Every action upon earth, in its execution and its consequences, is necessarily mixed because such is the nature of terrestrial life. There is a darkness of Ignorance that hangs over and around everything but there is also a point of Light that shines at the core of everyone and everything. It is this Light of the Divine Presence that is the source of hope in all beings.
Ascetic methods are things like repeated fasting, compelling yourself to endure the cold… in fact, to torture your body a little. This indeed gives you only a spiritual pride, nothing more. It masters nothing at all.
... neither the Mother nor Sri Aurobindo had any need to suffer. Fully conscious of Their Divinity and Immortality they could have easily withdrawn anytime from the earth.