Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry

Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a spiritual organization located in White Town Area of Puducherry Town in Union Territory of Puducherry. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram located on Rue de la Marine, is one of the most well-known and wealthiest ashrams in India, with devotees from India and all over the world flocking towards it for spiritual salvation. Its spiritual tenets represent a synthesis of yoga and modern science. Children below 3 years of age are not allowed into the Ashram and photography is allowed only with permission of the Ashram authorities. The ashram grew out of a small community of disciples who had gathered around Sri Aurobindo after he retired from politics and settled in Pondicherry in 1910.

On 24 November 1926, after a major spiritual realization, Sri Aurobindo withdrew from public view in order to continue his spiritual work. At this time, he handed over the full responsibility for the inner and outer lives of the sadhaks (spiritual aspirants) and the ashram to his spiritual collaborator, "the Mother", earlier known as Mirra Alfassa. This date is therefore generally known as the founding-day of the ashram, though, as Sri Aurobindo himself wrote, it had less been created than grown around him as its centre.

Related Organizations

Sri Aurobindo Ashram has only one location. It does not have any branches. (Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch is a separate organization, with its own administration.) Many other organizations in Pondicherry and elsewhere include “Sri Aurobindo” in their name, but they are not part of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. The most important organization also inspired by the vision of Sri Aurobindo is Auroville, an international township founded by the Mother and dedicated to human unity.

Early History

Life in the community that preceded the ashram was informal. Sri Aurobindo spent most of his time in writing and meditation. The three or four young men who had followed him to Pondicherry in 1910 lived with him and looked after the household. Otherwise they were free to do as they wished. The Mother and French writer Paul Richard met Sri Aurobindo in 1914 and proposed that they bring out a monthly review; but after the outbreak of World War I, they were obliged to leave India, and Sri Aurobindo had to do almost all of the work on the review himself, helped a little by the young men who were living with him.

In April 1920 the Mother returned to Pondicherry, and soon the community began to take the form of an ashram, more because the sadhaks desired to entrust their whole inner and outer life to the Mother than from any intention or plan of hers or of Sri Aurobindo. After the ashram was given formal shape in 1926, it experienced a period of rapid growth, increasing from around 24 in the beginning of 1927 to more than 150 in 1934. The membership leveled off in 1934 owing to a lack of suitable housing. During these years there was a regular routine.

At 6:00 every morning the Mother appeared on the ashram balcony to initiate the day with her blessings. Sadhaks would have woken very early and completed a good portion of the day’s work including meditation and then assembled under the balcony to receive her blessings. As the ashram grew, many departments came up and were looked after by the sadhaks as part of their sadhana: the offices, library, dining room, book/photograph printing, workshops, sports / playground, art gallery, dispensary/nursing home, farms, dairies, flower gardens, guest houses, laundry, bakery, etc.

The heads of the departments met the Mother in the morning and took her blessings and orders. She would meet the sadhaks individually again at 10 am and, in the evening at 5:30 pm, she would conduct meditation and meet the sadhaks. In addition, four times a year Sri Aurobindo and the Mother used to give public Darshans (spiritual gatherings where the guru bestows blessings) to thousands of devotees gathered to receive grace.

Present Status

Once confined to a few buildings in one corner of Pondicherry, the Ashram’s growth has caused it to expand physically in all directions. Today Ashramites live and work in more than 400 buildings spread throughout the town. The central focus of the community is one group of houses including those in which Sri Aurobindo and the Mother dwelt for most of their lives in Pondicherry. This interconnected block of houses — called “the Ashram main-building”, or more usually just “the Ashram” — surrounds a tree-shaded courtyard, at the centre of which lies the flower-covered “Samadhi”.

This white marble shrine holds, in two separate chambers, the physical remains of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Today, Pondicherry has become an important destination for spiritual seekers as well as tourists. Thousands of visitors from all over the world come to the ashram. The visiting hours for the visitors are from 8 am to 12 noon and then again from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Aims & Ideals

The Ashram, according to Sri Aurobindo, has been created with another object than that ordinarily common to such institutions, not for the renunciation of the world but as a centre and a field of practice for the evolution of another kind and form of life which would in the final end be moved by a higher spiritual consciousness and embody a greater life of the spirit. The practice of Integral Yoga, Sri Aurobindo explained, does not proceed through any set mental teaching or prescribed forms of meditation, mantras or others, but by aspiration, by a self-concentration inwards or upwards, by self-opening to an Influence, to the Divine Power above us and its workings, to the Divine Presence in the heart, and by the rejection of all that is foreign to these things.

