This book published in 1972 ends on a highly expectant note. The lines
quoted from Sri Aurobindo poem, "A God's Labour", written
in 1935-36 give the definite hope that Sri Aurobindo's dream would
be realised: the Mother's body would be transformed into a "raiment
of gold and blue". Indeed after Sri Aurobindo had left his body,
the work went on apace. A number of sadhaks had the experience of
participating in the work of transformation by changes felt it their
own body. The Mother wrote at length and spoke about it quite often.
So we were living in the bright hope that it was just a question of
time. The Mother would complete a hundred years or even more and would
appear to us in a glorious body.
She carried on her daily activities with the same vigour and keen
interest from morning to evening. I was an exceptional recipient of
her Grace when she consented gladly to listen to my Twelve Years
with Sri Aurobindo in its manuscript form before being
sent to the Press. And I went on reading it every evening till the
end of 1972. She was so pleased with the book that when I asked for
her impression, she wrote immediately a sentence
which has been appended at the beginning of this book.
Besides the Twelve Years, I read out to her my other works:
Correspondence with Sri Aurobindo and Talks with Sri Aurobindo.
The former particularly pleased her so much that at the end she
remarked, "Sri Aurobindo has given you everything." Once
during this period, I don't remember the context, stretching her right
hand out to me, she said, "Grip my hand." We pressed each
other's hands. Then she asked smiling, "How do you find it?"
"Very strong, Mother," I replied. She was happy.
But all of a sudden things took a different turn. She had said that
her body was the first ever to be subject to the Supramental Power
- here was an experiment Sri Aurobindo had wanted her to undergo.
The pressure of this Power to which she had unreservedly opened herself
began to tell on the physical instrument and she fell ill.
All work and interviews came to an abrupt cessation from the early
months of 1973. She went into complete retirement, seeing no one except
her personal attendants. Since these are matters of an occult dimension
it will be futile on anyone's part to venture an interpretation.
All we can say is that at the end of her tremendous isolated labour
through twenty-three years after Sri Aurobindo's passing away in 1950,
the Mother also departed.
Now that the special support had been withdrawn, we had to fall back
considerably upon our own efforts. But that did not mean that her
help has been withdrawn. She has given us the assurance, like Sri
Aurobindo, that she will always be with us.
It is the constant experience of the sadhaks that her Presence is
ever active. We have only to carry on with unflagging zeal, faith
and surrender and her aid will be unfailingly with us.
Nirodbaran
in "Twelve years with Sri Aurobindo"
Postscript - pages 298-299
published by Sri
Aurobindo Ashram - Pondicherry
diffusion by SABDA
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