The three appendices of this Supplement to the June 1988 issue of VISHAAL, offer an important means to view the development in our work over the years covered by these pieces: 1975 to 1980.
Appendix 1 (page 1): When this memo was written The Gnostic Circle, where Thea first discusses the important revelation of Time in the Mother’s original plan, had already been written and was being printed in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press. That marked one of the first attempts to interfere in the publication of her works where mention was made of the original plan of the Temple. Certain elements tried to have all footnote references to the deviation from the Mother’s original plan deleted from the text then in press. Those attempts failed. The discoveries recorded in the final section of The Gnostic Circle made Thea undertake to have the original plan readopted. But the full revelation of the Temple’s sacred content came close to a year later, in March 1976; that later yogic breakthrough provided all the material for The New Way.
Appendix 2 (page 9): A year after the fuller revelations on Matrimandir came, this ‘Note’ was written. Seeing then the hopeless state of affairs, as expressed in this ‘Note’, Thea took the decision to write The New Way to preserve all the knowledge contained in the Mother’s vision; she began writing the book in October 1977. After this ‘Note’ concerted attempts to interfere in the publication of her works surfaced everywhere.
Appendix 3 (page 17): This petition was written after the exodus to Kodaikanal and after The New Way had been destroyed in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press when its printing was almost completed. The details of this episode are given in the Postscript in the printed book, which was finally published in 1981. To keep a record of these sorts of interferences this petition was sent to the Government of India. No action was taken and therefore the falsehood continues to compound itself. In a work of this nature the ‘seed’ is all-important: if falsehood is lodged in the seed, time, in a totally impersonal manner, serves to make evident in the play of circumstances whatever is contained in this seed. Thus, years may pass but we witness the same actions that we witnessed over a decade ago.
*
On the Changes
In the original plan of Matrimandir
– the Mother
‘…Because you see, to accept changes, it is necessary that I be certain that the origin of the inspiration is of the same quality as mine… For the building, I know very well that people are needed who know their job and who do the work. But for the inspiration it is necessary that I be certain that the origin of the inspiration be AT LEAST of the same level as mine… And I am not sure, because I saw it so clearly. And immediately with Paolo’s ideas I saw the mixture. His ideas are all mental, I can guarantee it because it is easy for me to see that. Well, they bring all the same MIXTURE that there is in everything that is done in the world. And that…what is the use in beginning again, again, again…?
*
‘…So, since there are not many who can understand, I say nothing: I watch and I wait.
‘I LOOK… Isn’t that so, someone gives me a paper as you have just done when you gave me that drawing [the architect’s revised plan of the chamber]; I look in this way and I see very well what in that paper is the result of something from above and what has become mixed and what is… Like that. But one is not going to say it! – to begin with, they would not believe me.’
Extracted from L’Agenda de Mere, Volume 11
(Published for the first time only in June 1981)
APPENDIX 1
A memorandum on
INTEGRITY OF PURPOSE
To: Shyam Sunder Jhunjhunwala
From: Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet
Date: 9 May 1975
Before discussing any matter that may appear harsh in your regard, I want to express my feelings of friendship for you once again, because you have been the only person living in Auroville who has listened to me and accepted my ‘interventions’ in Matrimandir matters from the beginning, without making me feel that I am an ‘outsider’ with no right to express my views. Not even those whom I had considered close friends there have been capable of this. You are able to widen your vision and to see in the destiny of Matrimandir not only those who are materially building it but also those who support it in Auroville though not involved in the actual construction, as well as others, like myself, who live in the Ashram and elsewhere, yet whose destinies are one with the Temple. And I know that in your deeper self you realise that the Mother is making use of various channels in order to have the correct building come forth.
The purpose of this memo is to clearly express to you my dissatisfaction with the way one issue has been resolved by you and your collaborators, the most important one for the present, that needed immediate action if any at all. I do not intend herein to discuss my views on the matter, for this is not the place for such a discussion, but the fact is that if we can expect the same attitude to prevail regarding all the other items on the agenda that need correction – that is, the entire room – there is little hope for Truth to manifest.
Our last meeting was discouraging. I experienced then the painful reality that there is no work done for the truth of the room to manifest, but rather you are all seeking at most and at best for some sort of expression of human unity to come about. This, in your innermost understanding, appears to be the destiny of the Matrimandir, And so, the endeavour is reduced to the level of politics: fundamental issues are decided and resolved not on the basis of the truth to be manifested in each issue but on harmoniously handling all the people involved to the satisfaction of each party, trying to make everybody happy. There are considerations of person’s feelings, the relation between people, their feuds or their alliances, the positions they hold, and so on. And an attempt to make order out of the existing chaos. In fact, there seems to be no interest in discovering the Truth that is. Each element of the Matrimandir has a specific meaning and relation to the whole. If one element is missing or is disproportionate, the rest will fail to reveal its inherent seed of Truth. Yet there is no concern for this truth of each element. You care only ‘to come to an agreement’ among yourselves.
Thus, human unity may come about, but not the Divine Truth rooted in the Earth. In fact, what real harmony can we expect if we do not care for the inherent harmony of the Matrimandir?
It is not possible for me to work on this level. I can only contribute in the endeavour of ‘solution finding’ – from the background – if there is sincerity, as far as possible, regarding Truth and Divine Knowledge. If there is no interest in these things, then I see no point in building the Matrimandir. The United Nations building exists for the purpose of working for human unity. Are we competing with them? The Matrimandir is by destiny to express the Divine Harmony and hence establish a perfect relation between Man, the Earth and the Cosmos, and the Absolute. This is its unity, and it demands on the part of those who hold any responsibility regarding its destiny that a true and sustained effort be made to lift the consciousness to those levels which do not exclude human conditions but which add to these the true aspect of Unity, by seeking first and foremost to express the Divine Will upon the planet, that contains in itself the solution to all man’s seekings, to human woes, to all earthly discords.
You seek ‘solutions’ for the entry. You seek to come to an agreement about the pillars, about the hole in the floor – whether to close it or not. Yet this is uncalled for. The Solutions have already been given. This is now a human solving – imposing upon the Divine Reality solutions of an inferior order. Human endeavour in this task should be limited exclusively to physically translating that exactly given vision into forms in matter. No other solutions were required or requested by the Divine.
Also, the attitude prevails that we cannot expect to understand what the Mother wanted to express in the Matrimandir. It is our duty to understand, otherwise what is the point in building a matrimandir? This is a convenient way of creating an excuse which allows us to impose our will upon the Divine: ‘We cannot understand You, so therefore we are free to do as we see fit.’ It is this falsehood that lies at the root of all Tamas.