There are many things belonging to older systems that are necessary on the way — an opening of the mind to a greater wideness and to the sense of the Self and the Infinite, an emergence into what has been called the cosmic consciousness, mastery over the desires and passions; an outward asceticism is not essential, but the conquest of desire and attachment and a control over the body and its needs, greeds and instincts are indispensable. There is a combination of the principles of the old systems, the way of knowledge through the mind’s discernment between Reality and the appearance, the heart’s way of devotion, love and surrender and the way of works turning the will away from motives of self-interest to the Truth and the service of a greater Reality than the ego.

For the whole being has to be trained so that it can respond and be transformed when it is possible for that greater Light and Force to work in the nature. The complete method of Integral Yoga aims to transform human life into a divine life. In Sri Aurobindo's yoga, the highest aim is the state of being one with the Divine, without the renunciation of life in the world. For such a fulfillment of the consciousness, the urge for perfection must not be confined to a few individuals. There must be a general spiritual awakening and aspiration in mankind as well as a dynamic re-creating of individual manhood in the spiritual type. This would lead eventually to the emergence of a new type of being, the gnostic being, which would be the hope of a more harmonious evolutionary order in terrestrial Nature.

Publications

Sri Aurobindo Ashram is the primary publisher of the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. As of January 2015, it keeps some 200 publications in English in print, of which 78 are books by Sri Aurobindo, 44 books by the Mother, 27 compilations from their works, and 47 books by other authors. These books are printed at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, which has been in operation since the 1940s. They are distributed by SABDA, the Ashram’s book distribution service, which has been in operation since the 1950s.

SABDA also carries books relating to Sri Aurobindo, the Mother, and their yoga brought out by other publishers, making the number of English books on their list more than 600. The Ashram also publishes books in 17 other European and Indian languages, for a total of more than 550 publications. SABDA carries these and other non-English titles: in all there are 1678 titles in 23 languages. The photographs of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother are printed in house and is available from Ashram reception service. Sizes are available to suit table top to large wall frames.

Collected Works

The Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo are being issued in 37 volumes, of which 34 have been published. The Collected Works of the Mother have been issued in 17 volumes.

Periodicals

The Ashram publishes a number of journals relating to the philosophy and yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. These are currently printed at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, though several were earlier brought out in other cities. Some of Sri Aurobindo’s works first appeared in these and other journals, among them The Advent, a quarterly, which has recently ceased publication.

The most important journals in English are:

1. Bulletin of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (English-French, formerly Bulletin of Physical Education), quarterly, Pondicherry, since 1949

2. Mother India (English), monthly, Pondicherry, since 1949

The Ashram press also prints several journals published by other organizations. These include:

·        All India Magazine (English and other languages), monthly, Pondicherry

·        Bartika (Bengali), quarterly, Calcutta, since 1942

·        Srinvantu, quarterly, Calcutta, since 1956

·        World Union (English), monthly, Pondicherry

Rules, Governance & Relations with Local Community

During the early years of the community Sri Aurobindo and the Mother imposed very few rules on the sadhaks, because they wished them to learn to direct their lives by looking for the divine guidance within. After 1926, written rules were circulated. The main rules were an absolute prohibition of alcohol, drugs, sex and politics. There were also a number of guidelines for the smooth functioning of the collective life of the community. These rules were collected in Rules and Regulations of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, copies of which are given to all members.

The Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust was established in 1955 to administer the community and its assets. The trust board consists of five Trustees, the first of whom were chosen by the Mother herself. After her passing in 1973, the trustees have chosen replacements by consensus. The main ashram departments are overseen by department heads who report to the Trustees.

The Ashram, a public charitable trust, is open to all. No distinctions of nationality, religion, caste, gender, or age are observed. Members come from every part of India and many foreign countries. A large number of devotees from Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu visit the Ashram every day, and support the activities of the Ashram in various ways. Many say that they have benefited from the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. However, some feel that there is little mingling of ashramites and local people. According to a senior Ashram official, the practice of silence observed by the Ashramites may have been misunderstood as rude behavior.

Sexual Harassment Policy and Allegations

In compliance with the Central Government's Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust constituted an Internal Complaints Committee in April 2014. In 2001, a female member was expelled from the ashram for violating a mandatory rule. Thereafter she filed charges of sexual harassment against various members. These charges were dismissed by committees and government agencies, all of which found the charges false. The then chairperson of the National Commission for Women added that there appeared to be malicious planning behind the complaints.

