Sri Aurobindo

Aurobindo, known as Sri Aurobindo (Sri Ôrobindo), (15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950), born Aurobindo Ghose, was an Indian nationalist, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for independence from British rule, for a while became one of its influential leaders and then became a spiritual reformer, introducing his visions on human progress and spiritual evolution.

Aurobindo studied for the Indian Civil Service at King's College, Cambridge, England. After returning to India he took up various civil service works under the maharaja of the princely state of Baroda and began to involve himself in politics. He was imprisoned by the British for writing articles against British rule in India. He was released when no evidence was provided. During his stay in the jail he had mystical and spiritual experiences, after which he moved to Pondicherry, leaving politics for spiritual work.

During his stay in Pondicherry, Aurobindo developed a method of spiritual practice he called Integral Yoga. The central theme of his vision was the evolution of human life into a life divine. He believed in a spiritual realisation that not only liberated man but transformed his nature, enabling a divine life on earth. In 1926, with the help of his spiritual collaborator, Mirra Alfassa (referred to as "The Mother"), he founded the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. He died on 5 December 1950 in Pondicherry.

Aurobindo Ashram

Aurobindo Ashram is an ashram is located at Dandia Bazar in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, western India. It was the first ever ashram to become so popular in south areas.

Relics of Sri Aurobindo are present here. It is open to all for meditation. It houses a library, study room and sales emporium. Here you can find all books by and on Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

History

Aurobindo Ghosh lived in this bungalow during his stay in Baroda (1894–1906)as private secretary to HH Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Maharaja of Baroda and then Professor of English and vice-principal of Baroda College (now MSU). During that period few famous people visited this bunglow- like Lokmanya Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Sister Nivedita, Sakharam Ganesh Dueskar and some marathi yogi saints. Aurobindo Ghosh's wife Mrinalini Devi, sister Sarojini Devi and his younger brother Barindar Kumar Ghosh-the famous freedom fighter was a frequent visitor. It has 23 big and small rooms and surrounding open land of about 55,000 sq.ft.

Sri Aurobindo Ashram

The Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a spiritual community (ashram) located in Pondicherry, in the Indian territory of Puducherry. 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 organisations in Pondicherry and elsewhere include “Sri Aurobindo” in their name, but they are not part of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. The most important organisation also inspired by the vision of Sri Aurobindo is Auroville, an international township founded by the Mother and dedicated to human unity.

The Mother

The Mother may refer to:

See also

Puducherry

Puducherry, formerly known as Pondicherry (/ˌpɒndᵻˈtʃɛri/;literally New Town in Tamil) is a Union Territory of India. It was formed out of four exclaves of former French India namely Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe. It is named after the largest district Puducherry. Historically known as Pondicherry (Pāṇṭiccēri), the territory changed its official name to Puducherry (Putuccēri) on 20 September 2006.

Puducherry lies in the southern part of the Indian Peninsula. The areas of Puducherry and Karaikal are bound by the state of Tamil Nadu, Yanam and Mahe are enclosed by the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala respectively. Puducherry is the 29th most populous and the third most densely populated state/UT in India. It has a GDP of ₹0.21 lakh crore (US$3.1 billion) and ranks 27th in India.

History

The earliest recorded history of Puducherry can be traced to the 2nd century CE. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentions a marketplace named Poduke (ch 60). G. W. B. Huntingford identified suggested this might be a site about 2 miles from the modern Puducherry, which was possibly the location of Arikamedu (now part of Ariyankuppam). Huntingford noted that Roman pottery was found at Arikamedu in 1937. In addition, archaeological excavations between 1944 and 1949 showed that it was "a trading station to which goods of Roman manufacture were imported during the first half of the 1st century CE".