Read Debou's correspondence with The Mother - from 1948 to 1968. In the early years The Mother wrote several prayers for him.
The Mother : correspondence
THEME/S
Born on 7 January 1930, Debkumar Bhattacharya joined the Ashram on 15 August 1943 at the age of thirteen. Debou, as he was called, was one of the first students in a small school started by the Mother in December of that year. In 1949 he became a teacher of French in the school. Later, he studied homeopathy and around 1967 became a practising homeopathic doctor. For decades he treated members of the Ashram in this capacity. Debou lived in the Ashram for sixty-nine years, passing away on 29 July 2013.
Debou’s correspondence with the Mother covers the period from 1948 to 1968. In the early years she wrote several prayers for him and later wrote letters to help him understand and overcome his problems. The correspondence is largely in French and appears here in translation.
My dear mother,
If there were something like a mirror that could make me see whomever I called, I would be able to speak to you all the time.
It is very hard, isn’t it, Mother, to gain a friend as dear as the Divine? I have no one. That is why I recognise you as my supreme mother. I would like to be guided by you. I depend entirely on you and I count on your guidance in the minutest actions of my life. Without that, I am lost.
The mirror of your heart is the best you can find, because truly
I am established there in your heart, always.
23 May 1948
Give me true consciousness and perfect consecration.
21 February 1949
“Sweet Mother, Your heart is my abode, Your heart is the reality of my being. In Your heart I am nestled and I have become Your heart.”
To Debou
With all my tenderness and my blessings
18 May 1949
Mahakali, my sweet Mother,
Grant that always I may be faithful to you; grant that my love for you may ever increase and my receptivity be so perfect that you can accomplish in me the total transformation.
21 October 1949
For Debou, a prayer
My sweet Mother,
Grant that I do not waste in a vain human relationship the splendour of the divine love that Your Grace is pouring out on me so generously.
24 October 1949
I belong to You for eternity. Grant that nothing in me has the power to contradict this absolute consecration.
24 November 1949
(1) Make me ever worthy of the Mother’s love.
(2) Grant that I may love the Mother with a true love, unselfish and unreserved.
(3) Give me the full realisation of my entire being.
(4) Grant that I may be a perfect servant of Your Work.
c. 1949
(Advice to Debou on what to tell his students on the first day of class)
My dear friends,
With the new school year, you have several new teachers and I am happy to be one of them.
You can be sure that I will do everything in my power to make my lessons always interesting and instructive. On your part, I am sure that you will do your best to be attentive and studious and collaborate with me in this common work, in order to learn a lot and make good progress.
5 December 1949
The lesson of the silk worm
The student expresses his surprise that the silk worm weaves his own prison. But the worm replies that he is crafting with joy the cocoon in which he will enclose himself, because it is inside the cocoon that the transformation to make him a butterfly will take place. This is a same effort that the student makes to develop and express what he has inside him. One could say that few things are as ugly as a caterpillar, but then few things are as beautiful as a butterfly. To change the unsightly silk worm into a beautiful blue butterfly, while remaining for a time imprisoned in a cocoon, would surely be worthwhile.
In the same way for the student, school is a cocoon in which he must enclose himself with joy — because thanks to it all the capacities latent in him can be developed and expressed fully and freely.
For Debou
Give me the courage to realise my true self despite all obstacles.
21 February 1950
To Debou, a prayer for the 15th of August 1950
“Lord, grant that in all sincerity I may say to our Mother: “I am Yours for eternity.”
August 1950
“Sweet Mother,” I said one day just as I was going out, “You will never leave me.” Right, Sweet Mother? You were holding my hand in yours and you said, “Never” with radiant eyes. “But,” you continued, “try not to misbehave.”
A thought wanted to come out, piercing my heart: “Ma, if your poor child misbehaves some day, you will leave him!”
No, that is not what I wanted to say; I wanted to say: “Do not take advantage of my promise never to leave you to slacken your effort and misbehave.”
4 January 1950
Prayer for 1951
“My sweet Mother,
Grant that your love may give me the patience, the endurance and the perseverance necessary to go through to the end of my effort and realise the unity of my consciousness with yours, forever.”
To Debou, with all my tenderness
15 May 1951
O divine Mother, sweet Mother,
Make of me the hero warrior I aspire to become, so that I may fight successfully the great battle of the future that is to be born against the past that seeks to endure, so that the new things may manifest and we be ready to receive them.
