

I'll have to do it again ....

Won't it tire your eye?

What's wrong?

You have a small red patch in the eye.

Red? Inside?

It's new.

Odd... Was it there when you came?

I hadn't noticed, I've seen it just now.

I didn't strain myself ....

Strange, I didn't strain myself.

(long silence)

It's strange ....

Mother, Sujata has noticed that whenever I get a letter from P.L., I always have a headache afterwards.

Oh!

She's noticed it, and it's indeed like that.

Oh!... But this too (Mother points to her eye), I am not sure it's not a result of...

Yes, I wonder if there isn't some connection. Sujata has noticed it, she told me, “Every time you get a letter from P L., you have a headache the following night.”

That's it. For the eye too.

I'd seen that; I wanted to be sure, and here is the proof. I immediately wondered if it wasn't a result of...

They want to use him.

It attacks the eyes and the head-with me it's like that.

They are highly skilled occultists.

I'll tell you something: while you were reading the letter [from P.L.], Sri Aurobindo was there, and he told me, “Be careful.”

I am always careful, but he probably saw that...

They're very skilled.

(long silence)

The next time you get a letter (either write to him or get a letter from him), first, invoke Sri Aurobindo and ask him for his protection BEFORE starting.

We must be careful. There.