Read Surendranath Jauhar's correspondence with The Mother - from the period spanning 1951-1972
The Mother : correspondence
THEME/S
Born on 13 August 1903 in the Jhelum District of Punjab, now in Pakistan, Surendranath Jauhar first met the Mother in December 1939 at the age of thirty-six. Though he continued to live in New Delhi, he visited the Ashram regularly. Many of his family members came to live in the Ashram. In 1956, with the Mother's blessings, Surendranath founded the Delhi Branch of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its school, the Mother's School in Delhi. During the last thirty years of his life, Surendranath developed the Delhi Ashram and its school and also established a centre near Nainital in the Himalayas. He passed away on 2 September 1986 at the age of eighty-three.
Surendranath's correspondence with the Mother covers the period from 1951 to 1972.
Surendranath,
Never forget that you are not alone. The Divine is with you helping and guiding you. He is the companion who never fails, the friend whose love comforts and strengthens. More you feel lonely more you are ready to perceive His luminous Presence. Have faith and He will do everything for you.
27 September 1951
(The disciple asked the Mother about the future of the Sri Aurobindo International University Centre (later renamed Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education), inaugurated in 1952. In reply she sent the following letter:)
I am perfectly sure, I am quite confident, there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that this University, which is being established here, will be the greatest seat of knowledge upon earth.
It may take fifty years, it may take a hundred and you may doubt about my being there; I may be there or not, but these children of mine will be there to carry out my work.
And those who collaborate in this divine work today will have the joy and pride of having participated in such an exceptional achievement.
With my blessings
28 May 1953
Gracious Mother,
Some regular authority is very essential to carry out the work of the Ashram at Delhi, and open a bank account and sign various letters and documents concerning the affairs there.
Without this, Mother, the position is always difficult and ambiguous. Indirect ways have to be adopted to carry out the work. Sometimes, I am put in an awkward position and a lot of harassment is caused.
Mother, I pray for your kind decision.
Praying for thy kind grace and blessings.
Thy child.
I see only one way; it is that you should keep in your hands the financial management of the whole affair. Two separate accounts must be opened in a bank of Delhi; one for the Ashram and one for the School, and both accounts will be operated by you.
And naturally you must have a voice in the matter of School expenses.
Blessings
25 August 1960
To Surendranath Jauhar, New Delhi
You are hereby authorised to carry out the work of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch and all its activities and those of the Mother's School; at the same time you are authorised to open a bank account and sign all letters and documents in this connection.
You are authorised also to act as my representative for all the works of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch and those of the Mother's School and you are directly responsible to me in all these matters.
4 September 1960
If the Ashram, Delhi Branch, is to fulfil its office of receiving guests on their way to Pondicherry and back from here, it must present the advantages at least of a decent hotel, that is to say, reasonably comfortable accommodation, cleanliness, sanitation, good hygienic food and proper service.
Counting that you will do the needful for it.
I send you my love and blessings.
I wanted to tell you that in compliance with your instructions, I have been trying hard and making serious efforts to make some reasonable improvements in Delhi Ashram to give it a better look and provide minimum facilities and comforts to the visitors. I was continuously working on these before I left.
Shabby constructions and the floors of the kitchen and the dining block and the latrines and bathrooms have been completely changed.
All shabby and old tin sheds have been removed and new concrete roofs have been put, walls have been plastered, cement concrete floors have been laid. All these now give a good and respectable look.
Some constructional changes and adjustments have been made in the residential building to provide more amenities. The entire main Ashram premises have been white-washed and colour-washed and all doors and windows painted.
Now when I return I have to work on suitable furniture and respectable crockery and utensils etc.
Mother, I can assure you that henceforth visitors will get much better facilities and I will do my best for progressive improvements.
Gracious Mother, this has all cost near-about seven to eight thousand rupees in these few months and perhaps another three to four thousand rupees will be spent in completing the work and the scheme in hand.
Mother, water is still a serious problem without which many improvements suffer and the work cannot be properly and gracefully carried out.
Praying for your Grace, always, I am your child.
I am very glad to be able to send you visitors now whenever the opportunity comes, and feel sure that now they will be quite satisfied.
With my love and blessings
1 April 1961
J stayed out of the Delhi Ashram perhaps for about eight months with one H, his Divine Collaborator as he always calls him. He was living there under great pressure and in most dirty conditions. He was badly sick and reduced by 18 lbs.
I had a dream and I went to him and brought him back to the Ashram on 1st January 1967. He was so happy. He accepted it as a miracle and grace. He said that he did not have courage to come to us as he was thinking that we had given him up for good and will not accept him back.
