Dear Friends,
Chunibhai Patel (19.6.1903—19.8.1992) was a Gujarati sadhak who was renamed ‘Dyuman’ (“the luminous one”) by Sri Aurobindo on 24 November 1928. He visited Pondicherry for the first time on 11 July 1924 and surrendered himself to Sri Aurobindo. He became an inmate of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in May 1927. He was in charge of the Dining Room and looked after the Granary. A dedicated worker to the core, the Mother made him one of the Founder-Trustees of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust on 1 May 1955. He became the Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust in 1991.
We are happy to announce that Overman Foundation has received permission from Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust to publish Dyuman’s Correspondence with the Mother in its online forum. We are extremely grateful to Shri Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, for giving us the said permission. We are also thankful to Shri S. Ravi, co-editor of Mother India journal and teacher at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education for providing these letters to us.
The first two installments of Dyuman’s Correspondence with the Mother—consisting of letters written between 12 June 1929 and 10 July 1934 were published in the online forum of Overman Foundation on 23 June and 27 June 2015 respectively. The third installment of the said correspondence—containing letters written between 4 August 1934 and 11 January 1935 has been published in the online forum of Overman Foundation. Please note that these letters are not included in the Collected Works of the Mother.
With warm regards,
Anurag Banerjee
Founder,
Overman Foundation.
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A pencil-sketch of Dyuman made by the Mother
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Mother,
I am not sure of getting plantains. If they are available, they will be the plantains You saw today, kept until tomorrow. If they are not available, shall I return without them? And I might put a notice written on the slate in Aroumé: “No plantains in the Market.”
It is difficult to put up such a notice if there are actually some plantains in the bazaar. It is only if truly there are none that you can say so.
22 July1934
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Mother,
Yesterday A took B’s mother to Aroumé.
In the godown she asked C: “Are you married? Where is your husband? Have you got a child? How big is it?”
How imbecile!
A told C: “Do you understand what she says! May I tell you?” C replied: “I understand, no need of your speaking.”
Mother, it would be better not to have visitors when we are at work; and nobody should be taken to Aroumé at the time of serving and eating. They must arrange with me previously.
Quite right.
A notice can be put up to this effect, that Aroumé cannot be visited without a special authorisation of the Mother and previous arrangement with Dyuman as for the hour of the visit.
With all love and blessings.
4 August 1934
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Dear Mother,
D of the Washing Section asks me to help him. He says: “The Mother has written to me to be very careful about the flies, they may not gather, etc.”
Yes—flies are very dangerous, just now more than ever.
When the Washing Section is working it puts the inmate’s vessels in water immediately; but when the inmates go for their food at late hours, their dishes remain in the open and flies gather on them.
No dishes must be left in the open as an attraction for flies. If they cannot be washed at once, they must be dipped in a tub full of water—this is very important.
It is better these days to wash every day with “chlorure de chaux” the floor of the kitchen, the serving room and the dining rooms. The serving tables too.
8 August 1934
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Beloved Mother,
All Love to You. May things be more quiet, more calm, and may You have a full rest.
In the present condition of things at large, we must be satisfied, I suppose, with the inner rest which is always there, untouched by any exterior turmoil.
With love and blessings always.
17 August 1934
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Mother,
The beauty of the seasonal vegetables: [the disciple lists the ingredients of two pumpkin dishes]. The things are fresh and good and cheap.
It is all right provided there will not be pumpkin at each meal.
23 August 1934.
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Dear Mother,
F read the note of G for the white pepper. She told me: “Why buy a bottle! Bring the white pepper, I shall grind it as fine as a bottle of Morton pepper ground in London. It will be quite fresh for the Mother.”
If it is truly not too much work, certainly I like better to have it prepared at home.
30 August 1934
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Mother,
Why so sudden a change in my condition, I wonder? I was quite in a normal state this morning, and in the twinkling of an eye it all got changed and I was before You in a changed condition. Whatever it may be, I have learned many lessons today, Mother. The movements that were loose and scattered have become controlled and concentrated.
Mother, in spite of falls and blunders, with a certitude to become as You wish.
There is no fall and no blunder and I do not know why your condition got so much changed. But if it is for the better I am very glad. Of course one has always something to learn and a progress to make, and in each circumstance we can find the occasion of learning the lesson and making the progress.
If you feel more concentrated than you were, it is a very good thing, especially if it is a concentration on the Divine, wanting more and more to avoid all influences except that of the Divine and to accept to be moved only by the Divine’s will and no other. You said today that it is the end of making remarks to one another on people. Surely the day when the inmates of the Ashram will stop making among themselves remarks on the others, when all gossip will stop, it will be a blessed day and our work of realisation will be made much easier.