There is a peculiar belief circulating that the Mother did not explain the meaning of the Room because one cannot ‘mentalise’ such things. That is, this Truth is left up above in some remote and inaccessible region, and thereby it is denied any possibility of descending upon Earth. But this, too, is for your own convenience, for it removes any pressure for effort on your parts to seek the Truth. Moreover, the possibility was not given to the Mother of explaining, because immediately after she saw, on the very day that she gave out her vision it was hacked to pieces. What could she explain to you then? In fact, no one has ever asked her to explain. There seemed to be no interest; people were more interested in their own vision. What was she then to say about the ‘new’ Matrimandir, which has no unity, no sense?
Each item of that Room has a meaning and can be fully and perfectly explained. But no one cares to know, to listen…perhaps because it might mean that we would be obliged to follow the Mother’s vision and not our own.
The 24-metre circle was the test. And it surely must be of interest to you to know that that circle is the representative in the Room of our present phase of evolution and our actual contribution to the Divine Work. The way in which you have all ‘agreed’ in favour of the outer dimension reveals that there has been no Truth-seeking. It is all political, a desire to accommodate the Matrimandir to human gropings for harmony. The question of 24 metres has been solved. But on what basis? Was there a real and sincere search to discover the meaning behind the dimension, which might then have given us all the understanding of the floor diameter’s true function – which in turn would have revealed the correct ‘solution’, whatever that may be? Many have rejoiced over Udar’s proclamation on the matter, in a manner which reduces the endeavour to the level of ‘personal’ victories and defeats; instead of seeing in each issue the opportunity to come jointly to a higher understanding and realisation, a true collaboration and a complementary action. But you yourself admit that Udar has stretched the French language to accommodate his possible error. I am not stating here that he is wrong, let it be understood, though you know that for me I can only consider the dimension interior. I am merely pointing out to you that the procedure for arriving at a decision is neither truthful nor thorough; it is only political and convenient. Therefore I cannot believe in it, and the final judgement does not satisfy me.
There is rejoicing over the matter for it allows us to continue without the need of rectification, which would cost time and money. It is interesting that Roger [Anger] is ever ready to rectify the mistakes he makes in his buildings, all of which are purely related to mundane architecture. Yet to rectify a mistake regarding the Mother’s work and vision is vehemently opposed by all. There is a legitimate problem in the 24-metre issue – contrary to all the other variations that must be rectified – and it must be solved legitimately.
I would point out to you a factor that we have not discussed: the Mother expresses in the Talks that she ‘only saw the inside’. Then she says the columns are halfway between the Centre and the Walls. Why on Earth would she expect people to see through the walls in order to perceive the halfway relationship between centre, pillars and wall? Does the Mother have a reputation for being ambiguous in the use of the French language? In my opinion her use of French is always extraordinarily clear and her meanings are always unmistakable.
Out of Udar’s plan the one dubious element is selected and is clung to tenaciously, and people say: ‘But we have built it according to the plan, so it must be correct!’ Yet what of the fact that the rest of the plan has been ignored? In the same way a few phrases are extracted from the Matrimandir Talks and distorted to fit the occasion. Then it is said, ‘But the Talks say this…’ The Talks are clear if they are read as a whole and in the right and truthful consciousness. This is not done, and then we are expected to listen to the ‘interpretations’ and to accept them. Unbiased, devoted disciples who read the Talks unanimously know what the Mother wanted, without finding different and conflicting meanings therein.
In our meeting of 5.5.1975, you said you feel it is immaterial to the Mother whether the dimension is inner or outer. It may have been immaterial to the Mother who had to become very small in order to deal with little human beings and feeble human natures. But can you be so sure it is immaterial to the Divine Consciousness-Force that is now unlimited by a human body? Certainly the facts of today show us that that Divine Consciousness cares very much about the issue. For example, the cement has been held up to give us time to seek the truth in the matter.
If you feel that this dimension is immaterial to the Mother, then you must feel that all the dimensions are immaterial. Why just this one? Let us be frank…this resolves the problem, either way works, any solution is the good solution.
I am afraid this is not so. There is only one solution, not two. There are not a few or many Matrimandirs, there is only one. The others are our formulations and they have no relation to the Whole.
The only way I could have been convinced that the 24 metres was the outer dimension – that is, that this would have been acceptable to the Mother – was if every single detail in the Room had been immediately accepted and agreed upon. As it stands, there is no reason to believe that Truth has been respected and that sincerity of seeking is there.
In The Foundations of Indian Culture, Sri Aurobindo writes,
‘Indian sacred architecture of whatever date, style or dedication goes back to something timelessly ancient and now outside India almost wholly lost. Something which belongs to the past, and yet it goes forward too, though this the rationalistic mind will not easily admit, to something which will return upon us and is already beginning to return, something which belongs to the future. An Indian Temple, to whatever godhead it may be built, is in its inmost reality an altar raised to the divine Self, a house of the Cosmic Spirit, an appeal and an aspiration to the Infinite. As that and in the light of that seeing and conception it must in the first place be understood, and everything else must be seen in that setting and that light, and then only can there be any real understanding. No artistic eye however alert and sensible and no aesthetic mind however full and sensitive can arrive at that understanding, if it is attached to a Hellenised conception of rational beauty or shuts itself up in a materialised or intellectual interpretation and fails to open itself to the great things here meant by a close response to some touch of the cosmic consciousness, some revelation of the greater spiritual self, some suggestion of the Infinite.’
You can see from this the exalted opinion Sri Aurobindo had of the tradition of the Indian Temple; in the book he consistently expresses the need for a ‘unity of design’. The Indian Temple is not some remote inexpressible Truth. The exact meanings of these designs were revealed to the sages of old, and these texts are still available. Because of this the Hindu Temple tradition still stands today, and India is one of the few places on Earth where a sacred architecture is maintained.
To achieve the effect Sri Aurobindo speaks of, and others as well, there are certain formulas which the Tradition preserves, because we are here dealing with the laws of Matter which the Cosmic Temple seeks to alter. These are very precise and respond to a certain arrangement which alone can affect the consciousness and the subtle matter, that then reflect upon the denser substance.
I am not advocating a rigid adherence to past traditions, or to the dictates of pundits, but I desire only to bring forth an understanding regarding cosmic realities which are timeless in their importance and meaning for the Earth, and which, because of the Eternal Truth of their seed, will always come forth upon Earth when the planet is in need of such a light in order to assist in the ushering in of a new era.
