BY THE WAY
Part - II
Note from the Publisher
Dada (Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya) is present in his office every morning from 8.30 to 11.45. During this time boys, girls and growing-ups from the Ashram come to see him. He also receives visitors. They all have something to ask him and he answers their questions. The visitor goes back happy. All those who are present in his office also enjoy his replies as well as all the stories and humorous incidents he recounts. Time is happily spent.
Amalesh Bhattacharya who has transcribed these conversations sits in a corner of the office and quietly notes everything down. The present selection of these jottings is the second part of By the Way and it is sincerely hoped that all those who read it do so with enjoyment.
It is half past eleven in the morning. A few of us are sitting at the office of the Physical Education Department (P.E.D). Dada too is amongst us. The office-work is almost over. In fifteen minutes the office will close. This is usually the time for a little chat or for a discussion of some specific question.
We can hear the Ashram School bell ringing. It marks the end of the morning classes. A little later a 12-year old boy walks into the office laughing heartily. Dada, laughing, asks him: "What's the matter? You look very happy?"
'Dada, will you tell me an amusing ghost-story today?'
"An amusing ghost-story? Have I told you the one about two ghosts and a fisherman?"
"No, tell it to me."
"Well, listen then. A fisherman was returning home one evening with the day's catch and his wet net strung over his shoulder. It was getting dark as he trudged through the bamboo grove back to his village. Suddenly in front of him he noticed two tall black ghosts. Long-toothed and with straight poky hair, they were having a terrible brawl in their nasal voices. One ghost was on top of the bamboo-trees and the other on top of a palm-tree. One of them was holding a big fish-hook in his hand and shouting: This is called a hook.'
'No! you fool! It is called a gook,' screamed the other.
'No, It is a hook!'
'No, It is a gook!'
The argument went on over this. 'What did you say? That I am a fool? A ghost for the last seven generations and I don't know anything! And you who were born just the other day, you know it all?'
"What nonsense is this? What have ghosts to do with one or sewn generations? A ghost is a ghost. You are just a tree- climbing ghost, you fool!'
I am a tree-climbing ghost? And you live in a bamboo- grove. You are a bamboo-climbing ghost.'
'Okay, look! There is a fisherman coming this way. Ask him if this is a hook or a gook.'
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In the darkness the two ghosts suddenly appeared in front of the fisherman and blocked his path.
'Now, you tell us, is this a hook or a gook?'
The fisherman thought for a while. 'My clothes are wet and I am carrying my catch with me as well. And these two ghosts in front of me! I am in real trouble! What am I to do now?' The fisherman thought a little more: 'If I say It is a hook then the 'gooky' ghost will kill me and if I say It is a gook then the 'hooky' ghost will break my neck!' Then with a flicker of intelligence lighting his eyes, he declared: 'It is neither a hook nor a gook actually!'
'Then what is it?' the two ghosts enquired with great perplexity.
'It is neither a hook nor a gook. It is curved iron!'
*
One day a panic-stricken sadhika from the Ashram turned up before Dada. Dada at once reassured her in his deep voice:
"You needn't fear. Nobody can do anything to you. The Mother is there. We are with you. Rest assured."
There was such a power in his voice that hardly had those few words been spoken when her fear left her and she walked out of the office in silence. An air of quiet gravity hung over the room for some time. Through Dada's voice a power always rises, an assurance and a profound peace. Whatever the difficulty or fear, it is removed in a flash and the body and mind are filled with a sense of confidence and total security. Such is Dada: offering protection like the unshakable Himalaya. The grieving and the afflicted have but to come and stand before him to receive that tremendous sense of solace.
The young and the old, they all come to Dada with then- problems and complaints. They feel better by unburdening themselves and then all fear or worry vanishes.
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The youngsters, in particular, feel they must come and speak to him however small or ordinary their grievance.
Once two little boys had a fight. One of them came running into the office to complain: 'Dada, he called you a fatso!'
Dada asked: "What did he say? Fatso? To whom?"
Angrily the boy replied: 'You ! He called you that!'
Dada burst out laughing.
A little girl was cycling when suddenly a dog ran into her front-wheel. The girl recovered her balance but at once menaced the nasty dog: 'Just you wait! I'll tell Dada!'
Whether it is a serious complaint or a mere caprice it must be told to Dada.
One day Dada was going to the Sports Ground. From quite a distance a young boy hollered: 'Dada! Dada! I have some news. Mummy has had a baby and Granny has arrived!'
Dada was working in his office in the morning when two visitors walked in. Hardly had they sat down when they said: 'Dada, we've come to listen to you. Tell us something.'
Dada was slightly displeased and said: "I am working at the moment. I just can't speak like that at any odd time. There is a time and occasion for everything"'
But these? two were not the type to give in: 'No, Dada, tell us at least something.'
"You just ask' me and I have to start speaking. Am I a machine? In my country there is a saying that if you blabber in the morning then your uncle's cooking-pot cracks!"
How sweetly Dada managed to get around them!
Dada was recounting a funny anecdote about a self-conceited, foolish pundit who knew nothing at all. He had neither any
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knowledge nor any intelligence but he went around telling people that he knew a lot. So one day on hearing this the pundit's wife told him: 'You say you know so much. Why don't you go to the king and recite some of your wise poems and get some royal alms or offerings?' The wife kept repeating the same thing every day.
Finally the foolish pundit said to himself: 'Yes, why not? I can go to the king and recite some grand, pompous verse.' But despite all his thinking he could not decide what to recite. Then suddenly he observed in front of the house a cat that was licking a pot of milk clean. There! Suddenly his inspiration descended. He said to himself: O cat! Why dost thou lickest the milk from the pot?' He recited this a few times and committed it to memory. 'This isn't bad at all!,' he thought, 'I'll go and recite this to the king: O cat, why dost thou lickest the milk from the pot? No, milk somehow doesn't sound quite right. So he recited again: O cat, why dost thou lickest the cream from the pot?' Yes, cream in place of milk is definitely better, it sounds more like Sanskrit!'
So the wise fool went to the king and announced: O Your Highness, I have composed for you a poem and I'd like to present it to you.'
'Fine. Let us have it then,' the king said.
The pundit cleared his throat, took a deep breath and started declaiming loudly: O cat, why dost thou lickest the cream from the pot?'
The king was dumbstruck. 'Is this your poem?'
'Yes, Your Highness.'
'But a poem has to have some feet to stand on, mustn't it? the king asked.
'Absolutely, Your Highness. Didn't I say 'cat'? A cat has four feet!'
The king thought he was joking with him. 'But, O pundit, a poem needs some sweetness. Where's the sweetness here?'
'Didn't I say 'cream', Your Highness? What is there sweeter than cream?'
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The king thought the pundit had come to entertain him and so he laughed heartily and pleased handed him some money and packed him off.
Dada continued: "Well, since we've started with a story of a pundit, let me recount one more about two pundits this time. Ram and Shyam were brothers. Ram, the elder, was a real pundit. He spent all his time reading and writing. He would be surrounded by documents and manuscripts. Shyam, the younger, was just the opposite, without the slightest education. He was into exercise and wrestling. He had opened a wrestling-pit and ran it with a few of his students. He had a formidable, muscular figure.
One day Ram the pundit set off to conquer the world with his learning. In those days pundits used to wander from place to place to participate in intellectual assemblies. Being a true pundit Ram naturally made a lot of money and his fame grew far and wide. On his return back home he had to pass through a village of robbers. The chief robber accosted him and challenged him to a learned debate. 'If you can beat me you are lucky, otherwise all your money will be mine.'
Ram the pundit asked his name.
'They call me the unbeatable pundit,' he answered.
'Well, then, let's begin.'
The two pundits arrived at the debating venue. The villagers streamed in. It was an assembly of all the fools of the village. Then the unbeatable pundit peered intently at Ram and asked him: 'Tell me, pundit, what do the words 'gabya gadang' mean?'
Ram plunged into deep thought. What could these words mean? He had never come across such an expression and so he humbly bowed his head and said: 'I don't know what they mean.'
The assembly of the village-fools stood up on their feet to cheer their victor.
The unbeatable pundit took away all the money from Ram and Ram returned home penniless. He seemed tired and withered.
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'What's the matter with you, brother?' Shyam enquired, 'I was told that you defeated all the big pundits and have returned with a lot of fame and wealth. Then why this downcast look?'
'All you say is true but on the way I met a pundit called the unbeatable pundit and he has beaten me. He asked me the meaning of 'gabya gadang'. I didn't know and so I had to give him all my wealth and return empty-handed.
'But my brother, it is not for you to answer the meaning of 'gabya gadang'. Anyway, let me see what I can do,' Shyam said.
He gathered a few of his well-built companions, disguised himself as a Brahmin pundit and headed for the unbeatable pundit's village. In the village he started asking everybody about the unbeatable pundit. 'I've come to challenge the unbeatable pundit. If he can beat me then all my money will be his.'
When the unbeatable pundit heard this he thought that yet another fool had turned up. 'From him too, like from the previous one, I will take away all his money.'
The pundits' assembly met. All the fools and village bumpkins came together. Shyam and the unbeatable pundit sat facing each other. The unbeatable pundit raised his hand and asked: Tell me, what do these words mean.'
'What words?' asked Shyam.
'Gabya gadang. What do these words mean?'
Shyam got up at once and slapped the unbeatable pundit really hard. The unbeatable pundit was flat on the ground. If he made the slightest attempt to get up Shyam slammed another stunning slap. After these two slaps the unbeatable pundit was dazed into silence.
Shyam-pundit then said: 'What a fantastic fool you are re- ally! Why did you begin with 'gabya gadang''?
The villagers sat speechless and listened. No one moved. They thought a massive clash of pundits was unfolding.
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Shyam-pundit stood up and pointing at the unbeatable pundit announced: 'First there should be Patra padang', that is the leaves have to be spread on the floor. After that 'chhad chhadang', that is water has to be sprinkled to clean the leaves. Then 'chidbichidang', that is puffed rice has to be placed. And only then 'gabya gadang', that is yoghurt has to be poured.'
The villagers heard in awe. This was formidable punditry. The unbeatable pundit had been flattened with just one slap. On top of that this flow of Sanskrit words, patra padang, chhad chhadang, chidbichidang. The unbeatable pundit lowered his head and accepted defeat. On the other hand the well-built companions of Shyam began thrashing the other robbers. No one dared say a word. Now Shyam-pundit ordered:
'Now, give everything back to me, you scoundrel. Whatever you took from Ram-pundit, return everything to me. And add another five thousand rupees to that.'
The unbeatable pundit returned all the money and added another five thousand on top.
Shyam returned home and handing over all his money plus the five thousand to his brother said: 'Here you are. I told you mastering this kind of a pundit was not your job.'
We were talking about how everyone's luck was not the same. Even for luck to come knocking, the suitable day and time is fixed by divine Grace. Dada recounted two stories in this context. One was about a pundit who could hear the auspicious moments, a veritable astrologer. One day the astrologer studied and calculated and found that at a given day and time the king will have tremendous luck. One day he informed the king that after calculations he had concluded that His Highness would have a glorious stroke of luck on such and such day and at such and such time. The king decided to convene an assembly to find out about the astrologer's competence.
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The astrologer arrived at the appointed time and told king:
'Using the water-clock I will indicate to you the auspicious moment. You will at once cut a pumpkin into two with your sword.'
The king, his sword in hand, waited for the signal while his ministers, courtiers and other important people sat still in hushed expectation. The pundit peered at the water-clock and kept count. A big pumpkin lay in front of the king.
Then as soon as the pundit signalled with his hand the king slashed the pumpkin into two. And lo and behold! The two halves of the pumpkin had turned into gold. There was no end to singing the praises of the astrologer. The king too offered him a large reward and saw him off.
Now when he returned home, his wife started nagging him: 'Calculate and tell me when my auspicious moment will come.'
The pundit replied: 'No, my dear wife, everybody is not lucky enough to get everything. But that is no cause to worry. How can the king's luck and our luck be the same?'
But the wife would not relent and insisted that he find out and tell her what there was in store for her. She was sure to have some luck too.
What then could the Brahmin do? After a lot of reflection and calculation he finally spoke: 'Yes, dear wife, you do have some luck in your fate, But this auspicious moment will last just for a fraction of time. This auspicious moment will not last a second longer.'
The pundit's wife was thrilled. She went and got a huge pumpkin and stood in front of it holding a sharp knife. The pundit sat down with the water-clock and started calculating. He sat there calculating for a long time.
His wife, in the meanwhile, began to fidget a little. She had lice in her hair and her head was itching badly but she would not stir. After some more time she could not bear the itch any longer and so she pounced on the tiny louse and placing it on one thumbnail she crushed it with the other. Unfortunately
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just then the pundit also signalled the auspicious moment. Cut', he shouted.
The wife took up the big knife after killing off the louse and chopped the pumpkin into two. But what ill-luck! Nothing happened. The pumpkin remained just a pumpkin.
The wife was furious: 'You know nothing. Nothing at all. The pumpkin didn't turn into gold, did it?'
The Brahmin answered: 'My calculations can't be wrong. I was very careful. But did you chop the pumpkin as soon as I signalled? Remember your auspicious moment was to last only for a fraction.'
'You see, just as you signalled, I was getting rid of a louse that was bothering me and I chopped the pumpkin immediately after.'
'Let me see your nail,' the Brahmin asked.
And there! on the thumbnail glistened a dot of gold!
Dada was talking about women who were taking up all kinds of jobs and proving themselves at various skills. And by standing on their own two feet they were also proving their worth. He spoke about the daughter of a certain gentleman from the Ashram who had been studying law in Bangalore and who had just appeared for her final examination. Just as he was saying this the girl in question walked into the office!
"How interesting! I was just talking about you and you walk in! How are you? When did you arrive?"
'I've just come. I wanted to greet you before doing anything else.'
"Wonderful, then. Have you finished your final exam? So now you are all set to become a lawyer!"
The girl laughed.
"You know, my maternal grandfather was a big lawyer, Dada continued. My uncles lived in Serampore. As a boy of
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seven or eight I used to go there with my father and return to Calcutta at the end of the week. I had school and father had to get back to his work. My grandfather, although a lawyer, was a very devout Brahmin: deeply religious and faultless in his conduct.
"I would ask: 'Tell me, Dadu, what do lawyers do exactly?'
'What else? When there is a case the lawyer must fight for his client and with the help of the law he must try and save him.'
"But what sort of people are judged in court? Are they all good people? Or are there thieves and gangsters and criminals as well?"
'Yes, of course, there are all sorts of people: innocent, good people as well as thieves and murderers.'
"And so you fight for these too?
'Most certainly, I must. That is my job.'
"But you fight for them knowing they are criminals?"
'Well, I have to, my dear.'
"Then you too lie in order to save them?"
Grandfather put on an angry air and exclaimed: 'You rascal!'
As I told you my grandfather was very punctilious and so when it was time to leave I was asked to go and bow before Dadu. And I would go in with my shoes and touch his feet in respect. Once when I went to bid him goodbye he was eating. At once he stood up and laughingly bid me farewell. He didn't, however, go back to his dining table. I had touched his feet wearing my shoes and so he could not touch food anymore. Everyone lamented:
'So, you've ruined Dadu's meal, haven't you, Pinu?'
"How was I to know all this?
On another occasion I went to bid goodbye to him. I was careful enough to remove my shoes before bowing at his feet. But on this occasion too Dadu got up from his meal. He bid me farewell with a smile. Again he didn't go back to his meal.
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What did I do wrong this time? Didn't I take off my shoes? Why isn't he eating then?"
'What if you took off your shoes? What about your leather belt?' everyone complained again.
Everyone would remind me later how I had upset Dadu's meal twice. It was really rare to come across such a scrupulous man even though he was a lawyer.
Someone in Dada's office joked: 'I call them liars not lawyers.'
The girl then recounted a joke. There was a meeting of important people with scientists, doctors and other professionals. There was a lawyer amongst them too. Each one of them was asked 'How much is two plus two'. The scientist answered in a matter-of-fact way: 'Obviously four! Everybody knows that!' The doctor too was of the same opinion. Now it was the turn of the lawyer to reply.
Two plus two is what you want us to make.'
Everyone had a good laugh.
Lawyers are astute, Dada continued. To illustrate this let me tell you a story.
'A husband and wife were lying in bed one night along with their little son. All of a sudden in the course of their ft they got into a terrible argument. The little boy latched what was going on. At one point the husband got so infuriated that he killed his wife. Charged with murder husband appeared in court. A lawyer took up his case. There was only one eye-witness to the murder—the little boy. He had given a detailed report of the act to the police. There wasn't the slightest hope for the accused to be let off. The father nevertheless went to his lawyer and begged him to save him.
'But what about the child's testimony? I don't see any hope of defending you in such a situation. But you could do one thing.'
'Anything you say,' the man answered.
'If you can somehow get this little boy to me then I might try to do something,' the lawyer said.
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After a lot of cajoling the little boy was brought to the lawyer. He began narrating that night's incident mechanically while the lawyer listened intently. When the boy had finished recounting the incident in all its details the lawyer said: 'Tell the judge everything just as you've told me. Only when you finish just add one more sentence: After this I woke up!'
Everyone burst out laughing.
Someone told Dada that he had received a phone-call from a scholar in Oxford named Arindam Chakravarty.'
"Do you know him?" Dada enquired.
'No, Dada, he got my address from the 'Asiatic Society1. He was keen on knowing if I had any solution to the problem of Space and Time.'
"What did you tell him?"
'I told him I had no problem in understanding the concept of Space and Time. A fool is not disturbed by this problem because both the terms are almost one and the same. Space in action is Time and Time in inaction is Space. Suppose a bell rang once. Then after a long pause it rang once again. The sound of the two gongs is Time. And the interval of motionless silence that lies between the two gongs could be called Space. The infinite, immobile extension of Time could be seen as Space and the pulsations in the bosom of the Infinite, its movement or stirring could be seen as Time. The dance of Kali within the bosom of Shiva. Shiva is Space and Kali, Time. In this regard I asked him to go through the Kala-sukta of the Atharva Veda and the famous saying 'Kaloasmi' from the Gita, For me these two facets. Space and Time are two expressions of God. There is a saying in the Veda: 'Kalah sah iyatey paramo noo devah' : the intense whirling atomic pulsations of this vast creation in the heart of this void dense with ananda (beatitude), this is what Space and Time mean. The Chhandogya,
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Upanishad says that within this Cosmic creation there is a great Void and it is this that the Rishis have called 'anim' or 'daharakash'. This is considered to be Space. That is how I see Time and Space. In my understanding there is no confusion. This gentleman from Oxford was going to Benares for a seminar and on his return he would come to see me.'
"You are like Buno Ramnath of Nabadwip!" Dada laughed. Ramnath was a famous pundit from Nabadwip who excelled in logic and argument. He had set up a Vedic school near Nabadwip in the woods and taught there. That's why he was called 'Buno' Ramnath. He didn't take any assistance from anybody even though it was customary for kings to offer patronage to scholars. He didn't know what greed was even though he sought knowledge in the midst of a life of great poverty. His wife too shared her husband's spirit of renunciation and lack of greed. She was a true companion by happily partnering him in both his poverty and in his seeking for knowledge.
One day, except for two fistfuls of rice, there was nothing to cook at home. The wife told the pundit: 'There is nothing to cook.' The pundit didn't say a word. He simply looked up once towards the sky and went out. The pundit's wife looked up towards the sky too and saw a branch of tamarind tree overhead. She thought her husband was indicating the tamarind branch. She cooked the two fistfuls of rice and made a sauce with the tamarind leaves. After returning from school he ate the rice and the tamarind-leaf sauce with great relish. From then on he came to be known also as Tentul or tamarind Ramnath.
On hearing about woodlander Ramnath's scholarship and simplicity the ruler of Nabadwip, king Shivchandra, decided to meet him in his thatched hut. When the king arrived Ramnath was so absorbed in his contemplation that he didn't even notice the king. As soon as he noticed him, he quickly stood up and with great courtesy welcomed the king. On being pleased with the pundit's humble conduct he enquired if
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he lacked anything. 'Do you need anything, sir?', the king asked.
Ramnath bowed respectfully and said: 'Within these four walls I've acquired the wealth of the Shastras. I don't feel II can be in want of anything now.'
The king was moved by the pundit's simple and greedless answer. But then he thought that the pundit had not understood that he was enquiring about his material needs. So he went and asked his wife: 'Ma, if you have need of anything kindly let me know. I will do my best to see that your needs are taken care of.'
'We can eat two fistfuls of rice twice a day, we have a roof over our heads and enough cloth to cover ourselves. What else can one need, O King?'
The king was quite astonished. His wife was exactly like her husband, without any greed and satisfied with little. The pundit had a, perfectly suitable wife.
This Ram pundit impressed everybody in an assembly of scholars by answering all the questions of logic put to him by the renowned pundit Shivnath Vachaspati. Even the common people knew about the fame and intelligence of this poor, greedless pundit.
After a lot of persuasion king Krishna Chandra arranged for pundit Ramnath to receive financial assistance monthly.
One day Rajkumar, or Jagannath as Dada calls him, came to see Dada about the Playground workers who normally receive money in advance for the Pujas. Some of them had be absent and so would lose their wages for that period. What was he to do then?
Dada, full of compassion, advised: "They are poor people. Give them the advance and don't cut their wages for the month."
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Then Dada recounted a story: ""When I was in Calcutta we used to live in a three-storeyed rented house in Hindustan Park on Rashbehari Avenue. On the first floor stayed Motilal Roy who was then the chief editor of 'The States man'. Though a bachelor he had an army of maids and attendants working for him. He was slightly eccentric and a little absent-minded too. Often he would cook and feed all his workers. At times he would finish the cooking and wait for the maids and attendants. They came late but he would wait for them. When they finally turned up he would shout: 'Why are you all late for the meal? Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?'
The workers would retort: 'What can we do, sir? We are poor people and so have no idea of time. How can we know the time if we don't have a watch?'
'Fine, then. Tomorrow I'll buy a watch for each one of you. But then from tomorrow you must all be on time.'
There used to be a sweet-shop opposite the house. With the help of a pair of binoculars he would indicate to his attendants the sweets he wanted to get. He was indeed a most peculiar gentleman.
One day Dada observed: One needs to be generous within to appreciate other people's qualities. He who isn't generous within will never be able to understand the qualities of another. This generosity is inner wealth. You may have worked with the Mother and Sri Aurobindo but if you don't have this you just can't. If you don't carry this generosity within you then with the petty mind you will never understand the greatness of another human being.
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A husband and wife, both teachers, came to meet Dada with their son. He met them and handed them a new-year calendar and a book about physical culture. He asked the little boy what class he was in.
'In class eight,' he answered.
"So you must be about thirteen or fourteen?"
'He is fourteen,' the father replied.
"Do you do any sports?" Dada asked again.
'I play cricket,' the boy said.
'He can hardly play. He suffers from tonsillitis all the time,' the mother informed Dada.
"Yes, tonsillitis doesn't allow the body to be healthy. When I was almost his age, Dada continued, I too had it. My father and uncles were dead against tonsillectomy since they believed in homeopathic treatment. But I am told tonsillitis doesn't go without an operation and the body refuses to get well if it is present. So I would tell myself that if my tonsils were to be removed through an operation I'd be able to take up physical culture and become healthy. And so I started play-acting, pretending that I was suffering from great pain because of my tonsils. I kept saying my throat is paining. I can't eat. It is very painful. This went on until finally Father agreed to an operation. One Dr Captain Pathak at the Berhampur Town Hospital removed the bad part of the tonsils. However he left some of it so that the body would retain its immunity. I was to have one more check-up after a week.
After a week Dr Pathak said I was fine and there was nothing to worry. 'Now you can take up physical culture. Your body will now be healthy.'
And that's what happened. I started regular exercises and I was fine."
As soon as this couple left with their son another family arrived. When Dada asked the boy where he was studying the father replied that he was at the Calcutta Presidency.
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The personal fitness-room attached to Pranab's house
"You see as I look after the physical education department I always ask people if they do any sports," Dada said.
The boy bowed his head in embarrassment: 'No, I don't do anything.'
"So only brain? No brawn? Those who don't practise any physical culture, do you know how we call them? Physically illiterate," Dada said laughing.
"Do you know how old I am, Dada asked. Seventy-five, he answered himself. Even at this age I do two hours of exercise daily. I even do weight training. People usually build a bath- room attached to their bedroom but I've got a gym attached to my bedroom.
"I wanted to know more about the intensity of my exercise programme. So, one day, I made a young man go through my exercise programme. After finishing the routine he said that the exercise programme was quite tough even for a young man like him."
We were talking about south Indian food and why it is usually so sour and hot. The 'rasam' contains a mixture of tamarind water as well as chilli powder.
Considering the weather here, eating both sour and hot seems to be useful, said Dada and continued laughing. Our Ashram doctor Prabhat Sanyal's relative was a 'food-taster' of the Viceroy. After independence when he left the job he was asked why he had done so,
'You see, before independence, it was the Britishers who were viceroys, governors or generals. As their 'food-taster' I used to eat a variety of wonderful dishes. After independence Rajagopalachari became the first governor-general. As his food-taster, I had no desire to try tamarind-water everyday. So I quit my job!'