What you see, what you observe, you must keep for yourself and say to nobody except me.
Once again, be the giver of example to the others—show them how a true Sadhak must be.
I trust that you will do it and all my love and force are with you for this accomplishment.
11 September 1934
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Dear Mother,
Surely You will tell me if Your trust in me gets shaken, if Your love is not responded to.
You have called forth this being to live in the Ashram in the Light of the Divine, with the head filled with the Presence of the Divine, the heart filled with Your Love, the vital filled with the dynamic Force of the Divine for the execution of the Divine Will.
O Mother, O Lord, may You possess this being, may it come forth and live exclusively in the full splendour of Your Love and Light and Truth.
This is my prayer to the All-Gracious Divine.
Your prayer is heard, your ardent aspiration is receiving the proper response. Our trust and love are always with you and our Light and Consciousness to enlighten, transform, perfect the whole being.
With all our blessings.
11 September 1934
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Dear Mother,
One thing surmounts all difficulties in me: it is that my faith, confidence and trust are never shaken. This condition of faith is solid and unbreakable; it is an eternal faith, a loving present from the Divine. I am sustained by a vast faith in You, my loving Mother, and in my beloved Sri Aurobindo.
Yes, it is your faith and love that carry you through all difficulties to an ultimate Victory.
With all my love and blessings.
14 September 1934
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My dear child,
I do not understand how what you propose can help. The work you are given, the life you live must be the work and the life of a sadhak, not that of a coolie. If you were treated or lived like a coolie and not as a sadhak, this work could never be done by you.
Moreover I do not see how your renouncing the things I give you could in the least cure the discontent of H and those like him.
The true attitude is neither to be an ascetic nor to indulge in desire. The true attitude is to take in all simplicity what I give, to be perfectly satisfied with it and neither to ask for more nor to refuse what is given. This is the true example to give, the one that can help the others towards a better understanding of their duties as sadhaks.
Nothing can cure H except getting rid of this making desire and the satisfaction of desire the principle of his life.
Remain my child, simple, quiet and content, and all will be all right.
5 October1934
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Dear Mother,
I heard that several ladies have all made accusations against me. But that does not matter. I am quite happy—happier and more firm and quiet than ever before. There is one thing that has given me quietness and kept me at rest: Your confidence, Your Love, and my faith in Your Love.
Dear Mother, the entire thing is ending and I have full hope that there will be better understanding and a little more peace.
So long as all these women are living in the vital consciousness—as they do—they are bound to quarrel, to be jealous, envious, spiteful, depressed, and the rest. The best is not to give much importance to it—because in fact it has none. You set things right, the next day they go wrong again, because the seat of their consciousness is not changed. Even if they turn to the Divine, they will turn in the same spirit and with the same reactions: competition, strife, anger, jealousy, spite and the rest.
It is the consciousness that must change its seat and get out from the vital to a higher or deeper place.
When they come to you, you can tell them that all these stories have no importance whatever, that they are the ordinary reactions of the ordinary life and that surely it is no use coming here to live in that ordinary way. They must make an effort to rise to a higher and truer, to a more disinterested and unselfish consciousness and there they will see that all will be all right for them.
As for you, I am happy that all this turmoil left you untouched. Indeed it must be so more and more and you must yourself look at all these things from the light and equanimity of a spiritual consciousness filled with the Divine Presence and Love.
Our help and trust are always with you.
12 October 1934
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My dear Mother,
This morning, when J and K were frying vegetable-balls, this thought passed in me:
We come here to stay. Suppose we are put to the test? We are put in a big pan filled with oil over a very strong fire and we have to sit in the pan, calm, quiet, unmoved and completely at rest. Those who pass the test are allowed to take up the yoga.
It would scarcely be a test. The moral courage and endurance are often much more difficult to get than the material courage and endurance.
15 October 1934
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Dear Mother,
My task is more difficult now. When H comes to me, he hardly speaks about the work at the Granary. But he can freely talk on subjects unnatural to me: the world, its curiosities and many other things. I am really puzzled over the matter.
Let him talk, you need not answer. Simply keep living in you the thought of the true consciousness and the will that he should awake to it.
18 October 1934
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My dear and Beloved Mother,
I am happy because I am always supported and carried by You. So often the workers come to me and play a drama and fall into gloom. But I am happy, my dear Mother, so the gloom passes away from them and happiness and peace pervade.
