Champaklal Speaks

Caring for Mother

It was X's birthday. When I informed Mother about it, she told me to keep Sri Aurobindo's Letters on the Mother, for giving to him. I asked Mother to give him two photographs also.

Mother: “Why two? Give only Sri Aurobindo's. Not mine. He does not care for me. Do you think he cares to see my face?”

C: “Mother, please give him your photo out of your Grace.”

Mother: “All right. Keep them ready and bring them down. If he asks for it we shall give him mine.”

C: “Mother, people like me won't ask but we like to have things from you very much.”

Mother: “I know him, he is not like you. He does not care for my photo.”

We went downstairs for Pranam. Everything was kept ready. The man came but he did not ask for Mother's photo. Still, as he was about to go away, I placed the photo in Mother's hand saying “Grace...” She gave it without saying anything. (On other occasions like this she would say, “Champaldal wants me to give you this.”)

While climbing the staircase, I asked Mother: “X does not care for you?”

Mother: “When a boy is having a love affair with a girl, he does not care for me. Now he is busy with that, and so he does not care. In his case, even without that he would not care for me.”

C: “Mother, do I care for you or not?”

Mother: “I hope so.”

C: “Mother, are you not sure?”

Mother: “Why?”

C: “That means it may be the other way also. Otherwise you would not say 'I hope so.'“

Mother: “No, no, Cham-pak-lal. I would have been surprised if it was the other way. That would have surprised me very much.”

And she patted me with feeling and gave a broad smile.