Visit to the Samadhi

You can go to the Samadhi for pranam and meditation from 8.00 a.m. to noon and from 2.00 to 6.00 p.m. After 6.00 p.m. a visitor’s pass is required to enter. Passes can be issued if you are staying in an Ashram Guest House or by Bureau Central.

Collective Meditations

On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday there is a collective meditation around the samadhi from 7.25 to 7.50 p.m. All those with a visitor pass are welcome to join. On Thursday and Sunday, a collective meditation is held in the Ashram Playground between 7.45 and 8.15 p.m. This is open only to members of the Ashram and those visitors staying in the Ashram guest houses who have been given Playground passes. These must be shown at the gate.

Exhibition and Video Programmes at Bureau Central

The exhibition is an introduction to the life and yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother through their own writings. It also offers a glimpse into the Ashram and its activities. Every day, except Sundays, there is a video presentation on one of several topics. The video programmes present the life and work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, the Ashram, flowers and their spiritual significances, etc.

Conducted Tours

Autocare Services operates two tours every weekday: at 8.15 a.m., to see the Ashram and some of its departments, and at 1.30 p.m., to visit Auroville (Matrimandir Viewing Point).

Ashram Bookstores

Visitors can purchase the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, books written about them or their vision, philosophy, and system of yoga, as wells as photographs, gift cards, CDs and DVDs, etc. The Service Branch of the Publication Department is located inside the Ashram compound in the reception area near the Samadhi. The Kripa Branch is located diagonally across the road.

The Ashram Library

The Library has a large collection of books and periodicals available for reading on site.

Cultural Programmes

The notice board inside the Ashram main building announces cultural programmes in such fields as music, dance, art, poetry, and theatre. These are open to visitors. Some special programmes may require entry passes, but that would be indicated on the notice board.

Important Dates & Activities

·        01 January     New Year’s Day

·        21 February     The Mother's birthday (Darshan day)

·        24 April     The Mother's final arrival in Pondicherry (Darshan day)

·        15 August     Sri Aurobindo's birthday (Darshan day)

·        17 November     The Mother's Mahasamadhi

·        20 November     The Mother's body laid to rest

·        24 November     Siddhi Day (Darshan day)

·        01 & 02 December     Anniversary of the Ashram School

·        05 December     Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi

·        09 December     Sri Aurobindo's body laid to rest

Accommodation

There are a few guest houses run by the Ashram where visitors can stay for a short while. As the Ashram attracts many visitors throughout the year, you should make reservations in advance and especially during the Special Days in the Ashram. Should you arrive at the Ashram without a confirmed booking, you can go to the Bureau Central, which allots rooms according to requirements, provided accommodation is available. There are some Ashram-related guest houses as well as many hotels and lodges in Pondicherry, but there too one should try to reserve accommodation in advance. Travel sites on the internet list descriptions and contact information.

Name of Guest House	Checkout Time	FRO Auth.
Park Guest House 1, Goubert Avenue (Beach Road) Pondicherry – 605001 Phone: +91 413 2224644 / 2233644 Email: parkgh@sriaurobindoashram.org Working Hours: 7am - 10pm	12.00 p.m.	Yes
Cottage Guest House 3, Ranga Pillai Street Pondicherry – 605001 Phone: +91 413 2233610 Working Hours: 8 - 12noon, 2 - 4pm (Sunday) 8.30 - 9.30am	12.00 p.m.	Yes
New Guest House 64, Rue Romain Rolland, Pondicherry – 605001 Phone: +91 413 2221553 / 2233634 Email: newguesthouse@gmail.com Working Hours: 6.30 am - 10 pm	12.00 p.m.

Contact

Aurobindo Ashram,

Puducherry – 605 001

Phone: +91 413 233 604

Email: bureaucentral@sriaurobindoashram.org

Web: www.sriaurobindoashram.org

Connectivity

The Ashram is located very close to the famous Manakula Vinayagar Temple and Raj Niwas. The Ashram is located at about 200 meters from Aurobindo Ashram Bus Stop, 3 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 6 Kms from Puducherry Airport and 150 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Ashram is situated on Pondicherry Bus Stand to JIPMER (Gorimedu) Bus Route. Tourists can get down at Aurobindo Ashram Bus Stop. The Ashram is located at a walkable distance from this Bus Stop. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this Ashram from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location