Yes. It is very good—happiness is as contagious as gloom. And nothing can be more useful than to pass on to people the contagion of a true and deep happiness.
25 October 1934
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My dear Mother,
Surely Your Love is unshakable and always You love me. Surely I shall advance with You, as fast as Your Love permits. I am once more firmly poised on a better plane than ever before. After a little shaking and crying my equanimity has become more strong and unshakable—because of Your unshakable Love.
Your love fully answers to mine.
Yes, my dear child, it has, indeed, been a true and great progress and your feeling of having emerged in a new light is true; rather it is a new light which has descended in some parts of the being still obscure and brought there a Certitude.
Love is, in truth, the Victor.
29 October 1934
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My dear Mother,
A few days ago L put a demand on me: “Come to Canal House daily.”
I told her, “It is not possible.”
Then she said, “Once a week.”
I replied, “That too is difficult. All the same I shall try but it will not be regular.”
“I want to come to you,” she said.
“All right, at 11 A.M. when you come for your flowers.”
I have not said, “Do not come to me,” but when they try to bind me tight, I always find it very difficult.
She has passed through a difficult time and old movements have come up again trying to drag her back to ancient errors; that is why probably she was wanting to see you.
But surely she will be all right again after some time.
You are right in letting nobody catch hold of you, it would be very bad in all ways.
With love and blessings always.
7 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
M of the bakery came to me this evening and told me: “Why do you give us hard bread now? Why do you keep the stock? You can give us fresh bread daily.” I explained to him the problem of the rise and fall in consumption each day and the need to keep some stock.
I suppose things can continue as they are now. But do you not think it would be fair to give to M and the bakery people a loaf of fresh bread every day! They have all the work and hard work too; they must at least eat their own bread when it is quite good.
9 November 1934
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Dear Mother,
L is again badly disturbed. When I am frank, there is difficulty; when I remain silent, there is also difficulty. Give me a middle path, such as Buddha found.
Do not worry—whatever you do will always be criticised. So the best is not to pay any attention to what people say and to go on one’s own path according to the highest light one can get.
With all love and blessings always.
10 November 1934
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My dear Love,
Physically, I am much better; the throat also seems to be better. I hope to be quite all right.
Let the light, the force, the consciousness flood your whole being and give you the strength to throw away at once the attack on your body.
Always with you.
11 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
The condition of the vegetable market is exceptionally poor. Nothing can be found in quantity for us. Prices have gone up more than double and for certain vegetables 5 or 6 times. Should we pay so much money for vegetables?
For the money we must accept the necessity of the expense, but we must be strict about the quality of the food. We cannot give bad or spoilt things.
13 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
B told C: “Why not ask the Mother to get biscuits prepared for your son in our Bakery?”
C told me: “Will you ask the Mother and take her permission to get the biscuits prepared for the boy? I shall pay you the money.” I did not answer him.
I told B: “Do not make such statements. We do not do such things, it is altogether new. We shall have to write to the Mother first before we take up such things.”
It is quite impossible to tax the Bakery people with such extra work and to do business with their work.
14 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
You have told us: “I have come to fight and conquer.”
Accept me, my dear General, as Your humble soldier. I carry Your banner of Truth and Light. I accept no defeat.
A decisive Victory is crowned upon You, my dear Mother. Divine Love is the Victor.
Yes, my dear child, you are my good warrior and you will have your share in the Victory.
With love and blessings always.
16 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
The last two days, when I was on the footpath of Aroumé, I got a rising of temperature in my body and a bad head; this morning it was worse and I was pushing and pushing it out.
Today I cleaned D’s bottle for keeping sweets and was bringing it to You from Aroumé. I held it tight with a consciousness that it must not fall. It did not slip, but jumped out of my hand; twice I grabbed for it and the third time it went out of my hand onto the stone steps of Aroumé and broke into pieces.
The bottle itself has no importance, but why these attacks on me when I got to Aroumé? It did not stop there. Some hostile force wanted to send me away from the Ashram, it wanted me to tell You: “Mother, I want to retire; make me free from Aroumé and the Aroumé workers.”
My dear Mother, the hostile forces are taking a little pleasure in troubling me, but I accept no defeat, I do not become weak; I am up and up and on and on, forward with full strength, zeal and confidence in myself and in You and in the final Victory of the Divine Light.
Yes, fear not.
The attack is not on you only but on the whole place, because of the approaching darshan.
We have only to say—in perfect peace—to these adverse forces: what you are trying to do is perfectly useless—you can in no way interfere with the victory of the Divine.
All love and blessings to you, my dear child.
