The meaning Of The Cross

You know that I am in contact with a few Ethiopians (I think it's the country that has remained the most Christian all over the earth). There's a boy who's a secretary in the embassy in Delhi (Ethiopia's embassy), and he's quite taken, quite, and then ... (laughing) it was his birthday two days ago, and he came with a gift .... Something in wood (in ebony), big like this, with my photo on one side, Sri Aurobindo's photo on the other side, and in between ... a silver cross. And on the cross, at the junction of the two branches, there was on one side my symbol, and on the other side, Sri Aurobindo's symbol .... What's in his head?! ...
Horrible!
And naturally, as soon as I saw him, he put that on my knees .... It was big like this. <497>
As soon as I saw him, it instantly came (gesture of massive descent), like that, like an answer to the will to transform Christianity And it was so powerful, there was such a powerful vibration that I felt it was BEING done ....
The cross is the symbol of transformation, you know: Matter (transversal gesture) penetrated by the Spirit; and the junction is the transformation. A tremendous Force came, like that, for this cross to become truly ... the flower of transformation.
But I didn't tell him anything! And he himself doesn't know, I mean, he never thought about it, it's instinctively that he did that.
He wrote to the Emperor about Auroville, and there was a reply Did I show it to you? (Mother looks for a piece of paper) It's all the way at the bottom ....
"I have written to my Emperor Haile Selassie I, about Auroville International Township aim, and Ethiopia to be the second country to support this idea. He has written me a good letter. In his letter he has appreciated and admired your work very much. I wish you to bless him for peace of mind, good health to live long-peace for his people."
They don't commit themselves too much! Anyway, there's a goodwill.
(Mother puts the letter near her, under a pile of files)
I keep all that near me because it keeps the contact.

THE AGENDA,DECEMBER 31,1969

The Birth Of Bangladesh-Final Part

No, Mother.... The trouble is that the people in power in India have not yet acknowledged in their consciousness that India is ONE; they have not yet acknowledged the nonexistence of Pakistan, that's the trouble.
(Mother nods, then goes within for 20 minutes)
*** *** ***

The world situation is critical today. India's fate too is hanging in the balance. There was a time when India was a absolutely secure, there was no danger whatever of her being victim to Asuric aggression. But things have changed. People and forces in India have acted in such a way as to invite Asuric influences upon her: these have worked insidiously and undermined the security that was there.
If India is in danger, Pondicherry cannot be expected to remain outside the danger zone. It will share the fate of the rest of the country. The protection I can give is not unconditional. It is idle to hope that in spite of anything and everything, the protection will be there over all. My protection is there if conditions are fulfilled. It goes without saying that any sympathy or support for the Nazis (or for any ally of theirs) automatically cuts across the circle of protection...The Divine can give protection only to those who are whole-heartedly faithful to the Divine, who live truly in the spirit of sadhana and keep their consciousness and preoccupation fixed upon the Divine and the service of the Divine...That, I don't know.
I remember Sri Aurobindo said that the Second World War had in fact interrupted the work of transformation.
Yes, it's true.
Is this ...?
(silence)
We'll see. I don't know.
Someone (someone who knew nothing about the news announced on the radio) had a dream last night, and in the dream she saw armies going off to war (she didn't know war was coming, she's totally out of things), Indian armies going off to war -- and when she looked at them, she saw that each soldier had my face.
Interesting.
She sent word to me this morning and she didn't even know war had been declared.
For the moment it's not disturbing. But we'll see.
Sujata says that her impression is that the transformation is now so stable, the basis is so well established, that no matter what happens, it can no longer be disrupted.
I have somewhat that impression too, but....
And perhaps that's why the war was so delayed....
Yes.
... To wait for everything to be really very stable.
Possible.
Possible. Oh, more and more I live in a ... it's more than a conviction -- it's a positive certitude that things are the result of the Divine Wisdom.
Even when you fall flat on your face?
Even when you fall flat on your face -- it's the best thing that could have happened to you.
Always?
Always.

THE AGENDA DECEMBER 4TH,1971