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WRITINGS BY THE MOTHER
© Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust

Work as an Offering to the Divine

Let us offer our work to the Divine; this is the sure means of progressing.

*

Consciousness develops best through work done as an offering to the Divine.

Indolence and inaction end in tamas: that is a fall into unconsciousness; it is contrary to all progress and light.

To overcome one's ego, to live only in the service of the Divine--that is the ideal and the shortest way towards acquiring the true consciousness.

*

You must do the work as an offering to the Divine and take it as part of your Sadhana. In that spirit the nature of the work is of little importance and you can do any work without losing the contact with the inner presence.

*

When there is not enough work in my department, can I spend my time reading or drawing?

Your work is your sadhana, and it is by doing your work in a spirit of consecration that you can make most progress.

I think it would be better not to tire yourself too much by reading or drawing.

18 February 1933

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I would like to know, isn't there also the same sadhana in reading and drawing? [new p. 298]

Everything can be made into a means of finding the Divine. What matters is the spirit in which things are done.

21 February 1933

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Work done in the true spirit is meditation.

15 September 1934

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All depends on the attitude with which you do the work. If done with the right attitude, it will surely bring you nearer to me.

17 May 1937

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I am quite satisfied with your way of doing the work and it is sure to help you to come nearer to me.

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I make no difference between work and yoga. Work itself is yoga if it is done in a spirit of dedication and surrender.

25 January 1938

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Sometimes when I am absorbed in meditation I see and feel that my physical being aspires through work. Then I see a sun manifesting in my physical with its brilliant light. All the gods and forces emanating from You are in this sun. [old p. 321]

Yes, it is true that in and through work one can enter into contact with the sun of divine light and force.

*

Your attitude towards work is the right one and I see no changes to suggest. The work done through love and because of love is surely the most powerful.

8 June 1942

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Works of love: the best condition for work.

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Let us work as we pray, for indeed work is the body's best prayer to the Divine.

11 December 1945

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To work for the Divine is to pray with the body.

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One can progress through meditation, but through work [old p. 322]provided it is done in the right spirit one can progress ten times more.

6 April 1954

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The progress in sadhana comes from the rectification of the inner and outer attitude, not from the nature of the work one does--any work, even the most humble, can lead to the Divine if it is done with the right attitude.

16 July 1955

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It is not so easy to do work. In true work you have to do all that is done in Sadhana and much more.

21 August 1955

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You have to do all that a yogi does, you have to reach the highest heights and bring down those conditions of consciousness, light and peace and manifest them in your everyday work. For you no job is insignificant or trivial.

22 August 1955

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Go and prepare yourself and the best preparation is to be useful to the Divine's work.

May 1963

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Should I try meditation?

It is not necessary if your work is a constant offering to the Divine.

13 April 1965

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How can I offer my work?

Usually one works for one's own profit and satisfaction; instead of that, one should work to serve the Divine and express His will.

23 June 1965

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Whatever is our work and whatever we do, we must do it sincerely, honestly, scrupulously, not in view of any personal profit, but as an offering to the Divine, with an entire consecration of our being. If this attitude is sincerely kept in all circumstances, whenever we need to learn something to do the work more effectively, the occasion to acquire this knowledge comes to us and we have only to take advantage of the opportunity.

*

Now that you are about to take your first steps on the path of action, it is time to decide whether you will consecrate your life to your own personal interest or whether you will make an offering of it for the accomplishment of the work.

In either case the field of action remains the same. But the spirit in which it is done is totally different.

*

It must not be forgotten that the offering is made to the Divine's Work and not to any human enterprise. So the only thing that can be done is to express some appreciation in a few words.

*

What are the steps to follow for (1) sadhana and (2) silence of the mind? [old p. 324]

(1) Do work as sadhana. You offer to the Divine the work you do to the best of your capacities and you leave the result to the Divine.

(2) Try to become conscious first above your head, keeping the brain as silent as possible.

If you succeed and the work is done in that condition, then it will become perfect.

2 April 1970

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Be faithful to your ideal and dedicate your work to the Divine.

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Work for the Divine and you will feel an ineffable joy filling your being.

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Disinterested work done for the Divine: the surest means of progressing.

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Disinterested work: work done with no other motive than of doing as well as possible the Divine's work.

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How is one to know what the Divine's Work is and how is one to work with the Divine?

You have only to unite and identify yourself with the Divine.

Progress and Perfection in Work

You will become more and more perfect in your work as the consciousness grows,increases, widens and is enlightened.

7 October 1934

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In all action, all work done, the degree of perfection depends upon the degree of consciousness.

