The Divine Battle — II

Detailed plans and instructions for the construction of Sri Aurobindo’s Samadhi were certainly received from the Mother. But it baffled me and made me most uneasy. My mind could never think or move forward as to how all this will be done and achieved. I never had any knowledge or experience of such a delicate assignment.

Next morning when I was just washing and wiping the Meditation Hall which was my Sunday routine, a gentleman entered with devotion and a smiling face. It was a surprise. I embraced him and made him sit. He had come for the first time to the Ashram. I asked him as to how he had come here. He spontaneously said that he had been longing to see me in my Ashram life, and just sat beside me in meditation with closed eyes.

He was a friend working in the Central Public Works Department. I was in business and we had practically started life in Delhi together. He was only a matriculate belonging to the scheduled caste and had started his life as a foreman in the C.P.W.D. I was supplying lime to the C.P.W.D. and I had very close and long contact with him throughout my life.

He had no engineering qualifications or degrees but only on account of his sheer hard labour and deep devotion to his vocation he had now risen to the position of the Superintending Engineer. It was a rare achievement.

I always loved and respected him on account of his devotion to work, integrity and nobility. His name was Pooran Chand, and in appreciation of his loyalty and devotion to service he was honoured with the award of Rai Sahib by the British Government.

He continued sitting in the Meditation Hall with his body erect in meditation for over two hours. This surprised me further. When he came out of the meditation I asked him where he had learnt this art of meditation, as I could never imagine or conceive that a Government servant especially in the C.P.W.D. could be devoted to tapasya, meditation and samadhi. He told me that he was doing meditation for several hours everyday in his house and he was a very early riser. I was so happy to know all this.

Now I told him that he had been sent by the Divine to solve my problem and showed him the plans and the drawings of the Shrine which had been received from the Mother. He at once said that it was his job as he was responsible for executing all the marble monuments in Delhi. He assured me that he would take the responsibility and would execute the construction of the Samadhi from the beginning to the end. What a magic and a miracle! At that time he had in hand the construction of the building of the Supreme Court.

He took away all the plans and straight off called the proper people from Makrana near Jaipur, Rajasthan, who were doing this kind of marble monuments work and who were in his confidence and were completely under his influence. He gave them complete instructions and directions and settled all the charges, terms and time of delivery etc.

In the meantime samples of different grades and shades of marble stone were provided to me which I immediately forwarded to the Mother and the shade which was approved by the Mother was promptly conveyed to Rai Sahib Pooran Chand.

The arrangement was so perfect that within three months all the fabricated pieces for the complete Shrine were received in the trucks along with the technicians to assemble the Shrine on the spot. The Shrine was assembled within a month under the direction and supervision of Rai Sahib Pooran Chand.

The cube in the centre was very heavy — about 27 maunds (approx. 982 kgs) in weight. This was lifted by a crane with the help of the expert and skilled labourers, who were arranged from the Supreme Court building under construction.

When the Shrine was completely ready, just by chance I noticed that the symbols of Sri Aurobindo on all the four sides of the cube were wrongly carved. It shocked me seriously. Now the cube could not be lifted and the symbols could not be re-carved because the cube had gone two feet deep in the ground and strongly fixed in cement concrete. I felt that all the efforts had gone waste as the cube had in any case to be changed which was a difficult and terrible job. I could not reconcile myself as to how it could be done.

Next morning I explained this to Rai Sahib Pooran Chand and he comforted me and assured that the cube will be broken into pieces and dug out and the new cube with correct and authentic symbols will be got carved at Makrana again and he will try to get the same done as quickly as possible.

It was discovered that the craftsmen at Makrana in their enthusiasm had used their own imagination and discretion to make the design of the symbol more beautiful! They did not realise that the form of the symbol had its occult significance and power which should not have been altered under any circumstances.

The distressed condition of my mind and the cry of my heart reached the Mother. Just at that time when we were discussing all this on the spot in animation, quite miraculously a lengthy telegram was received from the Mother saying that the Relics will be placed under the cube and not over the cube under the Lotus as was previously directed. Now all the anxiety and unhappiness was dissolved as the cube had in any case to be broken and taken out to place the Relics under the same.

The order and instructions for the new cube were given which was made again at Makrana with the correct symbols. The cube was received quite promptly and was placed in the Shrine with the Relics underneath.

With this, the second phase of the Divine Battle was over. But it looks that this battle is eternal till the consciousness undergoes a change.