India
[On 2 June 1947 Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Viceroy of India, delivered a radio speech proposing the partition of Pakistan from India, and of certain other parts of India into Hindu and Muslim states. After hearing the broadcast, Mother issued the following statement.]
A proposal has been made for the solution of our difficulties in organising Indian independence and it is being accepted with whatever bitterness of regret and searchings of the heart by Indian leaders.
But do you know why this proposal has been made to us? It is to prove to us the absurdity of our quarrels.
And do you know why we have to accept these proposals? It is to prove to ourselves the absurdity of our quarrels.
Clearly, this is not a solution; it is a test, an ordeal which, if we live it out in all sincerity, will prove to us that it is not by cutting a country into small bits that we shall bring about its unity and its greatness; it is not by opposing interests against each other that we can win for it prosperity; it is not by setting one dogma against another that we can serve the spirit of Truth. In spite of all, India has a single soul and while we have to wait till we can speak of an India one and indivisible, our cry must be:
Let the soul of India live forever!
3 June 1947
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The Soul of India is one and indivisible. India is conscious of her mission in the world. She is waiting for the exterior means of manifestation.
6 June 1947
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352Invocation
15 August 1947
O our Mother, O Soul of India, Mother who hast never forsaken thy children even in the days of darkest depression, even when they turned away from thy voice, served other masters and denied thee, now when they have arisen and the light is on thy face in this dawn of thy liberation, in this great hour we salute thee. Guide us so that the horizon of freedom opening before us may be also a horizon of true greatness and of thy true life in the community of the nations. Guide us so that we may be always on the side of great ideals and show to men thy true visage, as a leader in the ways of the spirit and a friend and helper of all the peoples.
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[About “the Mother’s flag”, which contains her symbol in gold centred on a silver-blue background]
It is the flag of India’s spiritual mission. And in the accomplishment of this mission will India’s unity be accomplished.
15 August 1947
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It is by being sincere, courageous, enduring and honest that you can best serve your country, make it one and great in the world.
October 1948
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[Message for the Society for the Spiritual and Cultural Renaissance of Bharat]
Let the splendour of Bharat’s past be reborn in the realisation of her imminent future with the help and blessings of her living soul.
23 August 1951
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353India must be saved for the good of the world since India alone can lead the world to peace and a new world order.§
February 1954
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Divine Power alone can help India. If you can build faith and cohesion in the country it is much more powerful than any man-made power.§
February 1954
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There must be a group forming a strong body of cohesive will with the spiritual knowledge to save India and the world. It is India that can bring Truth in the world. By manifestation of the Divine Will and Power alone, India can preach her message to the world and not by imitating the materialism of the West. By following the Divine Will India shall shine at the top of the spiritual mountain and show the way of Truth and organise world unity.§
February 1954
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The future of India is very clear. India is the Guru of the world. The future structure of the world depends on India. India is the living soul. India is incarnating the spiritual knowledge in the world. The Government of India ought to recognise the significance of India in this sphere and plan their action accordingly.§
February 1954
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When India, emerging victorious from a deadly combat, regains her territorial integrity; when, emerging triumphant from a moral crisis that is more deadly still—since instead of killing the body it destroys the soul-contact, a much greater 354tragedy—India resumes her true place and mission in the world, these petty quarrels over governmental and political rivalries, which consist entirely of personal interests and ambitions, will be automatically resolved in a just and enlightened accord.
17 April 1954
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[On 1 November 1954 Pondicherry and the other French settlements in India were transferred to the Indian Union. To celebrate the occasion the flag with Mother’s symbol at its centre was hoisted at the Ashram at 6.20 a.m., when Mother read out the following message.]
For us the 1st November has a deep significance. We have a flag which Sri Aurobindo called the Spiritual Flag of United India. Its square form, its colour and every detail of its design have a symbolic meaning. It was hoisted on the 15th August 1947 when India became free. It will now be hoisted on the 1st November 1954 when these settlements get united with India and it will be hoisted in the future whenever India recovers other parts of herself. United India has a special mission to fulfil in the world. Sri Aurobindo laid down his life for it and we are prepared to do the same.
1 November 1954
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[Message for Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of India, who visited the Ashram]
India must rise to the height of her mission and proclaim the Truth to the world.