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A gentleman came to see Dada and began lamenting: 'I had put my son in the Ashram when he was a child. After finishing his studies here he left the Ashram and is now doing well. He is fine but that's not what I wanted. I had imagined would live the ideal of the Ashram.'
"You shouldn't feel this way, Dada advised, he has had good education here and now has a respectable job; he is well settled and happy. What's wrong with that? This is what he wanted. Had he stayed on in the Ashram it would have been against his will and he would have lived the life of a hypocrite. This would have done him no good and done the Ashram no good.
"It isn't easy to overcome the pull of the outside world. Our path here is a very difficult one. Not everyone can walk on it. The Mother never believed in keeping anyone here force. Whatever path one chooses in full freedom is the right path.
"Every year almost twenty-five boys and girls pass out our school. Very few of them take up the Ashram life. Mi of them leave. This year, out of twenty-five students twenty two have gone out and even of these three who will stay or difficult to say. It is the same everywhere. They go to school grow up and then leave. I knew quite a few top-rung work of the Ramakrishna Mission. They too faced the same problem. In order to retain the boys they went on upgrading the educational system, by increasing the number of courses a by using new systems of teaching. But all to no avail. As so as they finish they leave. What's to be done?
"It is true that those who leave realise later that the education they received here and the life in the outside world ha nothing in common. They find it very tough to adjust to that world.
"There are of course many who come back but in the intervening time they seem to have lost something. But there is nothing to be done. We have to be ready for this. I ha seen two to three generations of children going out after
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completing their studies here. Later they return with their own children and tell me: 'We'd like to see, Dada, that our children don't repeat the mistakes we made.' But then these children too do the same. And in this way groups of children come and go, come and go. But not one of them is in an un- happy situation. They are all working in senior positions in good companies. They are happy. That's already quite a lot."
Once while writing a girl's surname Dada made a mistake. She said: 'Dada, I am a Chatterji. I love my family name. Since one loses one's maiden name after marriage I have decided not to get married. The girl was in a jovial mood. So Dada told her: "If you love your family name so much, you should marry a 'Chatterji'. Then you could retain your name."
There were many people at the office. One of them said:
'Nowadays girls don't change their surname after marriage. They keep their own. And it is also legally accepted.'
"Do you know, Dada enquired, how titles like Chattopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, Bandopadhyay, Gangopadhyay were shortened to Chatterji, Mukherji, Bannerji, Ganguli? Let me tell you"
After winning the battle of Plassey, when Clive became the ruler and peace returned to the country, a group of Bengalis went to Clive with a petition. Clive asked:
'What are your names? And what is it you want?'
'My name's Madhav Mukhopadhyay,' said one of them.
'Matav......Mu.....Mu.....Mu.......,' Clive stammered and could not pronounce the name. 'Your name's much too difficult. You've all brought a petition (aarji in Bengali) and your names are all long and difficult. I will call you Mukherji. And you will be Chatterji, and you will be Bannerji. And after hearing each one's petition he granted them their request.
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One Brahmin didn't turn up with them, a Gangopadhys He preferred to wait for some more time. 'Let's see if t British rule lasts, he said to himself, I'll go and see Clive aft that.' So after a long wait he finally turned up before Clive
'What's your name, babu?' Clive asked.
'Well, sir, I am Gangadhar Gangopadhyay.'
'What, what was that ? Ga......Ga.......Ga....Oh no! It much too difficult, babu.' And Clive continued cleaning 1 gun.
Yurou are very fond of hunting, aren't you, sir? If you come to my place I'll make all the arrangements for your hunt. I a sure you'll love it,' said Gangadhar Gangopadhyay.
'Oh, that's very good of you. I adore hunting. As for your name I shall call you after the guli or bullet in my gun. So I call you Ganguli from now on.'
Gangadhar was overwhelmed: 'What a great honour it for me, sir!'
Everyone enjoyed Dada's story. One of them asked: 'We you told us about all these Brahmin titles. Tell us also about the kayastha titles like Ghosh, Bose, Mitra, Dutt, etc. He did they get these titles?'
"Ah, you don't know that story, then? During the time BaIIal Sen, five Brahmins from Kannauj were brought Bengal. Accompanying these five Brahmins were five kshatriyas who came to take care of them. Ballal Sen asked them one by one who they were.
'Your Highness, I am Ghosh, the Brahmin's servant answered one.
'And I am Bose, Your Highness, the Brahmin's servant answered another.
'And I am Mitra, the Brahmin's servant. Your Highness,' said a third one.
Then the fourth one announced: 'I am Datta, Your Highness. And I am nobody's slave. I am just accompanying a Brahmin.'
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Everyone including the Dattas in the office started laughing when suddenly Dr Dilip Datta, a trustee of the Ashram, came in to meet Dada. 'Yesterday was your check-up day, Dada, but I just couldn't come.'
Dada said with a laugh: "It doesn't matter, really. You are busy, after all. In fact even I had forgotten it was my check-up day."
Just then someone in the office said; 'We were strangely talking about the Dattas. The Dattas are nobody's slaves. They are just accompanying.' Dilipda too had a good laugh on hearing the story.
Near my house, Dada told us one day, there used to be a small garden where children would come and play. Some would swing on a ring attached to a nylon rope hung from a tree, others would play hide-and-seek.
One day I was sitting in my room when suddenly I heard a little boy crying loudly. I came out and saw the little boy surrounded by some others of his own age wailing. I asked them what the matter was.
"Why is he crying like this?'
They answered: 'Dada, we were acting out a play on Bhagat Singh. He is playing Bhagat Singh while we are the police- men. We had warned him that he wouldn't be able to play Bhagat Singh but he refused to listen to us. So he became Bhagat Singh and we the police. We are supposed to beat him up but he is unable to bear our beating and so he is crying.'
I understood that the film on Bhagat Singh that had been shown at the Ashram had inspired them and although it was all play-acting the beating by the police was all quite real. And the poor boy was howling away!
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There is so much corruption in this country and yet it goes on. This is clear proof of God's grace. Let me tell you a story.
Once Mao Zedong, the Chinese Premier, sent an expert to India to see what the internal condition of the country was and why exactly communism was unable to take root there. He was to give the Chinese Premier a report after his visit.
So this expert arrived in India, saw everything, talked . to people and returned to China. But he submitted neither report nor did he go to see Mao Zedong. Finally Mao Zedong sent someone to find out.
It was found that the man had returned from India and had set up a 'prayer room' in his house. 'Now he spends all his time praying and meditating. He has become deeply religious.' Mao Zedong was told.
Mao Zedong called him over and said: 'What's the matter? Why didn't you come and report to me after your return from India? They tell me you are engaged in religious rituals at home and now believe in God. How can you do all this and¦ still be a communist?'
He replied: 'What am I to do. Sir? Why did you send me to India? I didn't believe in God. But when I went to India saw everything, I at once started believing in God. It is such huge country and corruption is rampant. So many people many languages, so many castes, so much theft and robbery endless lockouts and strikes. People don't work and yet the country seems to be running and holding together. After seeing all this I was convinced that there must be some Divine Force that holds the country together, that protects it. If this had not been so the country should have disintegrated," social order would have crumbled. This would be impossible without God. That's why I have started believing in God.'
The talk now turned to Pondicherry. It seems corruption in Pondicherry has greatly increased and people in high places their sons and relatives are involved. If There is a vacant plot anywhere, they get the records in the Registration Office altered and take possession. The police looks away as
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hands are tied. Even if you go to them with a court-order they are unwilling to help and just ignore your pleas. It is alleged that with money you can even overturn a court ruling. What can you say or do after that? If there is corruption at the upper levels of society then anarchy prevails and there can only be the oppression of the weak.
This isn't limited to our country alone. Even Japan which at one time upheld the ideal of truth and honour and law is in a similar situation. Bribes, paybacks and other immoral practices are encountered everywhere. Eight Japanese prime ministers so far have been forced to resign due to financial impropriety. I am told that even in England and America there are robberies and snatchings in broad daylight in public places and these are the advanced countries of the West. Even they are not free from this.
I believe this is Supramental action, the pressure of a higher Truth from above on the collective consciousness of man. As a result, all the filth and obscurity is coming up because all this must be worked out and transformed.
Someone asked: 'Dada, can't this be controlled by a severe rule of law?'
Dada replied: How can you rule if man's consciousness doesn't change? Can you remove darkness with physical strength? You cannot fight out darkness with darkness. The Mother used to say: 'If you light just one matchstick the heaviest darkness can vanish in a second.' We need the light of a new consciousness, the light of Truth. That is why the most urgent need of the hour is the descent of this new light into man's consciousness. Each one must do his work to the best of his or her capacity, do as well as we can, that is the solution. However long it might take, there is no other solution. If each one of us is sincere to the utmost then it won't take much time. The higher divine force then will dissipate the darkness in no time.
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Dada was recounting incidents from his childhood. He was five or six then. An attendant of the house used to take Dad and his brothers out for a walk. The 'Wheeler Shield' football matches had just got over. The stadium used to be fenced off with tin-sheets and spectators had to pay to watch the game It was a well-known, important tournament. The tournament had got over a few days earlier and the tin-sheets removed but the fence was still there. The attendant left Dada and thoughtlessly went away somewhere to chat.
Dada, meanwhile, had collected a pile of stones and was hurling them as far as he could. One of them hit the fence am got stuck there. He hurled another. This time a piece of the stone that was stuck in the fence rebounded and hit Dada on his forehead and he started bleeding profusely. People rush towards him. At that time opposite this ground was the 'Edward Recreation Club' where Raja Manindra Chanda Nandi was present. He had a very nasal voice. On seeing the boy he was very worried and asked: 'Whose boy is he? Whose boy?'
'He is Durgashankar's grandson's boy,' the onlookers an answered. Durgashankar was a friend of the Raja's. Some people helped the Raja carry Dada to a doctor where his forehead was dressed and bandaged. Dada remarked:
I still remember very vividly my uncle Dr Nolinaksha Sanya carrying me in that condition in his arms and trying to console me as he paced up and down the living room.
I still have the mark from that cut, Dada said indicating his forehead.
Nolinaksha-babu was a very courageous, strong person He was secretly collaborating with the revolutionaries Motakaka, Nolinaksha-babu and many others from my family were revolutionaries. Money and help would be provided to the revolutionaries from our house. My grandfather would rant at and criticise the revolutionaries and the nationalists before everyone to create the impression that he couldn't stand them. But behind the scene he would assist and support them. The maharaja of Lalgola would send money to our house and
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this money would be given for the revolutionary work for the country. The police knew that we were against the revolutionaries and so they never suspected us. And this is why the police did not seize our family-gun.
One of my father's uncles, the late Shyamapada Bhattacharya, was a nationalist. And whenever the police went to his house with a search-warrant, we would come to know in advance. Anything objectionable in the house would then be removed from his house and kept at ours. And the police would go back disappointed.
Once, Dada recounted, when I was small I saw a figure sitting in the dark in the drawing room. "Who can it be, I wondered. Seeing me go in that direction my grandfather rebuked me: Why are you going there? What is there? Go inside and do your school-work.'
I came to know later that in the evening hours when it got dark revolutionaries would come to collect money from grand- father.
However, once, the police's suspicion was aroused. Netaji Subhashchandra Bose came and stayed in our house on one occasion. The Magistrate enquired with Kaka: 'Why did Subhash Bose come and stay with you?'
Kaka told them: 'The relatives of my third brother had invited Subhash-babu to their house but my brother's family being absent at that time Subhash-babu was lodged in our house. There is no political connection with his coming or his staying in our house.'
About Nolinaksha-babu Dada said: My uncle was a daunt- less, straightforward man. He was physically very strong. Once he was returning from Lalbagh on his cycle and had to pass through Natungaon, a village on the way. It was known to be the village of dacoits. A few dacoits attacked Nolinaksha-babu that evening. Single-handed he managed to thrash them all and brought one of them on his cycle to the police-station. And just as he handed him over to the police he fainted. He was truly a fearless, powerful man.
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For my uncle Nolinaksha-babu's wedding, Kazi Nazrul Islam came to our house. He was my uncle's friend. He also the friend of my eldest uncle, Fenu Bhattacharya Calcutta, Kaka had a music-school and I believe his friendship with Nazrul was linked to this.
A Muslim being invited to a Brahmin's wedding? What if he be a poet? Some members of the family had raised the i and some had even objected to it. Obviously none from family raised any objection; on the contrary, everyone delighted that Nazrul had accepted the invitation.
Nazrul came to know about this probably through run and so he composed a song on the day of the wedding it And set it at once to music. He sang the song himself on occasion which later became very well-known.
Jaateyr namey bajjaati shob
Jat-J ally at khelchhey joua
Chhunleyee tor jaat jaabey
]aat chheleyr haateyr noy to moya
Hoonkor jol aar bhateyr haandi,
Bhabli eyteyee jaatir jaan,
Tai to bekub, korii tora eft jaatikey eksho khan.
Ekhon dekhish bharat-joda
Pochey aachhish baashi moda,
Maanush nai aaj, aachhey shudhu
Jaat-sheyaleyr hookkahooa.
Jaanish na ki dhormo shey jey
Bormoshom shohonsheel,
Taakey ki bhangtey paarey
Chhonoua-chhouyir chhotto dhil.
Jey jaat dhormo thunko eto
Aaj noy kaal bhangbey shey to
Jaak na shey jaat jahaannamey,
Roibey maanush, nai paroya.
Boltey paarish bishwo-pita bhogbaner kon shey jaat?
Kon chheyleyr taanr lagley chhonoua
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The ancestral Bhattacharya residence in Berhampur in West Bengal
A view of the courtyard leading to the covered verandah and
the parlour of the Bhattacharya residence.
The Chandi-mandap (a shrine to Kali) in front of the Bhattacharya residence.
Ashuchi hon jagannath?
Narayaneyr jaat jodi nai
Toder keno jaateyr balai?
(Tora) chheyleyr mukhey thuthu diyey
Maar mukhey dish dhoopeyr dhoaan.
All those who were gossiping under bated breath on the side during this wedding party were left absolutely speechless when they heard Nazrul sing this song. Today everybody knows this song but few probably know the context in which it was composed. That's why I recounted this incident.
Recently the centenary celebrations were held for Nolinaksha-babu. I received news that this song of Nazrul was sung during one of the events organised at my uncle's Hindustan Park-house in Calcutta.
Let me tell you about another incident. The year was 1934. I was about eleven then. A very famous Hegenberg circus from Germany was showing in Calcutta. Nolinaksha-babu took us to see it. As I told you he was a well-built, fearless man,
although he was rather dark of complexion. He would always joke about his dark complexion by saying it was of a fast colour. He accompanied us to our seats and said: 'Be seated . I'll be back in a while.' And he went away.
What actually happened was that a German had insulted him by calling him a 'darkie'. He went straight to this gentleman, pulled up his ears and landed two solid slaps on his cheeks. Soon there was commotion. The manager of the circus came running: 'What's happened? Why are you beating him?'
'He taunted me by calling me a 'darkie'. Why should he taunt me if I am dark?'
The manager persuaded this German to apologise and the matter came to an end.
Nolinaksha-babu studied abroad. He was also a member of the Congress. After some disagreement with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel over some issue he quit the party. When
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Prafulla Ghosh became the chief minister of West Bengal the second time he joined his cabinet as the finance minister.
Let me tell you something amusing in this con Nolinaksha-babu had a dog. This dog had a pretty thick tail. My father had taken one of her pups as a pet. But this didn't have a tail that was formed in the same way. One day my father happened to blurt out without actually meaning to: 'Nolinaksha-babu's tail is so pretty and thick. Why isn't our dog's tail the same?!'
Dada told us one day: People used to call my father Mangalda and Motakaka Bengalda. As Motakaka was born during the movement, against the partition of Bengal he was this name. My younger uncle who focussed on building his arm-muscles was called Dumbell-da. Dumbell-da was very bright in studies. He somehow scraped through Matriculation and then tried and failed in his Intermediate exam was very good at football, though. The District Magistrate of the time, one Mr. Webb, was so charmed by his game that he offered him a job in the Treasury. A job at the Treasury meant making a lot of extra money. Anyone who wanted to get something done always paid some extra money, almost twenty five to thirty rupees each day as extra income. The Treasure office closed at five in the evening which would delay my Chhotokaka's football game. And so one day Chhotokaka Dumbell-da quit his job.
The Magistrate then recommended him for a job with the Customs. In those days it wasn't enough to be a matriculate to get a job at the Customs. But as he was recommend the Magistrate he was called for the interview. At the iinterview they asked him: 'Why have you come for a job at such a young age? Why aren't you pursuing your studies?' "
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Chhotokaka answered: 'I got plucked again and again and therefore my father took me out of the college.'
Needless to say he didn't get the job. So he started a business venture. But as he didn't have any flair for business, whatever he tried fell through and he lost money. Both Motakaka and Dumbell-da undertook many ventures which unfortunately all failed. We had several houses at Berhampur, some of which were lost in their business-failures. Only our father's ancestral property could be saved.
Motakaka evidently was quite plump. He weighed three and a half quintals. One zamindar from Malda whose name I now can't recall was also quite fat and weighed three quintals. Once this zamindar, Motakaka, Pranab Sen, a Sports organiser of Berhampur, and myself, we went on a hunt in Malda. The marshes of Malda were reputed as a hunting- ground. Many kinds of birds used to come there. Even the governor used to come there to hunt. And so we set off with Motakaka and the zamindar. Both of them were rather big. A farmer who was working in his field on seeing these huge figures stopped working as he could not stop from laughing. And while he was laughing away he said pointing at them: 'How wonderfully these two would pull my yoke!' The zamindar was infuriated on hearing this but Motakaka remained unperturbed. In fact very good-humouredly he even laughed at it.
In those days in Krishnanagar in Nadia district there used to be a very amusing football match. All the good players of the town on one side and all those who weighed three quintals or above on the other. The good players were given a handicap: some had their vision reduced by high-powered glasses, some wore only one slipper, some had both their hands tied at the back. And so the match was played in this way and at the end of the match there was a lot of happy feasting. The king of Krishnanagar organised this match.
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Rajkumar is a captain in the Playground. He also lives in a room in the north-east corner. One day he turned Dada's office. He talks in a most humorous way.
Dada asked: "So, Jagannath, what's the matter?"
'Dada, he said, we found a bunch of keys at the Playground. Expensive Godrej almirah keys and some house-keys. A woman had told me that in case I found a bunch of should inform her because she had lost her house keys. I informed her that a bunch of keys had been found. 'Please come and collect it from the Playground. The bunch is kept in the 'Lost and Found' corner.' Many days passed. The woman never turned up. One day I met her on the street. 'What happened? You didn't come to get your keys?'
Rajkumar, I just can't find the time. But you know my house, don't you? Why don't you drop them at my place please?'
'What a funny situation is this! By informing her I have got myself into more trouble! These are keys of her house, it is for her to show some interest. And now I have to go and drop them at her place!'
Once this same lady was coming for the meditation Playground with another woman. Near Vishwajit-da's a few drops of water fell on their heads. Probably somebody was watering the plants on the terrace and some drops have fallen on them. At once one of them said: 'Oh God! it is raining! Then There is no point at all in going to the meditation. Let's go back home.' And saying this they turned back.
One Saturday, a film-day at the Ashram, it was raining very hard. The film had to be cancelled. All the lights Playground were switched off. Suddenly through all the downpour I hear a knock on my door. I open the door and same two ladies are standing there. Dressed from head to foot, a raincoat over their clothes and an umbrella to top it all!
What's the matter, I ask.
Very sweetly they enquire: 'Won't the film be shown today?'
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In that overcast evening dripping with rain and armed with raincoats they had come to watch a film. But on that day just because two drops of rain had fallen on their heads they rushed back home without going to the meditation! Honestly, Dada, I was quite dumbstruck!'
Dada told us an interesting story about two persons who could not hear; one deaf, the other hard of hearing. One of them was standing in his courtyard one evening when he saw the other person walking past in the street. He hollered at the top of his voice:
'So? You are going to see the cricket match, I imagine?'
Without stopping , the man in the street yelled back:
'No, no, I am going to see the cricket match!'
The first gentleman answered:
'Oh, I see. I thought you were going to see the cricket match!
Everyone enjoyed the anecdote. Then one of the people in the office said:
I know another story about two deaf persons. One of them was returning from the vegetable-market with two huge brinjals. He met someone on the way who was also stone- deaf. He asked him:
'So, how are you?'
'Yes, I bought them for four rupees a kilo.'
'Oh, so You are fine. But how's your mother. I am told your mother's health is not too good?'
'Yes, cooked over charcoal. Simply delicious!'
Listen to another amusing story, Dada told us one day. A jatra' (folk-play) was organised at the village zamindar's house. The stage was set up in a big courtyard of the house. A large crowd of villagers gathered.
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The zamindar was comfortably seated in an armchair and was watching the jatra with great interest, passing some remarks from time to time. There were a score of boys and young kids sitting around him looking at the zamindar and sniggering. The band was playing on the stage while four lamps lighted the area four corners. The 'jatra' started and the zamindar sat up properly. It was the story of Rama and Sita. The story reached when Sita is about to be abducted. Sita tells Rama: I am so very happy in this forest. This exile in the forest is even better than Ayodhya.'
The zamindar didn't quite like this. He began muttering 'Enough! You needn't feign anymore.' Then he turned towards Sita and wagging his finger at her directly he said: 'Listen you young lass! I am warning you! Don't you start fretting for getting the golden deer. Don't tell me I didn't warn you!"
A little later, Sita motioned over the heads of the audience and said:
'O Aryaputra, look at that strange deer over there in that wood. Its body is studded with gems. Its golden complexion is like the filament of lotus. Please capture that deer so that I can play with it.'
The zamindar was furious: 'I warned you and you still didn't pay heed! What a strange girl you are!'
Ram left to go and capture the deer. The zamindar stood up, his voice was quivering with rage. Over the heads of the seated audience he pointed at Sita menacingly: 'Listen to me now, young lass, I am warning you again! What's happened has happened. Don't you send Lakshman now. Lakshiman must remain with you!'
Just then Ram's anguished cry was heard: 'O Sita! O Lakshmana!'
Sita was terribly upset and exclaimed: 'My dear Lakshamana I think Ram is in danger. Go at once and save him.
'No, adorable one, danger can't touch Ram, Lakshamana replied. This must be some demon's trick.'
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The zamindar jumped to his feet again: 'That's right! Lakshmana's speaking the truth. You silly, sentimental girl! I am telling you nothing's wrong with Ram!'
Now Lakshmana drew a circle around Sita and warned her:
'Don't go beyond this circle. Until I come back with Ram don't step over this boundary.'
The village zamindar broke into sweat despite the winter- coolness. Wiping his face with his shawl he said: 'At least, try and remember this much, young lass. Otherwise you have only sorrow in your fate!'
The 'jatra' was now becoming really gripping. The violin was playing a melody full of pathos. Just then Ravana appeared before Sita in the guise of an ascetic seeking alms.
The zamindar could not control his rage anymore. He had forgotten that it was but a play. For him it was all so very real. He waved his hand vehemently: 'Beware, Sita! Don't you give him any alms! Don't cross the line. I won't allow it. You had better obey!'
Sita wanted to give him alms without moving out of the circle but Ravana answered:
'If you give me alms without coming out I cannot accept.'
Then go away if you can't!' the zamindar intervened.
As soon as Sita stepped out of the circle to give him alms, Ravana seized her.
The zamindar lost all control now. Leaving his seat and pushing his way through the audience he climbed onto the Stage. He landed two solid slaps on Sita's cheeks:
'I've been warning you all this time but you just haven't paid heed? A queer girl you are really!' Then turning towards Ravana he said: 'Ravana, here, take this girl away!'
The village milkman's boy was acting as Sita. On being slapped he started howling. The village haircutter was playing Ravana and he got so terrified of being slapped by the zamindar that he slipped away from the stage!
The 'jatra' was in a total mess.
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While watching a play a lot of people forget, Dada continued, that it is only a play. They get so identified that they loose control over themselves. Once Vidyasagar was watching a play called Nila-Darpan in Calcutta. He was so carried away on seeing a European character's atrocities that he took his slippers and hurled them at him. Ardhendushekhar was playing the European's role, I am told. He held that slipper of Vidyasagar's on his head and dancing happily on the remarked: 'Of my entire acting career this certainly is the best prize!'
I know of another true incident.
It is about a police officer in Kurseong who was watching a film. He was in uniform and had the cross-belt over his chest and the revolver on his waist. The film that was showing that was 'Tarzan'. At one point of the film Tarzan fights a tiger. The police officer had come to the cinema slightly drunk. Unable to control himself he took his revolver and shot at the tiger on the screen. The screen was tattered and the film had stopped.
