Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are far above likes and dislikes. Their words come from a source, the Source, if we like, that is way beyond our human feelings. They are rhythms of Truth and to obey what they say is itself an act of love and surrender even if our heart and mind do not immediately comprehend it.
It is with this background that we need to look at what he said.
Or let me put it differently, suppose we went to Sri Aurobindo with our prayer and he directed us to go to the Mother. Will we insist or question his guidance or because of our love for him simply obey him?
Having said that it is not that Sri Aurobindo will not listen to the prayer or grant it if we went to him instead of the Mother, – the two are one and the same after all. And yet there is also a truth of difference which has necessitated the assumption of two bodies. It means that the response will come filtered through the divinely human personality of the Avatar. There are reasons both practical, occult and spiritual as to why Sri Aurobindo made this arrangement which is actually the secret truth of all transaction between the human soul and the Divine. It necessarily goes through nature without which we can neither pray nor meditate. Here because it is the yoga of transformation we substitute nature for Supernature that is the Divine Mother.
At the same time love is love and not something that can be enforced or compelled by a mental rule or vital preference. One day your love for Sri Aurobindo will lead you to the Mother and as your love for Sri Aurobindo becomes deeper and all-encompassing, you will automatically start loving the Mother, for the Mother is Sri Aurobindo’s heart. Therefore to love Sri Aurobindo and not feel love towards the Mother is to love Sri Aurobindo himself incompletely and imperfectly because something is holding us back from a complete self giving to Sri Aurobindo.
I ask this because I remember Sri Aurobindo very much and ask Him for help.
Affectionately,
Alok Da