15 November 1955
355
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Yes, it seems rather necessary.
1955
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The future of India is luminous in spite of its present gloom.
1957
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[On 20 October 1962 China invaded India on her north-eastern and north-western borders. Between 20 and 28 October Chinese troops captured several military posts and forced Indian troops to retreat. During this time Mother made the following four statements.]
356This kind of thinking is quite out of place at this moment. One should never criticise someone if one has not proved indisputably that, in the same circumstances, one can do better than he.
Do you feel yourself capable of being an unequalled Prime Minister of India? I reply: certainly not, and advise you to keep silent and to remain quiet.
24 October 1962
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Patriotic sentiments are not incompatible with our yoga—far from it—to will for the strength and the integrity of one’s Motherland is a quite legitimate sentiment, the will that she may make progress and that more and more she may manifest, in full freedom, the truth of her being, is a fine and noble will which cannot be harmful for our yoga.
But one must not get excited, one must not plunge prematurely into action. One can and should pray, aspire and will for the victory of the truth and, at the same time, continue to discharge one’s daily duties and wait quietly for the unmistakable sign to come, indicating the action to be done.
With my blessings.
27 October 1962
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Silence! Silence!
This is a time for gathering energies, and not for wasting them away in useless and meaningless words.
Anyone who proclaims loudly his opinions on the present situation of the country, must understand that his opinions are of no value and cannot, in the least, help Mother India to come 357out of her difficulties. If you want to be useful, first control yourself and keep silent.
Silence! Silence! Silence!
It is only in silence that anything great can be done.
28 October 1962
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It is all right. I accept. I take this occasion to tell you that I have just sent directly to Delhi the offering of the Ashram for the defence of India.
With my blessings.
31 October 1962
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True spirituality is not to renounce life, but to make life perfect with the Divine Perfection.
This is what India must show to the world now.
26 January 1963
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358
Overgrow your small egoistic personality and become a worthy child of our Mother India, fulfil your duties with honesty and rectitude, and always keep cheerful and confident, with a steady trust in the Divine’s Grace.
3 February 1963
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India’s true destiny is to be the Guru of the world.
The present reality is a big falsehood—hiding an eternal truth.
359(a) Ignorance; (b) fear; (c) falsehood.
No.
Waking up of the yearning for Truth. Because without Truth there is no reality.
Insincerity. Because insincerity leads to ruin.
Published 26 January 1964
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Mother,
I have just heard that about the new developments in Bengal. You said that Bengal is not receptive to Your Force and does not accept You. Nothing could be sadder for Bengal. But, Mother, how is it that Bengal, having worshipped You, the Divine Mother, throughout the ages and appealed to You in all circumstances, is now in such a deplorable and lamentable state?
Mother, how far am I responsible (for I must confess that I feel guilty) and what should I do so that You do not forsake this miserable land?
My dear child,
I did not say anything against Bengal in particular. I said that all the events that are taking place are due to the lack of receptivity in human beings, who still seem to be in the same state of consciousness that was natural and general three or four hundred years ago.
Obviously, one could have hoped that the Bengalis, because of their faith, would have given the example of a greater receptivity and refused to yield to these movements of unconscious violence. But as you very rightly say, each one can find the answer within himself and sincerely ask himself how much he has taken advantage of his stay here! If even here the result is slight and mediocre, what can one expect from those who are not under the direct and immediate influence?
The only remedy: “Awake and collaborate!”
31 January 1964
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Nehru leaves his body but his soul is one with the Soul of India that lives for Eternity.
27 May 1964
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[About “the Mother’s map of India”, which includes Pakistan, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka. The “partition” mentioned in the first sentence below is that of Pakistan and India.]
The map was made after the partition.
It is the map of the true India in spite of all passing appearances, and it will always remain the map of the true India, whatever people may think about it.
29 July 1964
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The Mother at the Playground in front of the spiritual map of India on 21 February 1952Our aim is not a national system of education for India, but an education for the world at large.
