It is
often debated as how well did André realize the importance of the Work, that is, the
Yoga of Transformation, the Mother was carrying on in her body. Some people
claim that what he understood was next to nothing, for he never practised the
Integral Yoga. On the other hand, those who knew him well and were quite close
to him argue that he did practise the Integral Yoga and was fortunate enough to
receive certain spiritual experiences, though he never talked about them, as
the Mother had instructed him not to do so. (In an e-mail to the author, Janine
had written: “My father never talked about his spiritual experiences.”
Pournaprema supported this statement and had informed the author in an e-mail
sent a few months before her death: “André was a disciple of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Following their advice, he never spoke about his spiritual experiences except
to them.”) This argument might go on for ever, for André was always silent about
his spiritual experiences and since appearance is always different from
reality, no conclusion would be drawn. But from his writings, one can at least
get an idea about how well did he understand Sri Aurobindo and his teachings.
Let’s quote some portions of an article he wrote soon after Sri Aurobindo’s mahasamadhi; it was published in the
Many
things have been written since the withdrawal of Sri Aurobindo about two years
ago. In
Some
people in the West have tried to express Sri Aurobindo’s views by explaining
what Indian spirituality is. On the other hand, Indians are frequently
surprised to see all western conveniences and comforts linked in this Ashram
with the high spirituality of the Master’s teachings. They both forget that Sri
Aurobindo is not a compromise and no tendency is entirely wrong or entirely
true. Whenever two opinions contradict each other on any level, the truth lies
at a higher level and embodies both opinions.
In the
same article, André wrote:
“In spite of all its deficiencies western civilization has brought in
achievements which cannot be overlooked. Nor is it advisable to ignore the fact
that religions fulfil their scope only as long as they retain their Divine
inspiration and do not degenerate into mere rites. All that has been said of
the drying-up effect of reason when unduly considered as the highest human
faculty applies equally to religious teaching if it is not aimed at making man
conscious of his higher and divine self. To consider that there is a Divine law
enforced upon the human individual under penalties either before or after
death, that the Divine is nothing more than, so to speak, a super-policeman as
well as a super-lawmaker, may be useful to a certain extent, but only to a very
limited extent. It can help in checking, at least partly, the evil effects of
an unethical use of power which Science has given to man. But the egoistic
trend of the individual is thus left entirely unchecked and his inner
conscience therefore by no means awakened. If, on the other hand, the inner
consciousness is awakened in such a way that the individual neglects entirely
the physical plane and even despises his body, withdraws from the community and
takes no part in its activity, devotes all his energy to the somehow selfish
cultivation of his soul, this will be of no help in the running of the social
and technical machinery. On the contrary, any assumption that to attain
spirituality one has to reject everything of the physical plane, tends to put
the powerful scientific machinery more under the control of evil forces.”
“Is
there any hope for humanity to get out of this deadlock?” André asked and then he
continued: “To this question, as well as to so many others, Sri Aurobindo’s
message provides an answer, and very likely the only satisfactory one. The ever
stumbling and apparently erratic progress of humanity through the ages takes
its full significance if it is looked at as the preparation for the descent of
the Supramental. The present state of chaos, the great peril of complete
destruction which threatens humanity through its recent scientific discoveries,
have to be considered as signs that the descent is imminent. There remains to
be seen whether the human race will be prepared to receive the Supramental. If
the Supramental is not recognised and accepted, there will be very little hope
for humanity to carry on in its present form, the human race would have missed
the opportunity it was offered of ascending a step further towards its
realization.”
After
the Mother’s departure, André did not want to involve himself in the matters related to the
administration of the Ashram. He accepted whatever Nolini Kanta Gupta advised
him. “Nolini’s word was to him final in all matters,” remarks Nirodbaran who
discussed the problems of the
From
1977, André got
involved in the struggle to prevent the publication of the Mother’s Agenda edited by Satprem. The trustees of the Ashram had
communicated to Satprem through André that they doubted about the “advisability” of the
publication of the Mother’s Agenda.
But Satprem went ahead with his plans to publish the Agenda. The trustees sent a letter to him threatening him of
imminent legal proceedings; Nolini Kanta Gupta however did not want to sign the
letter of legal threatening initially but André persuaded him to do so. What happened next
is a different story altogether. From 1973 to 1982, André took part in a few
societies like the Franco-Indian Union Association and the Sri Aurobindo Study
Centre which he had founded. He also participated in the discussions of the
Conseil du Commerce Extérieur,
an advisory council of the French Government.
From the
1980s, André began
to withdraw gradually. His health was failing fast. During his last-but-one
visit to the Ashram, he suffered an attack of influenza. He wanted to go back
to
When
André visited
Pranab
too remembers that one evening, during André’s last visit, André and he had talked about the ups-and-downs
of the Ashram.
André went back to
On the
night André left
his body, a sadhika had a dream-vision in which she saw herself entering an
exquisite and attractive two-storey building with a garden in front. On the
first floor, she saw a group of extraordinary luminous people with glowing
faces talking among themselves. While she moved to the second floor, she saw herself
in a big well-furnished hall where she saw a white robed middle aged lady
sitting with a child aged a year or so in her lap. She said in a solemn voice:
“The child has passed away.” About fifteen feet away from her, the sadhika saw
Sri Aurobindo standing quietly and calmly; then he came forward and lifted the
child into his arms from the lady’s lap and pressed him vigorously against his
own chest.
When
Indira Gandhi was informed about the demise of André Morisset, she sent a
telegram to the Ashram: “Grieved at sad news of Mr Morriset’s death. Deep
sympathy and condolences to his personal family and the large family of the
Ashram and Auroville and the Mother’s many devotees.”
In an
article published during André Morisset’s lifetime, Amal Kiran wrote: “André would be the last person
to announce publicly that the Mother had given him any special charge. He never
forces anything on people’s attention in personal matters and is always loath
to take advantage of being the Mother’s son. He knows too that being physically
born from her is not the sole claim to being her child.” [1]
Pranab
remembers: “The unlimited love I received from André-da I have received from
few people in my life.” [2]
Let’s
conclude in the words of Nirodbaran, who, in a speech delivered at the
[1] Our Light and
Delight, p. 69
[2] I Remember,
p. 250
[3] Selected Essays
and Talks of Nirodbaran, p. 151