NEW RELEASES IN English SINCE March 2024

This volume consists of short written statements of the Mother – letters, notes and messages – that, apart for a few exceptions, do not appear in her Collected Works. Many new writings have come to light since the seventeen-volume set of Collected Works of the Mother was organised and published in 1978 around the time of her birth centenary.  This new material supplements other statements previously published in Volume 12, On Education, and Volumes 13, 14, and 15, Words of the Mother—I, II, and III, and has been arranged by subject, following the categories already established in the above volumes.

The Note on the Texts at the back of the book provides further details that should enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of these new words of the Mother.

The title of this booklet is taken from one of Sri Aurobindo’s poems of the same name. The first section is on a few “autobiographical” poems and statements of Sri Aurobindo which are arranged chronologically, giving us a timeline of his development as a poet and a yogi. In the second section, the author elaborates on Poetry as Mantra.

With the exception of a few, poets in Sri Aurobindo’s time were abandoning metre and rhyme for freer self-expression. Sri Aurobindo sympathised with them, but insisted that “metre … is not only the traditional, but also surely the right physical basis” for great poetry, and explored new possibilities in prosody. The final section of this booklet covers these reflections of the author.

This storybook, a parable for children, is written by Noel Parent and illustrated by Marina Minina, both of whom live and work in Auroville. The book tells the journey of a young boy who makes a flute out of a wooden stick and masters the art of flute-playing by learning first from all the different sounds of nature and after from long years spent in meditation listening to the silence of his soul. Unaffected by praise or criticism, the young boy relentlessly perfects his music—until at last his playing is pure enough to bring joy to the hearts of all who listen.