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Sublime Mother,
Our aim is no exclusive national system of education for India but an essential and fundamental education for all mankind. But is it not true, Mother, that this education, because of India’s special fitness by virtue of her past cultural striving and attainment, is India’s privilege and special responsibility towards herself and the world? At any rate, this essential education is India’s national education to my mind. In fact, I regard this as the national education of each great country with characteristic differentiations peculiar to each nation.
I wonder whether this is correct and Mother would endorse it.
Yes, this is quite correct and part of what I would have said if I had had time to answer your questions.
India has or rather had the knowledge of the Spirit, but she neglected matter and suffered for it.
The West has the knowledge of matter but rejected the Spirit and suffers badly for it.
An integral education which could, with some variations, be adapted to all the nations of the world, must bring back the legitimate authority of the Spirit over a matter fully developed and utilised.
This is in short what I wanted to say.
With blessings.
26 July 1965
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[In August 1965 an education commission of the Government of India visited the Ashram to evaluate the 362ideals and educational methods of the Centre of Education. At that time a group of teachers submitted the following series of questions to the Mother.]
Basic Issues of Indian Education
Prepare her children for the rejection of falsehood and the manifestation of Truth.
Make matter ready to manifest the Spirit.
To teach to the world that matter is false and impotent unless it becomes the manifestation of the Spirit.
Its only use is to make the material basis stronger, completer and more effective for the manifestation of the Spirit.
The unity of all the nations is the compelling future of the world. But for the unity of all nations to be possible, each nation must first realise its own unity.
Unity must be a living fact and not the imposition of an arbitrary rule. When India will be one, she will have spontaneously a language understood by all.
Get out of conventions and insist on the growth of the soul.
a) The almost exclusive importance given to success, career and money.
b)
Insist on the paramount importance of the contact with the Spirit and the growth
and manifestation of the Truth of the being.
5 August 1965
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I would like them (the Government) to recognise Yoga as education, not so much for ourselves, but it will be good for the country.
Matter will be transformed, that will be a solid base. Life will be divinised. Let India take the lead.
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364[On 1 September 1965 Pakistan invaded India’s western border at Jammu-Kashmir. The conflict ended in a cease-fire on 22 September. During this time Mother made the following five statements.]
Sri Aurobindo writes in his Essays on the Gita: “The law of Vishnu cannot prevail till the debt to Rudra is paid.” What does this mean?
Mother, is the present situation in India like the debt which must be paid to Rudra?
Here is the whole quotation which I had prepared in advance for those who would ask the wherefore of the present situation. I am sending it to you so that your question is taken care of.
“No real peace can be till the heart of man deserves peace; the law of Vishnu cannot prevail till the debt to Rudra is paid. To turn aside then and preach to a still unevolved mankind the law of love and oneness? Teachers of the law of love and oneness there must be, for by that way must come the ultimate salvation. But not till the Time-Spirit in man is ready, can the inner and ultimate prevail over the outer and immediate reality. Christ and Buddha have come and gone, but it is Rudra who still holds the world in the hollow of his hand. And meanwhile the fierce forward labour of mankind tormented and oppressed by the powers that are profiteers of egoistic force and their servants cries for the sword of the Hero of the struggle and the word of its prophet.”fnSri Aurobindo, Essays on the Gita, SABCL, Vol. 13, p. 372.
8 September 1965
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It is for the sake and triumph of Truth that India is fighting and must fight until India and Pakistan have once more become One because that is the truth of their being.
16 September 1965
365
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They could not do otherwise.
29 September 1965
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It is both at the same time. It is a chaotic means of preparation. India should be the spiritual guide explaining what is happening and helping to shorten the movement. But, unfortunately, in her blind ambition to imitate the West, she has become materialistic and neglectful of her soul.
13 October 1965
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The Supreme Wisdom is seeing to it.
1965
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Without any doubt—and for the present, there is much to be done!
7 September 1966
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It is the pressure upon the entire earth of the force of Truth which causes disorder, confusion and falsehood to spring up everywhere in a refusal to be transformed.
367The way of the Truth is certain, but it is difficult to say when and how it will come about.
14 September 1966
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India ought to be the spiritual leader of the world. Inside she has the capacity, but outside… for the moment there is still much to do for her to become actually the spiritual leader of the world.