A prayer for Debou26
4 January 1952
Increase the inner repose; it must be there ever present, even in the midst of the greatest activity and so firm that nothing can have the power to shake it: then you will become a perfect instrument for the Manifestation.
25 March 1952
To win the victory, one must know how to wait with tireless endurance.
Patience is the key to the doors of success.
5 September 1954
Open yourself to the new world and with it you will grow towards the future.
4 January 1958
Debou, my dear child,
Your mantra is very beautiful.
After Panditji’s departure, when I have a little more time, I will call you one morning and ask you to recite it to me. No one else will be here and you will not risk being heard.
Be firm and regular in your meditation and I will always be with you to help you.
The results are certain.
With my tenderness and my blessings
8 May 1959
It is true that you are “my true son” and you will remain so always, even if sometimes, for some reason or other, your consciousness is veiled. So do not torment yourself, but take care never to forget the one true goal of life: union with the Divine. And whatever you do, you must do it without losing sight of this supreme goal.
My blessings are always with you.
22 March 1960
It is good, my child; I accept your gesture, but not the money. That is not quite what I wanted to say.
I merely wanted you to become more conscious of the need for a more complete consecration.
I have no objection to your buying a radio since you have saved up for that.
And I hope that while listening to it your aspiration will rise up more ardently towards the Divine Realisation.
With my blessings
Debou, my dear little child,
Not for a moment have I ceased to be with you, and I am surprised by the feeling you have about me. Are you quite sure about not letting anything or anyone come between you and me? And could this not be the reason for this illness which seems to have lasted for quite a long time?
Concentrate on me and you will see that my force has not left you.
2 January 1962
Why this depression? Whatever happens should only be an opportunity for some new progress, some new ascent, some new opening towards the glorious eternal goal that we envisage. I said nothing about what you call “the recent event” because I was hoping that you would stay out of this affair which has caused far more commotion than it deserved. In any case, all is well now and the best thing to do is not to think about it anymore.
It is not in one place or another that solitude can be found. It is by isolating oneself from those around one through concentration in the depths of one’s heart and through silence of the mind — there one finds that which is rich with the Divine Presence.
Nothing that can truly help has changed; that is to say, the Force and the Presence are always with you and you will feel them more and more as you become more concentrated on them.
Take heart, and let your faith and your aspiration sweep away all obstacles.
13 July 1962
I had been waiting for a letter from you for several days. Your thought has been coming to me with a sort of anxiety, as if you wanted to take a decision and you were not sure which way to go. My answer was always the same: “Do not forget the true goal of your life and let nothing come between you and me.”
Now your letter has come to clarify everything.
S seems to be satisfied with the idea of taking you to Rameshwaram. So you will go there to reply to Panditji’s questions. That is the time when you must keep your consciousness concentrated on me and not allow yourself to be influenced by other mental constructions, however attractive they may be.
The light and knowledge that Sri Aurobindo has given us infinitely surpasses all that has been taught previously. This must never be forgotten; and if you cling to me, you will get the necessary force and consciousness to resist any suggestions, expressed or otherwise.
I will see you for a short while before you leave.
9 April 1963
I was pleased to read your long letter, except that your body should not resist the action of the Force and give you trouble. It must become more plastic and receptive.
As for food, you can certainly take fish if it suits your system. No doubt it is your aunt who will prepare it.
The progress in the sadhana depends far more on the sincerity of your aspiration than on the food you eat, especially if it is taken because it is needed and not out of desire. It is the vibrations of egoistic desire and attachment that slow down the progress, and the control of these vibrations is of primary importance.
I trust that you will have the realisation of the Divine Consciousness in your present life, but naturally for this, that Realisation must be the principal and essential thing for you —your sole preoccupation.
My tenderness and my force will always be there to help you.
3 August 1963
I hope that your health is better now.
There was no contradiction, neither in my thought nor in my word. I know that your life is consecrated to the realisation of the Divine, but in the progressive universal movement this consecration must be constantly renewed in order to be always in accord with the evolution. It isn’t enough to say once and for all: “I belong to the Divine”; at every moment, one must give oneself to Him and surrender one’s will to His. Then the union becomes certain and effective.
1 October 1963
I was happy to receive your letter and to see that you were conscious of the beautiful experience that was given to you.