Someone in the office said: 'I've heard a similar story, A jatra was showing the story of Savitri and Satyavan in a village. Yama arrives to take Satyavan away. Savitri is overcome with sorrow. The owner of the jatra who is dressed up as 'Vivek' (conscience) with a turban on his head breaks into a song but his throat is sore and the song sounds awful. Yama meanwhile is dragging Satyavan away. A widow in the audience who couldn't control herself suddenly jumped onto the stage. She stands in front of Yama and starts abusing him: 'What kind of a brain do you have? Taking this beautiful young boy away? Poor boy's just got married. His young wife is wailing away! Are you blind or something? If you take someone, take this 'Vivek' away instead. This man is really awful!'
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Dada recounted a very amusing incident that happened in the Sportsground. A company salesman turned up one day to try and sell a vacuum cleaner. He met Rajneesh there. Rajneesh was dressed in trousers and shirt with a cap on his head and slippers on his feet. Rajneesh heard the salesman and then said: 'Well, you'll have to talk to my boss.' So he was taken to Puru. Puru was barefooted, wearing a 'banian' and shorts and a cap. Puru too heard him out and then said: 'Well, you'll have to talk to my boss.' So he was taken to Jag. Jag was barefooted and bare-bodied and wore shorts and a straw-hat. While Jag was talking to the salesman he went on staring at his outfit. 'You'll have to talk to my boss,' Jag finally advised him and took him to Batti. Batti was cleaning the swimmingpool then. He was bare-bodied, bare-footed and had just a swimsuit on. The salesman was quite flabbergasted. Each boss he met seemed to have less and less on him. This one was down to his underwear! Batti heard him patiently and then said: 'To finalise everything you'll have to talk to my boss.'
The salesman was in a quandary. There was yet another boss after this underwear!
'No, no, it is all right. I don't think there is any need to see your boss. Good-bye!' And saying this the salesman collected his big and took to his heels!
Praveen's mother had passed away and a distinguished Brahmin from Kashi was brought for the last rites.
The pundit saw Praveen's big house. Very impressive indeed. Then the connection with Sri Aurobindo Ashram. He had found a very wealthy client indeed! In order to impress Praveen and his brothers he told them a lot of tall stories and then to cap his impression-making talk he declared: 'Sri Aurobindo knew English tremendously well, he knew English so much, so much.... so much really.... that you felt........he knew nothing!'
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Dada said this in such an amusing way that no one resist laughing.
This pundit from Kashi has reminded me of another amusing story. There was another club not far from our own Berhampur club. There are always a couple of braggarts a such club-boys. One day this club organised a show. i with a mike in his hand was moving and gesticulating in such a way so as to draw all the attention on himself. He announced 'Now we'll show you a figure on the parallel bars!'
The parallel bar item was shown.
Then he announced: 'Now you'll see some acrobatic There was some acrobatics.
Then the boy said: 'Now here is a feat of balance! What do you know about balance? Nothing at all. But then what is balance? Balance is what we call, what we call... what we call...' He stammered, unable to find the right words. Balance is... balance is... I mean balance is... BALANCE!
Dada was telling us about Mridu-di of the Ashram. It was Anilbaran Ray who brought her to the Ashram. She was related to him. She was a devoted sadhika and would prepare Sri Aurobindo's food with a lot of care and devotion.
When it was time for Sri Aurobindo's meal she would sit at the door of His room. She would not touch food Sri Aurobindo finished eating. Not even drink any water.
After Sri Aurobindo had eaten the Mother would come and take a little 'prasad' from Him and put it into her mouth. Only then would Mridu-di go back to her house and would distribute Sri Aurobindo's 'prasad' to a lot of people. That's why her house was called 'Prasad House'.
Mridu-di was a very nice woman but a little short-tempered. She would get terribly angry over little things. And
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when she got angry she lost her head. Some naughty Ashram boys would often tease and irritate her.
One of these boys told her one day in order to anger her:
'But Mridu-di you are a Hindu widow. Would you like to taste some beef-soup? Beef is supposed to be very good.'
Mridu-di was furious and complained to the Mother. However her English was not very good. She told the Mother:
'Mother! Mother! Boys say cow eat vegetable.'
the Mother replied: 'Yes, it is true.'
Mridu-di was quite befuddled hearing this from the Mother.
As Mridu-di was quite plump boys used to call her 'foot- ball'. One day she went and complained to the Mother:
'Mother! Mother! Boys say I football.'
The Mother laughed and said: 'It is true!'
Everyone had a good laugh listening to this anecdote.
It was the time when sea-bathing had just started in the Ashram, Dada told us one day. Mridu-di who had stitched her own black swimsuit decided to go swimming. Meeting me on the way, she enquired: 'How do I look?'
"You look splendid, Mridu-di, I answered, like Tadaka herself from Kaliyuga!"
I could see she was wild but she didn't say anything.
One day Mridu-di caused an uproar in the Playground. There was standing in the Playground. The march-past was begin. And just then she started loudly discussing something with the Mother.
The ground was full of people. The Mother was a little embarrassed and everybody was upset. The march-past could :not begin but Mridu-di went on blabbering. There was no way of stopping her. This lasted about forty-five minutes. Then Nolinida came and took Mridu-di away from near the Mother. Sri Aurobindo had recently left His body and the
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Mother was upset and She is said to have told her:' such that Sri Aurobindo had to leave His body because of you.
One day Mridu-di told me: 'You were right that day, I am truly Tadaka. It is because of me that Sri Aurobindo left His body. What a horrible fool I made of myself that day in the Playground!'
Soon after this one day while Mridu-di was sleeping on the floor of her room she died. Her room was locked from inside and the door had to be broken to get in. Her body was lifeless.
Nolini-da remarked: 'Sri Aurobindo came and took Mridu away.'
It was about a quarter to twelve. Dada was about to get up from his chair and leave the office when a boy turned at once on entering he said: 'Dada, a funny story, please!'
Dada suddenly remembered: "Ah, yes! Today's your day for stories. So what story can I tell you then? I just can't recall any. Have I told you the story of the tiger?"
'Yes, Dada,' the boy replied.
"Have I told you the story of the fox?"
'Yes, Dada,' the boy said nodding his head. "So I seem to have told you all of them. What can I to you now? Nothing comes to my mind right now think a little. All right, have I told you the one about the prince and the deer-hunt?"
'No, Dada, I don't know that one.' "Then hear this amusing story. Once there was a king. His queen was about to have a child. The king told his ministers 'When 'When the great Brahma has written down on the new-born's forehead his future, please find out from him what He has written. So the minister sat down comfortably at the door waiting.
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Brahma turned up late at night. He saw the minister stretched out at the entrance. How could he go over him? So he asked the minister to move away a little so that he could go into the room.
Who are you?' the minister asked.
I am Brahma, the Lord of Providence. I've come to write the new-born's future on his forehead.'
Fine then, I can clear the way for you. But I have a condition.'
'What's that?'
You'll have to let me know what You are going to write on the prince's forehead.'
'All right. As you wish.'
So the minister moved away from the door. Brahma entered the room of the new-born. When he reappeared after some time the minister asked:
So, Lord, what have you written?'
Brahma answered: 'I've written that the king will soon lose his kingdom. And that this prince will become a poor hunter
and live in the forest on deer.'
Good heavens! What have you done. Lord? I beg you to somehow save the king and his family. Write something that will bring happiness to the king.'
That can't be, Brahma replied, this is what is written in the king's and the prince's future. I can't do anything to alter
that.'
Then please, O Lord, do something that the prince, even though a hunter, is at least assured of catching one deer each day is able to sell it in the market.'
All right, said Brahma, if you insist, then it will be so. He ¦will catch one deer each day and he'll be able to sell it too.'
And saying this Brahma disappeared.
What is written down comes true. So in a few days the king lost his kingdom. The neighbouring king attacked and conquered his kingdom. And time rolled on. Years went by. The ministers continued his search for the prince. One day while
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travelling through a forest he met a hunter. He was very good- looking despite the scorching sun, the cold rains and the sorrow and the suffering of his life. But a prince is a prince. How can you not recognise one? The minister knew at once didn't tell him who he was. He asked:
'What do you do, hunter?'
'I catch deer in the forest and sell them in the market. I manage to live by this.'
'How much do you earn by selling one deer?'
'Not much. Two to four rupees. I manage to survive with that.'
'The minister said: Take my advice. When you time to sell your deer in the market ask for five hundred rupees.'
The hunter was taken aback: 'What are you saying? No body will buy a deer for five hundred rupees!'
'Why don't you just listen to me? Go and see what happens in the market,' the minister assured him.
So the next day the hunter turned up at the market with his deer and asked for five hundred rupees. The customers burst out laughing when they heard his price: 'He must be crazy! Five hundred rupees for a deer!'
Nobody wanted to buy the deer. As soon as the price they backed out.
The day wore on. Soon it was evening.
Then Brahma appeared in the guise of an old bought the deer for five hundred rupees. What else could he do? It was he who had written it down in his destiny. He had to get one deer sold each day.
On the following day the minister told the hunter: Listen to me carefully. This time you increase the price for your deer. Ask for a thousand rupees in the market.'
'What do you say, sir? How will anyone buy so much money?' the hunter enquired.
'Why don't you do as I tell you and watch? that whatever I've told you has come true. From tomorrow
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you'll ask for a thousand rupees. You'll see it will sell for that price.'
And that's exactly what happened. When people heard the price they exclaimed: 'Is he mad or what? A thousand rupees for a deer!'
Nobody was ready to buy. Soon day gave way to evening. And once again Brahma came incognito as an old man and bought the deer for a thousand rupees. Poor Brahma had landed himself in a real trap!
Now the minister asked: 'Tell me, my dear son, how do you catch the deer?'
'How else? I lay a trap in the deep forest and like this I get one deer each day.'
'No, you don't have to go through all this hardship, the minister advised. From now on lay a trap near the village at the edge of the forest.'
How will I trap a deer there? It is only in the middle of the forest that I can catch a deer,' the hunter replied.
Why don't you just listen to me and do as I say. You haven't lost anything by listening to me, have you?'
So the hunter did as told. He lay the trap at the edge of the forest very near the village. But surprise of surprises! He man- aged to catch a deer even there!
The next day the minister told him: 'Next time you lay your trap right in the middle of the village, don't go even to ledge of the forest!'
You must be totally mad, sir! No deer is that miserable to leave the forest to come to a village to get trapped!' the hunter exclaimed in disbelief.
You just do as I say. Let's see what happens,' the minister insisted.
That day the hunter caught a deer by laying a trap in his village! He couldn't believe his eyes.
Brahma was in such a quandary that he decided to meet the minister. He told him:
'Why are you putting all these stupid ideas into his head? On the one hand I have to wander the whole night from
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forest .to forest chasing deer to get one into his trap. On other it is again I who must go to the market and buy it from him for a thousand rupees. In this old age I spend t running after deer. I can't go on like this anymore, t my work in heaven is also piling up. In this old age I spend my nights chasing deer from forest to forest. Please find a solution to this.'
The minister replied: 'Don't be a spoilsport, Lord. I was going to ask the hunter to lay the trap in his own courtyard. You'll have to get the deer directly to his house-courtyard in the village from now on.'
'O minister, don't be so heartless. Have a little thought for my condition.'
The minister replied: 'Then Lord, you too must have a little thought for the poor king's condition. Restore his kingdom back to him. And see that the prince doesn't have to suffer the life of a hunter anymore. Make him a prince again.'
'All right, all right, Brahma finally relented. It will be so. The king will recover his kingdom and the prince will no more be a hunter but a prince who will live happily.'
And in this way through his clever minister the king got back his kingdom and the prince's fate was re-written.
Bhaskar-da, an Ashram resident, is in charge of Dada's hair. He does this with a lot of care, eagerness and love. So one day seeing Dada after he had got his hair cut, Tapas remarked:
'What a wonderful haircut Bhaskar-da has given you! Why can't he cut our hair too in the same way?'
Dada told Bhaskar-da this: "By the way Bhasker, Tapas was saying that you don't cut other people's hair as nicely?"
Bhaskar-da replied: 'Dada, a good haircut needs a good head! Where are the good heads in the Ashram? How can you
cut hair well on all those odd, uneven heads?'
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Dada repeated Bhaskar-da's reply in such a way that no one could help laughing.
Someone in the office remarked one day: 'Dada, I find Tamil very difficult and dry. I just could not learn it.'
Well, neither could I. Our Jayshankar when he was six years old decided that he would somehow teach me Tamil. 'I WILL teach you Tamil, Dada.'
Taking a primer for Tamil he started accompanying me everywhere. Wherever I went he would be beside me with his primer in hand. He would tell me a Tamil word, then explain its meaning. When I heard a new word I forgot the previous one!
One day quite discouraged Jayshankar complained: 'Dada, why don't you try and remember the words?'
But he persisted. He followed me with his primer in hand. One day he finally told me:
I don't think I am capable of teaching you Tamil, Dada. Why, I think nobody would be able to teach you Tamil!'
Our Norman here could speak quite a few languages: besides English and French he knew Hindi and Bengali as well.
This same Norman went away to Australia and now works there in a zoo looking after the animals. He told me this anecdote himself. One day he was returning from work and it was quite late at night. He was terribly hungry. There was a restaurant on his way so he got in. The restaurant belonged to a Bengali gentleman and his wife ran the place. He asked if there was something to eat. But it was quite late in the night and all the food was over. The woman asked her husband in
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Bengali: 'What shall we do? There is nothing left worth serving. What can I offer this boy to eat?'
On hearing this Norman replied in perfect, chaste 'Give me whatever you have. I am quite famished Both the husband and the wife were stunned at Westerner speak such flawless Bengali.
'Good heavens! How do you speak such perfect Bengali?'
'Yes, I can only speak it,' Norman replied.
They were so thrilled that they prepared him a meal with "great hospitality and personally served him. And then they
insisted that he always drop in and eat with them whenever he passed that way.
I told you that Norman worked in a zoo. One hot afternoon he was getting a monkey-cage cleaned. The cage was full of red-faced monkeys. Under that scorching heat his face had turned quite red.
A family from Delhi was going round the zoo with their children. They came and stopped in front of the cage and started talking among themselves in Hindi. 'Red faced monkeys inside the cage, a red-faced monkey also out side!' they said pointing at Norman.
Norman heard this and replied in Hindi: 'But the monkey outside understands Hindi!'
They were astounded to hear a Westerner speak such impeccable Hindi. And terribly embarrassed and ashamed as well.
They apologised profusely.
It was Dada's birthday the following day. (18.10.98)l
Rajkumar came in the morning and wished Dada fête en avance!'. Dada said 'thank-you'. Then Rajkumar asked him: 'Dada, when the Mother was physically there your birthday was celebrated with great festivity. Did you ever go to the Mother on your birthday?'
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The Mother blessing Pranab with flowers on his birthday in the children's courtyard
The Mother distributing sweets to children on Pranab's birthday.
Dada replied: "Nothing more than usual. I would wake up on my birthday greeted by the Mother wishing me 'Bonne- fete'. The Mother would give me two birthday-cards, one I could show to others, and the other was strictly personal. This second card was not to be shown to anybody. Then She would give me the boxes full of all kinds of gifts, clothes, shoes, chocolate, sweets, offered to me by various people. Boxes full of things as in a marriage. All very expensive things. Foreign chocolate. A boxful just for me. And another for those who carried the boxes for me. Then there would be a tussle for who got the empty chocolate box. These chocolate boxes were truly very beautiful. Then as was the rule, I went to see Her at ten in the morning. Even after the Mother left, this arrangement continued for quite some time. Now naturally it has stopped. The Mother used to give me money too on my birthday. In the beginning She gave me an equivalent that was ten times the years I was completing. Then She started giving me a hundred times my age. She always told me to spend little and save more. It would come in handy later. And it is true, even today I spend money for my personal expenses from what I had then saved. The Ashram still gives me money as the Mother had arranged. On top of this every Saturday the Mother used to give me twelve rupees in the beginning which became twenty-five later for my pocket-expenses.
One day I went to the market. In those days Manoj (Dasgupta) and his family lived on the first floor of a double-storeyed house on that street. Seeing me go to the market one of them, either Priti or Tapati, told the Mother that they had seen Pranab going to the market.
The Mother asked me that very day: 'Did you go to the market today?' "Yes, Mother." 'What did you go to the market for?'
"I needed some buttons for a shirt so I went to buy some," I replied.
'Why did you have to go to the market, the Mother remarked, I have a lot of buttons here. You only had to ask me.'
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"But you give me money for my pocket-expenses. If, I don't buy anything then what will I do with the money? I don't lack anything, I replied."
From the savings I made of the money given to me Mother I bought a watch for my own mother, a small watch made in Switzerland. It was as small as a ting My mother showed this to the Divine Mother and to that I had gifted it to her.
The Mother asked me later: 'You gave your mother a watch? How much did you spend?'
"Just sixty rupees. Mother. It was from the saving! from your money."
The Mother didn't say anything more.
While Dada was talking to us a lady came and wished him for his coming birthday. She asked: 'Dada, how do you feel on your birthday?' ¦
Dada answered: "I feel no difference because the vital has no age."
Dada's residence is being repaired. Many of the bead ready to fall. And so a thorough repairing is being done. kanu is getting the masonry done while Praveen is in charge of the carpentry. Work has been going on all day and night for all day and night for several days now. They've resolved to finish the work on Dada's room before his birthday. The masonry work is now over. The carpentry-work is in full swing.
Dada remarked: "Praveen stayed awake all night yesterday to supervise the work." Hardly had he said this when Praveen walked into the office.
Dada told him laughing: "There you are! You stayed up all night to supervise the work. Like a war-general! I too stayed up all night answering letters. You were awake there and I was awake here!"
Praveen replied: 'I am the king's general. The general must be like his king!'
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A sadhak was talking with Dada one day. He remarked:
'I remember very well, Dada, how vigilant you were in your constant protection of the Mother. One day the Mother was going to the Playground and it was raining. You were behind Her. Suddenly She slipped and you held Her just in time. So often we've seen the Mother walking. Her hand resting on your shoulder.'
But I failed to protect the Mother on two occasions, Dada observed. She was playing tennis with me but She was quite far away. She slipped and fell backwards. Luckily She didn't get very much hurt. On another occasion the Mother was in the bathroom. It was four in the morning. In those days She used to lock the bathroom door. I was waiting outside. Suddenly there was the sound of glass tingling. Then a thud as of someone falling. After hesitating a little I finally forced the door open only to find Her lying on the floor. She had a glass in Her hand. I had heard the sound of that glass fall and break. The Mother was hurt in the head. There was a small pool of blood on the floor. So I picked Her up in my arms and brought Her to Her room. There was nobody else in the room .There used to be a lot of cushions on the Mother's bed. Holding Her in my arms and taking my weight on my left leg I moved the cushions with my other leg to make some place and finally laid Her down in bed. The Mother was unconscious. Immediately Dr Sanyal was called. A little later She regained consciousness. The Mother was very light. The fact that I could take my weight on one leg and move the cushions with the other and manage to lay Her down meant She was quite light.
Dada was giving somebody a 'badge' while talking to someone. And it fell to the ground. Laughing, Dada remarked in French: Quel maladroit! (What a clumsy fellow) The Mother would always say this whenever She dropped something. As
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it was Dada's birthday just the day before I understood that he was still full of Her memories.
On his birthday Dada distributed a photo of the Mother, badge and a sweet. The laminated photos were over. Dada said: 750 photos got over yesterday in the distribution means that 750 people came to greet and wish him.
Someone remarked: 'Dada, I was present for the Terrace darshan of the Mother in 1973.1 saw you were holding Her, you brought Her up to the railing and then went back. That was the Mother's last darshan.' ;
Dada became unusually thoughtful. Then he said;
Yes, during that period, the Mother used to remain most of the the time in trance. She wasn't in Her body. We weren't sure if the darshan would take place that day. When She returned for a while to her physical consciousness I asked Her: Mother, will You give darshan? ,
The Mother answered: 'Yes.'
That was at eight in the morning. I informed- that the Mother would give darshan.
The Mother was in the habit of getting ready well ahead of time for any engagement. It was about half past one then, She asked me: 'Is the darshan over?'
"No, Mother, I answered, There is plenty of time. Take some rest until then. I'll call you when It is time."
The Mother was in trance then. At darshan-time I accompanied the Mother and helped Her to reach the railing. She gave Her darshan. Then She asked:
'Is the darshan over?'
"Yes, Mother", I answered.
And once again I held her and slowly brought Her back to Her bed. The Mother was elsewhere. In total trance. Her eyes were always closed and She remained indrawn.
Just before She left Her body She suffered a lot from the pain. But She would hardly ever mention anything about Her pain.
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The Mother Terrace Darshan of 21.2.73 with Pranab watching over Her
Pranab in his late 50's on18th October
One day Dada said: Without absolute freedom the Mother's work cannot be done. One cannot do Her work through force and regimentation. But then it is for each sadhak to determine how much freedom he can take. It depends on the sadhak's willingness how much freedom he will take, how much control he will exert on himself, how much he will restrain himself.
In another context Dada said one day: Anxiety, worry is a bad thing. It can kill a human being.
Like the human face, the human body too has two sides. They are not identical. There is a slight difference. If you draw a line dividing the eyebrows, the nose, the chin in two, you'll see the two sides, the left and the right are quite different. The Mother used to say: 'If this were not so then the human face would look like a statue.'
A glimpse of Dada's extraordinary personality and sweetness can be had through a very ordinary incident. Some devotees had come, a husband, wife and their daughter. A cassette containing a song written and composed by Dada had just come out and he wanted them to hear it. Two of his songs Pledge Renewed and Comradeship had been recorded by professional artists in Bombay and sent to him. Chinmoy too had got these two songs sung by his disciples in America and sent the cassette to Dada. Seventy-two singers from seventeen different
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countries have sung this song and these two songs have been played almost everywhere in the world.
Dada wanted to play this cassette to them. Dada looked at Gangaram-da and he got the hint. At once he went to Dada's room to get the cassette player. But Savitri had locked the room and gone away to school and Dada did not have a key. Gangaram-da came back.
Dada did not say anything. All he had to do was give a little indication and people would somehow find Savitri out and get the key from her. But Dada did not tell anyone anything, not even the slightest hint of an order.
He went on talking. He said, "The song came to me in a most wonderful way. I was testing my clarinet one day rather casually. I began to play. And automatically a melody emerged. As I played the clarinet I thought to myself: 'I will never remember the tune.' So I asked Savitri to tape it then and there. I played the melody and the whole thing was taped.
Even more astonishing was the fact that while I was playing the melody, with the melody slowly the words started coming too. And so with the melody I began writing the lyrics as well. And like this I managed to compose both the songs. First there was the melody and then came the lyrics.
Someone remarked: 'Normally the melody follows the lyrics. First the lyrics, then the melody.'
"But in this case, it was just the opposite, Dada observed. First came the melody and then the lyrics fell in place in tune with the music. The melody is a mixture of Bhairavi and Ashavari ragas."
Just as Dada was talking Bharati appeared. Perhaps he had just been waiting for Bharati. He told her: "Bharati, I have a little problem." :
'What, Dada?' she asked.
"The problem is I would like them to hear the song. The cassette player is in my room. But Savitri has locked the room and gone away to school."
'I'll go and see,' said Bharati and left. A little later she turned up with Savitri holding the cassette player.
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I was quite amazed to see how full of sweetness was Dada's conduct. He was not worried in the least. He did not order anybody or tell anybody anything. But just 'Bharati, I have a little problem.' I am told that Sri Aurobindo had a similar capacity for gentle sweetness by merely expressing a wish without giving an order. He never asked anybody to do anything for Him. Dada is indeed a true follower of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. This is something that must come spontaneously from within. You cannot get it through effort.
The cassette was played and everyone enjoyed the songs. Someone asked Dada if he had learnt music in his childhood.
Dada answered: Yes, as you do at school. I used to sing. Then at puberty your voice breaks. My voice cracked too and then you could hear three-four types of sounds. So I stopped singing.
When I formed the Physical Culture Club and laid stress on developing the body I stopped singing altogether. I was quite fanatical and believed that if music was not given up entirely then physical culture would not be possible.
Then when I came to the Ashram I started composing songs though not in a regular, sustained way. I have a book of songs. Many of those songs have been set to music by me. Tinkari- da of the Ashram once told me: 'Many people come to learn music from me. Why don't you write a song on the Mother and Sri Aurobindo? I will teach my students this song to start with. And so I wrote a song called Guru-vandana, Sri Aurobindo Namey Ananda. Outside the Ashram this song became very popular in many other schools in Calcutta, Andhra, Bangalore, Orissa where it is sung before starting the classes.
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Here are the two songs written by Dada in English:
Pledge Renewed
Standing at Thy Altar,
Oh our Lord Supreme,
We renew our pledge to
Labour for Thy Scheme.
Bringing Golden Light down,
From The High Abode,
We shall change the word to
Suit The Holy Mode.
Give us Your Love,
Give us Your Strength,
Give us Your all powerful,
Steady, simple Faith
Ego and desire we shall
Throw in The Flame,
heaven and the earth shall '
Mingle as the same.
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Comradeship
We the new,
We the young,
Marching on
Hand in Hand :-
Smile on lips
Rosy cheek,
Hopes in heart,
Merry band.