Mother, he is mad after politics, which of course he does not accept. He is conducting a "Poorna Swaraj Movement", working very hard, begging for funds, etc. In spite of all their serious efforts, they are unable to meet even their own living expenses. Of course J is now living with us as your child without any payment. But someone is also supporting him with Rs. 100/- per month for his personal expenses.
Praying for your kind grace,
Your child.
I am glad you are feeding the poor man—often I felt sorry for his miserable condition.
Love and blessings
18 May 1967
Mother, you know that J is conducting a "Poorna Swaraj Movement". He has been writing and insisting upon us all to help and collaborate in this movement. He says that he is doing all this work under your instructions and command and he has shown to us that you have written to him "Go Ahead."
He further says that he is doing all this work under command of "The Master" Sri Aurobindo who has said in the postscript chapter of "The Ideal of Human Unity" that his work must be carried on by us to save the world from the crisis and fulfil the Master's desire.
Mother, as J is living in the Delhi Ashram he is always anxious to put his viewpoint to the visitors and everyone else. In that case what is our position? What should be our attitude and how should we act and behave?
Praying for your kind grace.
Each one is free to conduct his life as he thinks best and to say what he believes to be true.
The only thing we can do is to insist on the fact that the Ashram has nothing to do with politics, has no political views and no political activities—that is all.
We would like to translate into Hindi "The Great Sense" by S and also get the same printed here as a small pamphlet, mostly for free distribution but we will fix the price also for sale. Mother, kindly let me know if you can graciously permit us to do the same.
Praying for thy grace and blessings,
Your loving child.
Provided the translation is good and keeps the meaning intact, it is all right.
14 December 1969
We (human beings) are not living for the satisfaction of our ego; we live to fulfil God's Will. But to be able to perceive and to know the Will of God, we must be without desires and without preferences. Otherwise we mistake for God's Will our own limited ideas and principles.
It is in the wide peace of an absolute and devoted sincerity, free from fixed ideas and preferences, that we can realise the conditions required to know God's Will; and it is with a fearless discipline that we must execute it.
3 April 1971
To Surendranath
I will be always with you.
With love and blessings
21 July 1972
All nations must unite in a common effort for a common progress.
Undated
Life could be quite simple and easy if man's mind did not introduce in it so many useless complications.
BIRTHDAY MESSAGES
Without heroism man cannot grow into Godhead; courage, energy and strength are among the very first principles of the divine nature in action.—Sri Aurobindo
Bonne Fête!
13 August 1963
With my blessings for this year to be a peaceful and luminous one, and my love
13 August 1964
He who lives to serve Truth is not affected by outward circumstances.
13 August 1966
There is a Supreme Divine Consciousness.
We want to manifest that Divine Consciousness in the physical life.
Bonne Fête to Surendranath.
13 August 1969
No joy can be greater than that of serving the Divine.
13 August 1970
Above all preferences we want to be at the service of the Divine
13 August 1971
With love and blessings to smooth the way
13 August 1972
MESSAGES FOR SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM, DELHI BRANCH
(The first message below is the inaugural message. The rest are anniversary messages, with one exception.)
Opening of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Delhi Branch
Let this place be worthy of its name and manifest the true spirit of Sri Aurobindo's teaching and message to the world.
12 February 1956
No institution can live unless it is progressive.
The true progress is to come always closer to the Divine.
12 February 1957
Teach us to be really sincere in our effort towards the Truth.
23 April 1957
Truth does not depend on any external form and shall manifest in spite of all bad will or opposition.
12 February 1966
At this juncture we very much need your help, a powerful message from you to inspire all of us who are working here.
Therefore, once again I pray and beg of you that a command from your side may graciously be sent to us to lift us up.
Praying for Your Grace and Blessings.
Be more eager for truth than for success.
12 February 1969
MESSAGES FOR THE MOTHER'S INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, DELHI
(The first message below is the inaugural message. The rest are anniversary messages.)
A new Light has appeared upon earth. Let this new School opened today be guided by it.
23 April 1956
Let yesterday's realisation be a springboard for tomorrow's achievement.
23 April 1958
Let us prepare ourselves for the new life that is manifesting upon earth.
23 April 1959
The best students are those who want to know, not those who want to show.
23 April 1966
The Mother's School.
Sincerity.
23 April 1967
The measure of the sincerity is the measure of the success.
23 April 1968
The Future is full of promise.
Prepare yourself for it.
23 April 1969
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