Sir, we all know what a wonderful woman Mother Teresa was and how dedicated she was to helping the poor. But what would surprise us about Mother Teresa? Did she have a weakness for candy? Did she enjoy soccer? Tell us the personal things about her.
Sri Chinmoy: I can only tell you about my personal experience of Mother Teresa. For me she was the Mother of compassion and the Sister of affection. Quite a few times she said to me, “I pray for you every day. You must pray for me. I want you to come with me to China. China needs light.” It was her affectionate and emotional demands and commands that she exercised upon me, and I shall always cherish her affection and her compassion.
Interviewer: Sri Chinmoy is our guest this morning, author of the book, Mother Teresa: Humanity’s Flower-Heart, Divinity’s Fragrance-Soul, and a friend of Mother Teresa. Now let’s talk about you for just a minute. I know you grew up in India under British rule. What was that like, being a young man in India when it was the jewel in the crown of England?
Sri Chinmoy: I was brought up in a spiritual community, and I prayed for our independence. In 1947, on the 15th of August, God listened to the prayers of millions and millions of Indians. Recently, our present Prime Minister Gujral offered a momentous utterance. He said, “We are proud to say that Indian independence was won, not given.” Many people are under the mistaken opinion that the British Government gave us our freedom.
Interviewer: Oh, not at all. It was Mahatma Gandhi’s campaign of peaceful resistance.
Sri Chinmoy: That is absolutely correct. Freedom was won, not given. Some think that the British showed a magnanimous heart. But it was not that. It was the sacrifices made by millions of people — the stupendous sacrifices, the sleepless and breathless sacrifices — that made independence possible.
Interviewer: Did Gandhi’s campaign of peaceful resistance influence your life at all? I ask because you are a Guru, a Teacher, and you’ve taught millions how to discover inner peace and fulfilment.
Sri Chinmoy: I was brought up in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. There I prayed and meditated. So my life was influenced totally by prayer and meditation. I have the deepest admiration for Mahatma Gandhi. But his influence on our national life was mainly in the moral sphere. He practised and he advocated a moral code of life. In my case, from my prayer-life and meditation-life I try to get messages from within. I solely depend on my prayer-life and meditation-life.From:Sri Chinmoy,Mother Teresa: Humanity’s Flower-Heart, Divinity’s Fragrance-Soul, part 3, Agni Press, 1997
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