Prayers and Aspirations

Letter to the Readers from the Translators

These are the “Prayers and Aspirations” which the Mother has made Champaklal write. I thought you might like to know how much I have been helped myself, for the same help is there for you also.

“True Surrender” were words to me and until my wife Sudha and I were caught in Kuwait on 2nd August 1990 I did not think about them much. We were taken as hostages by the Iraqis and used as “human shields” in a strategic installation in N.E. Iraq. All of a sudden we lost our freedom as well as our luggage from the aeroplane and if the bombing started we would be the first to know. In such circumstances, one has only the inner strength to turn to. As followers of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother we asked Them to get us out. Sure enough our answer came on 19th August when we were offered travel documents by the Indian Embassy because of Sudha's Indian birth. But I felt this would be dishonest as we earn our living in Britain, and gratefully declined the offer. Sudha refused to leave without me. Having decided to stay with the others—the British, Americans, Germans and Japanese—we tried our best to keep cheerful and confident for their sake as well as our own.

Then we came to understand that the Iraqi police and soldiers were equally hostages to their government as they too would be bombed with us. So we tried to be polite with them also.

The Mother has written:

“I belong to no nation, no civilisation, no society, no race, but to the Divine.

“I obey no master, no ruler, no law, no social convention, but the Divine.

“To Him I have surrendered all, will, life and self; for Him I am ready to give all my blood, drop by drop, if such is His

“Will, with complete joy; and nothing in His service can be sacrifice, for all is perfect delight.”

You might tell me that only the Mother can do this. But if we are not to try ourselves, then why are we on the earth at all? And if we believe that God has given us life as an opportunity to do His service, then why complain about the circumstances or worry about when our life will end?

So finally I would like you to know that when on 9th December 1990, the 40th Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo's Samadhi, all the hostages were set free, I remembered what the Mother had said, that Sri Aurobindo is in the earth's atmosphere and has not left us. Then I prayed to Them both that if at all it is helpful for Their work I am ready to be born again and again to do Their service.

I am yours with kind regards,

DON FISHER

A Request:

”“This is not poetry, it is not song either, these are only my inner being's utterances. I have not written them, the Supreme Mother and Lord have made me write them. Whatever I have had to say I have said in these lines.”

Champaklal