On Visiting the Sri Aurobindo Ashram

The Ashram is a special formation created by the Mother to facilitate our growth into the Divine. The Ashram as an institution provides a certain framework to facilitate this process, the central point of which is primarily work in different areas and departments of the Ashram done in the spirit of service and as an offering to the Divine Mother. In return the Ashram framework provides the inmates accepted by the Ashram with some basic facilities such as a simple room to stay, simple, healthy and hygienic food in the dining room and general medical care. Apart from this there are common facilities such as sports and exercises, classes on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s Works, various opportunities to learn music, language, painting etc.

It is a spiritual commune where the focus is not so much on social niceties or any conversion type of propaganda to attract new disciples. There is no lineage of gurus though there are people well rooted in the yoga who can answer questions related to the yoga as well as life in general. But the real core is whether the person has really a call for the yoga and whether he can open to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo’s occult spiritual influence that pervades all over the place and is especially concentrated at the Samadhi.

The Ashram is not really a place for a passing visit and some visitors do find at times that nobody is there with whom they can sit and talk. While it is true that most people including the administration remain busy with various works related to the running of the Ashram, the genuine seekers almost invariably find the outer and inner support they need and the guidance comes in one way or the other. But unlike fixed organizations it is quite plastic and wide thereby allowing the Grace to act and give the experience needed for us at the moment.

If one feels disconnected it is either because one stayed at the surface exploring the outsides rather than entering the inner atmosphere of the Ashram, the aura of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo or else perhaps one was not meant for this place. The way to enter the inner atmosphere of the Ashram is through faith, sincerity of aspiration, true will to surrender and for these the outer Ashram becomes a royal doorway to enter and facilitate Sri Aurobindo’s yoga.