White Roses (Part 2)

Introduction

This book consists of letters which the Mother wrote to me during the period 1955 to 1973, which reveal her vast knowledge of spirituality and occultism. They deal with numerous aspects of Sri Aurobindo’s integral Yoga as well as presenting her profound observation and understanding of the world and its true future.

Readers will gain a vivid sense of the deep truths and realities behind earthly existence and our mundane day-to-day life. Those who aspire to achieve self-mastery will obtain practical guidance even in matters such as dreams, food, sleep, health, reading, prayer and meditation.

Here I may express my feeling and experience that if one opens this book White Roses after concentrating briefly on the Mother, without fail one gets a proper answer.

This is Part II, covering the period from 1963-1973.

These letters originally appeared in three separate booklets, covering the periods 1955-1963, 1964-1965, 1966-1968. Then they were all put together, along with some new letters received during the period 1969-1973. The division into parts was retained however, because to each of them the Mother gave a short introductory note:

O ye souls yearning for calm and quietness, let these “White Roses” drop upon your heart their petals of peaceful fragrance.

The Mother

You liked the first part — will you read the second?

The Mother

Read with your heart and you will understand.

Blessings

The Mother

Later, in 1981, all the letters appeared in the Mother’s own handwriting.

The most important feature of this new revised and enlarged edition of White Roses is the inclusion of many more of the Mother’s letters to me that are of general interest. Facsimiles of the Mother’s handwriting have been included, along with the pictures corresponding to the letters. As some of these facsimiles are not easy to decipher in several places, transcriptions of them have been printed below. Others which are in the most part difficult to read have been given in printed version only.

Also included are some personal letters which cannot be avoided since without them the continuity of the series is broken. At the same time they touch on general points no less than on personal ones. They express some of my deficiencies, but I have not hesitated to place them before the public. Human nature is all of one piece, and what was written to me by the Divine Mother may apply to others as well.

When in due course my other book, The Story of a Soul, is published these letters and many more will be better understood because their full context will be seen.

White Roses also includes some relevant quotations from Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s works, sent to me by her. There is also a reproduction of one of the Mother’s sketches, Ascent to the Truth, along with her explanation of it. A photograph of the Mother which she gave to me with her signature is also reproduced.

The Mother expressed to me her wish that the book White Roses should be made available in many languages. So far it has been translated into French, Russian, German, Hindi, Oriya and Tamil, as well the Gujarati translation done by myself. I have been asked by many to explain the title of the book.

One reason for it is the fact that whenever I went to the Mother she gave me white roses. Also white roses always accompanied the letters which she wrote to me, as well as the exquisite cards which she sent me unfailingly each morning.

A second reason is more personal, and I hesitate to mention it. But the title of the book would not be wholly viewed in the Mother’s Light unless I recounted some words of hers.

Wondering at the constant presence of these flowers, one day I asked the Mother about it. She smiled sweetly and answered:

“My child, whenever I see white roses they remind me of your heart — so pure.”

On another occasion she held in her hand a full-blown white rose and said with a charming smile:

“Look at this rose, isn’t it pretty? This is your soul — so pure, sweet and beautiful.”

Then after pressing the flower against her heart and caressing it, she gave the rose to me. I took it from the Mother with a silent smile, but with deep gratitude in my eyes when they met her blue-grey compassionate and luminous gaze.

The cover picture is of a bunch of white roses which the Mother sent to me to paint. I did so. Here is her comment:

To my dear little child Huta,

Are not these “White Roses” very pretty indeed?

They will bring a smile of peace to your “blankness” and the assurance of the Divine’s constant solicitude.

The “dream” of Sri Aurobindo was not a dream, but a true contact.

All love.

The Mother

I may also record what the Mother once serenely told me:

”You are the only person in the world to whom I have written so many letters.”

I can never cease feeling grateful to the Mother for making me her instrument, and I pray ardently to her that all of me may be one with the true self to which her vision penetrated.

Also I am very happy to share this splendid spiritual gift with the world, in the Supreme’s Light.

HUTA