*

To work in the Divine's way is not easy for a blind and egoistic person like me. By that I mean: to work unegoistically and to keep myself open to your force so that it may work unhampered in me. Am I right?

Yes, it is correct.

Judging by that standard I have no right to work for you at all; but it is also not desirable, perhaps, to cease to work for you.

Certainly you must not stop working for me. It is by working that the perfection of the working comes.

12 April 1947

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Try to enjoy doing everything you do.

When you are interested in what you do, you enjoy doing it.

To be interested in what you do, you must try to do it better and better.

In progress lies true joy.

6 January 1952

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When work becomes attractive and is done with joy, how much better it is.

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It is true that my force is always with him to help him to do his work; but my force is essentially a force for perfection, and to be able to allow it to work fully, one must have a constant will for progress in the work.

12 May 1952

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It is by combined and patient effort that all good work is done.

8 April 1954

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Perfection in the work must be the aim, but it is only by a very patient effort that this can be obtained.

12 April 1954

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Open yourself more and more to the Divine's force and your work will progress steadily towards perfection.

11 June 1954

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Let us constantly aspire to be a perfect instrument for the Divine's work.

27 August 1954

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Let nothing short of perfection be your ideal in work and you are sure to become a true instrument of the Divine.

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There must be order and harmony in work. Even what is apparently the most insignificant thing must be done with perfect perfection, with a sense of cleanliness, beauty, harmony and order.

23 August 1955

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With method, order and care there is no difficulty that cannot be solved.

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Organisation: indispensable for all good work.

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Regularity: indispensable for all serious accomplishment.

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For the work steadiness and regularity are as necessary as skill. Whatever you do, do it always carefully.

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Always do what you do with care.

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Any work done with care becomes interesting.

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Nothing is too small to be neglected, the same care meets all circumstances.

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To undo one thing in order to build another is not a good policy. Those who are consecrated and want to work for the Divine must be patient and know how to wait for things to be done at the right moment and in the right way.

14 February 1959

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It is better to use the energies received from the Divine for perfection rather than for aggrandisement.

The perfection of the work done is much more important than its bulk or the bigness of its scope.

May 1959

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When one works for the Divine, it is much better to do perfectly what one does than to aim at a very big work.

13 May 1959

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It is better to do well than to do quickly.

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To begin a work and to leave it half done and to start another work elsewhere, is not a very wholesome habit.

5 July 1959

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In works, aspiration towards Perfection is true spirituality.

October 1961

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Whatever work you do, do it as perfectly as you can. That is the best service to the Divine in man.

1 November 1961

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I was intending to write to you that this neglected work must be carried out immediately.

I accept your explanation that it is not bad will but negligence. But I must tell you that for me negligence is the worst form of bad will, for it is the refusal to surrender to the divine inspiration and consciousness which demand a constant vigilance.

I hope that this new year will bring you all the breadth of mind and generosity of heart which will make such unfortunate incidents impossible.

Blessings.

4 January 1966

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Faultless planning of work cannot be obtained except with the consciousness of the Divine.

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If men had to stop work when they are not perfect, everybody would stop working. It is in the work that we must progress and purify ourselves.

Continue to do the work you are doing but never forget that it can and must become better.

23 December 1971

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To do the work that one does with all sincerity, as perfectly as one can, is certainly one of the best ways to serve the Divine.

18 May 1972

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When the instruments of work--hands, eyes, etc.--become [old p. 330]conscious and the attention is controlled, the capacity for work seems to have no bounds.

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Skilful hands, a clear vision, a concentrated attention, an untiring patience, and what one does is well done.

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Skilful hands, precise care, a sustained attention and one compels Matter to obey the Spirit.

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To know how to observe in silence is the source of skilfulness.

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Skill in works must be used knowingly. [new p. 309][old p. 331]

 

Collaboration and Harmony in Work

The field of work does not change. What you are doing now, you will continue to do. It is in the attitude in the work, especially in the relation with the other workers, that the change must take place. Each one sees the work in his own way and believes it is the only true way, the only way that expresses the Divine Will. But none of these ways is completely true; it is only by rising above these divided conceptions that one can reach a better understanding of the Divine's Will. This means mutual understanding and collaboration instead of opposition and clash of wills and feelings.

23 May 1934

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For harmony and better work, it is not by changing men that things can get better, but by changing one's own consciousness and character.

25 January 1937

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As a general rule it is better not to intervene in things that do not fall within one's own work.

7 October 1937

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If in the work you meet with some difficulties, look sincerely into yourself and there you will discover their origin.