There is such a wonderful opportunity just now! but…
8 June 1967
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[Message for an education commission of the Government of India which visited the Ashram]
For the Government of India, one thing is to be known—does it want to live for the future, or does it desperately stick to the past?
20 June 1967
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[Message for broadcast by All India Radio, Pondicherry, on its inauguration day]
O India, land of light and spiritual knowledge! Wake up to your true mission in the world, show the way to union and harmony.
23 September 1967
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368India has become the symbolic representation of all the difficulties of modern mankind.
India will be the land of its resurrection—the resurrection to a higher and truer life.
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In the whole creation the earth has a place of distinction, because unlike any other planet it is evolutionary with a psychic entity at its centre. In it, India, in particular, is a divinely chosen country.
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It is only India’s soul who can unify the country.
Externally the provinces of India are very different in character, tendencies, culture, as well as in language, and any attempt to unify them artificially could only have disastrous results.
But her soul is one, intense in her aspiration towards the spiritual truth, the essential unity of the creation and the divine origin of life, and by uniting with this aspiration the whole country can recover a unity that has never ceased to exist for the superior mentality.
7 July 1968
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[Message for Shri V. V. Giri, President of India, who visited the Ashram]
Let us all work for the greatness of India.
14 September 1969
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369[Messages for Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, who visited the Ashram]
Let India work for the future and set the example. Thus she will recover her true place in the world.
Since long it was the habit to govern through division and opposition.
The time has come to govern through union, mutual understanding and collaboration.
To choose a collaborator, the value of the man is more important than the party to which he belongs.
The greatness of a country does not depend on the victory of a party but on the union of all the parties.
6 October 1969
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India must find back and manifest her soul.
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370You have said in one of Your messages:
“The number one problem for India is to find back and manifest her soul.”
How to find back India’s soul?
Become conscious of your psychic being. Let your psychic being become intensely interested in India’s Soul and aspire towards it, with an attitude of service; and if you are sincere you will succeed.
15 June 1970
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India is the country where the psychic law can and must rule and the time has come for that here. Besides, it is the only possible salvation for this country whose consciousness has unfortunately been distorted by the influence and domination of a foreign nation, but which, in spite of everything, possesses a unique spiritual heritage.
Blessings.
2 August 1970
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[Message for broadcast by All India Radio, Pondicherry]
We want to be messengers of light and truth. At once a future of harmony offers itself to be proclaimed to the world.
The time has come for the old habit of governing by fear to be replaced by the government of love.
5 November 1970
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[Message for broadcast by All India Radio, Pondicherry, on Mother’s birthday, 21 February 1971]
True liberty is an ascending movement, not yielding to the lower instincts.
371True liberty is a divine manifestation.
We want the true liberty for India so that she may be the right example for the world as the demonstration of what humanity must become.
13 February 1971
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[During the Bangladesh crisis, Mother made the following four statements.]
The situation is serious. It is only a strong and enlightened action that can pull the country out of it.
Blessings.
30 April 1971
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[The message below was distributed at the Ashram with the introduction: “A mantra given by the Mother for all people in the country for the present crisis.”]
Supreme Lord, Eternal Truth
Let us obey Thee alone
and
live according to
Truth.
June 1971
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As long as they are not determined to follow the Truth I can do nothing for them outwardly.
Not the truth as they see it but the Truth as it is.
To be able to know the Truth you must be without preferences and without desires, and when you aspire for the Truth your mind must be silent.
8 July 1971
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372This is because the whole world is steeped in falsehood—so all actions that arise will be false, and this situation may continue for a long time and will bring much suffering to the people and the country.
The only thing to do is to pray—from the heart—for the Divine intervention as that is the only thing that can save us. And all people who can become conscious of this must decide very firmly to stand only on the Truth and to act only in the Truth. There should be no compromise. This is very essential. It is the only way.
Even if things seem to go wrong and badly for us, as indeed they will, because of the present prevailing falsehood—we should not be deterred from our own determination to stand on the Truth.
This is the only way.§
July 1971
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India shall take her true place in the world only when she will become integrally the messenger of the Divine Life.