A new Light
has touched the earth,
A new Truth
has taken birth
All we need
to give the shape,
Adjoined-hands
and blissful mirth.
Come ye comrades
come ye all!
Can't you hear the
Clarion call?
Bathing in the
Golden Light,
Will change the world and
change us all.
Happy and peaceful
world will come!
As we reach our
cherished goal,
All will live in a
joyful state:
Many in body but ?
one in Soul.
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The house where we are at present was seen and allotted by the Mother. In this house formerly VIP's used to come and stay. A family member of Lord Sinha once came and stayed here while on a visit to the Ashram. The Barons used to live in this house too. Later he became the governor of Pondicherry.
We first stayed in the house where Mona stays today. At the time the landlord took back the house for his own use and so we had to find accommodation elsewhere.
Before going to play tennis the Mother would go looking for a suitable house for us. Finally She chose this house for us.
By then the Mother had allotted a room in the Ashram for my brother Debu. He used to stay in the room next to Nirod da's. And where the present Ashram Post-Office is situated was my brother Hriday's residence. Chotka went to the poultry and my youngest brother used to live in a rented house somewhere else.
For this house the Mother looked at everything in the house, selected the kind of furniture needed for the rooms.
The Mother wanted to get a house constructed near Atelier and allot it to all my brothers and my mother. But that didn't happen. The circumstances changed.
In any case I came to live in this house with my mother.
The Mother came to see the arrangements one day. She saw that a radio had been removed from a particular place and a cupboard that was given was made of very cheap, bad wood. The Mother asked those responsible for arranging the house where the radio was and why such a cheap wooden cupboard was placed there. 'Please send this cupboard to the kitchen and get a good cupboard here,' the Mother ordered.
The Mother asked me to open the drawers of a table. I had kept all the little things that She had given me in that drawer. She was delighted to see all that neatly arranged. You know how to utilise things with great care. That is why it is a joy to give you something
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I was always used to keeping my things neatly. I always keep each thing in its rightful place. Even when I see other people's things in a mess I try to put them as neatly as possible. This is part of your nature otherwise it isn't possible. You can't change your nature by advice and persuasion, But then by seeing beauty and order constantly the same order and beauty can be absorbed by one's nature. But for me it has always been part of my nature. I have such old things with me but I keep them so carefully that you can't tell They are so old.
The Mother would say: 'How much a person is organised can be gauged by looking at his drawer. He who can keep his surrounding, his house and all his things in a beautiful, careful way, his life too takes on that same beauty and grace. And he whose life is disorganised and disorderly, you'll see his world around him is also chaotic. If you want to make your life calm and beautiful then you also have to make your surroundings as beautiful and orderly. Don't we say that there is a certain 'lakshmi-shri' (harmony and beauty) in a man's life and action?
A husband and wife came to settle down in the Ashram some time ago. They are quite aged. The husband can hardly walk now. He takes a few steps with great pain and then must sit down.
His wife came and recounted all their hardship to Dada.
When she left Dada observed: They had a lot of hopes that at the end of their lives they would come and live peacefully in the Ashram. But our Ashram here is not quite the right refuge for the final days. When the time was right they didn't come. Now just see the difficulties.
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Sri Aurobindo had just left his body, Dada told us one day. Rishabhchand-da wrote an article entitled The sun is set and sent it to the Mother. Nolini-da read it out to Her. After listening to the article She remarked: 'But the sun never sets. The sun neither sets nor rises. As we see it from the earth, appears to do so.'
What She meant was that Sri Aurobindo had not left. The sun never sets.
After hearing the Mother's remarks Rishabhchand wrote another article and this time it was entitled The sun never sets.
The Mother remarked to Nolini-da: 'You see how these intellectuals work. Yesterday he wrote The sun is set and today it is The sun never sets. This is the way of intellectuals.'
I was playing tennis with the Mother as usual, Dada told us one day. Suddenly overhead I saw a flock of little birds flying in the sky. As I was looking in their direction the Mother asked me: 'What are you looking at?'
I said: "Mother, look! There is a flock of beautiful little birds flying in the sky"'
'Oh, those are swallows,' She answered..
Oh, so that's what you call swallows. Back home ia Berhampur we call them 'nak-kati' (noseless) birds.
A couple came from America to meet Dada after a long gap.
'Can you recognise me, Dada?' the man asked.
"Mukul, it is you! How you've grown!"
Then looking at his wife he said: "One can't recognise you anymore. Your face has changed somewhat. Of course I am seeing you after ages! So tell me how you are."
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I went through a bad patch of health, the gentleman continued. My daughter lives in America so I was with her. I had to undergo a bypass surgery. But now I am fine.
" What are you doing now?" Dada enquired?
I have retired now, Dada.'
Dada was quite surprised: "Don't tell me! I've seen you grow up before me. You got married. You had a girl. And now you are even retired? Good God! How time flies! But see that you put on years but don't become old."
A girl from Bombay has come to look after a relative here who is unwell. This relative does not have anybody in the Ashram of her own.
The girl said: ' I've attended on her single-mindedly. I could not go anywhere, not even come and see you. Now she is all right and she can even cook herself. And this is how I've been able to come and see you today. I am leaving in a day or two.
' I am glad. You've done a good thing. You have to do both. One is the inner work and the other is the outer work And must try and establish harmony between the two. You are doing both the jobs well. And you look fine.
"The more you are able to keep contact with the Mother the better you will feel and you will live in a happy state."
'You are absolutely right, Dada. But still there are moments from time to time when everything is in a turmoil.'
"Turmoil comes primarily from the mind. It is the ideas from the mind that upset everything. Then there are the impulses from the vital, they too cause disturbance.
"The more you can stay in the Mother's protection single mindedly, the more She will set everything right."
'But, there are times when I am confused.'
" That too will be cleared by the Mother.
"The Mother will show you the way. And what needs to be done She herself will do for you. The more you advance
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inwardly in the Mother's consciousness the more strength you get. You are doing fine."
'Everything becomes so clear when I listen to you, Dada the girl replied.
Dada gave her a photo of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and a' Blessings' packet.
One day Dada told us: Someone sent the Mother a very expensive alarm-clock. When this alarm clock would go off early in the morning in the Mother's room you felt as if you were listening to two sweet birds of the forest.
Those who were arranging flowers on the samadhi early in the morning really believed they were listening to some real birds.
From this a rumour went around that two birds from forest came daily to the Ashram to wake the Mother up!
I first came to the Ashram for the April darshan of 1942, Dada recounted one day.
At that time I was struck by an energetic, slim, fair you man. He was always walking up and down in the Ashram busy in his work. I asked an elderly sadhak who he was.
I learnt that he was a Konkani and that his name Madhav. He had been visiting the Ashram for some time. Each time he stayed for a few days at the Ashram. He would help Nolini-da in his secretarial work. That's why I used to imagine that he was the assistant secretary of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
In 1947 when I came to the Ashram for good he had permanently settled here.
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In the beginning I didn't have any contact with him. Sometimes we would meet because of some work. But I always felt as if a true bond of friendship was growing between us.
Very soon the Mother brought me close to him. And my time at the Ashram was spent very happily. During this period I had the occasion of seeing him from close quarters thanks to various kinds of work. I came to know that he was an able administrator, a capable worker, a good writer, a great scholar and a sadhak of a high order. He served the Mother ways.
A long time ago in 1936 my father sent my photo to the Mother. Madhav-ji used to keep a file of all the sadhaks. In 1947 when the Mother heard from me about this photo that had been sent She asked to see it and told Madhav-ji about it. Within ,five minutes he got the photo and handed it to the Mother: , I was personally quite astonished to see how organised with these files of the sadhaks and how well he kept them.
At times I used to write something on some subject or another. And I would go to Madhav-ji with these writings for any necessary correction. He would go through them very sympathetically with great care. With just a few changes he would infuse life into my writing. He never changed my style or thought. It was quite an amazing style of correction really.
He had a very sharp mind and an extraordinary memory. I observed he would serve the Mother in a state of great inner calm in a spirit of self-consecration.
Towards the later part of his life he would on his own initiative travel in India and abroad doing the Mother's work. That was the reason why his presence and influence in the Ashram work diminished and slackened a little. His health too deteriorated to quite an extent.
And then when he came back to the Ashram and started leading a secluded life, I felt he was no more as energetic as before. I would feel sorry for him. But he continued to do the Ashram work with the same earnestness and care.
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He always kept in touch with me as he had a certain sympathy for me. I had a long correspondence with him about the present condition of the Ashram.
Madhav-ji is no more in our midst. The Mother's beloved child has gone back into Her arms and he is at eternal place.
We all know that there is a constant battle between the divine and the undivine forces. The divine forces are trying to establish the divine kingdom on the earth and the undivine forces are doing everything to try and block that from happening.
Personally I very deeply feel that all our elders who are leaving us one after the other were all of them very able generals and brave soldiers in this great divine battle. Like courageous soldiers giving themselves up to God they fought the battle and ended their life doing so. Madhav-ji was a front-ranking general among these. Let us hope that we are capable of realising all the objectives and winning that victory for which all of them put in all their life and endeavour and sacrifice.
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What we need is a True Leader
In the fast approaching 21st century, the pressures for change are mounting both within and without at a speed that baffles us many a times, and brings with it seemingly unsurmountable problems, chaos and disorder. Our organisation is no exception. The crisis becomes more acute when the direction and guidance provided by present leadership is as confusing. We took up this subject in our Editorial "Crisis of Leadership' and asked Pranab-da to throw some light on the present phenomenon in his own column. The response was a valuable correspondence between Sri Madhav Pandit and Pranab-da, both leaders in their own right and in their respective fields carrying influence and impact which is more than evident. This hitherto unpublished correspondence we felt could well give us some food for thought.
Madhav-ji,
Two days back, I heard your tape-recorded speech, and I fully agree with you. In our Ashram collective life there is no true unity.
For a long time I have been feeling it. Once I told the Mother that our ideal was unity in diversity. There was plenty of diversity in the Ashram. But the Mother had not yet succeeded in bringing unity in it. She remained silent and said nothing.
I understand that unity can come in two ways. One, the ordinary way, when collectivity faces a common danger. Then, for mutual safety and security men forget their little ego and self interest momentarily, come closer and work for the larger interest.
The other way is, when men transcend themselves, have at least the psychic realisation and their consciousness is tuned with a Higher Truth, they rise above ego and desire, and true unity in collectivity takes place.
Once the Mother told me that if She were to pick from the Ashram population those who come only for the Truth, She would get only a handful of them. Most of the people had
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come because it was convenient to stay here. This She said as early as 1947. Since then the situation has further deteriorated
If the majority of us had come only for the Truth, the picture would have been different. At least, if the elders amongst us who are running the organisation had the true realisation, they could surely lead us to a better understanding, and as a result there would be better unity in our collective life.
All the qualities you mention in your speech which favour better unity, such as love, understanding, fellow-feeling, comradeship, compassion, tolerance, patience, etc., are psychic qualities, and how can they come from people who have an ordinary consciousness?
I feel that what we need badly in the Ashram at the present hour is a truly good leader. We do not have any leader amongst us. It is true that the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's consciousness pervades the Ashram atmosphere and they are guiding each aspirant according to his or her capacity and aspiration. But the presence of a true leader amongst us on the material plane will make a big difference.
I am always praying to the Mother to send us a true leader, who would guide us in our day-to-day activity and help us to achieve the ideal set before us by the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
Pranab
2.11.91
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Ashram
6.11.91
My dear Pranab,
I thank you for your warm, constructive and live response to my plea for promoting a minimum sense of oneness in the Ashram. I agree with you on every point. What you write about the Mother 's approach clarifies many things.
There is, however, one point on which I feel differently. To have a single leader here is not on the Mother 's programme; this has been my perception even before She withdrew from Her body. What is required is a collective leadership in keeping with the demand of the present Evolutionary Force. We must strive and build up a wise, upright, large-visioned leadership in tune with the Mother 's Consciousness. To that end, I suggest that a core body-not exceeding three must be first formed, with the door open for a larger circle to be formed later. This core group must be essentially a spiritually oriented body exerting itself to see that the collective life of the Ashram keeps to certain well-defined norms. It should be its duty to draw the attention of the Board of Administration When lapses occur or threaten to occur. Its role must be constructive from an objective, impersonal angle.
Pranab, we should stir ourselves before things cross the brink. Let us accept our bona fides and yoke ourselves to this sole purpose of arresting disintegration which is raising its ugly head and, building up a required confidence among our colleagues. Can't we make at least a beginning now?
With love
Yours Madhav
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19.11.91
Dear Madhav-ji,
I have read your letter dated 6.11.91. Such a prompt reply to my letter within minutes is possible only for a person like you, who have a sound intellectual and spiritual background.
But our differences remain as regards one man's leadership.
I do not believe in collective leadership. The term itself seems be a misnomer. I believe that it has been borrowed from modern western thoughts, which arose out of a fear of giving birth to dictators or autocrats.
Whatever group or committee we make, the final decision has to be taken by one man. Then where is the scope of collective leadership? The leader may have advisors, helpers, executives, etc, but the true leadership finally rests on one man only.
If we probe into history, we shall never find an example where collective leadership solved any problem of man. It can serve as a stop-gap arrangement, temporarily, as it happened after the murder of Julius Caesar by forming the triumvirate.
Successful kings, explorers, scientists, reformers, political religious leaderships, are all one man's show. And our tradition of Avatars, spiritual leaders and the existence of Guru vadas are all examples of singular leaderships.
Your comment, to have a single leader here is not on the Mother's programme, is true as long as the Mother with us in Her physical body. But after Her Mahasamadhi the situation has to be viewed from a different angle.
It is my firm conviction that in the present Ashram set- up, only a man having Supramental Realisation can handle effectively all our Ashram problems, and help us to march towards our goal of Integral Transformation. Any other efforts, done in a human way, will only add to the confusion already existing and are bound to end in abject failure.
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It is better to wait with patience and see how things develop. the Mother has told us that the Supramental Force works quietly, in a most normal and natural way.
In the meantime, let each of us execute our responsibilities as sincerely and as well as possible, aspiring for the Mother's Guidance and waiting for the arrival of a Supramental Leader.
With loving regards,
Yours affectionately,
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28.11.91
I thank you for your characteristically generous response to my letter. Agreeing with you that we have to wait in patience, I wanted to let matters lie there. But of late there is a feeling that I must amplify my thinking.
First let me assure you that there is no question of diluting the tradition of the Guru. It is understood that for all time to come Sri Aurobindo and the Mother will continue to be the Gurus for every one taking to the path of Integral Yoga. There cannot be a successor to the Mother. When Dakshinapada asked Her (unwisely) in the early fifties: 'Sri Aurobindo has left us, one day you also will leave us. Then who is to lead us?' She replied: there will be no need for it, the Truth will guide. So the Guru continues to look after the spiritual aspect of our life. The question is of the general life of the collectivity which is formed as the material base of their operations. It is no use saying—as is being done—'Mother will do'. It is sheer shirking if not escapism. There must be some arrangement to see that the Teaching is properly applied, the Ashram develops on the right lines so that the Ideal is not deformed in its translation. Looked at from this angle there is a deplorable hiatus between what should be and what is. The present administration is or feels powerless to arrest degeneration and deviation. It has not the will to face the blackmail, the threat of non-cooperation that looms large. They know what is right, what should be done, but find it expedient to let things drift under the plea that the Mother alone can do it. Illustratively we may point to the steady deterioration in the standards of the Education Centre; a few elements hold the progress at ransom. Talent, initiative, originality, are stamped down. the Mother, in Her own life-time, deplored the fall in standards at the Centre; things are much worse now. Why should it be so? Where is the boldness that is required in such pioneering efforts?
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The Mother had practically stopped new admissions at a particular stage and asked us to tell people to go to Auroville if they wanted to stay here. She had Her own way of screen- ing entrants. In the absence of that insight, the trustees had wisely decided that we do not need to expand, admissions were to be made only in exceptional circumstances. But that policy has been given up. Apart from that there has been an increasing invasion of non-ashram elements crowding the ashram environs and straining our Services. Some of us warned die authorities to keep back this invasion but it fell on deaf ears. Today every third person in the ashram community is a non-ashramite, freely drawing upon the Services with his money-power, putting genuine sadhaks at a disadvantage. Some of the departments have been converted into private fiefs. Vested interests are forming and holding up the healthy development of the ashram life. Superannuated individuals rule the roost with the result that youngsters are denied opportunities. One has to wait for the incumbents to die before hoping for any change for the better.
This is only to illustrate the areas where things have got to be urgently rectified. A supramental being is not required to organise and run the life of what the Mother called 'this small world'. In any case, the supramental being is something far, far off. It is not going to be in our life-time. Are we to wait and watch developments helplessly?
It is here that the role of collective wisdom steps in. Since we do not have—nor is there a prospect—anyone of outstanding higher consciousness who will be accepted by all in general, if not by every one, we have to fall back on a pool of a core of minds and hearts who are essentially spiritual in their motivation, impersonal in their dealings, capable of holding to the Mother's LOVE in all conditions. Once the unit is formed the Mother's Force is sure to vitalise it and function boldly and uncompromisingly. In the actual working there can be no question of superiority or position of eminence. Within the group the select persons forsake their
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individuality and function only in the greater interests of the collectivity. Naturally X prevails in one matter, Y in another and Z in still another. One person need not always be the deciding factor. With enough humility on the part of all, the premium will be on achievement of the whole than getting one's way through. The higher the consciousness the more the humility and readiness to look from the standpoints of others.
Well, Pranab, I have done for the moment. I have trodden many a path in these matters and have acutely realised where and how I could and should have done vastly better. But lost opportunities do not come again—at any rate in the same form. I have a deep feeling that the Mother is offering us opportunities to vindicate the truth of Her life.
With much love,
Madhav
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Dear Madhav-ji
I thank you very much for your letter dated 28.11.91 and for trying to put a little sense in my blunt head with your valued arguments, being moved only by your sense of extreme goodwill. But I am absolutely convinced that in the present set-up of the Ashram, nobody can do anything except a Superman.
All the malpractices and movements of the lower nature prevalent in the Ashram, that you mention in your letter, are nothing but the play of the ordinary human consciousness, in which man dwells at present. It has plagued humanity with multifarious problems and made man extremely miserable throughout the ages. Wise men tried to find out various solutes. The East approached through inner pursuits and ultimately found out an escape through philosophic and spiritual culture; and Western people, through their practical mind, took the outer approach and ended in materialism. But the problem of man is not solved.
Just then, Sri Aurobindo came and told us that nothing will change the fate of man unless he is transformed integrally and emerges into a better species by the radical change of his consciousness, and that is possible only when he realises the Supramental Consciousness. That is why the Mother and Sri Aurobindo worked throughout their life to establish the Supramental Consciousness in the earth's atmosphere.
Once the Mother told me that however you fight with darkness you can not move it. But just light a candle and the darkness is removed. In the same way whatever we try to do through a rational set-up, as regards our organisations and plannings, it will produce no result unless we acquire the Supramental Consciousness.
My question is—Is the majority of the people in the Ashram trying to work for the Supramental Consciousness seriously and sincerely? How many of us have a clear picture of our real problems and the method for dealing with them? Only the reading of the Life Divine or Savitri and doing regular
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pranams at the Samadhi will not help much. Hours of deep study and meditation, working like a donkey from morning till night will mean nothing. It needs something more. On the other hand, we see so much of pretence and hypocrisy in the name of a Spiritual life.
Madhav-ji, you say that Superman is not needed to steer the Ashram and its people in the right direction. I am tempted to suggest that please do and show us what you say is true. You say that the Supramental being will come only after many many years, when we shall be no more on the face of this world. But I feel that the leader comes only when there is a pressing need and demand in the world for man's relief from his miseries, and the Superman has to come now because never in man's history has there been so much of chaos and confusion in his life.
Our new leader must come with so much power and such a personality that his physical presence itself will be sufficient to make man do the right thing in the right way. It holds good in the cause of the world, India and the Ashram.
I an extremely sorry that I have to write all this to convey my feelings to you, who are my elder, who are greater than me in every respect and possess all this knowledge. But I have only tried to express my mind, which speaks what it feels.
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Individual and Collective Progress
Man is a gregarious animal. He likes to live with others and in groups.
Originally, fear and the feeling of insecurity must have prompted man to do this. Then, when the finer qualities started gradually developing with the growth of the soul, the collective living gave man a higher meaning. These qualities were love; affection; sympathy for others; mutual co-operation, collaboration and understanding; a feeling of brotherhood and comradeship etc. These sentiments brought in a collective spirit amongst them and an united effort for improving the quality of life started.
Normally, individual life and collective life depend on each other for their betterment. Collectivity creates opportunities for the individuals to grow and to progress. The individuals, by their achievements in various fields of human activities, make the collective life rich and fruitful.
It has often been found that an individual, having exceptional qualities, grows into a very strong personality and when selfishness creeps in him, he tries to exploit the collectivity for his selfish and personal gains. To check this tendency, the collectivity adopts certain measures, which bring in some control, but the freedom of the individual is very much restricted. With this, the possibility of getting the best and the most from the individuals becomes impossible.
This battle for individual freedom and collective control is going on since time immemorial and as a result the progress of humanity is greatly hampered. Sometimes, this disharmony even threatens to destroy the existence of man.
Freedom is a very important condition of progress. But freedom must not be confused with license. When more than one person is involved in any project or when an individual wants to achieve something, certain outer rules and disciplines are necessary, at least in the initial stages. Afterwards, with the growth of consciousness, these outer rules and disciplines
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:could gradually be relaxed and replaced by inner rules and inner disciplines. But discipline is a must and without it nothing can be done.
Man, all over the world, is facing various overwhelming problems. If we probe into them we find that most of them are his own creation. They are the result of his greed and selfishness. These problems are growing to such a colossal stature that one often wonders whether they are going to wipe man out.
So far all the attempts of man to solve these problems have failed miserably. The problems are beyond the capacities and capabilities of man to tackle successfully. Our Master has pointed out that man has to change his nature, transcend himself and evolve into a higher species with the help of a new consciousness. Then only will he be able to come out of his, difficulties.
Now let us examine the problem in our own context.
With regard to our individual and collective progress, taster has given us a program, in which He states that our target is Supramental Realisation and Integral Transformation.
In the early fifties or late forties, the Mother told me one day—'Pranab, this time there will be no tragedy. I shall do what I have come here for. Nolini, Pavitra, Amrita and all the sadhaks are waiting to see the Supramental Realisation and physical Transformation. I cannot disappoint them. It must happen.'
For some reason or other Physical Transformation could not be done on the Mother's body. But that does not mean that Her Work has been postponed for the time being, as many, people believe. She is constantly working from above for its fruition and helping those who are open to Her. We could not see it on Her own body. But She must have found a number of good instruments through whom She will realise Her vision, and we shall surely see it during Her epoch.
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Our community will progressively find out ways and means to create favourable circumstances so that the individuals will be able to work for Supramental Realisation and Physical Transformation. And each individual will seriously and sincerely work for the Great Ideal, keeping himself free in his attitude from all diversions that tend to take him away from the mission set before us by our Master.
Man has waited long, too long. Now the time is pressing for this Great Realisation. The advent of Superman is not very far. It is now inevitable. Our Master has assured us so. He seems to be giving indications that it is going to happen here and now.
* * *
A Western gentleman came to Dada's office. He was rather tall and he had a short golden beard. His body was quite well- built and compact. He looked like a naval officer. As soon as Dada saw him Dada exclaimed:
"Ah, Norman! Come, come! I was just talking about you the other day? So where are you staying? How are you?"
Norman answered in flawless Bengali: 'Dada, I am fine. I am staying at Cottage.' And saying this he presented to Dada a beautiful calendar of Australian birds. Just birds, and what exquisite printing!
"So this is Norman! His father, Norman Dowsett, was a professor of English here at the Ashram. He has written books of poems and English grammar."
Once a director of some educational institution came to see the functioning of our Ashram school. Norman was then very young. We told this gentleman to talk to a little girl to judge how well English was taught here.
The girl spoke impressive English. The man was quite astounded.
Now meet this young boy. He is English but he'll speak with you in Bengali, we told the director. As I told you Norman
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was then very young. He spoke impeccable Bengali with him. The director was wonder-struck listening to this little western boy speak such beautiful Bengali. He asked him in Bengali:
Tomader adi nibaas ki England?' (Are you originally from England?)
Norman answered: 'I don't know what 'adi' means.'
Everyone in the office had a good laugh.
I tell your story of the red-faced monkey inside and outside to a lot of people. You had retorted: 'Lekin baharka lalandar hindi samajhta!'(But the red-faced monkey outside understands Hindi!)
Norman too laughed as Dada recounted that story of the, Australian zoo once again.