For this purpose the Mother brought down a new and even more sublime tradition in this respect, and the significance and importance of her vision for the Earth are only now becoming evident to us. But this necessitates that it be reproduced in all its details. This means that right now the entire room must be redesigned, for the architects are reproducing their own vision. You cannot compromise and make half the Mother’s and half the architects’. In a country such as India, where the tradition of temples is preserved and understood, it is unacceptable that you build something in the name of the Mother, calling it a ‘temple’, that is neither equal nor better than the existing tradition. You risk damaging the Mother, even making a laughing stock of her in India.
You are an administrator, not a temple builder. Piero makes houses, he is not a temple builder. Roger is a professional architect, he is not a seer with a divine vision. Considering the instruments we all are, it is necessary to follow accurately the Mother’s vision.
You say progress has been made in this matter. I cannot see how concrete progress has been made when the matter is to be left to Roger and Paolo to decide once again; and more important when you say: ‘When I listen to Udar I believe he is right, when I listen to that one I believe him. When I read the Talks I believe this, or that…’ With this confession of confusion, how will it be possible to stand before Roger, who says he has the Mother’s approval for everything he has done, and try to convince him to do the true Matrimandir? Why should he listen when you have not the strength of your own convictions and vacillate between one opinion and another? You say, ‘Let us leave all sciences out of the matter.’ But then on what basis are we to know which is the Real Matrimandir? You say, ‘Let us build it according to the Mother’s wishes only.’ But none of you can agree upon what her wishes are.
Leonardo says,
‘For painting is the way to learn to know the maker of all marvellous things, and this is the way to love so great an inventor. For in truth love springs from the full knowledge of the things that one loves; and if you do not know it, you can love it but little or not at all.’
Without knowing, how can you discriminate between a false interpretation and a true one? a false Matrimandir and a true one? How can we love in fact?
I would remind you once again that the Matrimandir is to live and be of service to the Earth (not merely Auroville, or even India) for many millenniums to come – long after you and I and Roger and Paolo and Piero and all the rest have left the scene. We are only instruments to allow for the concrete expression of that Truth, and we are, after all, very little unimportant people. More consideration should be given to the Matrimandir’s own destiny than to any human feelings in the matter. A hundred years from now no one will speak of Roger Anger, Shyam Sunder, Peters and Pauls, and all. But the Mother will be venerated as the divinity that she is and the Matrimandir will stand as her work, not yours or Roger’s or Piero’s – though, paradoxically, you and Roger have the power to allow it to be spoiled, it would appear. For this reason, irrespective of the fact that almost all of Auroville has criticised me and made me a target of hostile feelings, I have continued in the endeavour to be of service to the Mother, and will continue, regardless of ‘public opinion’. She has granted me knowledge regarding the Matrimandir for this purpose, and I must use this knowledge for her work. The Mother says, ‘Do the best you can and leave the results to the Lord. The Lord is looking to everything.’
But it has not been the destiny of some to physically work on the Matrimandir, and for this one is criticised. Many believe only the physical presence there can bring the experience of the Temple and an involvement in its life. Such a judgement is unfair and reveals a consciousness limited to the most external dimensions.
I write you these things so as to keep a record of all the efforts that are made, so as to explain to the public, when the time comes and if need be, that any errors in the Temple are not the Mother’s, are not the result of her faulty vision, but are rather the contributions of her instruments.
Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry
9 May 1975
APPENDIX 2
PATRIZIA’S NOTE
concerning the July 1977
issue of Gazette Aurovilienne
The entire issue of Gazette Aurovilienne of July 1977 is dedicated to Matrimandir. The editor indicates that a controversy has arisen about the dimensions and certain details in the construction of the inner room of Matrimandir. For clarification he has approached Udar [Pinto] and Roger Anger, who have submitted notes, both of which are published in the Gazette. I wish to contribute a note on the subject as well, since I have also delved deeply into the matter.
The point of view of the Gazette is clear on the issue. It is reflected in the selections from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother collected under the section entitled, ‘A Reminder’. Through their words the editor wishes to remind the readers not to make a dogma out of anything the Mother or Sri Aurobindo have said. With this then the power of the Mother’s words describing her vision of the Room that is printed in the beginning of the issue is lessened. Hence it appears to be a curious combination: on the one hand we are given, for the first time in print in English and in French, the opportunity to share in the Mother’s formidable experience, and then, on the other hand, we are ‘reminded’ not to cling to her words or ‘make a dogma’ out of them. To help us remember we have statements from the engineer [Udar Pinto] and the architect [Roger Anger] on their experiences concerning the construction’s development. In the architect’s statement one finds the same attitude that is reflected in the entire Gazette: the Mother’s words are not to be taken rigidly but are only to serve as a jumping-board to another experience.
However, if we examine the statement some perplexing questions come to mind. The architect states:
‘To sum up, she told me over again – broadly speaking – what she had explained in detail in the course of talks she had had with S. and P. She gave me, a few days later, a plan saying that in this drawing were all the detailed measurements of the inner chamber of the Matrimandir, and that I was to change nothing with regard to the dimensions which must be respected. As for the exterior, she left me the liberty to submit blueprints to her.’
It is clear from his own words that the Mother gave him her original drawing with the explicit request that it be executed as indicated therein, dimensions and all. (It is important to note that the plan was a very detailed one, with precise measurements given for everything, including the number of stairs into the Room, as well as the exact size of each step, – 0.17cm x 0.28, width of the columns, thickness of the walls, etc.) From a thorough study of the Matrimandir Talks and this part of the architect’s statement, we can safely draw the conclusion that the Mother, at that time, would have wanted her collaborators to adhere strictly to her will as expressed in the preliminary plan. We find, however, that this did not happen. For some reason the executors considered themselves free to modify the plan.
It is also evident from the architect’s statement that once the Mother became aware of the fact that the architects had no intention of following her vision and plan, she completely dropped the matter and gave them full authority to do as they liked. The result is that the entire plan was revised and nothing left intact. In a room which is almost bare it is difficult to imagine that anything could have been altered; yet in fact every item was changed.
The Gazette Aurovilienne would want us to accept this development, for in the ‘Reminder’ it is implied that not to do so would indicate a rigidity and the formation of a dogmatic consciousness such as one finds in religions, for example.
The sadhak of yoga is faced with a problem here: the Mother’s vision is the vision of Truth; the architect’s is, in terms of higher knowledge, a distortion of that Truth, no matter how aesthetically enlightened it may be. The sadhak must choose: the Mother’s or the altered version.
