Spiritual Aid Is Easier to Obtain

By DAVID ELLIS

A few eyebrows were raised by an unusual private meeting MIKHAIL GORBACHEV scheduled during the London economic summit. The Soviet leader took time out from importuning Western leaders for economic help to greet his friend SRI CHINMOY, the New Age Indian guru. As French President Francois Mitterrand watched from the side, Gorbachev accepted a book of praise from the spiritual leader, who is based in Queens, N.Y. Gorbachev, who has been known to sprinkle speeches with terminology about his vision for a "new civilization" that obeys "new laws and logic," first met the guru last year on a state visit to Canada.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart