Sarkar, Mona

Mona Sarkar

On the 18th January 1960, when a young disciple met the Mother for a personal interview, she said to him: “I shall give you something special; be prepared.” The next day, when he again met her, she spoke in French first about how to kindle the psychic Flame and then in this connection started speaking about Sri Aurobindo’s great epic Savitri and continued to speak at length. The disciple, after returning from the Mother, wanted to note down immediately what She had said, but he could not do so because he felt a great hesitation due to his sense of incapacity to transcribe exactly the Mother’s own words. After nearly seven years, however, he felt a strong urge to note down what the Mother had spoken; so in 1967 he wrote down from memory a report in French. The report was seen by the Mother and a few corrections were made by her. To another disciple who asked her permission to read this report, she wrote: Years ago I have spoken at length about Savitri to Mona Sarkar and he has noted in French what I said. Some time back I have seen what he has written and found it correct on the whole. (4 December 1967)

On a few other occasion also, the Mother had spoken to the same disciple on the value of reading Savitri which he had noted down afterwards. These notes have been added at the end of the main report. A few members of the Ashram had privately read this report in French, but afterwards there were many requests for its English version. A translation was therefore made in November 1967. A proposal was made to the Mother in 1972 for its publication and it was submitted to her for approval. The Mother wanted to check the translation before permitting its publication but could check only a portion of it. In view of the great value of what the Mother had said about Savitri and also because of the increasing demand for the English version, it is now being published. This is a report written from memory but is amazingly distinct and vivid. We should be multiply thankful to Mona Sarkar for giving it to us all. The Mother says the direct road to Savitri is by ‘the heart’.