24 April 1972
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India is not the earth, rivers and mountains of this land, neither is it a collective name for the inhabitants of this country. India is a living being, as much living as, say, Shiva. India is a goddess as Shiva is a god. If she likes, she can manifest in human form.§
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It is one of the greatest weapons of the Asura at work when you are taught to shun beauty. It has been the ruin of India. The Divine manifests in the psychic as love, in the mind as 373knowledge, in the vital as power and in the physical as beauty. If you discard beauty it means that you are depriving the Divine of this manifestation in the material and you hand over that part to the Asura.§
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From time immemorial (some scholars say 8000 years before the Christian era) India has been the land of spiritual knowledge and practice, of the discovery of the Supreme Reality and union with it. It is the country that has practised concentration most and best. The methods, called Yoga in Sanskrit, that are taught and used in this country are countless. Some are merely material, others purely intellectual, others religious and devotional; lastly, some of them combine these various processes in order to achieve a more integral result.
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“Ah! Since India is the cradle of religion and since so many gods preside over her destiny, who among them will accomplish the miracle of resuscitating the city?”
A. Choumel (in an article on Pondicherry in 1928)
Blinded by false appearances, deceived by calumnies, held back by fear and prejudice, he has passed by the side of the god whose intervention he implores and saw him not; he has walked near to the forces which will accomplish the miracle he demands and had no will to recognise them. Thus has he lost the greatest opportunity of his life—a unique opportunity of entering into contact with the mysteries and marvels whose existence his brain has divined and to which his heart obscurely aspires.
In all times the aspirant, before receiving initiation, had to pass through tests. In the schools of antiquity these tests were artificial and by that they lost the greater part of their value. But it is no longer so now. The test hides behind some very ordinary every-day circumstance and wears an innocent air of 374coincidence and chance which makes it still more difficult and dangerous.
It is only to those who can conquer the mind’s preferences and prejudices of race and education that India reveals the mystery of her treasures. Others depart disappointed, failing to find what they seek; for they have sought it in the wrong way and would not agree to pay the price of the Divine Discovery.
11 September 1928
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[Description of a model by an Ashram artist which symbolised the significance of the State of Pondicherry]
The new State of Pondicherry is here represented by a small country craft carrying a pavilion. The four principal pillars of this pavilion are the four Continents of Asia, Europe, Africa and America. Asia is represented by the Buddha, Europe by Pallas Athene, Africa by Isis and America by the Statue of Liberty. The spiritual supports upbear the globe of the world on which the Dove of Peace descends from on high. On either side of the globe stand an Indian lady with a welcoming leaf of palm and a French lady with an auspicious olive branch. This amity between the Orient and the Occident augurs well for an enduring peace and concord among nations.
The open spaces between the four pillars of the pavilion are covered by entwining creepers with alternating red and white lotuses. The red and the white lotuses represent the twin spiritual Consciousness guiding the terrestrial evolution.
At the four corners of the pavilion stand four guarding lions symbolising spiritual Powers.
It is hoped that the State of Pondicherry will materialise this spiritual vision and become a meeting place of all the cultures of the world with the full consciousness of the fundamental Unity that binds the peoples of the world together.
1954
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375[To Mme. Yvonne Robert Gaebelé, author of Histoire de Pondichéry, published in 1960]
My dear child,
I have just been through the beautiful and very interesting book; I have looked at the pictures and read the recommended passages, as well as some others, which are very valuable for their information.
It is very fine, and I am happy to congratulate you on this beautiful work.
Will we have a copy for the library? In that case, I shall not send mine.
A day will come, I hope, when we shall be able to tell freely and truly all that Sri Aurobindo’s Presence has meant for the town of Pondicherry.…
In the meanwhile, I send you my love and blessings.
12 January 1961
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I have the deepest respect for Indian languages and continue to study Sanskrit when I have time.
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The Sanskrit ought to be the national language of India.
Blessings.
19 April 1971
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Hindi is good only for those who belong to a Hindi-speaking province. Sanskrit is good for all Indians.
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On certain issues where You and Sri Aurobindo have given direct answers, we (Sri Aurobindo’s Action) are also specific, as for instance… on the language issue 376where You have said for the country that (1) the regional language should be the medium of instruction, (2) Sanskrit should be the national language, and (3) English should be the international language.
Are we correct in giving these replies to such questions?
Yes.
Blessings.
4 October 1971