Growing up with the Mother

Dortoir Prayer

When “Dortoir” (our boarding house) started on 15.1.45 the Mother gave us a prayer which we always used as our Dortoir prayer for all functions:

Sweet Mother

We would all like to be the true children of our Divine Mother.

But for that, Sweet Mother, give us the patience and the courage, the obedience, the goodwill, the generosity, and the disinterestedness, and all the necessary virtues.

This is our prayer and our aspiration.

15 January 1945

In 1955, when Dortoir expanded, we older ones were moved to the guest house next door, which was renamed “Dortoir Annexe”. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother had lived in this building before moving to the Ashram premises. Sri Aurobindo’s room was made into a meditation hall for the boarders, and it is still used for that purpose.

In 1968 the Mother gave me a prayer for our Dortoir Annexe anniversary:

15 January 1968

On this day which unites us in a common remembrance, we aspire that this intimacy may be the symbol of a true union based on a common effort towards ever truer and more perfect realisations.

When we, the members of our boarding went together to the Mother, She was very happy to see us. After we recited the prayer She had given us, She said:

What you are doing, what you are achieving is very fine. You are very nice, good workers. You are like a nice little family.

There are very small children now, but you, you are intimate: I see you as I saw you in the Wednesday classes, all around me like this, as I see you now. You are good workers and I hope that one day you will be good yogis, and later on, candidates for supermanhood, yes, surely candidates.

You have a meditation room? Do you go? I will see you again next year. I see each of you on your birthday, but seeing you all together is something else. This is a nice little family. I love you all, I love you very much.

Good bye, my children. Happy New Year. Good work and good progress to you all.