Sunil's correspondence with The Mother

The Mother's Comments on Sunil's Music 

The following are the Mother's remarks on Sunil's music as recorded by Satprem in the Mother's Agenda — private conversations from the 1960s. 

28 November 1964: On "The Hour of God"

The Mother had just heard Sunil's music prepared for the Hour of God. She also announced her decision to no longer play herself for the New Year and to entrust this to Sunil.

It begins with something he calls "aspiration" — oh, it's beautiful!... I have rarely heard something with so pure and so beautiful an inspiration. All of a sudden, a "sound" comes, which is exactly the sound you hear up above. And it isn't too mixed (the fault I find with all classical music is all the accompaniment which is there to give more "substance", but which spoils the purity of the inspiration: to me it's padding), well, with Sunil, the padding isn't there. He doesn't claim to be making music, of course, and the padding isn't there, so it's truly beautiful.

I have decided not to play this year for January 1st. Even last year, I very much hesitated to play because I was absolutely conscious of the inadequacy — the poorness and inadequacy — of the physical instrument; but there was a sort of reasonable wisdom which knew how a refusal to play would be interpreted (by the disciples), so I played — without satisfaction, and it wasn't worth much. But the music I heard yesterday was so much THAT, so much what I would like to play, that I said to myself, "Well, now it would be unreasonable to want to keep in a personal manifestation something that has a much better means of expression [Sunil]."

 6 January 1965: On the 1965 New Year Music

When I heard his music for the first time, something suddenly opened up and I was right in the middle of the place I know, from which true Harmony comes — suddenly.

 24 March 1965: On a New Mode of Perception

There is a rather curious development. For some time now, but more and more precisely, when I hear something, when someone reads something to me or I listen to some music or am told of some event, immediately something vibrates: the origin of the activity or the level on which it's taking place or the origin of the inspiration is automatically translated as a vibration in one of the centers. And then, depending on the quality of the vibration, it's something constructive or negative; and when at some point it makes contact, however slightly, with a domain of Truth, there is... (How can I explain?) like a spark of a vibration of Ananda. And the thought is absolutely silent, still, nothing — nothing (Mother opens her hands upward in a gesture of complete offering). But this perception is growing increasingly precise. And that's how I know: I know the source of the inspiration, where the action is located and the quality of the thing. What precision! Oh, an infinitesimal precision, in the details. For instance, the first time I felt this in a clear way was when I heard Sunil's music on The Hour of God; that was the first time, and at the time I didn't know it was something completely organized, a sort of organization of experience.

25 June 1966: On Universal Harmony

Oh, not just once, but very often, while listening to his music [Sunil's], a door is immediately opened onto the region of universal harmony, where you hear the origin of sounds, and with an extraordinary emotion and intensity, something that pulls you out of yourself (gesture of abrupt wrenching). It's the first time I've had this while listening to music — I myself have it when I am all alone. But I never had it while listening to music. It's always something much closer to the earth. Here, it's something very high, but very universal, and with tremendous power: a creative power. Well, his music opens the door.

Now, some people have heard his music, and in Russia, France and the U.S.A. as well, they have asked for permission to copy it and spread it around. And the strange thing is that those people don't know one another, but they have all had the same impression: tomorrow's music. So to those who have asked I've answered, "Have some patience, in two years we'll give you a musical monument."

 circa 1966: On the Savitri Music and the Splendour of Future Creation

In talks with Satprem during the period when Sunil was working on Book I, Canto 2 of Savitri:

In Sunil's music, there are two or three of those associations of sounds that are evocative associations, and in his music it's the splendour of the future creation, oh, it comes like a dazzling sun.

28 December 1968: On the 1968 New Year Music

This was the first New Year Music composed without the Mother playing a theme for Sunil.

… It creates an atmosphere. Usually I play some music for him, and he composes from it, but this time I didn't play, so he took some old pieces of mine; with that he makes contact and composes. An American musician has come here, and I sent him to Sunil (he is a pianist). He said he'd heard some of Sunil's music there, in America, and at first people are a bit bewildered, but that when they have heard it several times, they become quite enthusiastic. As for me, I find it creates an atmosphere: it BRINGS DOWN an atmosphere. And the human voice is quite lovely, well mingled.

Note: Spoken Remark on the 1967 New Year Music (not in the Agenda)

This remark was not recorded in the Agenda but was conveyed by Sunil himself to Gambelon in a letter. He described what the Mother said on hearing the 1967 New Year Music:

This is the first time I heard a music which came from above, without passing through mind.

Note: Manoj on the Mother's Assessment of Sunil's Access to the Source

Manoj relayed what the Mother had said about the nature of Sunil's musical inspiration:

Mother says that Sunil is open to the world of true music. From the very source from where Mother used to get the inspiration, get the music — Sunil had the access.