A collection of letters, poems & paintings by Janina providing a glimpse of her inner life in 'Sri Aurobindo Ashram'. The Mother's comment on Janina is included.
This book is a collection of letters, poems and paintings by Janina Stroka, a Polish disciple of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and a member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India, from 1957 until her passing in 1964. Janina’s account of her life in Pondicherry in this book is divided into three parts. The main part of the text consists of extracts from letters written to a Dutch friend with whom Janina lived first in Palestine and later in Germany, from December 1957 to June 1958. The letters in the next section were written between 1960 and 1963 to a young Bengali, a writer and social worker. Next, the book contains selected poems and paintings by Janina and concludes with a comment by the Mother on Janina’s passing.
24.12.1957
Today is Christmas Eve. I have given to Pavitra, to hand it to Mother for Christmas, the small Polish Madonna in the dark wooden triptych and your photo. I included inside a letter: "Ma Mere Divine, cette statuette a ete faite en Pologne. Permets que je Te donne aujourd'hui la photo de Riek, Riek par laquelle Tu m'as me nee a Toi. Janina." ("My Divine Mother, this statuette was made in Poland. Let me give You today the photo of Riek through whom You brought me to Yourself. Janina.") A few minutes later your letter arrived and I knew that the Divine Power was working with you too. You must forgive my letters and understand why it is. They are not so constructed as Heinz would want it, but other things will come later. What I wanted to tell you is this. Yesterday Mother has settled down in me in a way. After a few days of opening me and enlarging She just came and is in me. This does not mean that no waves, suggestions, movements arise, but it means - as I feel- becoming an instrument and being continuously transformed. Great inner difficulties may come, but all becomes different. Today I could even be natural in Her nearness. And I learned at today's Darshan that these last days since I came have been Her direct Grace at work in me. Today I was prepared that this would go on, but nothing happened and I felt only that now She wants to work through me, with me becoming Her in all my movements and seeing Her in everybody and everything. In my patient when I wash him, I wash Mother - in my helper, I feel Mother's love streaming through me to her (she is not easy). The difference between this and what was before, in Europe, is that I just simply feel Her in me. Her hands in mine, Her head in mine, Her heart in mine. And so I am becoming wider and wider and Love is streaming around in me. Mother gave me this wonder of a nursing home just for me to create and it will be something wonderfully individual as I am also a portion of Her. I am sorry I cannot write normal letters when I write to you, but this is right.....
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