The Mother

Demand and Desire

Q: What sort of things can come under the category of "demand and desire"? What is the exact form of "demand and desire"?

A: There are no special sort of things—demand and desire can cover all things whatsoever—they are subjective, not objective and have no special form. Demand is when you claim something to get or possess, desire is a general term. If one expects that the Mother shall smile at him at the Pranam and feels wronged if one does not get it, that is a demand. If one wants it and grieves at not getting it, but without revolt or sense of an unjust deprivation that shows desire. If one feels joy at her smile, but remains calm in its absence knowing that all the Mother does is good, then there is no demand or desire.

Q: You have said about the Divine: "He may give all that is truly needed—but people usually interpret this idea in the sense that He gives all that they think or feel they need. He may do that—but also He may not." But it is said that He supplies all our psychic needs.

Page 237

A: In the end, yes; but here too people expect Him to supply them constantly, which does not always happen.

30-1-1936

Q: If our desires are to be rejected, why does Mother sometimes satisfy them?

A: It is you who have to get rid of them. If the Mother does not satisfy at all and the Sadhak keeps them, they will get stronger by suggestion from outside. Each one has to deal with them from within.

4-9-1933

Q: X told me that if anything comes to us without our asking for it we should not reject it. For example, someone offers us sweetmeat: we may accept it. But we should not be depressed when things desired by us are not given to us. What do you say about that?

A: How can such a rule stand? Supposing someone comes and offers you meat or wine, can you accept it? Obviously not. A hundred other instances could be given where the rule would not stand. What the Mother gives or allows you, you can take.

24-3-1933