From Rostov in Russia, one Mr Gleb Nesterov, a disciple of' the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, wrote to Jayantilal-da. He wanted to know something about Dada. In reply Dada wrote his life-sketch. He wrote in the letter that accompanied this life-sketch:
"Well, to write a life-sketch of mine by myself is a bit embarrassing. But if I get it done by some other person he may write something which is not necessary and he may omit some important points. So I have written something myself to you some information about myself. I have written in the person. Perhaps it will do." (Originally in English)
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Information about Pranab
Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya was born on 18.10.23, in a family of respectable lineage staying at Berhampur, a district town, 116 miles north of Calcutta. His father's name was Dakshina Pada Bhattacharya and mother's name was Prafullamayee Devi.
At the age of five, his education started at home in the traditional way, as was the practice in a Brahmin's family in those days. Then, for about a year, he studied in Berhampur Krishnanath Collegiate School. At the age of seven he was taken to Calcutta where his father was serving as one of the engineers in Bengal Telephones. He stayed with his parents and was admitted to a private school called Anandamayee Institution, which was founded and run by a patriot and idealist named Charuchandra Dutta. Pranab imbibed here, along with all the academic subjects, the spirit of discipline, high morals, great ideals and patriotism.
After six years of studies, his school course in Anandamayee Institution was over and he was admitted to a high school at Ballygunge, Calcutta, called Jagadbandhu Institution and he passed his matriculation examination from there in 1939, at the age of 16.
Then one year passed in trying to find out whether he was meant to take up science or arts for his higher studies and finally he took admission in arts at the Krishnanath College, in his home town at Berhampur. He graduated from there in 1945, under the Calcutta University.
From his early childhood, Pranab was highly interested in sports and Physical Education and he wanted to build a strong, healthy and powerful body. He had his first lesson in Boxing at the age of seven, in Bhowanipore Y.M.C.A., at Calcutta, which his father was a member. In Anandamayee Institution he had to go through a programme of Physical Education in a minor way, as a part of his education. Later, at Jagadbandhu Institution also he had to go through a
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programme of Physical Education, not in a very serious y except for Boxing which he practised seriously under a famous boxer of that time named Jagat Kanta Seal and his assistant Biren Chunder. But his real Physical Education started when he joined Biren Chunder's club. The Ballygunge School of Physical Culture at the age of fifteen. He had his real training here in various activities and in addition to physical culture he learnt here under Biren Chunder's guidance the supporting spirit, the spirit of sacrifice and self-negation for a higher cause, and the love for patriotic life. He also got from this institution the idea that there was a great possibility of building a great India, in every way, through sports and physical culture.
In the first year of his college studies in Berhampur founded a physical culture club called Vivekananda Byayam Samiti, with the idea of building up the younger generation for a higher life. It was successful from the very start a many fine, honest and capable people, from all walks of life, were members of this club. It is still running with full vigour and the club celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1990.
At this time, the idea came to Pranab's mind to open physical culture clubs in every town and every village of Bengal (Bengal was not partitioned at that time), which would produce strong, healthy, honest and capable people, who would build up a great India. He had a scheme of supporting each unit with a suitable industry that would create the finance for building up health, education and the economy of the country.
But he had a small doubt. He did not know yet the ultimate aim of life towards which the organisation should be oriented.
Pranab's family had had contacts with Sri Aurobindo Ashram since 1934. His uncle Charupada, visited the Ashram in 1936 and his father Dakshina Pada in 1938. Since then they frequently visited the Ashram.
So, it was natural that Pranab would come under the influence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
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During his college holidays after his intermediate examination, he came to have Their Darshan and to see the Ashram in April 1942, in order to get firsthand knowledge about the Ashram and the ideal and teaching of Sri Aurobindo. He stayed here for about 4 months, took up work as a service in the Ashram Laundry, started learning Sri Aurobindo's yoga and teaching and enjoyed the true Ashram life. He liked the Ashram life. But the idea of his nation-building work remained in his mind.
He went back home after his four months' stay in the Ashram to finish his studies and to prepare the ground for his future work.
After 3 years, in 1945, when he was about to take a state scholarship for the study of silk technology in England, he got a definite inner command to come to the Ashram, and he obeyed it at once. (He wanted to give a financial support to his main physical culture club through the sericulture industry which is why he had been trying to get this state scholarship in silk technology. Silk trading had also been his family business for four generations. So he had a great liking for this business.
He came to the Ashram in 1945, and took up work in the Laundry, as a 'service', as he had done during his first visit in 1942.
The Mother had a liking for him from the very beginning and She opened opportunities for him so that he could come closer to Her.
Gradually, children started coming to the Ashram and the Mother had to make arrangements for their education and play. So our school and playground were opened for them and Pranab happened to take up the playground work. Then slowly and steadily the Mother started building the Physical Education organisation and made him Her instrument. She had seen great possibilities in Physical Education for the work of Physical Transformation which is our true aim. That is why She gave so much importance to Physical Education in the Ashram.
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The Mother started taking him more and more into Her fold. In August 1947, the Mother permitted him to see Her whenever he needed to. He would go to Her for various kind of work and to attend on Her. Gradually he became a part of Her life and by November 1973, when She left Her body he used to be on duty by Her side for about 16 to 18 hours every day.
She taught him personally all about Sri Aurobindo's yoga and His teachings. She guided him integrally in every field of life's action. And She gave Her Ananda that remain with him all the time. He was able to see the True goal of life.
After She left Her body, he has continued doing Her work as one of Her "Uttar Sadhaks" (Uttar Sadhaks carry forth Guru's work from where the Guru has left).
Outwardly, now his work is to guide our Ashram Phys Education organisation when needed, to look after the Ashram film and photographic work, to see people who visit him, to answer letters that come from the devotees of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo staying outside the Ashram.
At the age of 75, he is in good health, in high spirits, exercises regularly and is determined to go on right up to the end.
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Pranab in his youth
Pranab in 1965 aged 43
Pranab in the 1944 Bengal Amateur Championship (the only Bengali boxer to reach the Finals)
The Red-cross Boxing Competition in 1944 (Pranab and the other competitors)
Twenty-five Years Ago
This article was written on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of Vivekananda Byayam Samiti - a physical culture club that Dada himself founded when he was just 19 years old. The club still exists after 56 years with a few hundred members consisting of men, women and children from all walks of life.
The article is a remarkable revelation of how destiny guided Dada's footsteps and prepared him for a very important role that he was to play in the Master's and the Mother's Work of Physical Transformation. What began in 1941 as a mission guiding the youth towards a vision of a greater India became a spiritual destiny of the body's journey on uncharted paths of Physical Immortality - a work embracing the whole of humanity.
One day I received an unexpected letter from the new secretary of the club, Sri Niranjan Choudhury. The club was celebrating 1966 as the silver jubilee of its founding and they wanted me to send my suggestions and to write something for the publication that they were planning to bring out on this occasion.
"How quickly twenty-five long years have flown!" I wondered. It was only the other day, was it in May or June, in the year 1940, that half a dozen boys of the Bhattacharya house- hold started a club in the courtyard of the house.
All the equipment we had then was a set of barbells that belonged to my uncle, a mirror of the house, a mat and a couple of skipping-ropes.
We took to exercising with great enthusiasm. The role of the group's instructor fell on me and I began working in earnest in order to improve the health and physical fitness of the group as well as my own.
I was taken up with physical fitness, the body's strength and its education right from my childhood. My real initiation, in fact, took place in 1937 at the Ballygunj Jagatbandhu Institution where the well-known boxer, J.K. Seal, started
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teaching me boxing. Then I became a member of the Ballygunj School of Physical Culture, a club run by Biren Chunder. There I started learning boxing, wrestling, freehand, barbell, train ing on parallel bars, tumbling, drills, parades, volleyball, asanas and some Bratachari or folk-dances.
The enthusiasm of our physical exercising spread from the Bhattacharya house to the Bhattacharya locality. Quite a few people started joining in ones and twos in the courtyard of the house. Soon we were short of space and decided to move into the garden adjacent to the house for doing exercises.
The garden was strewn with rubble and weeds and we cleared one part of it ourselves. We set up the bodybuilding area near the door that opened onto the garden which enabled us to take out and put back the barbell, mirror, mat, etc more easily. An entrance was provided for the members to go directly into the garden from the road. A boxing-ring was set up on one side of the garden and a punching bag was hung nearby from a jack-fruit tree. Some space was left on one side for drills, parades, tumbling, lathi-practice and folk-dances-a A pair of rings were suspended onto a mango-tree. And there the club was in full swing!
What name should we give the club? In those days the idealistic young were familiar with Swami Vivekananda and his teaching, his attraction for physical culture, his heroic inspiring figure, his organisational strength, his preaching of power In both action and thought, his deep-rooted love for the country. He had raised for the great Indian mass an ideal based on the rich Indian heritage and his fight was against all kinds of baseness, pettiness, weakness, selfishness, unconsciousness or anything that hindered progress. There was much then that! drew us to Swami Vivekananda. His message to the students, in particular, enthused and inspired us: "Make your body and muscles like iron and your nerves like steel" and "You'll attain God faster by playing football rather than by reading the Gita". And so we named our club Vivekananda Byayam Samiti.
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The creation of an organisation brings expenses with it. Therefore, every month, it was decided to collect one anna from the younger ones and two annas from adults. Besides this, we used to save our pocket-money and contribute it to help run the club. Receipt-books and letter-heads were printed. Arrangements for a roll-call were made. We didn't leave anything unattended.
However, we could not get all the equipment for the club with the members' contributions and so we had to make do with some wood and bamboo that we managed to "pick up" from here and there. It did not perturb us for after all we were doing all this not for any personal end but for the club. Our club, however, came to be known in the area as the "chora club" or the club of thieves.
The club began developping very well. The boys were regular in their exercises and soon enough the whole of Behrampur knew about its activities. Boys started coming to the club from not only the surrounding areas but also from distant places and they were all students from schools and colleges.
There were requests for "demonstrations" from several places and soon our boys gained a reputation for their skills in boxing, lathi, clubs, dumbbells, freehand, drills, roller-balancing and ground-diving. The boys' health began to improve considerably due to regular exercises.
From the club's very inception we had resolved that apart from developping physical fitness and strength the atmosphere in the club should be one that helps to raise the moral character of the students and imparts a high sense of idealism to their life and action. We had observed that the closeness we could have with the youth through sport and physical culture was not possible in any other way. And we made full use of this opportunity for the good of the youth and for moulding them into upright human beings.
We set up a library in the house of the Mandals in a room of the thankurbari (a part of the house reserved for the
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worship of the family deity). Biography, books on travel, history, health and sport, patriotic books and beautiful inspiring stories formed our modest collection. The boys could read these books in the library. From time to time we used to meet to discuss and debate on various topics. Sometimes a member would read out something he had written. We also brought out a hand-written magazine which helped us express, in our modest way, our youthful minds' thoughts and feelings.
When people needed help or when they were in difficulty, we tried to assist as much as possible. For occasions like Gangs puja, the Ramakrishna Mission celebrations in Berhampur various meetings and gatherings, charity-shows, exhibitions we were requested for voluntary work and our boys performed their tasks to the best of their ability.
In a short time we became quite well known for the work we did. Parents started encouraging their boys to join our club. They felt that their boys were less likely to fall into bad company and ruin their character by being in our club.
We used to watch more attentively the boys who were promising. By giving them more time and helping them in various other ways we tried to ensure that their progress was not hindered in any way. Those who showed leadership qualities were given the necessary opportunities to develop them further. And we succeeded in this. All those boys, today, thanks to their ability and brilliance, are well-established in life. And I air sure they must be quite conscious about our contribution in their success. We also noticed that in the twenty-five years of the club's existence, never did we lack good leaders for running it. Not that we had a lot of means or brilliance but we made full use of whatever we had and we also reaped the fruit of our efforts.
There was a bond of love and kinship between the members of our club. There never took place any quarrels or any groupism nor was there any struggle for selfish power or leadership. We also received a lot of sympathy and goodwill from the people of the town. Enemies we had none.
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There were also arrangements for fun and festivity. During the winter we had our annual picnic and we organised it with great verve. On Vijayadashami day we used to hire a big boat and the boys of the club had a lot of fun on the Ganga. Some- times we used to go exploring, on foot or on our cycles, distant places. During the monsoon when the Ganga was in full mighty flow swimming was great fun.
A lot of time had to be devoted to all these various activities. College had to be regularly attended and homework had to be done too. Then there were all kinds of house-errands. But since we did everything with sufficient concentration we never lacked any time for the running or organisation of the club. Parents never laid any restrictions from their side; on the contrary, they encouraged us but on one single condition: we had to to pass the examinations and on that score we never disappointed them.
Our club then was growing extremely well. The boys' health continued to improve. The equipment for exercise too began to come. The whole town of Berhampur was appreciative about the club and its activities. One day, Beni-babu, the Physical Education organiser for the districts of Nadia and Murshidabad at that time, came to visit our club and he was very happy to see our work. He especially praised the fact that we had ourselves made most of the equipment we needed. On seeing the tumbling-mattresses he was astonished that we had made them. It was by his efforts that our club was recognised by the Government and we started getting a grant. That was, perhaps, in 1941. Subsequently the first governing body of the club was constituted.
The club then was doing really well. The regularity of the boys was irreproachable. Fortune was smiling on us from every side. Then suddenly disaster struck. The guardians of the house decided to convert the garden into a vegetable-orchard. The club naturally had to move from there.
We started looking for an alternative plot for the club all over the town. But nobody was willing to give us some land
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even if it lay unutilised. There was always some problem or the other. Had all their appreciation then for our work been merely lip-service? Something that we had created with so much effort, such a wonderful organisation couldn't disappear just for want of space, could it?
In the end, Sambal-babu (Sashankshekhar Sanyal) said that he had a piece of land on the eastern part of Laldighi. He had acquired that property to build a house for himself but until the construction-work began the club could make use of this space. We were all very happy and once again hope glimmered before us. Our hearts overflowed with gratitude for Sambal-babu.
And once again the work of converting this new piece of land into a club resumed. We cleared a veritable jungle growing a metre above our heads, filled up the holes, levelled the mounds and the place was ready. We never used any paid labourers for the club-work. We always did all the work ourselves. Two objectives were attained by this: one, it helped us economise and two, we learnt to become self-reliant. We felt such a joy doing the club-work ourselves and it is through this work that progressively we began to understand and value the dignity of labour.
In fact, while trying to set up our club we learnt so many things that helped us immensely in life too. Learning to use the spade and the crowbar, carrying a load on one's head and all sorts of physical work, to mix heartily with the boys, to be able to establish an easy and spontaneous rapport with new people, to run an organisation, to remain calm in adversity and to try and come out of it with a level-headed solution, to stand on right principles at the required moment and then single-mindedly and firmly to follow them, to keep proper accounts, to be able to say a word or two in public, to be able to write something, these were all qualities that we developed while doing our club-work and in later life these proved to be invaluable in discharging our duties and responsibilities.
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In any case, we had got the new property ready and the club was transferred from Kadaipara to Laldighi. The club looked even better now. We had quite a lot of new equipment: two sets of parallel-bars, four sets of wooden bars for dund, rings made of bamboo, a wrestling-pit, a boxing-ring, a punching-bag, two sets of barbells, two mirrors, some equipment for gymnastics, some material for folk-dances, dumb- bells, clubs, material for drills, lathis, etc. On one side of the ground a Gadi-court was made and on the other, space was left for parade and drills. In one corner a room with bamboo and clay was erected to keep all our equipment like barbells, mirrors, boxing gloves, punching bag, etc. and the room was locked.
The club resumed its activities in full swing. The members would come to do their exercises regularly. The mango, lichi, coconut trees surrounding the entire area made the place beautiful, quiet and peaceful, a place fit for sadhana. One felt as if we were in an ashram straight out of the Ramayana or the Mahabharata period learning the dharma of the student.
But then trouble came knocking once again. One day on arriving at the club I saw that the roof of the room had been broken and a lot of expensive equipment like barbells and mirrors had been stolen. However, it did not demoralise us. We set about trying to replace the stolen equipment.
When we shifted the club to the bank of Laldighi there was only one thing that was buzzing in our heads. If the club had to be saved, then the club absolutely needed its own premises. As long as we were on others' premises we could never be permanent. And if no alternative premises were found to shift to, it would mean the end of the club. That's why during our occupation of the Laldighi premises we kept looking for a plot for our club. And that is how the present premises of the club were found. How we managed to get this property is a very interesting story.
Around the same time as our club started the Murshidabad District Sports Association led by Sri Pranab Sen was also
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taking shape. Inspired by Pranab Sen's enthusiasm and organising capability our District Association grew up and progressed with new hope, energy and activity.
Our club had a very close relationship with Pranab Sen. As we had followed his advice we had been able to come up successfully in the present premises. The club had been running almost by word of mouth. It was also thanks to his efforts that the constitution of the club was prepared and with the setting up of the club its office too came up. We collaborate fully with the District Sports Association and we also got quite a lot of assistance from it.
We used to participate regularly in the tournaments and competitions organised by the District Sports Association in football, hockey, volleyball, athletic sports and swimming Our club used to do well in athletic sports and swimming The volleyball team was quite good too and even though our club did not have good football and hockey teams, we would take part in the tournament. Our club was primarily for body building and boxing. Even then we had made volleyball,. gadi and a badminton court in our premises. We did not haw our own ground for football or hockey. In those days then were many good open grounds in Berhampur. We used to make use of whichever ground was available for these games. If no ground was free then we would go to the horse-racing area and play there. Towards the end, a few days before I came away to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, we received from the government, thanks to Pranab Sen's efforts, a triangular shaped plot. Although the plot was not very big, we could still manage to play football, hockey and practice the athletic sports. I am told that this piece of property is no more with the club. A huge building has come up there.
Quite a few good boxers, both young and grown-up, were. trained in our club. The older ones among them (from the Berhampur Krishnanath College) were sent to the Inter-Collegiate Boxing Championship organised by the Bengal Amateur Boxing Federation in Calcutta. We had a lot of problems
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for sending our team. The College authorities were just not willing to send their students and I had to practically fight with the then Principal of the College, Jyotish Chandra Mitra. The College did not give either the train-fare or the entry-fees for them. All the money came from our pockets. I myself could not go as I had to sit for the final year B.A. examination within a few days.
In any case, we kept following the progress of our boys in Calcutta and when we were informed that our boys from the Berhampur Krishnanath College had won the championship we went to meet the Principal. He had already read about it in the papers. On seeing us tears welled up in the old man's eyes. "You did well to send them, Pinu" he said.
Then everything happened as it should. A holiday was declared in the college and the college reimbursed all our expenses. The Principal paid a visit to the club to felicitate us. I was told later that the College had donated some boxing gloves to the club. I had by then come away to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
With the growth of our club another thing happened. Our members came from all over Berhampur. However, many found it difficult to come from distant places and so it was decided to open some more clubs in the town. They would all run independently but keep in touch with one another and extend help when needed. This had the advantage that many more people could take up physical culture and this would give a boost to physical culture itself.
And so several clubs opened: in Gorabazar under Kamaksya's guidance, in Barrack under Pankaj's guidance, in Lower Kadai under Tarit, in Babupara under Shorsi-babu, in Saidabad under Taradas and in Kasimbazar under Santosh. The Vivekananda Byayam Samiti remained in the same place. We used to go each day to a different club to instruct them. And even though we had no official link with the Vivekananda Byayamagar club run by Madan-babu next to the Berhampur Co-operative Bank, but as our relations with their organisers
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were very good, I used to go and teach them boxing. Obviously all the clubs could not develop fully and for want of a right leader some of the clubs folded up. The police closed the Gorabazar club. After Santosh passed away the Kasimbazar club also closed down. I had already come away to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram by then.
It was 1945. It was time for me to pass out of college. I had sat for my B.A. examination; the results were to be declared soon. Now I had to take my own responsibility and stand on my own two feet. I did not know still where I would go to earn my livelihood. It was difficult to say if I could continue my work for the club. A club nurtured with so much care. For the last five years the club had been all to me, my sadhana, my pursuit of knowledge, my only attachment and love.
In those five years I had seen so many boys of the club finish their studies and leave Berhampur in search of a livelihood or of some other pursuit. The sorrow of parting was felt by both those who were leaving and those who stayed on. The club too suffered their loss. Many among those who left had been excellent workers.
An idea rose in my head: If I could start a factory or something in or around Berhampur then all the problems would be solved. I would not be far from the club and through this factory, my and many of the fine hardworking club-members' livelihood would be taken care of as well. Besides, the club too would benefit from it.
We had been in the silk-business for the last three generations. "Why not take up the same line?" I wondered. I could cultivate sericulture gardens to breed silkworms and with their excellent silk-yarn weave fine looms of cloth. Just then there arose a possibility of going abroad on a State Scholarship to study silk technology.
I started weaving all sorts of dreams. After returning from abroad I would set my silk-weaving factory and provide for the employment and upkeep of all the good workers of the club. A part of the factory earnings would be used for the
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development of the club and to assist other youth-oriented institutions. "We would organise educational, health and various other welfare schemes. If the Berhampur clubs could all become self-sufficient then other branches could be set up in other parts of the district. Each of these clubs and their members could be supported by the setting up of an appropriate little industry in the area. Gradually, this work would spread from the district to the whole of Bengal. With all our strength we would try to recreate the "sujalaam sufalaam shashyashyamalaam" Bengal and infuse the Bengalis with health, knowledge and economic strength once again.
We had just opened a few centres of our club in Berhampur. Now requests were coming in from outside from a couple of places of the district to open clubs like ours there. "Things are moving just in the direction we planned." I said to myself.
But now a huge problem arose, a serious questioning within. If we continued working according to our plans then perhaps one day a massive organisation would be created in the whole of Bengal which would generate a tremendous power. But what then? For what work and in which direction would that organisation and that power be utilised?
With a powerful organisation and with the energy of the people both good or bad was possible. With a lofty ideal and great leadership abundant good for man could result. But if that same power went astray then it could also destroy man. At that time the burning example of the Second World War and its effects were hovering before me. The War was almost nearing its end. Hitler's mighty pride had been nearly crushed. All I could see was how under one man's rashness, ignorance and petty, blind leadership the powerful German race was being led to ruin. What a waste of human life, life-energy and organisational power and to what frightening end! The peace and safety of the whole world was about to be sacrificed. If our organisation too did not firmly found itself on some lofty ideal then that could cause endless suffering to human beings as well. What was that lofty ideal? What was that great Truth
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on which we could build our organisation and act? Somehow I was not taken up by any of the prevailing ideologies of the time. I always felt as if there was a big gap somewhere in al of them.
"When an organisation is set up man tries to serve his selfish interests in so many ways and to see how that great Force could be used for his personal ends. If we do not hold any high, powerful ideal before us then we too would end up as mere puppets in the hands of that force and dance to its tune A proof of that I had clearly got while setting up our small club, the Vivekananda Byayam Samiti. It was a small club after all, with very limited means. But even there, there was never any shortage of people wanting to use this power of the club for selfish personal ends.
On top of that I had some other personal problems too From my very childhood I had started asking questions to which I did not find an answer. And as I grew up these questions became even more pressing and I desperately started seeking their answers. I felt no attraction for the type and pace of human life I had been used to from childhood but then I did not know where to look for an alternative path. Who was I? Why was I born? What was life's aim? What were we moving towards? What was man's highest good? Was death an unavoidable necessity? And many more such questions echoed in my being. All sorts of books I read, all sorts of saints and hermits I met, but I could get no inkling of the path I was to follow.
I had been hearing about Sri Aurobindo from a very young age. When I was old enough I read His books. I do not myself know at what point I got attracted to Him. I started feeling that it was from Him that I would get the Light I was seeking. It was on this seeking that in 1942 I arrived at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram for the first time and stayed here for almost four months. That was a time when I began understanding things. And in the end I felt that it was by walking on the path shown by Sri Aurobindo that all my questions would find their
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answers and I would attain my goal. But then I also resolved that I would join the Sri Aurobindo Ashram to taken up the path only if I felt an irresistible urge from within.
Then for three years there was a relentless conflict within me: should I join the Sri Aurobindo Ashram or should I dedicate myself to the work of our youth organisation? And allowing my conviction I absorbed myself in the latter and planned after passing my B.A. I went to Calcutta in search a State Scholarship to study silk technology.
And then what had not happened in three years suddenly was settled within a couple of minutes. I was convinced that I had to go to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
Immediately I went back from Calcutta to Berhampur bid goodbye to my fellow-workers and friends. The very n day after taking my leave from them I left for Calcutta on way to Pondicherry to join the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. While bidding farewell to my friends and fellow-workers of the club I noticed that I did not feel any pain at leaving something that I had built up with so much care and love. The decision to forward had been taken and there was nothing that pulled back now.
So this is the history of my association with the club. The organisers of the club have kept in touch with me even after my coming away to Pondicherry. Some of them I have never seen or seen when they were very young. I keep getting all news of the club. From time to time they urge me to come and visit the club once. Even if I wanted to, its possibility is not there. My only need now is to remain here all the time. I have to be present here at every moment to be able to do the work here. Sometimes in my dreams or in my imagination I hop over to the club.
Besides, twenty-five long years have elapsed since then. And in this long period I have had so many wonderful experiences. I have seen much, I have had to live through many different situations. The infinite Love of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo has been with me and it is They who have been guiding me along.
