Amal Kiran's Correspondence with The Mother

11 October 1935

Mother,

I had been expecting a reply from you but I got it this morning in your face. I suddenly resolved not to touch drink again. Facing myself later, I perceived that if it was at all necessary to drink something nice, I must try to confine myself to innocent cold drinks.

Then I fell asleep and had a most frightfully realistic dream in which my teeth broke off in my mouth and fell out in my hand and on the floor. I dreamed that I got up, but in that condition I discovered that my teeth came loose and I spat out quite a lot of them. I was terribly pained to see such a thing. I really woke up after this and, understanding what the falling of the teeth meant, I felt a great release, a fine sense of openness to you and a freedom from the old consciousness.

I am happy at your resolution and I hope you will keep to it. I was going to write to you that you must choose between seeing me and drink — for I would not see you if you went on drinking — but I am glad to hear that you have made the resolution already.

11 October 1935