To me it seems that a true sadhak can only adhere to the Mother’s vision, if given the choice – as has been the case regarding the inner room of Matrimandir, for when the matter came to light nothing of it had been built at all. The architect states,
‘What is, therefore, important to me is what she told me and what she accepted in full light and knowledge and this alone remains valid even today.’
This may be valid for him, and certainly no one denies him the right to cling tenaciously to his personal contact and experience with the Mother. But these can in no way alter the power of Truth of her own vision, which, in terms of yogic knowledge, was the true moment of ‘full light and knowledge’ that the architect seems to believe was only achieved in her subsequent dealings with him. And when the sadhak is presented with that Truth, how can it possibly be considered ‘dogmatic’ or hostile to cling to it?
The issue becomes even clearer if we admit to the fact that it has been proven that the Mother’s plan has a deep occult sense written into its measurements. A sacred structure is able to serve as a bridge connecting our physical plane with the subtle plane of Truth by means of sacred geometry and the enlightened use of Number. The entire process is accomplished through strict respect for the given dimensions, – each and every one of them. Particularly important are the measurements of the major axes (diameter and height), the pedestal and globe, and the entry through the floor by way of 15 steps. Thus, when the Mother states about the Room, ‘Everything is symbolic’, she means symbol in the sense Sri Aurobindo has attributed to the word. He has said, ‘A symbol is a notation of something that is, a transcript of realities…’. Unfortunately today the use of symbols is entirely misunderstood. We find this reflected in the architect’s statement regarding the hole in the middle of the floor. He says,
‘…but I had suggested to the Mother that the centre of the hall be left open under the symbol of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo so that the descending supramental force which would illumine the ball, would also symbolically touch with its light the sheet of water situated at the level of the ground.’
And with this the most important part of the vision, the core, was altered.
For the individual who is not versed in the true function of symbols, this alteration in the plan would seem legitimate and, in some way, to even be an improvement on the Mother’s idea. To the physical mind if one wants to convey the idea of a ‘marriage of heaven and earth’, one would indeed arrange a room whereby the sun’s ray passed into the room from Heaven and plunged into the Earth through a hole in the floor, thereby joining the heights and the depths. This ‘symbol’, however, has no power. It is merely a representation of a fact on the physical plane; that is, it cannot link one plane to another, for the whole process concerns only one plane – the physical. Thus, though the idea may be pleasing in terms of modern aesthetics, in the light of a higher knowledge, when compared to the Mother’s plan, it is a distortion of the Truth.
The only way to link the plane of Truth with our dense physical one and to truly utilise the science of symbol/number-power is in the way the Mother revealed in her plan. This is the new sacred architecture for the new age. Yet in order to help us forget this wondrous accomplishment of the Mother, the editor of Gazette Aurovilienne concludes the ‘Reminder’ to the readers with this quote from the Mother: ‘All theories, all teachings are, from the ultimate standpoint, nothing but ways of seeing and saying. Even the very highest revelations are worth no more than the power of realisation that comes with them.’ And thereby the reader is thoroughly confused. It would appear then that the Mother herself is proclaiming a failure and exhorts us to cast aside her revelation! As it now stands, if we observe the development of the Room we would have to admit that this ‘highest revelation’ of the Mother is not worth much because it did not seem to have the power of realisation in it sufficient to carry it through to completion. To be consistent, this line of reasoning could be carried over to all of Sri Aurobindo’s revelations, about the divinisation of the Earth, the descent of the Supermind, the transformation of the body, and so forth. Fortunately we know this to be inaccurate because regarding the Mother’s vision of the chamber, the real power of realisation lies in the body of Knowledge that descended with her vision, and this will live on, far longer than a material construction. It is to that higher reality that the sadhak must turn.
Certainly we must agree with the editor that it can be dangerous to rigidly cling to the Mother’s words. But only when quoted out of context, or cleverly selected in order to support an opinion. Regarding the inner room of Matrimandir, the Gazette has given its readers the entire transcribed Talks on the subject. The Mother’s words are clear and should dispel any doubts that people may have on the matter.
I should like to take this opportunity to state once more that a group of us made a continuous effort to have the Mother’s plan readopted after its significance had been made known, only because nothing had been constructed at the time, and there was every possibility to execute the work according to her precise instructions. In particular the Talks came forth when the inaccurate diameter of the room could have been easily rectified, considering that it was only a question of making new calculations on paper. From a study of the Talks (not to speak of a knowledge of sacred architecture), there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Mother wished the room to have an inner measurement of 24 metres, wall to wall.
When this point was brought up, time and again it was argued by those handling the construction that since the Mother held the plan, blessed it and then gave it to the architect, there could be no error therein. We then pointed out: If this were the case, there were other errors in the drawing, i.e. eleven pillars instead of twelve, Sri Aurobindo’s former symbol used for the pedestal instead of the new one changed by the Mother in 1964, etc. We questioned: Why then are not all these errors upheld as tenaciously as that of the inaccurate diameter, which is, unfortunately, one of the most important measurements of the room, the inaccurate rendering of which has eliminated Matrimandir from the Earth’s treasure of sacred geometry and architecture? Moreover, if that original plan is now so sacred, why have other items been altered, namely, the entrance into the room from below by fifteen steps – for which very detailed measurements are given?
Unfortunately it has been clear to us from the beginning that the Mother’s plan has only been used when convenient and in fact plays no major role in the construction, for if it had it would have been followed in every detail.
The entire issue of the Gazette is dedicated to the architecture of Matrimandir. Yet the reader should note a curious fact. From the time the Mother’s plan was rejected we have no evidence that she ever referred to the inner room of Matrimandir again. She never attempted to explain her vision, (though in the Matrimandir Talks the full meaning of the vision is given but has not been understood). There are definitions of the gardens, the meditation rooms which are the architect’s creation, old references to the colours and meaning of the symbols, – but nothing further in her own words about her room.
It is evident that we are all more interested in our visions and not enough in the Mother’s. No one at the time she gave the plan cared to ask her what it meant, of what was it symbolic, what was the meaning of the measurements so exactly given? Yet we are very keen on having her instill a sense into our own fancies.
Thus the Mother spoke not a word more of her own vision and, in terms of her external consciousness, put it aside and descended to the level of her associates and collaborated with them in the manner in which they desired, as described in the architect’s statement.
But a seeing of this nature cannot be stifled and though the external consciousness may have put it aside, the Divine Consciousness took it up and brought it to light at a time when it could have been understood and accepted.
However, the editor of Gazette, using Sri Aurobindo’s words, would like us to believe that those who have had a direct experience of the room and have understood its sense and importance and who have attempted to have the plan readopted, are tools in the hands of hostile powers.
