1982
(Amrit:) “On 9th March 1982, as I sat absorbed in meditation and japa, the muffled clamor of voices became increasingly clear and loud as they approached, reached my ears... As the mob surrounded my house, a voice – identified as that of F., my neighbor – sounded a warning after an attempt to open the door, “You don't have to come out, but I'm telling you that the Community has decided you have no place in Auroville, and you have to go. And we will come here every day until you leave.”
The atmosphere reminiscent of mobs of US Southern Whites making a fun festival of black lynchings, regarding nastiness as great sport, some pulled up the external blinds covering my windows, and seeing me meditating with closed eyes inside, continued to bang on the windows mocking, “He's meditating, he's meditating, hahaha!” Since I sat motionless, not even opening the eyes, some seemed genuinely puzzled, “Mais pourquois il ne parle pas, il ne bouge pas, les yeux fermes, seulement le silence? C'est dommage, il faut aller.” (“But why is he not speaking, why he's not moving, not opening his eyes, only silence? It's too bad, he has to go.”)
The mob milled around my house for another fifteen minutes or so, in ‘fun’ smashing some potted plants, then left to harass the houses of others similarly considered untouchables. According to estimates, they numbered around 150 individuals. In later years, some of those participating apologetically made excuses, “Oh it was you? I didn't know, you see, they forced me, I had no choice.”
The mob proceeded to New Community, the home of N. and A. where someone hurled a gas canister, then to T.'s, J.'s and finally ended up in Gratitude, where surrounding D.'s and T.'s house, they were met with the voice of D. softly singing a sweet song of welcome. Perplexed and frustrated by the total lack of reaction, the mob withdrew and suspended action...”[1]
(Amrit:) “Contemplation of the cruelty of the Collective aroused from deep within the heart an intense plea and prayer for the intervention of the Divine Will to protect T. and S. [two disciples of Panditji in Fraternity] against the pitiless depredations of Satprem's Collective madness. In one memorable puja and meditation during the month of July 1982, touched by the cry of aspiration rising higher and higher up, so did an overpowering Force descend in response. And rushing like a flood flowing outwards in waves of mantric cadence, did this Descending Force exert an irresistible pressure acting inexorably upon these forces of ill will and hostility, GO, GO, GO – breaching, sweeping away and immobilizing all opposition.
... And over the course of two months, July and August, three distinct Descents of the Mother's Force occurred, each fortifying the other. By the end of the third Descent in August, a very curious phenomenon was discerned. Many of those previously so arrogantly confident of their power of imposition, suddenly appeared bewildered and confused as if unaccountably emptied of their vaunted force. Precipitately, they seemed weak and powerless.
In my observations of the action of these Descents and of the Durga Force invoked, two distinct results were evident: one was the withdrawal of the animating power behind and subsequent departure of those individuals instrumental in expressing its force of hostility and ill will, and the other a deeper transformation of attitude and character, as if suddenly awakening from this nightmare of obscurity and darkness, some understood their actions to be inconsistent with the light of their inner souls. ...
From this time, under the cover of one excuse or the other, particularly that ‘Auroville has failed’ – especially propagated by Satprem – the most committed Radicals began to leave Auroville, until within a year, the fanatical core of Satprem's devotees had departed and dissolved. There was, in fact, a general sense of consternation akin to relief, why, when wielding most of the levers of authority in Auroville, they suddenly were gone without any evident external sign of compulsion.”[2]
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