Religion: The Mother Departs

She was born in France 95 years ago, the daughter of a Parisian
banker of Egyptian lineage. Dark-haired and beautiful, she might have grown up
in that age of fin de siecle elegance to become one of those delicate
butterflies that flutter through the paintings of Renoir. But even as a child
Mira Alfassa had had mystical experiences, and the Paris salon she commanded
was a circle of devotees