In a Centre such as this, where the highest knowledge has descended, it is a sad day for the spiritual life when we are exhorted to close our eyes to the Light, when a direct perception of Truth is sought to be equated with a dogmatic, religious consciousness, when we are no longer allowed to find inspiration in the words of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother but are rather encouraged to believe that the embellishers of their vision are to be heeded and that their alterations and amendments are more important than the vision of Truth itself.
If we wish to use Sri Aurobindo’s words to help us in this matter, we must seek his guidance intelligently, with a sincere wish to receive the correct answer – one directly related to our problem. Therefore I quote here a passage from his works which specifically pertains to sacred architecture [the passage from Foundations of Indian Culture, reproduced on page 5 of this Supplement]. Furthermore, as is usually the case, not only does he give us a real understanding of the purpose of such structures and the difficulties of the European mind to comprehend their relevance – which is the exact answer to our problem – but in the passage there are prophetic words as well. He tells us that this art will return in the future and that India will once again offer the world a cosmic temple, in a new language for a new age…
The Mother gave form to his words, but as Sri Aurobindo explains, the European mind cannot comprehend due to the limitations of its aesthetically- oriented Hellenised tradition. Hence we can understand why the Mother in the talks on the construction requested only an engineer, not an architect for the execution.
In addition, there is a passage from Savitri which is an exact description of the chamber the Mother was to see and design in the future. Once again Sri Aurobindo prophesies, though indirectly, the descent of that heavenly womb upon Earth:
The body’s rules bound not the spirit’s powers:
When life had stopped its beats, death broke not in;
He dared to live when breath and thought were still.
Thus could he step into that magic place
Which few can even glimpse with hurried glance
Lifted for a moment from mind’s laboured works
And the poverty of Nature’s earthly sight.
All that the Gods have learned is there self-known.
There in a hidden chamber closed and mute
Are kept the record graphs of the cosmic scribe,
And there the tables of the sacred Law,
There is the Book of Being’s index page,
The text and glossary of the Vedic truth
Are there; the rhythms and metres of the stars
Significant of the movements of our fate:
The symbol powers of number and of form,
And the secret code of the history of the world
And Nature’s correspondence with the soul
Are written in the mystic heart of life.
In the glow of the Spirit’s room of memories
He could recover the luminous marginal notes
Dotting with light the crabbed ambiguous scroll,
Rescue the preamble and the saving clause
Of the dark Agreement by which all is ruled
That rises from material Nature’s sleep
To clothe the Everlasting in new shapes.
He could re-read now and interpret new
Its strange symbol letters, scattered abstruse signs,
Resolve its oracle and its paradox,
Its riddling phrases and its blindfold terms,
The deep oxymoron of its truth’s repliques,
And recognise as a just necessity
Its hard conditions for the mighty work, –
Book I, Canto 5 (CE, pp. 74-5)
Everything Sri Aurobindo describes in this passage is contained in the Mother’s vision by means of the measurements and overall design of the Chamber. There is not one word in it that cannot be verified on the basis of higher knowledge of sacred architecture, supported by the core of Sri Aurobindo’s teachings. But of this he says only a ‘few can even glimpse with hurried glance…!
It is a cruel twist of fate that today, in the very centre he gave birth to, where his words are to find their material expression, to speak of the Mother’s vision in these terms is ridiculed, combated, pooh-poohed. Those who have had this vision are obliged by the collectivity to deny their experience and excuse themselves for having dared to see in the Mother’s plan the very things Sri Aurobindo here describes. It is now a sin to have a direct experience, and moreover we are told that if by chance we find support for our experience in the words of either Sri Aurobindo or the Mother, this will foment a dogmatic consciousness, and is a ‘vehement logical conclusion’ hostile to their work. Such a stand is reflected by the very fact that there is not one Ashram-based journal which will publish a legitimate defence of our position. Yet these very journals – official organs for the propagation of Sri Aurobindo’s thought – have time and again printed articles on Matrimandir replete with false information. When seeking to have these errors rectified in the journals, we have always been refused the possibility. All the work that has been done in this field has had to be executed privately, while on the other hand the official position has been reflected in journals such as the July issue of Gazette.
The problem before us has been all too simple to solve: the Mother’s vision was Truth and her force helped to being this to light; all that was asked of us was to approach the matter from a level worthy of sadhaks of yoga. When done in this way there is no longer any problem, no longer any decision to take, no longer place for controversy, discord, dispute. For when one stands face to face with the true, the real things, the question of choice itself evaporates. There is only one Chamber, and that is the Mother’s.
12 September 1977
*
APPENDIX 3
A PETITION
To: The Government Administrator of Auroville, Members of the Government-Appointed Committee for Auroville, the Prime Minister of India.
From: Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet
Subject: Un-truth of Matrimandir Architects: a petition for redress.
Personal Background Data
I have lived in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, from 1971 to 1980. Now my residence is Kodaikanal, where I continue my work together with a few associates. This work consists of new insights into various branches of Vedic Sciences, distilled from experiences in the practice of the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo, with particular emphasis on COSMIC HARMONIES and SACRED ARCHITECTURE. By the Mother’s grace I have been able to formulate a new synthesis of these aspects of vedic sciences, in which sacred architecture has been a focal point, on the basis of certain formidable keys of Knowledge the Mother left in her original plan of Matrimandir.
The lines on which I am now working incorporate the knowledge left by the Mother in the Temple (original plan), for the presentation of a synthetic and integral approach as the basis of a new world order, which first manifests in a nucleus of a gnostic society centred in India.
I have written and published a series of books on these subjects, which have also appeared in German and Italian translations brought out by well-reputed and large publishing houses, both in Italy and Germany as well as the USA.
The Problem
In view of the definite take-over of Auroville by the Union Government, these changed circumstances force me to approach you with a matter that is fundamental to Auroville’s destiny – especially in view of the fact that the Government of India now takes the responsibility for Auroville and pledges itself to see that its ideals are furthered.
I believe that the true ideals of Auroville and the real purpose for which it came into existence are known only to a very few souls and must remain, for the present, merely in the realm of unfulfilled dreams. But there is something that is not so lofty and difficult to comprehend and to achieve, and ought to be present even now. This is truth, in its most elementary form, – that is, to refrain from lying and speaking and printing known un-truths, especially in the name of Auroville. An example of this follows:
In 1977 a book of mine, The Gnostic Circle, a synthesis in the harmonies of the Cosmos, (first edition, 1975, Aeon Books publishers, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press printers) appeared in the German translation, under the title DER GNOSTICHE KREIS. The publisher was one of the largest houses in Germany, Fischer Verlag; the edition was approximately 18,000 copies.
In a portion of this book I discuss the Matrimandir, in terms of sacred architecture, and several synthesised branches of higher knowledge. Given the fact that my work is one of careful precision and scientific concreteness, it was necessary to state that the plan I used in the book in the analysis of the Temple was only the original one given by the Mother and not the architects’ modified version. I include the portion of my text and its footnote (pages 255-256) to this effect:
(Translated from the German)
p. 255, text: ‘It must be mentioneed here that it is becoming more and more clear that the measurements and the plan given by the Mother are not being followed accurately in the construction. All the arrangements and dimensions we speak of here are, however, taken from the original plan the Mother had drawn up by an Ashram engineer, and her recorded talks about her vision-experience of the Temple…
p. 256, footnote 9 to the above: What it signifies for Auroville and the earth that those entrusted with the construction of the Matrimandir refuse to see or accept the importance of the exact measurements of the inner chamber has been shown in The Hidden Manna (commentary of The Revelation of St. John) and will be discussed in The New Way in detail.
P.N.-B. 6.6.1977
My text was given to the publisher and the book appeared in September, 1977. It was only then that I came to know that the architects in charge of Matrimandir had succeeded in having a statement of theirs, refuting what I say, included in my book. This they did through their agent in the publishing house, the editor Ms Christa Falk, who is associated with Auroville via Michael Klaustermann. Thus, unbeknownst to me, the following publisher’s note about the state of the construction was printed after my above note:
‘During the last supervision of the manuscript before printing on 14.6.77, the master-builders of Matrimandir who are presently in Europe to get the marble for the Inner Chamber have categorically stated that after some technical discussions the construction is now going to be done exactly according to the measurement-instructions of the original plan, which the Mother had drawn up by the above-mentioned Ashram engineer. For some time this has appeared uncertain because of structural difficulties in building the outer supporting construction of Matrimandir, which required a spherical shape.’
(Publisher’s Note, 14.6.1977)
All those who are familiar with the happenings surrounding the construction of Matrimandir and what ensued from the efforts made by a group of us to have the Mother’s original plan adopted before the Temple was built, and not the architect’s modified version, know that this statement – made in the name of Auroville – to be utterly false.
When my attention was called to this note, in my book, printed without my knowledge, and which contradicts the entire foundation of my work, I immediately wrote to the Publisher. Of course there was little consolation to be had since the book was already printed and in circulation on a large scale; yet Fischer Verlag did agree to rectify the statement by adding an erratum in all the copies. But then the architect’s agent, Christa Falk, notified Auroville of this; at which point the following letter was sent to the Publisher:
AUROVILLE
(Letterhead and symbol)
Frau Wolfarth
Rechteabteilung
Fischer Verlag
Geleitsstr. 25
6) Frankfurt/M 70
8.4.1978
Dear Mrs Wolfarth,
It has come to my attention that the additional correcting Publisher’s Note (page 256) referring to Matrimandir construction in Auroville is to be removed by Fischer Verlag. As the executing architect of the Matrimandir, I wish to repeat that said note absolutely conforms to truth and therefore has to remain in the book. In case Fischer Verlag really removes the note I should be obliged and forced to institute legal proceedings against the Verlag.
(signed) PIERO CICIONESI
Piero Cicionesi, Architect
Certitude
Auroville, 605101, Tamil Nadu, India
*
Falsehood was thereby compounded by this letter, and in Auroville’s name once again. Fischer Verlag then wrote the following letter to my representative in Germany:
17.4.1978
In our phone call a few days ago I already told you that unluckily we can no longer execute the solution envisaged in my letter of 23 March, 1978, because with a removal of the disputed publisher’s note a law suit by the architects of Auroville would threaten, as you can see from the letter attached herein.
We have entrusted the matter to our lawyer who will write you directly.
Cornelia Wolfarth
To purse the matter in order to undo the harm the architect did would have meant taking it through the German courts. At that time I did not want to carry something bearing the name of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother into court, for obvious reasons.
The present changed circumstances, however, force me to bring up the matter again, since there is now a responsible authority to whom one can turn.
If there is any doubt in your minds concerning the truth of what I state, apart from all the documented evidence I can furnish, I can also inform you that at the very time the architect, Piero Cicionesi, was in Germany making this false statement (i.e. that only ‘technical difficulties’ had been obstructing the adoption of the Mother’s original plan, but that these had all been solved) his wife, Gloria, was right then issuing an open letter in Auroville to me (it is on my files). Her letter states exactly the contrary: that technical difficulties made it impossible to use the original plan, and she proceeds to detail all the modifications incorporated in the structure (!).
It seems evident that husband and wife do not support each other’s false statement when separated by the seven seas…!
In my book I sustain, on the basis of a knowledge of the mechanics of sacred architecture, that a temple built in its form of perfection, following minutely every detail given by a Seer – as for example the original plan given by the Mother in her superb and accurate vision of Matrimandir – would produce and reflect conditions in the atmosphere conducive to harmony, truth, goodwill, a spirit of collaboration, etc; a reflection of the Seer’s own consciousness as it were. Thus, by stating in my book that the original plan has been followed, the architect not only casts aspersions on the integrity of my work, but, given the great confusion, chaos, stagnation and disharmony that Auroville has produced in its first 12 years of existence, he makes my thesis appear to be a lie and inexact. If then the measurements, shape, etc, have been executed exactly according to the Mother’s original plan and yet so much disharmony has ensued in Auroville, it can only mean that P.N.-B’s work is inaccurate and false in its essential premise.
Needless to say, my work has been proven time and again to be valid and true. The very take-over of Auroville by the Government is testimony to this fact. It is the architects who falsify; and this falsehood has been projected now into the very body of Matrimandir and cemented there, to the greatest distress of those who understand the significance and consequence of such an occurrence.
Until now there has been no reasonable authority to appeal to in Auroville. But since the Government has stepped in, it now takes up the responsibility of building Matrimandir. That ‘temple’ is what it is, will unfortunately remain what it is, and cannot now be changed. But the ill it produces has now to be borne in full awareness by the Government. And it becomes projected far beyond the confines of Auroville now.
Redress
As the Government is now the responsible agent, I turn to it for some redress in this matter. I would therefore expect the Government of India, in the name of Auroville, to
1) Write to my German Publisher stating clearly that the architect’s statement made verbally in Germany in the name of Auroville on 14.6.77, and later reaffirmed in his letter dated 8.4.78 from Auroville, does not correspond to truth and should be rectified.
2) Offer to bear any costs of rectification, such as inserts in the remaining books, ads in the leading German newspapers announcing this reversal, as well as bear all the expenses I personally incurred in this unhappy affair.