You must learn to be conscious of my presence in a very tangible way, so that you know I am always with you. However, if you feel the need to see me physically from time to time, it is not an impossible thing.
In any case, I am keeping a moment for you on 7th January for your birthday.
13 December 1963
We will try and find you someone suitable.
But to tell the truth, you cannot expect good work from a servant that you don’t supervise.
That is why I always prefer to do the work myself rather than leave it to a maid or a man-servant. My most luminous meditations have sometimes occurred while I was cooking or polishing the wood floor. But it is true that it was not for myself that I was cooking or polishing the floor in my room.
The moral of the story is that one should not attach too much importance to these material things and that one must keep smiling in all circumstances.
7 February 1964
Never be depressed, it is ingratitude, and when I scold you, take it as a sign of my love for you and a grace.
Your mama
1964
My dear Mama,
There is a rumour in the Ashram that You said: All the signs of Pralaya are apparent. Is it true?
I never said that.
The Greek and Egyptian Gods exist, but their sadhanas seem to be forgotten. Are these Gods realisable, then?
What exactly do you mean by “sadhana” in this case? Do you mean the discipline or process by which one can enter into relation with them? In that case the process is always the same, no matter what entity one wants to enter into relation with: faith and aspiration.
With my tenderness and blessings
Yesterday night, I had a lovely dream: I sat in front of a statue of Shiva, very sad, but absorbed. All of a sudden You appeared behind Shiva and You told me: You will have the realisation.
It is good.
23 July 1965
(The opening of this letter is missing. It ends:) For a long time, I have been under the impression that the Greek gods are superior to the Indian Gods. Is it only in their aesthetic expression?
Greek thought and art are far more materialistic, less spiritual than Hindu art and thought; that is why the modern mentality understands it better. But the future in its art and thought will totally surpass them and manifest a beauty and thought infinitely more integral, profound, rich and complete, in which spirit and matter will be united in perfect harmony.
Blessings
c. 1965
Sweet Mother,
I would like to ask You a few questions regarding the mantra You have given me.
1. Should one set a precise time for the Japa? You can do it if you find that it helps you to be regular.
2. Should one do it without eating?
This has no importance.
3. You told me that I can do it sitting or walking. Does this mean that a fixed place is not important?
One must be able to repeat it constantly with concentration anywhere.
4. Should I continue at the same time the little fifteen-minute Japa of Panditji that I am also doing?
You can continue it if you feel no opposition. The aim is to establish the divine harmony so that no disorder, outer or inner, has the power to disturb you.
Tenderness and blessings
2 June 1967
Your letter certainly did not displease me, but it saddened me because my love has never left you and I have always wanted you to be happy, peaceful and satisfied in the spiritual light and integral progress.
It is not because of a lack of interest or affection that I am unable to see you often; it is solely for lack of time.
Your note asking me when I could see you arrived at a moment when all my time was taken, taken in advance from long before. I wanted to see you quietly one morning and that is why I did not reply to you at once.
But inwardly I am always with you and you ought to feel it. You tell me that you have received blows, but they are not from me—I have never given you any.
I had planned to wash my hair on Monday the 18th, and I had kept my morning for this; but I am giving this up most willingly and I will see you at 10.15 on the morning of Monday the 18th, to make you understand and feel that you can always count on me.
In the meantime, meditate on the message that I have enclosed with my letter.27 It will help you to understand what has happened to you.
14 December 1967
My dear child,
I have not forgotten anything. I was just surprised that you could be so unhappy when my love has never abandoned you — your heart should feel it and know it . . . But let us not speak further about this obstinate unhappiness because I want it to go away. Come on 6th January at 8.00 in the morning. We will not talk about your birthday, but about the possibilities of the future and I will wish you a happy new year for all the years to come.
With all my tenderness
31 December 1968
If you are truly surrendered to the Divine, in the right manner and totally, then at every moment you will be what you ought to be, you will do what you ought to do, you will know what you ought to know. But for that you need to have transcended all the limitations of the ego.
It is to the sincerity of your aspiration that the divine love answers spontaneously.
Series Six—Debou. Debkumar Bhattacharya, known as Debou, joined the Ashram in 1943. After completing his studies in the Ashram school in 1951, he became a teacher there. Later, in the mid 1960s, he became a homeopath and practised for many years.
Debou’s correspondence has been prepared from his manuscripts. Almost all the entries are in French and appear here in translation. The correspondence is being published here for the first time.
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