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I had imagined that at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram my association with physical culture and youth organisation would come to an end. But within a very short time that once again my primary work. The Mother started special attention to the organisation of physical education at the Ashram. And it is under Her direction, administration and help that the physical education department be exemplary. People from India and abroad who have come and seen our organisation have remarked that such doesn't exist in this country and is quite rare even abroad.
The work of forming the new humanity is going at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram vigorously. And the limits of this work have gone beyond my town, beyond my district, my state, beyond my country to embrace the whole wide earth. There are people here from different parts of the world and centres of the Ashram have been started almost everywhere.
Did I find an answer to my personal questions? "Well, that too has been taken care of. What I have realised with my straight, simple understanding is this;
—
Man's aim is to move towards an integral perfection. Life is the field of action given to us for developing that integral perfection. And the path is the total surrender of our life and action.
Sri Aurobindo's sadhana does not exclude the world. It is the integral transformation of the world by bringing down from the heights the Divine Consciousness.
This is not possible solely by human endeavour. The human aspiration from below and the response from above: it is only in the union of these two that this work can be done.
Man with his mind can determine his conduct in the practical, material life but then the very imperfection of man's earthly life can completely unsettle everything. No political ideology, no religious discipline, no philosophical system, no intellectual understanding,
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no ethical solution or scientific discovery can bring about that perfection until man transforms his own nature. And once man's nature is transformed every activity can be utilised for the work of integral perfection.
But then the question arises: Should man just twiddle his thumbs until the transformation of his nature takes place? Not at all. He has first to be convinced of this truth in his mind and life. And then keeping this truth in full view he should develop himself in all the parts of his being, keep the flame of aspiration constantly burning within him and rely entirely on the Divine Grace.
Man should determine his work according to his nature, capacity and inclination since it is work that helps us in manifesting our inner truth outside. Then it is important to try turn oneself through one's work and one's work through self into something as beautiful as possible.
There is no high and low in work. It is not work that man great or small. It is man who makes his work great or small. One can advance towards perfection through any work as long as that work is done with inner sincerity.
At the very outset there is not much that needs to be changed in life from the outside. First one has to change one's attitude in life and then that takes care of the rest.
One has to discover one's inner Truth and then allow fully as possible to direct one's whole life.
It is not an easy path. At every step there is risk and danger.
At every step one's inner sincerity is put to test. But there is no other way.
My personal experience in my own life through all these years has shown me that an invisible Power has guided m along this path. And it is my innermost conviction that this same invisible Power that will continue to guide me till the very end of my life.
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While recounting how the Vivekananda Byayam Samiti came to be I have also told you something about my own life. I would like to conclude with a special request to all the members of this club.
Our club was founded and built on a great ideal. And even though I am far away I have been told that the organisers have continued to the best of their abilities to give shape to that ideal. It is my firm belief that that is the inner reason for our club having proudly survived all the ordeals and obstacles. My request to you is: "Never lose sight of that real goal."
The country today badly needs hardworking, enthusiastic honest and capable citizens. After a long period of sleep this great people has reawakened. Now it has to appear before the world-assembly with what are its gifts and contribution to the world. But before that, as a preparation, it has to organise its life first. And it is in this mighty sacred task that we need these innumerable, hardworking, enthusiastic, honest and capable workers. The club has limited reach and few at its disposal. Nevertheless let it use all its energies in building this real Man. Vande Mataram!
Dada said: I started learning boxing at the age of Calcutta at the Y.M.C.A. of Bhowanipur. Then Jagatbandhu Institution even though I started bodybuilding I started learning boxing with great seriousness. The famous boxer, J.K. Seal, and his student Biren Chunder taught me boxing at Ballygunje and at the Wellington Square in Calcutta. They had an assistant called Mr Francis. He was a south Indian Tamil but spoke excellent Bengali. I also learn boxing from him. I didn't know anything more about him.
Then after a long time in 1945 I came away to the for good. The department of physical culture came up in the
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Ashram. .The Playground was built. And the Mother gave me its charge.
Once on a Darshan day I was regulating the visitors' crowd so that they all stayed in line. Suddenly someone put his hand on my shoulder. When I turned around. I saw it was a Tamil gentleman.
"Mr Francis! It is you!" I said quite stunned
'Have you recognised me?'
"Of course, I have. But what are you doing here in Pondicherry?" I asked.
'Pondicherry is my home-town. Didn't you know that?
"What a strange coincidence. He told me that opposite park in front of the governor's residence was his house later became a coffee-house. His elder brother, Professor Condappa, was a teacher at the local French School. Lat came one day to visit the Playground and saw all the activities of physical culture.
Dada asked: You come from Calcutta? Have you bee the National Library recently? I am told that nowadays in a pitiable state. It isn't kept properly. Everything is decaying.
'Yes, Dada. The National Library is indeed in a sad state.
There is a lot of trade-unionism among the workers. Slogans and posters are pasted all over. There is no end to strikes. That former atmosphere of serious study is no more there sorts of rare books and journals lie stacked up in piles. The roof leaks and everything is rotting. The place is full of filth and insects.'
Dada was pained on hearing this: Such a great institution really! It was the pride of the country at one time. And look at its state today! We are just not capable of preserving thing. This building used to be the residence of Hastings in
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those times. This huge house occupies a very large area. Obviously it was the residence of the first governor-general of British Asia. And this is what is called divine irony.
In the beginning Hastings was an ordinary clerk at the English head-office at Kasimbazaar. When Nawab Sirajuddala attacked Calcutta he ordered all the Englishmen in Kasimbazaar to be killed. Hastings in order to save himself sought refuge at Kantomudi's whose actual name was Krishnakant Nandi. He was of the 'tili' caste. Everybody called him 'Kantomudi'. Ignoring danger to his own life this Kantomudi then offered refuge to Hastings by keeping him hidden in a secure place for a few days. Hastings survived c fermented rice and greens.
Then when Hastings became the governor-general of Bengal Kantomudi's fortune changed. He became Hasting's righ hand man. He was soon appointed his dewan and the jaghirs of Gazipur and Azamgarh were assigned to him. When Hastings wanted to confer the title of Rajabahadur on him Kantomudi declined. How could an ordinary grocer become a king? He felt deeply humbled. His son Loknath Nandi was made the Rajabahadur then. This Loknath Nandi was Man, raja Manindrachandra Nandi's grandfather. Krishnanath was Kantomudi's grandson. His wife was the famed Maharani Swarnamayi Devi. And where stood Kantomudi's grocer store that had offered refuge to Hastings the Maharaja set up a charitable dispensary.
Hastings did a lot for the East India Company saving it from financial ruin. He brought the rule of law in the country and set up the police-organisation. The reputation of the British for upholding honesty and justice was very high at that time. Despite all his good work, his persecutions, oppression use of bribery and conspiracies were not appreciated by the British. The directors of the Company met and sent him a letter of rebuke and censure. Humiliated by this Hastings resigned. On his return to England he was impeached. Edmund Burke, Fox, Sheridan, all well-known Englishmen of the time,
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spoke against Hastings. There was a debate in the Hoi Lords in which Edmund Burke spoke continuously for three days using his fiery eloquence against Hastings. This speech became very famous. We studied it in our Intermediate year at college.
Hasting's last days were very hard. The meagre pension offered by the Company was his only sustenance. He barely managed to make ends meet. This is what is called fate
Dada was telling us about Raja Manindrachandra Nandi of Kasimbazaar. He was a very generous, kind and compassionate king. The boys used to stay in the hostel of the royal college. The lodging-boarding facilities at the hostel were very good. The boys used to exercise and eat heartily. A complaint went to the king that as the boys were eating so much it was necessary to increase their boarding fees. The king hear then said: 'Let me first see it for myself.'
He hid himself in one of the rooms. The boys were gleefully. The king felt very happy. 'This is how it should be, he said. This is how they'll build up their bodies. Eat to your heart's content.'
He told the workers: 'Whatever extra money is required for the boys' food will be given from the king's house.'
Often after the classes would get over he used to stand at the school-gate. There were two or three people carrying pots full of rosogullas. The boys would go out one by one and the king would hand them one rosogulla each. Toffees had not yet come then.
The king never refused anything to anyone.
One day they all said: 'Oh! Wouldn't it be great to start a circus-group?'
Fine. It was sanctioned. The tent was bought. Lions, tigers and other animals were brought. People were employed. A lot of money was spent.
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One day the circus disappeared but all the heavy expenses were borne by the king.
One day the king's advisers told him: 'It would be good to open a tannery. It would be most profitable.'
And so a tannery was set up. It ran for some time and then shut down. The king had to bear all the losses.
A lot of theft also would take place.
There was once a wedding in the king's house. Tins of oil were bought for frying fish. The workers house sold off all that oil in the market. It is said people bought this oil even found fish-bones in it!
Once while checking the accounts of the royal hoi the king discovered that two dozen match-boxes were for the queen.
'What does the queen do with so many match-boxes every day?' the king asked incredulously. 'Does she play with them?
All this theft' and then his property was taken over by the Court of Wards in place of the interest that was due for the loans that had been taken. In those times he had a loan of one crore! Later of course, when the loan and the interest were paid back the properties were restored to the king's son.
There wasn't the slightest arrogance or pride in the king. Manindra Nandi was but a tili by caste, a very low caste at that. But whenever he came to our house on an invitation would sit down in the courtyard and spread a banana front of him. First he was in a Brahmin-house and then a guru-vamsa. That's why he would sit in the courtyard and eat. He never thought of honour or prestige at all.
Dada was recounting to us various well-known stories the magnanimity, whims and caprices of the kings and rulers of earlier times. The nawab of Murshidabad, for instant not have the wealth and glory of yore but had the temperament of kings and rulers.
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One day he took a fancy to going out on foot. And so along with the nawab incognito his ministers also had to accompany him. The nawab declared that he would walk at least a mile on foot. But then he had hardly walked a little was tired. Naturally he wasn't used to walking so much. He turned to his prime minister and asked:
Tell me, haven't we finished a mile?'
And all the members of the retinue exclaimed all together:
'Oh yes, much more than a mile, Your Excellency you had better climb onto the howdah, now.'
After lifting the nawab onto his howdah, the ministers mounted their respective horses, heaving a sigh of relief from this meaningless walking about.
Once in Berhampur an 18-mile cycle race was to be held. The route went past the nawab's residence. The nawab wanted to witness the cycle race standing from his own residence.
The race began. When the cyclists were approaching the nawab's residence a gong was sounded. The nawab came out onto the verandah and watched the cycle race. He was so happy with the race that he declared that henceforth t would have not just cycles but elephants, horses, bullock- carts, box carts all together. That's what he wished to see.
Chandranath asked Dada one day: 'We were such a huge country, Dada. How come a handful of Englishmen managed to
bring the whole population under their control. Was entire population of the country insincere and ignorant then?
What happened, Dada replied, obviously had a divine will behind. Because just a handful of Englishmen unified the whole country. They built roads, railways set up a communication-network. They encouraged education, art and commerce. The English made many valuable contributions to India. And then when the time came they left in a flash.
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This is why I believe that whatever happened, happened for the good. And what is happening now is also for the good. And whatever will happen will be for the good too.
A lady came to see Dada and asked him How he was.
"I am very fine".
'How is your knee-pain?'
"The knee goes on as it should. I go on as I should."
'But, Dada, how did you get this knee-pain in the first place?'
"In 1953 while wrestling I hurt both my knees. I was thirty then. After exercising my knee-pain disappeared completely. I resumed my walking, running, weight-training, everything went on normally.
"Many years later I was sitting at Tinkari-da's place listening to his musical composition on one of my songs. I had been sitting for a long time. When I wanted to get up I just couldn't. Both the knees had such a bad pull that the pain was terrible I couldn't walk. And then it just went on increasing and today my knees are what they are.
"I feel the Mother has made me sit down. 'You've done quite a lot of running around, now sit down, She seems to b telling me. That is how I've taken it. This is my vanaprastha (life of seclusion in the forest). Now I don't go anywhere. This office and my room are my boundaries."
'You are able to bear the knee-pain?'
"Yes, if I can't bear this much then why did I serve the Mother for so long?"
Dada remained silent for some time. Then by himself he spoke as if talking to himself:
We all know about the six chakras in yoga-sadhana; Muladhara, Swadhisthan, Manipur, Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna. These are the six chakras. From the muladhara upto the navel there are three chakras, Muladhara, Swadhisthan
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Manipur. The Anahata chakra is in the heart. Vishuddh is in the throat and Ajna is between the eyebrows. And at the crown of the head is the Sahasrara. The ancient yoga-shastras speak about these six chakras.
The Mother has, moreover, said that there are two more chakras in the knee and in the sole. In the knee lies the chakra at the subconscious level and in the sole lies the chakra at the unconscious level. Only the Mother and Sri Aurobindo have spoken about these two chakras. They are, in a way, their discoveries.
When the collective sadhana reaches the level of the sub-conscious then the pressure is tremendous on its chakrs that is the knee. And until the sadhana achieves siddhi at the levelof the subconscious the pressure keeps on building.
In the yoga of Supramental transformation the subconscious and the inconscient have to be conquered. You can say this is precisely the principal sadhana of the present age. That is why they have described Kalki, the avatar of the kaliyuga, as being a little lame.
I look upon my knee-trouble in the same way.
Dada said: I was studying in college then. During the winter holidays we would sometimes go to the river Padma to hunt the birds. Motakaka, Pranab Sen, Abdallah, myself and a couple of others. We would hire a boat, take our guns and go to the river to hunt birds. The boatman was a Muslim. After the hunt, the birds were cooked on the boat itself and we would all sit and eat. We used to sleep on the boat at night. We spent a few days like this having great fun and on the last day birds that were hunted were taken home in a bag. These birds were cooked at home and the feast was enjoyed together with our friends.
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Once while taking the birds out we saw that a wild duck was still alive. One of its wings had been shot and that's why it survived. So we put it along with the other domesticated ducks in a cage. But this wild duck would stay aloof from the other ducks in a corner all by itself.
I would take it out every morning and let it free in the courtyard. It would try to fly with its injured wing but in vain. In the courtyard there was a tube-well we had installed. The duck would sit on the cemented platform around it and drink water. And then it would try again to flutter it's wings. The courtyard was surrounded by a high tiled roof which it never managed to overfly. But I observed that try everyday for a continual half an hour to fly with all its might.
A few days went by in this way. One day I left him in our pond. The wild duck would eat snails and other shell-fish around the bank. And as evening would fall it would go to the centre of the pond. At night from the terrace of the house I would check with torchlight how it was doing. I was concerned about it. I would wake up frequently at night with my torch how it was. Birds and animals are very clever when it comes to self-preservation. To avoid the danger of foxes etc. it would remain in the middle of the pond at night.
One day I discovered that the duck had disappeared . Perhaps its wing had become strong enough to allow it to fly. A couple of days later I saw that it was back along with the companion wild duck. I was happy that it had found a companion at last.
Every day in the morning they would fly away somewhere and return as soon as evening fell. A few days went by like this. Then one morning they left and never came back.
With what relentless effort it would go on trying to fly. But finally through this it managed to cure its injured wing.
I cannot help thinking of that bird even today. I too should be able to get rid of my knee-pain. At
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least my knee did not suffer a gun-shot like the duck. It is just a little pain and nothing more. One day it will certainly get all right. And then Dada said laughing:
Not for fun and laughter have I come to this world
But to bear the pain of my knees!
Going through a pile of letters Dada remarked one I've found a new name, Suryendu. The sun (surya) an moon (chand) together.
I remember there was a visitor who had come to the Ashram called Chandrabhanu. He asked me to tell something on his behalf to the Mother. In those days I would often forget names. I asked him for his name. 'Chandrabhanu' he told me. I remember the sun and the moon then you can't forget my name.
So I conveyed to the Mother whatever he had said. Mother asked for his name.
His name just then slipped out of my memory! I thou, lot and then said 'Shashikumud'. Ravindra-ji was sitting nearby. 'It must be Chandrabhanu, he said. Isn't it?'
"Yes, yes, that's it. Chandrabhanu!" I replied.
Dada was recounting some amusing stories.
This was about two liars who spent their time inventing lies.
One of them said: In our Patna it gets so very cold, so very cold you have no idea. I go to sleep at night and in the morning when I wake up ice has formed all over my body.
Then the other liar said: 'What's so great about that cold? In our village it would get so cold, so cold that in the morning
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when I milked the cow instead of milk from the udders it was Kulfi that came down!'
Another similar liar would invent such unbelievable lies. He thought to himself: 'If my son sees me inventing such lies he too would become one. So he decided to take his son away and leave him at his uncle's to spare him from this bad habit. As he was taking his son to his uncle's' house he suddenly noticed a river far away. Quite far away. It looked like a piece of string from this distance. He told himself: 'Let's rest and see if the boy hasn't already learnt the art of lying.! So he said : 'Look! Look! Over there a fish just jumped out of the river.'
At once the boy retorted: 'Isn't that so! I was wondering where I got this splash of water from!'
The man thought: ' I've had it. My boy is as accomplished liar as I am already. There is no point then in leaving him at his uncle's house!'
A discussion was going on in Dada's office: What's difference between hardship and misfortune?
Don't you know that story of Bankimchanndra's? Bankimchandra's was a deputy magistrate. A European was interviewing him. He asked him in Bengali: 'What is the difference between danger and calamity?'
Bankimchandra replied: 'Sir, I am a Bengali and you are a European. Although a European you are asking me the difference between Bengali words. This is danger. And give you an answer then that will be calamity!
Chandranath's daughter came to Dada primly dress in a sari. She looked good in it. Smiling very shyly she said to him: 'Dada, all the girls at school decided to wear a sari to-day.'
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It suits you fine. The sari is a beautiful dress but it restraint free movement. A salwar-kameez is so much more convenient for work. It is the Muslims who brought it to our country. The Muslim women came to India on horseback, you see
In our country stitched clothes were not worn. We had a two-piece dress. One was worn while the other was draped over the body. It is from the Muslims that we learnt to wear stitched clothes. This is why most tailors even today Muslim.
'But Dada, did we have shoes in India?' someone asked
Yes, we wore shoes, a kind of loose slipper mostly. It is with the Europeans that tight-fitting shoes with laces came into the country. The Europeans in those days wore close fitting clothes but their character was loose! We had wooden sandals, of course.
.
Dada was telling us stories from his childhood.
I was staying in Ballygunje then. The boys of the locality collected donations and bought a football for playing. One of the boys in our area was a little deranged. Even his speech was quite incoherent. He was given the task of collecting the money. He was told that he was their vice-captain collecting donations was his job.
The boy was thrilled to be made the vice-captain. R from the morning he would walk between the Rashbel Avenue and Hindustan Park and collect donations, unmindful of whether he had eaten or washed himself. Two annas, one anna, four annas, whatever he got. He did this job with great earnestness. After all he was the vice-captain.
There was a big shop with a glass showcase at the turning of the Rashbehari Avenue. One day he went into this s asking for donations. Finding him half-crazy the shopkeeper turned him away without giving him anything. In sheer anger
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the boy punched the showcase and broke it. The shopkeeper let him go after a sound drubbing. Then wagging his finger at him he threatened: 'I......I.....'mmmm........'mmm vv v.....viiiii.. ce ca...captain. Co....co...me aaa., nd ca...ca...tch me on the f..f... field!'
Dada was telling us how easy it is to recognise a sadhak in the Ashram. He will inevitably have a bag hung on his shoulder and a tiffin-carrier in his hand! I've never seen Satyajit Ray in person, only his photos. Once in Mahaballipuram I was coming down from the Mahishasurmardini cave when I saw Satyajit Ray coming up with his team of camera-man and others. Being face to face I asked him if he was Satyajit Ray. He nodded with a laugh and asked me who I was.
"I am from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry
At one point Satyajit Ray had wondered about coming and living in the Ashram in Pondicherry. But then after a lot of thought he asked: 'But then what about my career?'
Motakaka told him in reply: 'Why are you worried about that? Here you'll always have a carrier in hand. Can't you see every sadhak here has got a tiffin-carrier!'
When later he met Vishwajit in Calcutta he told him that he had met a military-man in Mahaballipuram from the Ashram. My grey-trousers, my grey track-coat, a cap on the head and hunting-boots must have given him the impression that I was a military-man.
Many mistook me for one. Once I went somewhere on my motor-cycle. Someone came to me and started pleading with me in Tamil. But I did not understand a word of Tamil. My friend who was with me understood Tamil. He explanined to me that the man pleading was working in the police department and for some mistake on his part his services had
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been terminated. He thought Dada to be the new police-officer on duty and he was pleading with him to give him his job!
We were talking when something about Motakaka came up. Ramraj from Bombay was here. He said that Motakaka wasan extremely witty person. He enjoyed a good laugh and he was a very frank sort of man. Sometimes he would come up with very profound things as well. Although he said these things light-heartedly they were always pregnant with deep meaning. I remember his telling me once: 'In the Ashram there are about a dozen people who are doing the sadhana. We haven't come here for sadhana. So what do we do? We have come here just to create trouble for those dozen sadhaks and harrass them. It is our contribution to lay obstacles in their path and in this way these sadhaks' sadhana progresses.
Motakaka would say: 'We speak of spiritual damnation. I say our damnation is merely 'bondey' (a kind of Indian sweet that holds together, thanks to the sugar syrup that is wet). The 'bondey' by itself is useless, dry. But because we mix with sugar we are at least sweet.
He would humorously parody lines from Gray's Elegy. One day he exclaimed:
Paths of glory lead but to the grave.
Either to Kajnov or to Muthialpet.
Rani-di remarked: 'With the Mother, Motakaka's behaviour was totally frank. He didn't hide anything like a naughty, capricious child of the Mother. One day Motakaka went to the Mother for his birthday.
The Mother asked: 'What would you like, tell me.'
'Give me a hundred rupees, Mother,' he replied.
'What will you do with the money?' the Mother enquired.
'I want to go and eat roast-chicken at Reg's guest-house. But please don't tell Bina this.'
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As Bina-kakima woud have got angry he had warned the Mother.
The customary gentleness or solemnity was absent from his rapport with the Mother. He was truly like Her son A daredevil son.
One day he was coming down from the Mother's room. He looked terribly upset. Probably he had gone to the Mother with some capricious demand and the Mother had not yielded to him. And so he was coming down the steps very sour-faced.
Someone asked him: 'Motakaka, what's wrong? What happened?'
'What else could happen? God being a woman, what else do you expect?'
Nobody ever objected to his way of talking because everybody knew how deep his contact with the Mother was.
Once a general came from Delhi. He wanted to go to the Mother for pranam. The Mother told him She did not have any time. When Motakaka heard this he went to Her to intercede on his behalf. He saw that She was busy teaching maths to a young girl.
Motakaka told the Mother: 'You refused to see the general saying you had no time and here you are teaching maths to this young girl. This can be done by any other teacher, can't it?'
The Mother said: 'No, another teacher can't. This girl isterrorised by maths. I am trying to rid her of this fear by teaching her maths. For me this is much more important. T, general of yours who wants to come is probably doing to increase the glamour around him. There will be no other gain. Trying to teach this girl some maths is much more important.'
Motakaka couldn't say anything else after this.
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The Mother with Pranab, Motakaka (Charupada) and others.
A view of the Ganga (Bhagirathi) flowing through Berhampur in West Bengal.
Motakaka's death too was as beautiful as him.
He was very fond of good food. At night he had a delicious meal. This was topped by a pantua (an Indian sweet made with milk). He had an expression in his eyes that said another pantua wouldn't be a bad idea.
Bina Kakima was however firm: 'No, no more. You can eat one tomorrow.'
Motakaka also didn't insist. He got into his night-dress, a tusser silk kurta and pyjamas, wore some perfume and went to sleep.
The following morning he was no more with us. In his right hand he had a packet of the Mother's 'blessings' and in his left hand he had a pinch of snuff between two fingers.
After this, Khudi-ma never ate pantuas anymore. Motakaka had wanted to eat one more pantua but she had refused worried that it might cause him some problem. She just could not erase the sense of regret from her memory,
An old sadhak of the Ashram comes daily to Dada's office and bows down to him with folded hands.
Dada always asks him with a smile: "All right? Feeling better?"
He nods saying: 'Yes, Dada, feeling better.'
The sadhak has a nerve-related illness. His limbs are slowly losing their sensibility.
Dada said: To cure yourself of a nervous disorder you need to invoke delight in the body. It is the best way to cure nervous weakness.
Dada smiles at him as soon as he sees him and asks him:
"Feeling better?"
And he always answers: 'Yes, Dada, now I feel better.'
"Do you sleep well?"
'Yes, Dada.'
"Do you feel hungry?"
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'Yes, Dada, I do.'
"I remember you came to the Ashram in 1945. After seeing my physical demonstration at the Playground you told me:
'I've never seen such a wonderful physical demonstration in my life'."
The gentleman was delighted: 'You still remember this, Dada?' And his eyes and face lit up.
After he left Dada told us: "What more can I do? If I can make him happy his illness will go away."