3) Oblige Signor Piero Cicionesi to write to Fischer Verlag admitting that his statement was false and apologise for his fault.
As you can see the architect’s false statement has attacked the very essence of my work and his behaviour stands as a black stain on the name of Auroville. And in carrying out his activities in the name of Auroville, he has brought this falsehood to bear on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
If there is true sincerity in ‘furthering the ideals of Auroville’ on the part of the Government of India, it would appear that this is a good opportunity to demonstrate this sincerity.
Investigation into Matrimandir’s History
The public and I have every right to question the competence and worth of such people to be in charge of building something so fundamental in Auroville as its very centre, its ‘soul’. And indeed the incompetence to handle the matter from the standpoint of higher knowledge and the fundaments of sacred architecture are now evident in the building itself. Its present form reflects that same consciousness that would lie in the name of Auroville, swearing by ‘truth’ in order to further its own end.
The Government may not be concerned with the truth of Sacred Architecture and its place in India – where it is an ancient and respected tradition – and now at the centre of the Mother’s vision of Auroville. But it ought to be concerned with behaviour of this order in the name of Auroville, if its purpose in taking over the project is indeed to assure that ‘the ideals of Auroville will be furthered’, – a fundamental one of which is Truth, all clear-thinking people would agree.
I request that satisfaction be given me and my colleagues in this matter regarding the German edition of The Gnostic Circle. But, moreover, I request that a thorough investigation into the history of Matrimandir’s construction be undertaken before all else, since it is the centre of the project and the most important focal point of energies.
I have prepared a 700-page work on the knowledge of renewed sacred architecture that the Mother has left in her plan of Matrimandir for India. I request that a competent committee be established before which this document can be presented, consisting of men and women versed in the language of sacred geometry and mathematics and possessing a consciousness attuned to the higher vision and able to grasp the significance of these occult workings, where the layman’s eyes may be closed.
If the Government of India’s true intentions are ‘to further the ideals of Auroville’, it stands evident that above all else it must acquaint itself with the very specific action of the energy field generated by Matrimandir and become aware of the central role the Temple plays in the light of Gnosis, which is the key and essence of Sri Aurobindo’s message. If this much cannot be done, or will not be done, then what meaningful future lies before this project?
Custodians of the Mother’s Vision
It is argued that the Mother left the construction of the building to the architects and therefore they are entitled to have the last word. I sustain that she did not exactly leave it to them originally; they took it, and in the process revealed their incompetence to handle or even recognise the problems that subsequently arose in the construction, – questions which should have been solved on the basis of sacred not profane architectural knowledge, which was the level on which the Mother worked, being perhaps the greatest occultist of our age. I sustain that the Mother, while urging the members of the community to set the work on its way and attend to all its details as it went along, at the very same time put her force out to call forth those who would be competent to solve the issues that would subsequently arise. I have proof that this occurred. But I also have all too much proof that their advice in the matter was ignored at best, ridiculed at worst, and the final results were even resorts to falsehood, as I have shown above. The Fischer Verlag matter is only one example of such behaviour. There are many others, evidence of which I have on my files.
It has been argued that only the Mother can know what is to be done and we have not the same consciousness to suppose that we can interpret her vision. In this case then the architects had even less right to make any alterations, if only she could know. If we accept – and indeed we must – that Auroville is a consciousness in evolution, in the process of birth and growth, then all clear-thinking people of goodwill involved in the project must try to achieve a frame of mind that will accept the New, and not remain rigidly encrusted within the old, as has been reflected in Auroville regarding all aspects of Matrimandir.
The Mother set the project on its way and saw to it that help would be given exactly when needed; and indeed the Temple was not yet built when the first appeals were made, all of which were ridiculed and labelled as superstition. The result is that the new Form, as a focal point of energy for the rise of a new world, has been mutilated (in terms of sacred architecture) and cannot now stand as the true Centre, the Soul of Auroville, in terms of its highest knowledge and light. When one discusses the Knowledge she left as this soul-foundation, one must, bound as one is to integrity in these matters, make a clear distinction now between the original integral plan and the architects’ revised one.
This matter ought to be brought to light. If the Government is sincere in its effort to promote Auroville and resolve its problems, surely it must see the need to delve deeply into the project’s heart and soul, before all else. It is only logical.
The Question of Finance
Perhaps two crores of the public’s rupees will have been spent in Matrimandir before it is finished. (The original estimate ten years ago was one crore.) The question is, was this huge amount necessary? The Mother’s plan was extremely simple yet it touched the highest summits of sacred architecture, while at the same time it offered a new aesthetics. It must be pointed out here that the revised version of the architects not only destroyed the temple’s sacred nature (in terms of the art of occult architecture) but it also vastly increased the cost of the construction.
To give just one example: contrary to the Mother’s design, the architects placed a hole in the centre of the Chamber’s floor. (It may be mentioned here that they thereby dismantled the Temple’s sanctum sanctorum and cast to the winds all the precise keys of knowledge the Mother left therein; to say nothing of the Temple’s power.) It is to be understood that to construct a 3-metre hole in the middle of that spheric shape was a difficult structural task and its execution, in order to faithfully reproduce the architect’s vision, added a terrific financial burden to the public. This can be confirmed by enquiring into the matter with the firm charged with solving the structural technicalities of the construction in Madras, as we have done.
There is now talk of closing that hole. If so, what of the huge expense in building it in the first place? One day it is one thing, the next another: Matrimandir is a field for profane architectural improvisation. And each such futile experiment is paid for by the donators, who are expected to support and fortify the architects’ right to freedom of aesthetic expression. But is Matrimandir the place for such careless experimentation?
Hence the public has every right, it would appear, to question how the funds donated for Matrimandir have been utilised. Were they spent for conveying the Mother’s vision and placing that at the centre of her City, or have those funds been utilised merely to further the whims and fancies of time-bound architecture? If the public had been given the choice there is no doubt it would have insisted on having the Mother’s far cheaper, far more aesthetic, sacred plan done in its totality. It is perhaps for this reason that at no time was anyone from ‘outside’ allowed to have a voice in the matter. Thus, an investigation into the construction of Matrimandir should also include the question of utilisation of funds and the terrific waste brought about by the desire to satisfy architectural fancies of questionable value. The hole in the centre of the building is only one such; there are others.
