There are evidently meeting points even as there are divergences. Otherwise logically Auroville would simply be an extension of the Ashram. Factually however Auroville was a project of the Sri Aurobindo Society which later dissociated itself and when it became independent, it did not join the Ashram but preferred the government. The Ashram is not governed by the government and being the place of central influence is a concentration and condensation whereas Auroville is wider and more diffuse.
Even if we leave these aside, the Ashram by the very fact of being the taposthali as well as samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother will always carry intense vibrations of their physical presence and tapasya. That does not mean that those living in the Ashram are special or higher. But one cannot deny that the two are different force-fields with different approaches, each working in its own way towards the great goal of terrestrial transformation.
Here are some words of the Mother helping to reveal the truth of each:
Q: What is the difference between the Ashram and Auroville?
The Mother: The Ashram will keep its role as pioneer, inspirer and guide. Auroville will be an experiment in collective realisation. [June 1968]
*
Q: What is the fundamental difference between the ideal of the Ashram and the ideal of Auroville?
The Mother: There is no fundamental difference in the attitude towards the future and the service of the Divine. But the people in the Ashram are considered to have consecrated their lives to Yoga (except, of course, the students who are here only for their studies and who are not expected to have made their choice in life). Whereas in Auroville simply the good will to make a collective experiment for the progress of humanity is sufficient to gain admittance.
[10 November 1969]
*
Q: I have always considered the Ashram and Auroville to be parts of an integral whole. I cannot see them as different entities. How then was a difference made by you, Mother? Or is it that I am wrong somewhere? To me it seems that there is a great need for a move towards integration in our outlook.
The Mother: The Ashram is the central consciousness, Auroville is one of the outward expressions. In both places equally the work is done for the Divine.’ [CMW 13:88]
There are evidently meeting points even as there are divergences. Otherwise logically Auroville would simply be an extension of the Ashram. Factually however Auroville was a project of the Sri Aurobindo Society which later dissociated itself and when it became independent, it did not join the Ashram but prefered the government. The Ashram is not governed by the government and being the place of central influence is a concentration and condensation whereas Auroville is wider and more diffuse.
Even if we leave these aside, the Ashram by the very fact of being the taposthali as well as samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother will always carry intense vibrations of their physical presence and tapasya. That does not mean that those living in the Ashram are special or higher. But one cannot deny that the two are different force-fields with different approaches, each working in its own way towards the great goal of terrestrial transformation.
