WRITINGS BY THE MOTHER
© Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust

11 May 1967

You see, in the present condition of the world, circumstances are always difficult. The whole world is in a condition of strife, conflict, between the forces of truth and light wanting to manifest and the opposition of all that does not want to change, which represents in the past what is fixed, hardened and refuses to go. Naturally, each individual feels his own difficulties and is faced by the same obstacles.

There is only one way for you. It is a total, complete and unconditional surrender. What I mean by that is the giving up not only of your actions, work, ambitions, but also of all your feelings, in the sense that all that you do, all that you are, is exclusively for the Divine. So, you feel above the surrounding human reactions--not only above them but protected from them by the wall of the Divine's Grace. Once you have no more desires, no more attachments, once you have given up all necessity of receiving a reward from human beings, whoever they are--knowing that the only reward that is worth getting is the one that comes from the Supreme and that never fails--once you give up the attachment to all exterior beings and things, you at once feel in your heart this Presence, this Force, this Grace that is always with you.

And there is no other remedy. It's the only remedy, for everybody without exception. To all those who suffer, it is the same thing that has to be said: all suffering is the sign that the surrender is not total. Then, when you feel in you a "bang", like that, instead of saying, "Oh, this is bad" or "This circumstance is difficult," you say, "My surrender is not perfect." Then it's all right. And then you feel the Grace that helps you and leads you, and you go on. And one day you emerge into that peace that nothing can trouble. You answer to all the contrary forces, the contrary movements, the attacks, the misunderstandings, the [new p. 399]bad wills, with the same smile that comes from full confidence [old p. 420]in the Divine Grace. And that is the only way out, there is no other.

This world is a world of conflict, suffering, difficulty, strain; it is made of it. It has not yet changed, it will take some time before changing. And for each one there is a possibility of getting out. If you lean back on the presence of the Supreme Grace, that is the only way out. That I have been telling you since two or three days, like that constantly.

Now?

What to do?

What? For your work there is nothing to say. You are doing it perfectly well, exactly as it has to be done; it is all right. Your work is quite all right.

That is what I wanted to ask: whether this work is in any manner needed or not? Why should I go on doing it?

Excellent, go on doing it. You do it perfectly well. Don't expect human appreciation--because human beings don't know on what grounds to appreciate something, and, moreover, when there is something that is superior to them, they don't like it.

But where to get such a strength?

Within you. The Divine Presence is in you. It is in you. You look for it outside; look inside. It is in you. The Presence is there. You want the appreciation of others to get strength--you will never get it. The strength is in you. If you want, you can aspire for what seems to you the supreme goal, supreme light, supreme knowledge, supreme love. But it is in you--otherwise you would never be able to contact it. If you go deep enough [new p. 400]inside [old p. 421]you, you will find it there, like a flame that is always burning straight up.

And don't believe that it is so difficult to do. It is because the look is always turned outside that you don't feel the Presence. But if, instead of looking outside for support, you concentrate and you pray--inside, to the supreme knowledge--to know at each moment what is to be done, the way to do it, and if you give all you are, all you do in order to acquire perfection, you will feel that the support is there, always guiding, showing the way. And if there is a difficulty, then instead of wanting to fight, you hand it over, hand it over to the supreme wisdom to deal with it--to deal with all the bad wills, all the misunderstandings, all the bad reactions. If you surrender completely, it is no more your concern: it's the concern of the Supreme who takes it up and knows better than anybody else what is to be done. The only way out, only way out. There, my child.

One thing is that whatever I do there, it is not liked by my own people.

Your own people are all mixed up, as everybody is.

But my feeling is so strong--not only strong but it is as clear as daylight, as if I am just sitting in your presence--that I do not do anything myself. This is such a great, clear experience to me for all these years. Whatever is being done by me, it is being done by some Force and not by me at all. And it gets it done, but then the...

What! You expect the world to understand that?

No. They may not understand, I don't want any credit for that. But you see, the obstacles and the... [old p. 422]

If you consider this: that I can understand and know, then you [new p. 401]have my full support. I never told you that you were doing wrong, did I? Now, once and for all you must understand that unless people are true yogis, out of the ego, completely surrendered to the Supreme, they can't understand. How could they? They see with all the exterior eyes and knowledge; they see exterior things and appearances. They don't see the inside. When we have stopped expecting appreciation from the outside, that is from human beings, we have no reason to complain. They appreciate, so much the better for them. They don't appreciate, it doesn't matter. It's their own look-out. We do things not to please them, we do things because we feel that that is to be done.

I have never expected appreciation, Mother.

Perhaps things are coming to compel you to take up that position--because that is the liberation, that is the true liberation.

Not from ego, but I am a sadhu by nature. I don't need anything at all.

That is all right, but also you must not need the appreciation of your own family.

With all my failings and weaknesses, I don't need anything at all. I don't need any appreciation.

Then you can't suffer. Because the only thing that you need is the support of the Divine, and you have it. Then you can't suffer.

But I am suffering very much.

Yes, there is a conflict in your being. One part of your consciousness [old p. 423]knows but there is still one part that is the slave of circumstances. [new p. 402]

(Silence)

Perhaps all that has been coming upon you for the supreme and the total liberation. And if you take it as the expression of the Grace, you will see the result. Peace, a peace that nothing can disturb, perfect equanimity and a strength that never fails.

(Long silence)

Take it as a new birth today. The new life that is beginning.

Collected Works of The Mother, First Edition, Volume 15, pp. 419-423