To Whom Does Matrimandir Belong
If Auroville ‘belongs to no one in particular and to humanity as a whole’ (as the members of the community sustain on the basis of its Charter, in order to support their claim of ownership), it stands as a logical conclusion that Auroville’s Soul also belongs to humanity; therefore the construction cannot be the exclusive property of the architects and Auroville must open itself to the whole of humanity for the Temple’s construction, drawing from its pool of knowledge the highest to be found therein in order to secure the Temple’s perfect execution, – reflecting as the original plan does, the very essence of Sri Aurobindo’s message.
Needless to say, this was not done. The temple has become the exclusive property of the architects and builders – and they have revealed time and again their incompetence in the realm of the higher knowledge that is required to build such a Soul. The sense of possession went to such extremes as to exclude all ‘locals’ from the construction (contrary to the Mother’s wishes), as well as many bona fide Aurovilians. Politics became the deciding factor of participation and ‘anti-Auroville’ the label of the day.
If Auroville is a public trust, then it belongs to all, as its charter states. But discrimination in this delicate matter must be undertaken on the basis of a sincere and serious scrutiny of the knowledge put forth by those who may make any claims in this direction. I am prepared to present the knowledge the Mother has given me of Matrimandir, in a very detailed and thorough manner. I trust that the Government will be sincere in opening Auroville to all of humanity, wherever any element can be found to further its true ideals.
It is only my misfortune that I did not have this knowledge in its complete form before the Mother left her body. Otherwise I could have presented it to her, the only person really capacitated to understand the extraordinary implications of her vision in the detailed measurements she gave. The Mother gave the vision; it was left to us to decipher it and to understand, precisely as an integrated experience of growth into her vision. I have done this, but when I sought to present my findings to the architects and builders, these efforts were met in an attitude of the most total disrespect and disdain. In fact, the builders refused all contact and would not attend any meetings we or others convened for the purpose of discussing the issues. So total was the attitude of possession that they would not permit anyone to have any say or question anything regarding their work. Thus they succeeded in having their way. And every twisted means was used to hide the knowledge from the public that there was an original plan distinct from theirs, desecrating in the process the name and purpose of Auroville, as in the case of DER GNOSTISCHE KREIS.
An Answer for Posterity
My only question to the architects now is Why? May they please present the detailed basis for their refusal before the Committee, just as I am willing and ready to present my knowledge for scrutiny before an authorised body? I believe the public – humanity – to whom Auroville belongs, merits an answer to this question from the architects and builders. I believe that a record of this must remain in the annals of Auroville’s history, more especially now since it is the charge of the Government of India.
It is too late now to change Matrimandir, though I had appealed to Sir C.P.N. Singh, to Mr. Kireet Joshi, and all the others – anyone who would listen – when everything could have been done to save the temple. All of these appeals failed. Let this appeal at least, for redress regarding my book and the establishment of a committee for uncovering this history of Matrimandir, not fail. And perhaps then one can have proof that there is now a sincere will for Truth, at least in this one fundamental matter, if nowhere else.
Humanity’s Right to Intervene and
The Question of Freedom to State and Uphold the Truth
I wish to state that my work is one of precision and clear vision. One proceeds forward on its foundations only when real knowledge is there. In all aspects of Auroville’s life this same sureness on the basis of true knowledge could have been there and available, if the community had been open to the Mother’s force which brought the needed elements, and sincere in recognising a superior understanding in matters above their heads. It is unfortunate to have experienced, however, that every detail of the project’s life – I speak with special reference to Matrimandir – was handled as any other amateur ‘new age’ community, the likes of which abound in the world today; and a possessiveness was ever present which completely closed the doors to any assistance on the basis of higher knowledge.
It is therefore amusing to note that the community stakes its right to independence and control of Auroville, citing the charter: ‘Auroville belongs to no one in particular and to humanity as a whole.’ May we please be told by the committee pledged to ‘further the ideals of Auroville’ exactly what it feels this to mean, so that we can know where we (humanity) shall be restricted in our actions when we come across what we feel to be our legitimate right to intervene, if mistakes are made in Auroville which belongs to us all?
As we, humanity, would have a legitimate right to speak the truth as we see it, and to publish this truth if we deem it necessary in the best interests of Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s work, so do the architects and builders of the temple also have the right to hold their own opinions. Thus they could have easily issued a public statement to the effect that though they had been apprised of the request to return to the Mother’s plan because of discoveries made in the realm of sacred architecture since her passing, they do not consider these considerations relevant and prefer to construct the building with modifications. Such a statement, though reflecting ignorance of higher considerations, would at least have been true. (It must be pointed out that Roger Anger, the original architect who now has nothing to do with the project, did make a statement vaguely along these lines.)
It was made evident to us all, however, that there was a conscious and malicious effort to dupe the public, the humanity to whom Auroville ‘belongs’. As revealed in the problem presented before you, there were other such attempts made to suppress the information that modifications had been carried out by the architects on the original plan of the Mother for Matrimandir. This dubious activity alone is proof enough that those who have taken ‘possession’ of Matrimandir are not fit instruments to be entrusted with its execution; and it is also evident through this that the modifications they introduced do nothing else but reflect this falsehood.
Conclusion: The Vision Must Be Preserved
This is certainly a behaviour pattern that any reasonable observer would instantly recognise to be incompatible with the greatness of Sri Aurobindo’s teachings and the high calibre of his work. And it is this disregard for truth – on all sides – and a disrespect for Knowledge that has caused the most important work the Mother left for humanity to be caught in its present mire. Her vision of the original Matrimandir establishes the Mother as the greatest sacred architect the world has known. There is nothing comparable to be found anywhere in the records of sacred architecture, either in India or abroad. In her vision – but above all in the measurements she gave thereafter – the Mother achieved what has been the secret quest of all sacred architecture since time immemorial: to give the precise measure of Time in space. This has been called ‘the golden rod’ in occult tradition, and the revelation of this sacred Measure had been prophecied for our times over 2000 years ago. This discovery and revelation of that Golden Rod was to be the spiritual/occult axis of the new gnostic age. The Mother, in a superb act of yogic vision, accomplished this coveted feat for India, and through India for the rest of the world. Only those thoroughly versed in the art of sacred architecture and the fundaments of other branches of occult science can fully and realistically appreciate what this formidable achievement means for the evolution of a new humanity.
It is my duty and firm intention to preserve a record of the Mother’s achievement in this field, in spite of the fact that her vision was not accepted or understood by the community residing in Auroville. I cannot be expected to shelve this vision simply to preserve the name of certain profane architects, who by their questionable actions have proven themselves unworthy of the work they took upon themselves. If her vision could not be preserved in a material element, it is at least my duty to see to it that its content in Knowledge is not lost for a future humanity to whom Auroville truly belongs.
