The Mother, A Short Biography

"If in the following pages we give many data on the outer life of the Mother, it should not divert the mind from the proper purpose of such a writing: to point towards the timeless ever-living Mother of the Universe, her Power and Love, which are felt if we turn towards her."

Even in her early years Mirra became conscious of her special purpose of life, her mission on earth: “I started contemplating or doing my Yoga from the age of 4. There was a small chair for me on which I used to sit still, engrossed in my meditation [...]" From the age of five she was conscious that she did not belong to this world and did not have a human consciousness.

Whilst Sri Aurobindo’s main interests in the early stages of his development were literature, poetry, languages and history, for the Mother they were, no doubt, art and music. But these were to her forms of expression which led to something deeper or revealed something hidden within: the search for God and spiritual realization were her sole objective in all things.

“Wherever the call was, I could attend.” On the strength of this quotation we may surely assume and affirm that now the Mother is in a similar way influencing earth events from the subtle physical plane and giving individual guidance to disciples and devotees. “Even without my body the work could go on.” This is certainly a most significant revelation.

We find the Richards in London on 13 March 1916, embarking on the long journey to the Far East. They reached Japan in June 1916 and stayed for four years in the land of the rising sun, the first year mostly in Tokyo, the last three years in Kyoto. They briefly touched China too.

The Mother was back in Pondicherry, and she was never again to leave India. Over these years the foundation of the Ashram was laid, even though it was not consciously planned or discussed. Things took their own course and there was an organic development.

What the Mother and Sri Aurobindo had in mind was not an Ashram in the traditional Indian meaning, but a kind of spiritual laboratory in which a new integral, Divine Life was to be tried. Even though Guru and disciples were gathered here for God-Realization, which justifies the name ‘Ashram’ (Sri Aurobindo accepted the term after some hesitation), the model was basically different.

Even at young age the Mother had conceived the idea that there should be a place where seekers of God could completely dedicate themselves to spiritual life without any material worries and problems. Such a place was taking shape now and the Mother supervised its development in all details, whilst Sri Aurobindo was opening a path towards Supermind.