Contact with The Mother

A TALE OF TELEGRAM

My father came to the Ashram in August 1956 for Darshan on Sri Aurobindo’s birthday. He intended to stay here for a couple of months after the 15th August. But only four days had passed after the Darshan when a telegram came to him informing him of his sister’s death and wanting his immediate return.

During those days, we used to have daily Distribution in the Playground. My father followed the queue to get prasad from the Mother. As soon as he reached her, he handed over the telegram and told her that his sister had died and that he prayed the Mother for peace to her soul.

The telegram in her hands, the Mother went on looking at my father as if she had not understood anything of what he had told her.

Next morning, I approached the Secretary in connection with my father’s talk with the Mother and told him that my father was leaving the town that very evening and would like to get a reply from the Mother. The Secretary told me that the Mother had said she could not understand anything of what my father had tried to explain to her.

I informed my father accordingly and I asked him what exactly he had told the Mother. “‘Mother, my sister has died; I pray for peace to her soul,’ this is exactly what I told her in clear words,” was my father’s reply.

In the evening, he left for the station at 7-30 p.m. and I left for my work. As I was going, someone told me that there was a telegram for my father on the Ashram Message-Delivery Board.

I took a friend’s cycle and went straight to the Ashram to get the telegram which read, “Previous news wrong. Sister not dead. Details follow.”

I cycled to the railway station and gave the telegram to my father and requested him to come back.

I explained the whole thing to the Secretary the next day. He replied, “The Mother could not understand because she could see that your aunt was not dead.”