Dada recounted to us: One evening in Berhampur I went out for a walk along the Ganga. Tarababu was with me. Tarababu was a good racing cyclist.
I suddenly noticed on the bank of the river, a cow was slowly sinking into what is generally called quicksand. The place was very muddy. The cow had sunk to its chest but it still managed to remain impassive.
We stopped walking as we saw the scene. It was getting dark. There was nobody around. And on the bank of this deserted river the cow went on sinking into the mud. The jackals and dogs would soon prey on it. Both of us tried our best to get the cow out of the mud but all to no avail. Then I went over to the neighbouring village and got four-five people to try and save it. With ropes and people we somehow man- aged to get the cow out of the quicksand. Its body was covered with mud. The cow got onto solid ground and quietly started grazing, blissfully unconcerned with what had happened. We got quite late in getting home that night.
Dada was recounting stories from his childhood. Motakaka had a gold-watch. Very expensive. An Omega wristwatch. It
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was his wedding watch. I would see Thakur-da take out the watch and regulate it from time to time. I too felt like doing the same. So when nobody was there I took out the watch and opened it to see. I saw inside a small wheel moving once to the left and once to the right. My curiosity was aroused. With the sharp end of a pencil I poked at the wheel. The sharp lead of the pencil broke and got stuck in the wheel. At once the wheel stopped moving. Then I thought that if I poured some water in the watch the pencil end would dissolve. So I poured some water into the watch and left it.
Later Motakaka raised a hue and cry asking who had opened the watch. 'Who had opened the watch? Who poured water into the watch?'
I said I had done it. When I poked with a pencil the end got stuck in the wheel inside. So I thought if I poured some water in it the piece would dissolve. So that the watch would start running again.
As soon, as he heard that he gave me a sound slap?
Someone asked Dada: 'Dada, when you first came to the Ashram, was the Ashram like it is today?'
You are asking me about the Ashram main building, aren't you? Dada asked. Yes, it was more or less like this. I am told
that there were four separate houses. These were slowly bought , one after the other and unified and took on the shape they¦ have today. However, the Ashram courtyard was made of earth. When I first came in 1942 the cementing of the court yard had already begun.
'Was the Service-tree there already?'
Yes, the Service-tree had been planted then. Ambu-bhai and Dyuman-bhai prepared the ground with soil and fertiliser and put a sapling of the Service tree. The sapling was growing well already. There was no need for any supports then. It hadn't become so big. The Mother loved this tree very much.
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While walking many people would get hurt by its branches. Someone went to Nolini-da and told him that as people were banging their heads while walking there some of the branches could be sawed off.
When Nolini-da heard this he said: 'Good Lord! If you chop a branch of that tree then we are lost. The Mother will chop us off! On the contrary, I think it is a good thing. When people walk there if they walk with their heads a little bowed every- thing will be fine. At least it would train us to cultivate some sign of devotion and reverence.
In the course of our conversation we started talking about the Ashram. Dada said:
In 1910 Sri Aurobindo came to Pondicherry. He had no intention of founding an Ashram then. Some young followers of his came with him. They used to stay with him but did their own things like studying, playing, reading etc. Sri Aurobindo kept himself busy with his sadhana. Then in 1914 the Mother came. The following year in February She went back due to the circumstances. The Mother returned to Pondicherry in 1920.
Some more people joined those who were already with Sri Aurobindo. It was like a small circle. With members of this circle the Mother set up some sort of an Ashram. Certain rules and a simple organisation came up. A field of work was created.
Then in 1926 Sri Aurobindo became totally absorbed in his sadhana and went into seclusion. And it fell upon the Mother to take charge of this small assemblage, of all their material and spiritual needs. And this is how an Ashram came up. And in the Mother's guidance and care it went on growing.
At that time everyone felt that the Mother and Sri Aurobindo would accomplish their sadhana of supramental realisation and physical transformation.
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In this yoga of Sri Aurobindo, the Guru's inspiration, the Guru's physical presence, the Guru's direct guidance and force are indispensable. In a life of sadhana a lot of obstacles, difficulties, errors and misjudgments occur. During such times of difficulty the Guru's physical presence and direct intervention and control become extremely necessary. Without this all advance on the path of sadhana becomes almost impossible for the disciple.
Dada read out an extract from a writing of Sri Aurobindo:
In this discipline the inspiration of the Master and, in the difficult stages, his control and his presence are indispensable - for it would be impossible otherwise to go through without much stumbling and error which would prevent all chance of success.
Sri Aurobindo has himself made it clear. An Ashram exists around a Guru. In the absence of the Guru the Ashram ceases to exist.
Sri Aurobindo left. The Mother was still in our midst. We all hoped then that the Mother would complete the sadhana of supramental transformation She had undertaken. But then one day the Mother too left. Even though the spiritual presence of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, and Their Force, is present in the Ashram, it cannot be considered an Ashram in the strict sense of the term.
Someone remarked: 'In the very beginning of his work The Synthesis of Yoga Sri Aurobindo talks about the four aids in his sadhana, shastra, zeal, guru, and time.'
Yes, the first aid is the accumulation of all the knowledge and experience of sadhana so far. This is what Sri Aurobindo calls shastra.
The second is from the sadhak's side, an enthusiasm, a willingness, an eagerness. Sri Aurobindo referring to the Bible says that the sadhak's enthusiasm and eagerness should be such that he will say: My zeal for the Lord has eaten me up.
The third aid is the guru. His physical and living presence. His physical presence. When the sadhak on the strength of his
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enthusiasm and eagerness takes the path set by the knowledge and experience of the shastra, the guru comes in and with his
vision and guidance lifts the sadhak's knowledge and sadhana towards spiritual realisation.
And the fourth aid is Time. If Time is not ripe nothing can happen. Every realisation has a time-cycle, a period of the divine movement.
The one who had raised the question of the four aids ask further: 'So then, Dada, what is the present situation of the Ashram?'
Dada said: In that sense it would not be right to call it an Ashram. Our Ashram is legally now called a 'public charitable trust'.
'But, Dada, my question is: do we, as we are a charitable trust, engage ourselves in any charitable work? Like the Bharat
Sevashram Sangh, the Ramakrishna Mission, etc. Bringing relief to people, to the sick, the poor, constructing schools, colleges, hospitals, etc'.
Yes, you are right about that. We don't do any charitable work of that kind. That isn't our work. It doesn't fall within our scope of work. The situation we are in at present could cause quite a few problems in the future. There might be adverse comments against us.
In the Guru's Ashram, all the property and money belongs to the Guru. But when it is a public trust then it is the general public that is the holder of all this property and money. The final responsibility falls on the government or the state. That is why I believe we should make arrangements to get out of this public or private trust business so that we can do our work unhindered. We should give up all commercial business activities. We should organise ourselves in such a way that we can focus on our real work, on the real goal and ideal of the Ashram. Our real work is the transformation of human nature. To experiment with human Me. Nobody has ever done this kind of work. That is why our Ashram has a unique status and importance. And it is for this that we should get the
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necessary permission from the government. To go beyond this public trust, private trust so that the work can go on unimpeded. That is to work for the supramental realisation and the physical transformation through yoga-sadhana. Like this we would avoid a lot of unnecessary troubles.
I had given another proposal along with this, Dada continued. And that is to call this Ashram a 'Spiritual Research Centre' where every sadhak would have his or her bio-data. To know and keep a record of what the physical, psychological and spiritual condition of each person was before coming here. There will be a detailed description of each sadhak's progress or downturn in the spiritual and physical yoga - sadhana after coming here. Everything will be filed and documented. I've made a chart keeping all this in mind. If you look at this chart everything about a sadhak becomes clear. All the experiments, observation and study being carriedout in the sadhana of each sadhak, a clear picture of that will emerge from this chart. From the point of view of the supramental, physical transformation each sadhak is, in reality a test-tube and the Ashram a spiritual laboratory. Here are the charts I've prepared:
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According to these charts all the information will becollected. All the data of the spiritual and physical sadhana a short of history of each Ashram sadhak's entire life, what is called a data fund, will also give us some idea of the future generation too. Its value in terms of research will be infinite. In the history of Indian spirituality this will become a unique precedent.
Our work is the transformation of human nature. Experiments with human life. Nobody has ever done this kind of work with human life. That is why our Ashram has a distinctive contribution, a special place.
We have to get the government to grant us a special status so that we can do our work unimpeded outside the pale public or private trust. We have to transform human nature and make it entirely divine. We are not only to see God bi be God. But nobody accepted any of my proposals.
'Let me ask you a fundamental question. From whatever you read out from Sri Aurobindo it is clearly said that guru's control and his presence are indispensable - for it would be impossible otherwise to go through it. Without the guru it is impossible to progress in sadhana. Whatever the method or the system used the collective sadhana of the Ashram is not possible. It belongs only to the guru, this extraordinary method or tradition, what in Sri Aurobindo's language can be called
'He has no method and every method'. The divine Force works from within the guru - Force that works in him is impersonal — or Superpersonal - and infinite. We feel, Dada, the descent and working of the guru's force flows like the unhindered, irresistible, constant flow of the Ganga. Does this flow of guru's force ever cease or disappear?'
No, Dada answered, that never stops. Once the flow of Force has descended it keeps on flowing. As we feel the Mother and Sri Aurobindo's consciousness and force go on unhindered.. One who is ready and sincerely calls can benefit from Their help and advance in the sadhana. That is why Sri
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Aurobindo and the Mother's work has not stopped. Each on will walk on the path of sadhana holding on to the progress he makes in his nature.
'But Dada, let me ask you again. Does everyone have the capacity, that quality? What is to be done, what path must one follow, in which direction? Does everyone have a clear knowledge and perception about this? If that were so then nobody would ever need a guru. This inner guru or inner guide gets covered up due to the excessive predominance of the sadhak's personal inclinations and interference. Impelled his own obstinate urgings, the hidden proddings of the ego the sadhak often does not know where he is going. The ego clouded soul is deluded at every step, stumbles and falls down. Sadhana becomes full of obstacles for him and very often impossible.'
Dada listened and then said: Everything you are saying is right. But know one thing: the Mother and Sri Aurobindo haven't abandoned us. Their force. Their consciousness, Their sadhana is guiding us. This is my firm belief, you can call it my unfailing perception, that if necessary the Mother would prepare an appropriate instrument and it is through this instrument that She will continue Her work. Be it here or else where at the appropriate time She will get the appropriate instrument ready or probably has got it ready already. Our sadhana and realisation will not stop here. Our only work is to open ourselves to that Force of the Mother. As far as possible each one should endeavour whole-heartedly, according to his inner readiness, to fulfil his duty and work.
Dada observed: This yoga of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo is the yoga of total transformation. The goal is to renounce al the impurities, the unconsciousness of our nature and to position oneself in the higher consciousness. The goal is not to seek liberation or nirvana from this nature.
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The Mother and Sri Aurobindo want us to transform all the impurities of our lower nature and raise them to conscious Truth. To transform human life into God-life, into divine life. We cannot give it up and become indifferent. We have to get down into this life and purify it. Like descending into hell and converting it into heaven. The Mother said that Sri Aurobindo was of the line of Shiva. Shiva is the Lord of transformation. Sri Aurobindo's yoga too is in that line.
Someone asked: 'Dada, it has been said that Sri Aurobindo used to appreciate your physical build and grace very much.'
This reference to his being praised made Dada a little hesitant. But seeing our eager expectation he finally spoke though reluctantly: Yes, that's true. One day the Mother took me to Sri Aurobindo. The following day She told me: 'Sri Aurobindo was very enthused seeing your bodily build and grace. Sri Aurobindo was not very pleased with his own build. He would praise Sri Krishna's body very much. And now he has appreciated your body very much.'
Dada, why don't you write down exactly what the Mother told you,' we all requested him.
So Dada wrote down what the Mother had told him:
Sri Aurobindo was enthusiastic about your body. He never liked his body. He was always praising Sri Krishna's body. He liked your body very much.
Someone asked Dada: 'The World Cup cricket games are on, Dada. They are being shown on television. Do you watch television?'
"No," Dada replied.
'Even those matches where India is playing?'
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"No," Dada said again.
'But if India were to win the World Cup, wouldn't you be happy?'
"Look, from the age of seven I've been involved with exercise and sports. Today I am 76. During my whole life I've been continuing my work with sports and exercise. And even today I do regular exercises. For me sports and exercise are valua ble in so far as they are useful in our ideal of physical transformation and integral yoga. I cannot see the difference between spectators in a match and the brokers in a stock exchange getting all jumpy and excited.
"In truth, all these different activities in man's life, literature, sculpture, handicraft, engineering, if they do not help in the Integral Yoga then all these are meaningless and futile labour."
Someone asked: 'Have you looked upon exercise and sport like this way right since your childhood?'
"Now, when I think back, I understand that, although unconsciously, but right from my childhood I have been walking along this path. As soon as I grew up and my consciousness developed I've been walking on this path consciously."
"In the Ashram, does everyone look upon physical education on in this way?'
"I don't think so, really. The more I observe things, the more I feel that the essential truth of physical education hasn't been understood by many people. Few have understood about the truth of physical education and are using it in their life in that way."
Dada was sitting in his office. In conversation Rani-di mentioned that a long time ago Navajata had offered to stay with the Mother all the time and help Her with all Her work, as Dada used to.
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The Mother heard him and said: 'Yes, you can do that but I have a condition. Will you be able to fulfil that condition?'
'What is that condition, Mother?' Navajata asked.
The Mother replied: 'No wrong thought should enter your consciousness.'
On hearing the condition Navajata did not insist any more. It isn't easy at all, this condition of the Mother. Not to let the slightest hint of a wrong thought enter the consciousness. Even for a second. Your mind should always remain full of faith, love and surrender like a flawless diamond. Like the immobile, clear morning sky.
That is why Navajata used to say: 'I respect Pranab for that reason, but I also envy him.'
Whenever Dada speaks about the Mother his face and eyes light up with a divine glow. He is immersed in the Mother then.
Dada smiled sweetly and said: I remember two interesting arguments with the Mother. One day I was telling Her a story. During the First World War a German submarine named Emden used to ply in the Indian Ocean. And whenever it got an opportunity to sink a British ship it would do so. Once it seems to have entered the Hooghly near Calcutta. Sometime later a few British ships got together and managed to destroy the Emden.
The Mother knew about this. She said: 'It wasn't a submarine but a U-boat.'
I said: "No, Mother, it wasn't a U-boat, it was a submarine."
The Mother insisted it was a U-boat and I was not ready to accept .
The following morning when I went to the Mother, She had collected some books and documents. Showing me these
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She said: 'Here, Pranab, look for yourself. The Emden was a U-boat made by the Germans.'
I accepted Her word and agreed I was wrong.
Then I came to know that the British used to often call German-made U-boats submarines. The Mother was right but then I was not totally wrong either.
The Mother loved Japan very much. The love of beauty, uprightness, cleanliness were qualities that She admired. The Mother would say Japanese girls were pretty while Indian girls were beautiful. Their nature was more inclined towards Saraswati, towards beauty, sweetness, gentleness, perfection. But I wanted them to have the energy of the Force of Kali too, her strength and keenness. Indian girls' legs are not very beautiful. As the lower limbs are covered they don't pay much attention to them or care for them. When I asked the girls in 'group' (that is in sports) to wear shorts, one reason for this was to make them conscious of their lower limbs.
The Mother once said while chatting that before the World War Japan had never lost to the British or the Americans.
I said: "No, Mother, I've read in history that at one time in the field of economics and social production Japan became very weak. They had no commercial links with any country abroad. Except for some Dutch and Chinese traders nobody else had entered the Japanese market. The Western countries, the Netherlands, America and Russia in particular, were applying a lot of pressure on Japan with their military and economic might. At that time Tokugowa was ruling Japan. The American commodore Mathew C. Parry came with a naval squadron and threatened Japan. He threatened he would return the following year and attack. Being helpless the Tokugowa government opened their markets to American business and in 1854 it signed a peace treaty. They had agreed to signing this peace treaty out of fear that like China Japan too would otherwise become some sort of a Russian or American colony. .
I told the Mother all this but She just would not accept. She was a great admirer of Japan, you see.
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The next day I took some books from our Ashram historian Sisir-da to show the Mother. She would not look at the books saying what was written in the books was all nonsense.
She had so much love for Japan that even when I was right had to lose before the Mother. And saying this he began laughing gently, lovingly thinking of the Mother's words.
Talking about this I remember, Dada continued, the Mother once received from Japan a gift-packet. Beautifully packed in all kinds of coloured paper. It was truly exquisite.
On opening the packet it was found to contain a beautiful wooden box. There were many little niches in it. And in each niche there were different-coloured sweets like tiny grain. Rice powder coloured with a little bit of sugar. Some niche had square-shaped grains, some had round ones, some triangular. And on one side in a niche a little bit of puffed rice.
Seeing so little puffed rice I remarked to the Mother: "Is that all the puffed rice? Back home we used to eat tonnes of puffed rice!"
'So much puffed rice? Didn't you get sick?' the Mother asked me with the wonder of a child.
The Mother told me that in Japan when cherry-blossoms bloom then farmers and peasants sit beside their fields and holding one of these boxes keep popping these little sweets into their mouth one by one while admiring these flowers and exclaiming from time to time 'How wonderful' or 'How beautiful'! The Japanese are very fond of cherry-blossoms.
In Her Prayers and Meditations the Mother mentions these cherry-blossoms. She says:
' O Japan, it is thy festive adorning, expression of thy good-will, it is thy purest offering, the pledge of thy fidelity; it is thy way of saying that thou dost mirror the sky.'
However the Mother used to say: 'The Japanese are extremely sensitive to beauty but their consciousness is of a mental level.
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Cherry blossoms painted by the Mother
The main Ashram building in 1950 (as seen from the Ashram Post office terrace)
Dada told us one day:
A couple of sannyasis from the Ramakrishna Mission used to come to our Berhampur-house in my childhood. They would stay for a few days. One of them was Tapanand Maharaj. He had had all kinds of experiences in his life. In the earlier part of his life he even practised Tantra-sadhana. He had his own ashram in the Himalayas. He liked me very much and wanted me to go with him and look after the boys of his ashram. 'I will teach you the 'Dhanda' mantra (a mantra for wealth). If you utter that mantra you will never lack any money. However, you won't be able to use that money for yourself. If you use that money on yourself then the mantra will cease to be effective. The money has to be used for others. For God. You won't have to worry about money at all.'
I told him that another place had already been assigned for me. I had at that time already resolved to come away to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
I told him another thing. I was eighteen-nineteen then. I said: 'I don't understand the 'dhanda' mantra. But I strongly believe that if man is pure then he does not need anything else.. That purity will bring him success in everything.'
On hearing my words he said: 'You've uttered a deep truth there, my dear.'
An elderly sadhak comes quite often to Dada and tells him some spiritual anecdote or the other. The other day he came and recounted two stories.
'A sufi fakir would always be absorbed in the contemplation of Allah. And tears would flow uninterrupted from his eyes. He did not speak except to utter the name of Allah.
A fakir from Mecca came to see him. He told him: 'Do you think by remembering Allah with your tears you will find Allah?'
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'Then how else can one find Allah?' he asked him.
'You must do at least some work for Him. It is through work that you should call Him. Then Allah will reveal Himself to you,' the fakir replied.
'Fine, then tell me what work should I do?'
'Come with me to Mecca. I will tell you.'
'I won't go anywhere, the sufi replied, I will stay here. I will call him with my tears. And as he has sent you to me one day. He Himself will come to me. He will Himself come and tell me how to find Him.
The fakir could not say anything after that.'
The old sadhak recounted then another story.
'There was a great disciple of the Jain Tirthankar Vardhaman. He lived in a cave all by himself.
One day a lot of people came and told him: 'The Tirthankar himself is coming to see you. Please come outside your cave and wait.' '
But he did not come out of his cave. 'If the Guru has come this far then surely he can come inside the cave too.'
Dada recounted one day: The Mother used to serve me a glass of coconut water every day. And I would drink it standing.
'Why are you drinking it standing? "Why don't you sit down quietly and drink it slowly?'
"I am in a hurry, Mother. And then where is the place to sit here?"
'When I was young, the Mother continued, my governess would always ask me to sit down and drink water. If you drink water standing then the water goes directly from the mouth to the lower part of the body.'
And then like a naughty girl She looked at Dada and asked 'So, it isn't going down, is it?'
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In the beginning, Dada told us, the Mother did not know how to wear a sari. Sri Aurobindo's sister Sarojini first taught Her how to wear one. At first the Mother had only two saris. She would use them for daily wear. One would be washed and the other worn. But within the house She would wear a gown.
For the Playground and to play tennis after 1950 the Mother would wear a salwar-kameez. For the darshans She used to wear a sari.
The Mother liked a particular perfume very much. It smelt of grass. When She was in France She once went out to the countryside for a walk. She enjoyed the smell of green fields and fresh grass. Later She received a perfume which smelt exactly like that grass. And from then on She just loved that perfume. It was called Fougère.
Dada was talking to us about the Mother. She enjoyed looking at very attractive photographs. And She would collect these.
In those days The Illustrated Weekly used to carry a serial feature on Phantom. They were pictures of the mediaeval heroism, bravery and chivalry. The Mother would look at them with great interest. The serial had been going on year after year and the Mother would not miss a single one.
Some people used to photograph the Mother on certain occasions and show the photos to Her. She once instructed me: 'Pranab, don't show or give all my photos to everyone.'
The Mother divided Her photos in three groups:
One, those that could be given or shown to everyone.
Two, those that could be shown but not given.
Three, those that could neither be shown nor given to anybody. The Mother was very strict about this.
Towards the end She told me: 'Even if you see my signature below anything written or typed by someone about some
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instruction or order, you are not to follow it. You must show me first and check it out with me. Only then must you obey it. because often I sign without seeing.' Dada was very conscious and vigilant in this regard.
Someone asked : 'Dada, you always ate with the Mother. he used to sit and feed you Herself. I've heard that the glass you drank water from. She would hold it for you. Some people in the Ashram used to say all sorts of things because of this. They didn't like this. How can the Divine Mother Herself hold a glass of water that Pranab had touched with his mouth?!
They did not understand the relationship of deep love and affection the Mother had with you. They just suffered from jealousy. Tell us Dada, did the Mother enjoy eating? Or didn't She?'
Dada laughed : "After I finished eating the Mother would herself wash my plate. That's why Dyuman asked Her one day : 'Mother doesn't this cause you some inconvenience?'"
The Mother replied: 'No, it doesn't cause me any inconvenience.'
Then Dyuman-bhai said: 'If you have no objection then let me wash Pranab's plate.'
So the Mother agreed to Dyuman-bhai's request and he started cleaning my plate.
Someone asked: 'But didn't you feel uncomfortable that the Mother would clean your plate?'
Dada said: "I didn't even know that She was doing all this. It is from Dyuman-bhai much later that I got to know about;
You would like to know about the Mother's likes and dislikes in food? The Mother didn't like the smell of mango, guava and jack-fruit. Especially the smell of jack-fruit She just could not bear. Her disciples would send Her select mangoes,
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guavas, jack-fruit. She would give them all to me. 'You eat and tell me how they are.' And then She would accordingly inform the disciples.
However, if you gave Her a couple of steaming hot luchis she would eat them. 'They are good when they are steaming hot direct from the pan'. She would say. She didn't like luchis that were cold and shapeless.
She enjoyed caviar and foie gras too. It is an expensive delicacy. There is a saying that you have eaten brown bread no doubt but caviar and foie gras as well.
What's that, Dada?'
Caviar is the eggs of a certain fish. This fish is found in the Caspian Sea. The eggs of this fish are processed in a particular way. They look like black pepper seeds. It is the food of kings and nobles. In those days half a pound would cost eighty ninety thousand rupees! If you made a couple of items with it would cost you one and a half to two lakhs! Many disciples would send caviar for the Mother. She would eat Herself and serve it to me as well.
'How does caviar taste, Dada?'
"Oh, it isn't all that wonderful, Dada said with a laugh. I prefer the eggs of the hilsa."
'What is foie gras, Dada?'
It is made with the liver of goose and a special kind of mushroom found under the earth and called truffle. The pigs who dig these mushrooms out have their snouts tied. These pigs can find truffles out by sniffing the ground and digging them out. That's why they are called truffle dog-pigs. So this mushroom cooked with goose-liver is what is called foie gras. It is a rich man's food and very, very expensive.
'But how does it taste, Dada?'
"Oh, It is okay, nothing special really," Dada answered in very detached way.
It was clear from Dada's voice that this too was not an extraordinary delicacy.
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I once told Mother: "Mother, I finished my college studies and came away. I have not travelled anywhere nor do I have any experience of the outside world." I said that casually and fact I completely forgot about it later.
Suddenly one day Navajata called me and said: The Mother wants you to go and see the Olympic Games. She has asked to make all the arrangements for you.'
The 1964 Olympics were on in Mexico.
"But Mother hasn't told me anything," I answered. I knew that my going out would cause a lot of inconvenience to the Mother. But I kept quiet.
Anjani Dayanand was then chief secretary of Pondicherry. She was a devotee of the Mother. She also came and told me that the Mother wanted me to go to the Olympics. She had asked her to look into the making of my passport.
