The Mother’s Agenda is a recorded conversation between the Mother and a French disciple who was a new entrant on the scene. Being a rebel by nature, he represented the anguish of the old world seeking for something new and true that can bring back hope to the earth and humanity torn and troubled by the Wars and the hypocrisy of Religions and ideologies. Further, being proficient in French he became the obvious choice for being the Mother’s instrument to document the transformation process that was unfolding in Her and its repercussions upon the world. It was evident that not all would be in a position to understand it and many may actually misunderstand it. It is somewhat like exposing children in primary class to the PhD program.
Besides, as happens with any conversation, the disciple can through a leading question bring out certain statements about people and the work that are contextual. Yet these statements can be turned by unchaste minds into absolute judgments for all times.
Therefore the Mother had asked Nolini da (and Andre) to go through the recording and publish edited portions in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education Bulletin. These later came out as part of Her Collected Works Volume 10, 11 and portions in Words of the Mother.
Whatever portions of the Agenda were considered useful and helpful for all has indeed been published. Here personal comments and contextual statements have obviously been taken out as well as certain details that were considered not necessary for the average reader.
The disciple who was instrumental in recording it wanted the whole thing published without editing. This was in contravention to the Mother’s clear instruction. Besides, the Agenda conversations were nobody’s personal property. They belonged solely to Her and hence their right place was obviously the Ashram Archives.
This difference of viewpoint became wide enough (for reasons best left unsaid) leading to various fissures in the community exposing all the hidden faultlines that are still not fully repaired.
Nevertheless it is already over five decades since the Agenda was completed and hence can surely be read. However since it has been edited by the disciple who recorded it, it is left to the reader to discern how much is his deliberate deflection, how much is a partial truth in a certain context, and sift the chaff from the grain of gold.
My personal feeling based on the entire reading of Their Works is that the Agenda does require a certain psychological and spiritual maturity from the reader and hence it is best read after one has gone through the collected works and has one’s feet steadily upon the Path.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