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The difficulties in work come not from circumstances or petty outer occurrences, they come from something which is wrong in the inner attitude, especially in the vital attitude: egoism, [old p. 332]ambition, fixity of mental conceptions regarding work, vanity, etc. And it is always good, in order to correct the disharmony, to look for the cause in oneself rather than in others.

19 April 1938

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To recognise the presence of a "disharmonious atmosphere" is useful only so far as it wakes in each one the will to change it into a harmonious atmosphere and to do that the first important step is for each one to get out of his own limited point of view in order to understand the point of view of others. It is more important for each one to find the mistake in himself than to insist on the mistake of others.

I add that all those to whom I have given responsibility in the work are expected to be faithful to this responsibility and, without allowing of any "hurt feeling" to creep in, do their best to carry on successfully their duty.

My blessings are with all those who are sincere and have goodwill.

*

Indeed I have allowed X to shift her rose plants there. But I do not think she needs the whole place for them. Moreover, in the present food-crisis it is not wise to use for flowers a place where vegetables have always grown very well. It seems that the place where tomatoes were grown is now ready for beans--these beans must be sown and well looked after so that they may be productive. The trees and shrubs must be left in place and the sitaphal tree (custard apple) must be very carefully attended to as it gives excellent fruits. In consequence I wish that this garden should be looked after by both X and Y, each one taking care of the things with which they are concerned reciprocally. I hope [new p. 311]they will take advantage of this occasion to show that work can be done unselfishly and harmoniously, putting in [old p. 333]first place the welfare of the work itself and checking in themselves all wrong movements that could stand against this achievement.

With my love and blessings.

*

Psychic work: a work governed by harmony.

*

I came to the bindery to explain to all of you what you had to do, and expect that you will do accordingly. I want you to work all together harmoniously, helping one another as much as you can.

Everyday programme

The university work goes first, then the library work, then the individual work, if there is time.

Blessings.

*

Without discipline, no good work can be done.

Each one to his place, doing conscientiously the work assigned to him, and all will be well.

17 August 1938

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Organised teamwork: each one at his place and all together.

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To make any change in a work, I require before taking any decision that both parties should write to me explaining their [old p. 334]case and the proposed change and then I shall decide.

My love and blessings.

25 July 1947

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I do not believe that to change work will help you to change your character; it has never proved successful before.

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The reasons for which you ask to change your work are psychological and do not depend on the work itself. Wherever you will go, you will carry them with you and nowhere will you be able to find peace unless you have the peace in your heart.

22 August 1949

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When one has work to do for a community, to take a decision for personal motives and to abandon one's work is a serious mistake.

You mention faults committed which cannot be corrected: this is wrong. Any fault can be corrected if you sincerely set to work to correct yourself. To run away from the progress to be made is an act of cowardice and I cannot approve of it.

First of all make a sincere and complete confession of faults committed. Afterwards I shall see what is to be done.

30 May 1953

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Collaboration and reciprocal goodwill are indispensable for good work.

11 August 1954

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To concentrate on a close collaboration in the work would be obviously a more useful attitude than to concentrate on mutual grievances. [old p. 335]

The most important point is that the work should be quickly done and well done.

21 December 1957

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To the Bangavani Workers

No great work can be done without co-ordination and discipline.

A true and organised collaboration is the condition of success.

20 June 1959

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It is only in harmonious collaboration that effective work can be done.

The important thing is to find the point on which you can all agree--and after this is firmly established, each one must be ready to yield his personal will in order to keep intact this point of harmony.

29 March 1966

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When we have to work collectively, it is always better to insist, in our thoughts, feelings and actions, on the points of agreement rather than on the points of divergence.

We must give importance to the things that unite and ignore, as much as possible, those that separate.

Even when physically the lines of work differ, the union can remain intact and constant if we keep always in mind the essential points and principles which unite, and the Divine Goal, the Realisation which must be the one unchanging object of our aspiration and works.

*

If anyone were capable of seeing the welfare of the work quite independent of his preferences and without turning everything into a personal question, then most of the difficulties would be solved.

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If people could stop speaking of the work as their work it would put an end to a lot of trouble. Here, all work is the Divine's.

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It is the work which is important, not the way in which our little self does the work.

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Unless you can rise above your personal ideas, opinions and preferences, you cannot become a good worker. As long as you have your personal preferences, you will not be able to do the exact thing needed. [new p. 315][old p. 337]

 

Difficulties in Work

This morning I felt tired after five minutes' work. It was only polishing furniture!

All manual work is tiring the first few times one does it. But gradually the body gets used to it and becomes strong. However, when you feel really tired, you must stop and rest.