19 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
This evening I wished and wished for a being to come, a being who has risen above all lower nature, and is completely merged in the Divine. My dear Mother, there are such beings somewhere above; may they come down and serve You and manifest Your Love and Consciousness.
If they took a body, they would at the same time take upon them the human nature and all its difficulties.
27 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
Mother, my Mother, may the Divine Peace descend upon earth. May the Divine Peace descend into each heart. It is only in Peace that the Divine shall manifest and spread the glory of His Divinity.
My Mother, I ask for Peace, Peace and Peace.
Yes, Peace is the indispensable basis. Our peace, love and blessings are always with you.
30 November 1934
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My dear Mother,
I read Sri Aurobindo’s notice about You. I read it again and then read it once more.
My Lord, the Mother has no rest; may she have some. Lord, grant that wherever I go and move and work, there may be nothing but peace and happiness.
My dear Mother, this is my humble prayer to the Divine: may You have rest.
Just now, I am resting quite all right. Surely the best way to help is, indeed, to be peaceful and happy. And if peace and happiness were spread in the Ashram much of the work would be saved.
Our love and blessings are always with you.
1 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
Ah, the moment we remain fully conscious and vigilant, all our difficulties vanish—they cannot stand! It is impossible for them to face the flaming fire of the Divine. Grant me full consciousness, complete vigilance and that flaming fire.
Surely you will have more and more the divine fire of progress and purification burning in your heart.
With our love and blessings.
3 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
Happy am I that You are in my heart; Your Love and Light surround me.
Yes, I am always in your heart and the peace, protection and help are constantly surrounding you.
With love and blessings.
7 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
This evening at 8 p.m. a very strong giddiness came in my head and began to make me unconscious. I sat down for a few minutes and it passed away.
Why do such things happen? I know why: in 1935 we enter the Eternal Consciousness, a consciousness of complete peace, joy, harmony and happiness. In order to obstruct this, such things come.
To be quiet and fearless is the condition in which these adverse forces can do no harm at all.
Always with you.
8 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
F has taken so many photos and there is now an album. People ask me: “Where are you?” I answer: “In the heart of the Mother.”
I have only one place, and it is Your heart.
My dear child,
Well, you have lost nothing from not being photographed because the photos are far from good!
And surely it is better to be in my heart (where you actually are) than in an album…
18 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
G has not taken her evening food, for reasons she knows. I do not know, but most probably I am the culprit.
I do not think you are the culprit. I must be the culprit because she wanted to embroider a crown for me in gold and I said that I had no gold thread that I could give, which is the plain truth.
All these moods are absurd, and the best thing is not to mind them at all. A perfect equanimity is the strongest power.
19 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
May G have submission and love for the Divine, may she be filled with gratitude, may she progress in the sadhana.
I shall add: may she have a simple humility, because that is what she needs most.
The Divine Grace is infinite. O Mother, grant me a perfect receptivity. I give myself to the Divine.
Yes, my dear child, it is with the widening of the consciousness and the one-pointedness of the aspiration that the receptivity increases.
23 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
I don’t know how far it is true, but I feel that I am a being who has come down upon earth and taken up the human form only to manifest the Divine Will. I am eternal, unborn and immortal.
Let me tell You, after having this consciousness I feel myself untouched by anything and I find the strength of the lower life completely broken.
Your consciousness is quite true and I am happy you have come to realise this. Keep this consciousness in all humility towards the Divine because such is the condition of an integral realisation.
Our blessings are with you.
23 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
May You rest, and the best way of giving You rest is for me to rise above the lower nature and progress in the Divine Light so that I may live only as a spark and ray of the Light.
If each inmate determines to do this and progresses, surely, my dear Mother, You will have more rest and ease.
You are quite right, the only thing that can give me rest is that each one should take the right attitude and progress.
I am much better today.
With love and blessings always.
25 December 1934
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My dear Mother,
Seeing You this evening, this prayer arose in me so fervently: “O Lord, may my Mother get completely cured tonight.” Surely had we been devoted to You, a collective prayer and aspiration would have arisen, instead of sneezing, yawning and coughing. How nicely we receive You! You appear on the steps, and we begin this noise.
My dear Mother, may a collective and concentrated will be created, a will consecrated to the Divine for the manifestation of the Divine Love.
My very dear child, yes it is quite sure; if many could think and feel like you, things would become so much easier and so much time would be saved!
All love to you.
27 December 1934
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Mother,
H takes extra bread and gives it to the gardener and his daughters. He gets slices from the tiffin-carriers of others and this too he gives to them. If he asks for more slices, it is secretly for this purpose. I do not think we can allow such things to develop.