Then I told her: "No, I don't want to go.
'But how can you disobey the Mother's directions?' she asked incredulously.
"Yes, I am Mother's disobedient, naughty child."
I didn't talk to the Mother about all this. What was very amusing was that She too did not talk about it.
After some time the matter was closed. I said to myself: Perhaps Mother was testing me in this way. To see how attracted I was by the outside world.'
A disciple had offered the Mother a new Humber car. As was new naturally there were a few initial problems. And when there were problems it took some time to repair. Slightly upset the Mother wittily remarked one day: 'They should have called it not Humber but Humbug!'
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The school holidays have come and the students are leaving to go and see their parents or relatives. They come to see Dada one after another to tell him they are going. Dada looks at each one with his gentle but penetrating eyes and wishes them a safe, happy journey. There is a clear note of sadness in his voice. It is evident that he is not happy at their leaving. But he does not say anything or try to stop them.
A young boy came and told him: 'Dada, I am going to Calcutta.'
"When are you leaving?"
'Tomorrow but I really don't feel like going.'
Dada's voice became firm as he asked: "Then why are you going? Who has asked you to go?"
'No, Dada, there is some urgent work.'
Dada became more serious and a little angrily he said:
"Urgent? What's so urgent as that? Is there anything more urgent than spirituality? All this talk is nonsense. Can there be anything more important than your stay in the Ashram? Father, mother, relatives, all these don't mean a thing. Look at me, I've been in the Ashram for the last fifty-three years. Once I came I've never gone back. Look at Gangaram. He too hasn't gone back. All that is simply a pretext. You are all here to enjoy the comforts of staying in the Ashram. Don't come and tell me all this."
'No, Dada, let me go this time. I will never go out again, I promise.'
Dada did not stop there. "As long as there is attachment, nothing can be achieved. You must cut off all bonds at one stroke. We have neither father, nor mother, nor anybody. We have only the Divine Mother. Tvamek Bhavani.
Na tatah na matah
Na jaya na vidya
Na putra na putri
Gatistang, gatistang
Tvamek Bhavani.
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And Dada's voice rang with deep feeling.
Ashwiini looks after Dada's two motorbikes. Dada asked him smiling:
"Everything's okay?"
Yes, Dada, everything's fine.'
"This Ashwini is my motorbike-guru!" Dada continued laughing.
Everyone laughed.
How is your back-pain now?" Dada enquired.
'The pain is still very much there, Dada. I am taking some medicine but it has made no difference.'
Just turn around. I'll cure your back-pain with two blows."
No, Dada, please, .Ashwini pleaded like a frightened child.
"When back-pain doesn't go with medicines then two blows on the neck can cure it. Dr Sanyal cured someone's back-pain like that. His back-pain just wouldn't leave him. So Dr Sanyal made him lie on the ground face down and gave him a couple of blows on his neck. He howled with pain but then after this his back-pain disappeared."
Ashwini on hearing this slowly turned around like a frightened little boy.
Sailesh-da told us about an amusing incident. A gentleman had a white Ambassador car. It was always parked in front of the house. Every Sunday morning he would clean it himself with water. One Sunday morning he spent a long time to clean car. After some time he discovered that the car had disappeared 'It must have been stolen,' he thought. He informed police at the station. He spent the whole day running around for the stolen car. The following morning he had no
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other option but to take the bus to work. He returned home in the evening. Suddenly he noticed his white Ambassador parked quite a distance away from his house. Then suddenly he remembered that that is where he had parked the car on Saturday. Someone else had parked his car in front of his house. Mistaking this car to be his own he had washed and cleaned it thoroughly. Then the owner of the car must have driven it way. And all this time he kept thinking the car had been stolen. Then when the police arrived he could not but hide his own folly and tell them that the car had been found.
After hearing this Chandranath said: 'I too know of a similar story. A gentleman went to see a film for the late night- show. After the show on coming back to his car he discovered that one of the wheels was flat. Good God! What could he do so late at night with a punctured wheel? With no other option he opened the boot of the car and took out the stepney and the tools. He lay under the car to remove the wheel. After about an hour of sweat and toil when he had finished fixing the wheel he sat down in the car to go. Just then a lady approached him and thanked him profusely: 'I have no words to thank you enough. What a disaster it would have been had you not come along to help me out!'
'But this is my car! Why are you thanking me for fixing my own car?' the man asked perplexed.
'Excuse-me, sir, but this car is mine. I think yours must be the one behind,'
The gentleman suddenly remembered that it was true. He had been slaving away for somebody else's car all this time! And the lady had been graciously waiting on the side without saying a word!'
Dada said: So now listen to my story. A football-match was on. The galleries were full of spectators. It was an exciting game. Suddenly the ball came into the goal-area. A goal would be scored any moment now. One of the spectators in tense excitement began scratching his knee. It wasn't his knee but the neighbour's!
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'What do you think you are doing?' the gentleman asked very irritated.
The other spectator realised his mistake, 'Oh, it is your knee? That's why I kept wondering why I wasn't getting any relief even after scratching so much!'
Everyone rolled with laughter on hearing Dada's story.
We were talking about the cases of dropsy in various places in India due to the consumption of mustard oil. In Delhi sale of mustard oil has become illegal. In Pondicherry too its sale has been banned.
Dada said: In 1940 there was a similar incidence of dropsy in Berhampur. At the time it was called beri-beri. Many people were dying of it. I remember on the roads of Berhampur some one going round eating the drum and announcing that mustard oil from Bharat Mills was safe.
A boy of our age caught beri-beri, his name was Sadhu. Thanks to some treatment Sadhu was cured of beri-beri. An. attack of beri-beri weakens your heart however. Sadhu was very good at football. The Wheeler Shield matches were going on then and Sadhu was playing. In this game he dribbled past all the rival players and kicked the ball towards the goal 'Goal!' 'Goal!' everyone screamed. But Sadhu collapsed just after kicking the ball. He never got up again. He died of heart failure.
After cremating him one of his friends lost his balance I little bit. He kept telling himself: 'Sadhu is calling me. Sadhu is calling me.' This boy died the next day. He was very good at cricket.
Someone asked: 'Dada, when death is sudden or caused by an accident, does the soul that leaves call out for the loved ones like this?'
Dada replied: After Amulya passed away in the Ashram he would call out for Madan-da. He would beckon him with
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outstretched hands: 'Come away, come away. A little more, just a little bit more. Then you will be able to come away to me.' Madan-da would look like someone hypnotised then. But he kept calling the Mother's name even then. And that is how the departed soul's spell on Madan-da was dissolved.
On hearing this Gopal said: 'Dada, in my home-town, a person known to me decided to end his life by hanging himself because of some personal frustration. He decided that he would die with a rope round his neck. 'I will make my own rope to hang myself,' he said.
'And so he made a strong sturdy rope. His relatives out of fear for his life stole that rope and hid it away. He would then wander like a madman looking for his rope repeating: 'Where's my rope? Where is it?'
'One evening the evil spirit told him: 'You are looking for your rope? Look there at the pot hanging from the ceiling. your rope is hidden inside. Climb up and see, you'll find your rope.'
'And he found the rope exactly as he had been told. And that very evening he hanged himself from a guava tree in the garden.'
Another person said:
'I know of an incident with an aunt of mine. A husband and wife had a nasty quarrel one day. The wife, that is my aunt, decided to end her life. But after some time this desire to commit suicide vanished. She told me this herself.
'When in the evening my aunt used to cook in the kitchen, through the window looking out into the garden she would see a black man holding a rope in his hand and beckoning my aunt into the darkness. He would say: 'What happened? You wanted to hang yourself? Come on, then. It is totally painless. Just come. Look, this is how you should do it.' And even while he was saying all this, this ghost-like black man continued calling her again and again. Finally after a few days this dark figure stopped coming at the window. My aunt too stopped cooking in the kitchen alone.'
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These are all mental formations, Dada explained. They are born out of strong suggestions. I've heard of an incident about a revolutionary who had hidden himself in an uninhabited house all alone. All the doors and windows of the house were kept locked except for one looking out into the back-garden. So this revolutionary in hiding, what would he do? He would sit and look out of the window at the garden to pass his time.
One evening he suddenly noticed a woman covered with gold-jewellery come under a mango-tree with a piece of rope in her hand. She slung the rope over a branch and began thinking of what to do next. Perhaps she had a little hesitation or fear. The gardener who worked in this garden saw this. Seeing all the gold-jewellery he turned greedy. He came forward and told her how to tie the rope around her neck. 'Hold on, let me show you.'
The revolutionary was watching all this. But he was helpless, he couldn't do anything. If he shouted out then he himself might get caught.
The gardener tied the noose. Then he found some bricks to prepare the platform. He now climbed on to it, put his head into the noose and said: 'This is how you must go about it.' Just then his foot slipped and he found himself hanging with his neck in the noose. The bricks from under his feet crumbled. The hanging man was fidgeting restlessly when the woman seized by a terrible fear took to her heels.
The revolutionary saw everything from his window. After some time the man stopped moving as he hung silently from the tree.
Dada looks very happy this morning. He is telling us a lot of very amusing stories. Like Birbal in Akbar's court, in Bengal King Krishnachandra had his Gopal Bhand. And in South India there was Nasiruddin. All these three characters were very witty. There are so many amusing stories about them.
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Once Emperor Akbar wanted to fool Birbal and so he asked him: 'Tell me Birbal, what is the difference between you and a donkey?'
Hesitatingly Birbal replied: 'Your Majesty, the difference between a donkey and I is very little. A question of five hands. I am just five hands away from the throne!'
Akbar was impressed by Birbal's quick-witted reply.
There are a lot of stories about Gopal Bhand too. Let me tell you one.
Once a nawab sent an emissary to Krishnachandra to ask him: 'The Hindus have so many gods and goddesses, we know. But can you show them to me? I would love to see what they are like, your gods and goddesses.'
Krishnachandra was in a real quandary. He could not offend him either. So he called Gopal Bhand and asked him:
'Gopal, can you help me?'
'Very easy. Your Highness, don't you worry.'
So one day in the guise of a Brahmin Gopal Bhand turned up at the nawab's house: 'Nawab-bahadur, I can show you the gods and goddesses of the Hindus.'
'Fine, show me then.'
'But, lord, there was something I wanted to tell you.'
'My lord, I can show them to you only when you are alone. No one else should be present. I don't need to worry about you since you are a pure-born. A true Muslim. You can see our gods and goddesses. But I am worried about those whose father is not known, you know, the bastards, these will not be able to see our gods and goddesses. If such people are present in your assembly then there is a serious problem. That is why I was saying that instead of bringing in others let me show them to you all alone. Who can say if there is a bastard present in the assembly?'
The nawab agreed.
Now Gopal Bhand looked at the empty sky and pointing up started saying:
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'Look there, my Lord! Mother Kali dancing in the sky! Can you see?'
The nawab was in a fix. What could he do? Not wishing to be considered a bastard he exclaimed: 'Yes, yes, of course I can!'
'And look there! My Lord, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga, They are all crossing the sky one after the other!'
'Yes, yes, I can see clearly!' the nawab nodded vigourously.
Dada later said: Now let me tell you one of Nasiruddin. The nawab of Persia loved Nasiruddin very much. After all he was a poet, philosopher and a very intelligent wit. Qualities that he respected in Nasiruddin.
One day the nawab said: 'Nasiruddin, I'll go to your house tomorrow morning.'
On arriving at Nasiruddin's house the next morning the nawab discovered Nasiruddin was not there. His door was locked from outside.
Very upset, the nawab wrote 'ass' in big letters on his door to rebuke him and left.
Nasiruddin on his return found out what had happened and rushed to the nawab's court and said: 'My deepest apologies for this negligence on my part. Please forgive me for not being home. The nawab-bahadur came to a poor man's house and had to go back disappointed.'
'But Nasiruddin, how did you find out that I had gone to your house?' the nawab asked.
'Why, what was so difficult in that? Didn't you leave your signature on my door in big letters? That's how I came to know!'
Dada told us another amusing story.
At one point the condition of the educated unemployed became quite serious. Of course it is still there today but it
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isn't as terrible. And so in those days a young man who had passed his M.A. was jobless. Nowhere was he able to get a job although he went about frantically looking for one. One day he heard that there was a vacancy in the zoo. He went to check. There he was told that indeed there was a vacancy. He could take the job if he wished. The job was a little strange but if he agreed he could be employed. He would have to start in the morning with the opening of the zoo and work till it closed. His monthly salary would be five rupees.
He accepted the conditions but wanted to know what the job was.
It was explained to him. A bear had died in one of the cages of the zoo. He had to wear the bearskin and play the bear inside the cage. A railing that prevented people from coming closer surrounded the cage. And so he had nothing to worry about. People would not know that he was a fake bear.
The young man had no choice. He needed a job whatever it might be. So he agreed.
The following day he was dressed in a bearskin and put inside the cage. There was a tiger in the neighbouring cage. An iron door separated the two cages and it was always closed. On this side was the bear's cage and on the other the tiger's.
Dressed as a bear he would drowsily lie in the cage. From time to time he would saunter about in the cage like a bear.
It was afternoon and he was lying inside. He probably fell asleep for a while. Suddenly he remembered. He noticed in panic that the door separating the two cages was open! Probably the man had forgotten to lock it.
All of a sudden he saw that the tiger was advancing towards him. There were no spectators then. Stiff like a rod out of sheer panic he kept retreating. Good God! Has the tiger been able to smell a human and was therefore advancing towards him? The more the tiger advanced, the further he retreated. His back was now touching the end of the cage but the tiger kept advancing. At one point he felt the tiger's large head next to his neck. He thought he was dead.
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Suddenly the tiger's mouth went close to his ear and heard: 'How much are they paying you?'
The young man understood then that the tiger, like him was also a fake!
Dada was laughing as he recounted this story.
The telegraph system had just been installed in the country It arrived in a village post-office. There was great excitement among the villagers. 'The Englishmen have made a strange contraption. By making some staccato sounds inside it they can convey a piece of news. Within a second this news travels very far distances. It is quite expensive, no doubt, but it doesn't matter.'
After all it was a village post-office and so the postmaster was not well educated and did not know much English either The work was somehow done with people who knew a smattering of English.
The village postmaster was addressed as 'Mastar-babu' and was very respected. 'Mastar-babu' also wished to impress them with his English. He was not made postmaster for nothing after all!
There was an Army camp not very far from the village. ' Now a telegram arrived for this camp: 'Sending one thousand gander.'
'You see, the postmaster exclaimed showing the telegram to his assistant, they don't know English. Sending a thousand gander. Fine, send them. But at least write the correct word for 'gander'!
'Sir, what's the English for 'gander'? the assistant asked respectfully.
'You don't know even that? The English for 'gander' is rhino. So go and give them the news: 'Sending one thousand rhinos'. Knowledge of English is very important, Haripada,
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very important. Do you think the British government made me postmaster just like that? You can become a postmaster only if you know a lot of English.'
'That's very right and true, sir.'
Over at the Army camp there was utter confusion. They had asked for a thousand ganders and they were getting a thousand rhinos! (The Bengali word for rhino is 'gondar')
One day a poor man came to the postmaster in this post- office with a potful of rosogullas and said: 'Mastar-babu my brother lives in the town. I've brought a pot full of rosogullas for him. I would like to send it very quickly. Mastar-babu, kindly send this pot of rosogullas to my brother by telegram! I will pay whatever it takes. Mastar-babu, the pot will reach very quickly, won't it?'
The Mastar-babu was very clever. 'Yes, yes, don't worry. He will get this pot of rosogullas this very afternoon. You go back home and don't worry.'
The man went back home happily.
The Mastar-babu immediately despatched the pot of rosogullas to his quarters nearby. His wife and children were thrilled to receive the rosogullas.
The Mastar-babu's wife asked him when he got back home:
Tell me, who told you to spend so much money to buy a pot of rosogullas'?'
Mastar-babu became a little serious: 'No, my dear, why should I buy? This was an extra income. Such an important job, some extra income is natural.'
'What is extra income?' the wife asked a little surprised.
'You won't understand that,' and saying this he shut her up.
After about two weeks that poor man from the village turned up. He said: 'Mastar-babu, the other day I sent by telegram a pot of rosogullas for my brother. He has just written to tell me that he never received the rosogullas.'
Mastar-babu said at once: 'Ah, yes! I forgot to tell you. I did send the pot of rosogullas by telegram. The pot was
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whizzing along the telegraph wire when suddenly it was noticed that another pot of rosogullas was coming from the opposite direction. The two pots crashed and broke into bits. That is why your brother did not receive that pot of rosogullas. But I did send it as promised by telegram. What can I do? Your luck is bad.'
Dada used to give the commands for the gymnastic marching in the Playground in French, but if he had to say something to the children he would do it in Hindi. The Hindi he used was quite unique. So one day Dada told us all about it.
Next to the Playground some young children were playing in their courtyard while the gymnastic marching was going on. Dada was giving the commands in French over the micro phone. A little boy meanwhile started some mischief in the children's courtyard. Dada didn't know his name. He scolded him over the mike: Ei Benarshilalka nati, dushtumi mat karo. Eisha dushtumi karega to courtyard sey nikal dega! (You Benarshilalji's grandson! Don't do any mischief otherwise you will be expelled from the courtyard!)
The next day the old Benarshilaiji came to Dada and very gently told him: 'Kal mera nati dushtumi kiya. Ham to kuchh bhi nahi kiya. Mera to koi kasur nahi tha. Aap Dada, itna aadmi ka samney Playground mey mera naam dhor key daka, aap bola, ei Benarshilalka nati! Dada mera sir jhuk gaya!' (Yesterday my grandson did some mischief. But I didn't do anything. I was not to blame. In front of all those people, Dada, you called my name out, you said: You Benarshilalji's grandson! Dada, my head was bowed in shame!)
The old man started laughing. Dada too was laughing with him.
After the children's march-past the Mother was distributing groundnuts. Dada was asking the children in Hindi to be
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careful with the groundnuts: Ei chhotolok sob, badam mey pipilika hai. Dekh key dekh key khao. (You little ones, there are ants in the groundnuts, watch and eat.)
Another boy was doing some mischief. At once Dada's voice rang in Hindi: Ei chhota lok, dushtumi karta hai kanhey? Eisha karega to mar key mar key hannd, god choorna bichoorna kar deyga! (You little fellow! Why are you always doing mischief? If you continue I will thrash you, I will grind your body and bones to powder!)
God knows if that boy managed to understand Dada's very original Hindi.
Dada's father Dakshinapada-da made some mistake during the gymnastic marching. Dada was at the mike giving the commands. At the Playground on the command-stand there is no father or son. Dada announced on the mike:
"Dakshinapada, You are not doing correctly."
Dakshinapada-da, a little embarrassed, quickly corrected his mistake while marching.
After this incident Motakaka alerted Bina-kakima: 'See that during the gymnastic marching you don't make any mistakes. Otherwise Pranab will call you Binapani before everybody.'
Dada once told someone over the mike: Chandradeep, tomar pa nahi milta. The next day he came and told Dada: 'Dada, you said 'amar pa nahi milta' but nahi milta means it can't be found. But I had both my feet. I was standing on both my feet.' Probably Dada meant that his stepping was not in rhythm.
Dada and Chandradeep both had a good laugh.
After this Chandradeep used to correct my Hindi from time to time. Of course it hasn't made much difference!
We were talking about old age and death. Are old age and death in human life inevitable? Will they continue forever?
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Dada remarked: How can I say that? Then the ideal of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and Their sadhana will remain incomplete! What man has eternally dreamt, yearned for, thought of, has one day become true. This has been true from age to age. As Death has existed forever so has the desire in human mind and heart to overcome and conquer it and gain immortality. This inner yearning in man, this dream itself is proof that one day man will conquer old age and death. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's sadhana will one day bring its realisation. On this subject I wrote an article called In Pursuit of Immortality for the eighth year's commemorative volume of the Sri Aurobindo Medical Association in Cuttack. Here is the piece for your reading:
"Since time immemorial man has tried to conquer death. We read in the Puranas that the rishis and even the asuras were doing great tapasya to become immortal. In medieval Europe kings kept alchemists to find out the process by which man could prolong his youth and life, as well as other things like discovering formulae to make gold! The kings wanted to enjoy life to the fullest; so life had to be prolonged, youth had to be maintained and there had to be plenty of money. To pursue these objectives they employed alchemists. Many stories have been written where the author has built up his narration around the subject of immortality.
A similar motive has pushed man to go in for medical pursuits, including a hygienic way of life. The effort for overcoming sickness, disease and death through medical science is going on all over the world. Many eminent scientists are engaged in untravelling this mystery.
At our end, we have put ourselves in the hands of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo to help us in every sphere of life and to solve by their direct intervention all our material problems, including disease, old age and death.
We have learnt from them that there is a process by which we can reach our objective or at least make an effort to tackle this problem. They have told us that first of all we must
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discover our psychic being and around it we shall organise the rest of our being, that is, mind, life and body. If the mate- rial part of our life subjects itself to the leadership of the psy- chic, the psychic being will help us to reach our objective by conquering sickness, old age and death.
The soul is immortal. So why should it not guide the other parts of our being to achieve immortality?"
I believe that whatever man can think of he can become. We see this everywhere. Over the years, we see that man has managed to create at the practical level what he has dreamed or imagined. So if he is in pursuit of it, one day man's dream of conquering death will come true.
Dada seems a little distant today. As if he is deeply absorbed in some thought. But he is continuing to do his office work, talking to people, giving instructions on various matters. But you can feel that he is absorbed within in some deep thought.
At one time he himself admitted that he thought about one particular subject very often. I have even tried to capture this in poetry. I think about this Ashram of ours where so many people have come attracted by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's yoga-sadhana. Some have become old, some are no more, some have lost their head. Some after staying here for some time have left. Some have got married and settled down to a worldly life. About these we normally say that they have deviated from the path of yoga, that they are failures.
However I feel this is not the right way of looking at things. This sadhana is a war. That is why we talk about the battles in sadhana. Those who are drawn to the path of sadhana
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are inevitably attracted by an inner pull of the soul. They are different from the ordinary, average persons. They are exceptional. Nobody can come to the path of sadhana without hearing the call of God. They are all like soldiers in a war. Some retreat, some advance, but all of them according to their capacity and rank take up a position in this necessary battle. If some of them get injured in this battle, or some fall or die, does that mean they were worthless, unsuccessful? They, in fact, blaze the way for those who are following behind. With their self-dedication, or whatever little fruit they have got from sadhana they advance the course of the collective sadhana. Everyone contributes in some way. Some more, some perhaps less. It is not right to despise or belittle anybody. In the victory over Lanka you cannot play down the contribution even of an ordinary squirrel. We all do whatever we are capable of to advance on the path of yoga.
I also think that in each epoch everybody, people, yogis and sadhaks and all their unsuccessful attempts and deviations only go to facilitate the sadhana of those who will follow. They make the realisation of future generations easier. This is why we see that sometimes on some front of the sadhana we might win a very quick victory whereas some very simple obstacle we are unable to overcome. Often a very difficult thing is achieved with great ease and for achieving a very simple result we have to labour very hard. Who can say how much of what we have won is the contribution of those who preceded us in the sadhana, those who have risen and fallen so many times?
Someone remarked: 'In the Veda there was a rishi called Yajna. He has said: 'I saw in my mind's eye the glorious praise of all the sacrifices and sadhana of our predecessors. The sadhana of the Vedas was called 'sadhanpantha' by the rishis, 'purveshang pantha'—sadhana is walking on a path. This is why the rishis never claim any of their achievements or realisations as their own. They believe that our ancestors, since eternity, have created in the tradition of sadhana a structure
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for sadhana. We have to see that this tradition of meditation and sadhana is not broken—ma chhedi vayato dhiyam.
I feel the same way. With those who have accepted the Mother and Sri Aurobindo's sadhana, it is not important to judge who has achieved how much because all of them have contributed to help us become successful. This is why we bow before everybody.
Dada said further: I have read in the Gita that when Arjuna, overwhelmed and confused by Sri Krishna's explanation of the difficult moments of yoga, asked Him: 'He who takes to yoga with faith but then for lack of attentiveness, falls off the path, cannot he realise anything? He who could not achieve anything in this life or in spiritual life either, what will become of him? Having failed on both sides will he be dissolved by the wind like a little cloud?'
Sri Krishna answered Arjuna: 'One who has deviated from Yoga is destroyed neither in this world nor in the world beyond. That man who does good suffers no misfortune anywhere.'
Look at our Ashram itself. All those boys and girls who after their studies go out, none of them is bad in any way. They are all in a very good situation, with a good job and position. The people outside are quite astonished by their success and prosperity. Not one of them is in a bad condition. I would say that this is the result of all that the tradition of sadhana carries on the course of yoga. This is why our yoga is called collective yoga. And this is why all those who came before us, or are with us today or will come in the future, all their combined successes and failures, qualities and shortcomings have traced the path and will continue to do so. And we should always remain grateful to each one of them for our future victory as well. I bow before them all.
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