11 February 1933

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With consecration the work can be done much more easily and happily. But nobody must be asked a greater effort than what he can do.

27 February 1935

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The best way to work without getting tired is to offer the work you do (whatever work it is) to the Divine and to find in the Divine the support you need--for the Divine's Force is inexhaustible and He answers always to whatever offer is made to Him sincerely.

Then, when you will feel that it is the Divine's Force that has done the work in you and through you, in your sincerity you will know that the merit is His and not yours--so there is no more reason to be proud.

Blessings.

*

Do not worry about the work; the more you will do it quietly and calmly, the more it will become effective.

29 July 1935

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Sometimes I fear that the rigidity of my nature does not allow you to act properly in me. [new p. 316]

But through work the nature becomes less rigid, more plastic and supple.

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I trust you fully and know you are capable of fulfilling quite well your responsibilities. As for the difficulties and deficiencies, everybody has some and one is here to overcome them. This is the meaning of the sadhana of works. Go on courageously with your duties, keeping all faith in the Divine and relying only on the Divine's help and grace.

6 January 1942

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I do not see why you should feel oppressed. It is not an easy job to run an establishment like X Garden and many bitter experiences may be necessary before you learn the job. I only ask that you should keep a good will to learn and to improve your capacities. For the rest, that is to say the results, we must be patient.

With my love and blessings.

1 May 1944

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Here, for each work given, the full strength and Grace are always given at the same time to do the work as it has to be done. If you do not feel the strength and the Grace, it proves that there is some mistake in your attitude. The faith is lacking or you have fallen back on old tracks and old creeds and thus you lose all receptivity.

1 October 1952

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The resistance with which we meet in the accomplishment of our work is proportionate to its importance.

10 October 1954

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For work the present is the most important thing: the past must not come in the way and the future must not pull you away.

21 December 1954

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Your work can never be good if you go on thinking of the next thing. For work, it is the present that is most important. The past should not drag you behind, the future should not pull you forward. You must be fully concentrated on the present, on what you are doing. You must be so concentrated on what you are doing that it is as if the salvation of the whole world depended only upon your work.\S

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Unless you work hard you do not get energy, because in that case you do not need it and do not deserve it. You get energy only when you make use of it.

13 August 1955

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Be sincere in the work you have undertaken and the Grace will always be there to help you.

14 April 1959

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Concentrate on your work--it is that that gives you strength.

Blessings.

10 September 1961

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Continue doing your work with a simple and peaceful heart and a quiet mind. The aspiration will come gradually according to the need.

21 April 1965

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I have been feeling for quite some time that I should limit my outward activity and confine myself to quiet work where I have not to do much running about.

I am facing some kind of inner crisis. My life is becoming aimless. A persistent dream warns me of my inner instability. It is my urgent necessity that I should achieve inner poise and stability. The obscurity and heavy inertia must diminish.

If the Mother would permit me I would like to be free from my department work. However I shall do as the Mother directs me. Kindly guide me.

If you leave the department, the work will be ruined! As soon as I have a moment free I shall call you in the morning and we shall talk it over.

The more I grow, the more I know that it is in work that Sri Aurobindo's integral yoga is best done.

Love and blessings.

9 October 1966

*

Mother,

My mind is greatly perplexed. I do not know where I stand. The work we have taken up is huge. The commitments are many. What I have to do is not clear from outside or from within. Every day the decisions are altered, new questions posed, the ego confronted with unacceptable situations. I pray to the Mother that I be released from the department work \PGtill such time as I have some clear guidance or the Mother's definite directions as to the work I have to do.

This is a personal crisis. I have no quarrels or complaints about people. I wish to keep my mouth closed [new p. 319]and wait and learn to read the message of light that should appear before me.

I pray for the Mother's light.

It would be so good if you were not affected and continued the work just now that there is so much to do and the help of all is so badly needed.

If you want to see me, I shall be glad to see you, but you know that I am never alone and it is difficult to speak.

In any case, be sure that my love and blessings are with you always.

7 August 1969

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Mother,

I am facing a personal problem and I pray for the Mother's guidance.

As yet I do not have any sense of inner guidance. My days are not well spent. I am sticking on with the department work although I often feel I am not wanted or trusted. But I do not wish to be guided by any ordinary thought or feeling. I crave for isolation at times. I pray that I may have a surer feeling that I am doing what my Master wishes of me. Let my personal likes, dislikes and egoism not tarnish the purity of action or word.

"Mother" has been my mantra and I take refuge in Her.

You are not only wanted but indispensable for the work which [old p. 342]would not be done properly without you. So I ask you to be patient and not to attach importance to the difficulties on the way.

