Contact with The Mother

LONG-PERSISTING HABIT GONE

I started smoking in 1923-24. Then I hardly used to smoke more than twice or thrice a month. But by 1932 this habit had such a strong hold over me that I used to smoke nearly three packets of high-quality cigarettes a day. During that year my wife died. She had not liked my smoking. For four years I did not touch a single cigarette. But again in 1936 I slid back, smoking about three-four packets every day when in town and about six-seven packets when out of it.

In 1952, an Ashram sadhak came to the Sri Aurobindo Circle of our town. While talking about the Ashram, he said, “Smokers are not allowed to go before Sri Aurobindo’s Samadhi.” Those were the days when I was seriously contemplating to go to the Ashram during the month of May.

A struggle ensued within my mind. “I want to go to the Ashram; what is the use of going if I won’t be allowed to see Sri Aurobindo’s Samadhi? But if I have accepted Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, can I not give up smoking if she does not like it?” This mental conflict went on for eleven days. On the 11th day I decided to smoke as many cigarettes as I could and say good-bye to this deep-seated habit for ever.

The last cigarette that I smoked was at 11.15 p.m. Then I went to my Meditation Room, bowed before the photographs of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and prayed to the Mother, “Today I am giving up smoking entirely. Grant that never in the future I may touch a cigarette.” Later I retired for the night

And, wonder of wonders, utterly against my expectations, when I got up in the morning, I felt absolutely no craving for smoking. I did not even once think of it. Since then I have not only abstained from smoking but when somebody smokes near me, I have either to move away from there or to request him to stop it or move away from me.

And all this happened by a strange mystery of the Grace, the mystery of the misstatement of the Ashram sadhak. Instead of saying that smoking is not allowed in the Ashram, he had said innocently, “Smokers are not allowed near the Samadhi.” But this proved to be a divine boon for me.