Give him the number of slices he used to take and nothing more. If he asks why, you have only to answer, “Mother’s orders.”
c. 1934
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Mother,
People are complaining about milk spilling in the tiffin-carriers. When the carriers are opened, we fill them like this: bread comes first and we put it in the bottom pot. Then come the vegetables; we put them in the next pot. Last of all comes the milk and it goes in the top pot. Now when the carriers are sent off on the cart, the milk sometimes drops down by the jerks of the cart and spoils the vegetables and bread. So people have begun to ask for the milk to be served in the bottom pot. This means at least four times the labour and time for the workers.
In my heart I feel that if we give food, why not give it in a better condition? But my mind refuses to yield; it says that those who are so particular should come and take away their carriers themselves.
Mother, please decide for me.
It seems to me that it is only a question of organisation of the work. Why not have all the pots of each tiffin-carrier spread in a row, in the order in which they have to be placed afterwards, like this: 1 2 3 4 (1 is top, 4 is bottom)?
Logically, 1 must contain bread
2 ” ” vegetables
3 ” ” rice
4 ” ” milk or curds
Each thing is served in the corresponding pot as soon as it is ready (that is to say, bread first, vegetables afterwards, etc.) and the tiffin-carriers are remounted only when all is served, which allows the milk to be put at the bottom.
I hope I have been clear in my explanation about how to deal with the tiffin-carriers. Of course two minutes’ practical demonstration of how to do it would make it clearer and easier to understand. If something is still obscure, I shall call you and explain how to do it. The only objection you can make to my proposal is the space needed to spread 50 to 60 tiffin-carriers. But perhaps it is quite possible to manage the required space.
c. 1934
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My dear Mother,
The old plantain-vendor has vacated the market and a new man has opened a shop now. This morning the old vendor sent the plantains directly to us and he wants to continue this way. But when I went to the market I saw the new merchant. He will bring the rate down to 10 annas per 100 plantains; this includes home-delivery and the selection is ours. The old vendor was charging 12 annas for 100, plus coolie charges.
It is better to put them in competition with one another, not only for price (I do not see why we should pay more than 10 annas when we can have them at that price) but also for quality. And for that we must try the new man and see how he behaves with us and what is the quality of his goods.
1 January 1935
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My dear Mother,
J is suffering badly from cough and has a fever, so she has become weak. I think perhaps, it would be better if she does not move out much and takes rest.
The remaining at home brings depression and it is the worst thing for this illness—but she must not do hard work, and remain in the sun and the open air as much as possible.
3 January 1935
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My dear Mother,
Today K cried and cried for one hour in my room, for reasons I do not know.
If only she wrote about it and said the reason—if there is any—of such an upsetting, she would be cured at once.
5 January 1935
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Dear Mother,
Serving food to the inmates after fixed hours: for the late-comers, breakfast goes up to 10.30 a.m., lunch up to 3.30 p.m. and dinner up to 9.30 p.m. There are nearly 40 late-comers. And they go on asking for slices of bread. People take more slices on one day and the next day they return them. What shall we do with the slices afterwards?
Dear Mother, money-lending is also going on in the Ashram! I thought that You alone deal in money.
Yes, people are irregular, fanciful, unscrupulous, undisciplined, disobedient… but there is only to keep a steady, quiet will and to be patient—and that will come to an end, one day.
I am always with you in your advance towards realisation.
7 January 1935
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My dear Mother,
The condition of milk: we are not sure of receiving the required amount of milk in the morning, yet people come forward to take 2 or 3, even 4 cups of milk in the morning. This makes the D. R. workers nervous and anxious about the noon-time distribution of milk. Suppose I get 3 cups of milk for the whole day, and I begin to take 2 cups at one time—it creates a disturbance in the distribution for the D. R.
I understand that it is very difficult for the people who serve and that the inmates are very exacting—but on their side is it not that the servers are anxious more for their own convenience than for that of the others?
My dear Mother, I ask for more patience, more quietness, more peace and for a more perfect equanimity.
Yes—for the growth of equanimity one must learn to see things from many points of view and especially from the point of those who oppose us—not in order to agree with them but to understand better their point of view. Let the peace and a quiet strength always inhabit your heart and your head.
11 January 1935
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My dear Mother,
Make me constantly a sadhak of the yoga. May I remain a sadhak all the time and not only when I come to You for Pranam.
Indeed this is a very important thing for everybody.
With all love and blessings.
11 January 1935
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Very grateful