Love and blessings.

3 May 1970

*

Take up the work and have faith, the force will come in proportion to the need; and your receptivity depends on your faith and confidence.

Love and blessings.

24 December 1971

 

Work Silently

For the sake of sadhana and for the sake of work, it is always better to work silently.

*

When there is some work to do, the less one speaks of it the better it is.

*

Talk as little as possible.

Work as much as you can.

*

X has a very bad habit of coming and talking to people while they are working. If he does not work himself, he should at least allow others to work conscientiously.

So if he comes again to talk while you are working, you had better tell him--"No, not now, we can talk when I have finished my work."

7 January 1933

*

It seems to me that the proof of sincerity is in work and not in planning.

This is exactly what I have tried to make them understand--but the tendency to plan and talk seems to be too strong to be checked. Let us hope some work also will be done.

*

Mother, my being wants to spend its time in silence. But it cannot because of my helpers. They tell me that it becomes difficult to ask me anything when I am grave. This creates confusion in the work. Mother, will You give me Your advice?

I don't quite understand your question. Certainly the work should be done as conscientiously as possible. But that does not mean that you have to be grave. What is necessary is to be always peaceful and full of calm energy. [new p. 323][old p. 345]

 

Care of Material Things

Mother, why do I lose things so often?

Because you do not keep things sufficiently in your consciousness.

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It is always very good to make use of things instead of uselessly destroying them.

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It was an act of ignorance.

Received in the right spirit the curtains could have lasted two or three years more. Received wrongly they might have gone to pieces within a month. Things also have a consciousness of their own.

*

The Divine is in things also and that is why they must be treated with care.

17 May 1955

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Not to take care of material things which one uses is a sign of inconscience and ignorance.

You have no right to use any material object whatsoever if you do not take care of it.

You must take care of it not because you are attached to it, but because it manifests something of the Divine Consciousness. [new p. 324][old p. 346]

 

General

What would you say if a temple, built according to the design of some great artist, were to boast: "Admire my merits; am I not beautiful, well-built, solid and durable? Truly I am worthy of all praise!"--just as if it were the author of its own perfections. We would find that very silly and ridiculous, and yet that is what we are doing constantly. We, like the temple, are ignorant of the great conscious power that has made us what we are, and because we do not perceive the labour of the Sublime Worker, we ascribe the merit of the Work to ourselves.

19 January 1933

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Power of action: the power which results from a true surrender to the Divine.

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Once the consciousness is settled in the aspiration, it cannot depend on work or absence of work.

17 December 1933

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There is a time for action and there is a time for concentration; if, by mistake, one chooses the time for concentration to start an action, the action is bound to fail.

But if one keeps faith alive, even failure can become a shortcut for reaching the Divine.

*

It is true that the divine protection is always around us, but it fully works only when we are faced by dangers which were unavoidable; that is to say, if dangers suddenly rise on the way [old p. 347]when we are doing some work for the Divine, then the protection works at its best. But to take up some work which is, after all, not at all indispensable and not even surely useful and which is extremely dangerous, counting on the divine protection to save us from all possible consequences, this is a movement which is like a challenge to the Divine, and the Divine will never accept it.

*

When action is initiated by the Divine Will, it is pure.

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If in all sincerity one acts only to express the Divine Will, all actions without exception can become unselfish. But as long as this state has not been reached, there are actions which are more favourable for the contact with the Divine.

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Each must find the activity favourable to his progress.

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A good material work not exceeding normal capacities is most useful for keeping a good physical and moral poise.

13 July 1935

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Have you no intention of working physically yourself? Yet, it is quite indispensable for the welfare of the body.

30 January 1945

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With a quiet mind and a peaceful heart, let us do the work happily.

16 May 1954

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All work must be play, but a divine play, played for the Divine, with the Divine.

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To work for the Divine is very good, it is a delight.

But to work with the Divine is a felicity infinitely deeper and sweeter still.

12 July 1957

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There is no existence without labour--if you want to get out of labour you must get out of existence. The only way to accomplish that, is the way to Nirvana, and that way, to follow it, is of all labours the greatest.

6 November 1960

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We have, every one of us, a role to fulfil, a work to do, a place which we alone can occupy.

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(Anniversary message for the Ashram Typewriting Service)

Blessings for all who work with conscience, good will, regularity and good taste and for all who want to learn and progress.

29 March 1966

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Do the work with all your heart and as best you can and my help and my blessings will always be with you.

12 May 1971

 

Collected Works of The Mother, First Edition, Volume 14, pp. 319-348