Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Its Role, Responsibility and Future Destiny

The Misgivings

It is not that some danger signals are not there at all. Some unhealthy trends have lately set in in the Ashram in a

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rather generalised way. Are they in the nature of a passing catharsis? Or pathological symptoms of the forthcoming decay and decline of our group as a spiritual institution? Only the Mother and Sri Aurobindo know the answer. But on our part we have to be on our guard so that the apparent lowering of values may not lead to an irreversible degeneration of the Ashram.

We know there have already been sounded in some very responsible and respectable quarters some honest misgivings about the future destiny of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It has been suggested by implication that the Ashram may have by now outlived its raison d'être and passed into the phase of dismantlement and disintegration so far as its spiritual character is concerned.

It has been hinted at by some that the Ashram may have acted as a scaffolding for the accomplishment of the real mission of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, the descent and establishment of the supramental Truth-Consciousness into the earth atmosphere, and once that mission was adequately fulfilled, the Ashram lost its functional utility for their purpose and may now be passing into the phase of being pulled down. And that the real mission of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo has been accomplished can be gathered from the following statement of the Mother herself:

"What has happened [after the manifestation of Super-mind in 1956], the really new thing is that a new world is born, born, born. It is not the old one transforming itself, it is a new world which is born. And we are right in the midst of this period of transition where the two are entangled -where the other still persists all-powerful and entirely dominating the ordinary consciousness, but where the new one is quietly slipping in, still very modest, unnoticed -unnoticed to the extent that outwardly it doesn't disturb

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anything very much, for the time being, and that in the consciousness of most people it is even altogether imperceptible. And yet it is working, growing - until it is strong enough to assert itself visibly, ...

"Meanwhile we are in a very special situation, extremely special, without precedent. We are now witnessing the birth of a new world; it is very young, very weak - not in its essence but in its outer manifestation - not yet recognised, not even felt, denied by the majority. But it is here, making an effort to grow, absolutely sure of the result." (Questions and Answers 1957-58, pp. 149-150)

In the light of the above declaration of the Mother, can it not be contended, ask some, that the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's Work will now be all the world over and they will not have any special interest in the institution which went by the name of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram? In that case can we not say that 'scaffolding' is the most apt description of the role the Ashram played during the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's physical existence upon earth?

Such is the view of some. But some others are worried about the possible implication of a significant sentence that occurs in a piece of writing Sri Aurobindo penned in 1936. In the English version of the booklet L'Enseignement et I'Ashram de Sri Aurobindo issued on 16-2-36 Sri Aurobindo wrote inter alia:

"An Ashram means the house or houses of a Teacher or Master of spiritual philosophy in which he receives and lodges those who come to him for the teaching and practice. ... An Ashram is not an association or a religious body or a monastery - it is only what has been indicated above, nothing more.... All depends on the Teacher and ends with his lifetime, unless there is another Teacher who can take his place." (See Sri Aurobindo and His Ashram, 1948 ed., p. 53)

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The last sentence of the passage quoted above has given rise in some minds to serious misgiving about the future of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. For it is well known that Sri Aurobindo and the Mother jointly founded the Ashram on 24 November 1926. After Sri Aurobindo withdrew from his body in 1950, the Mother continued to preside over the destiny of the Ashram. So there was nothing to worry about. But when she too left her body in 1973, there was none left in Sri Aurobindo Ashram who could possibly take her place. Twenty-two years have rolled by since then and the void of spiritual leadership still continues in the Ashram. Of course there is the Ashram Trustee Board but that is only for the external administration of Ashram affairs. Surely there is none who can even in his wildest imagination claim to fill up the void left by the physical withdrawal of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. There is, then, some would say, only one conclusion which is inferrable: it is the ultimate demise of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. For, so would they contend, has not Sri Aurobindo himself declared: "All depends on the Teacher and ends with his life-time"?

Of course, be it noted, it is not suggested by the doubting hearts that the Ashram as a physical organisation will disappear from the scene; far from it. It is quite on the cards that the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry will over the years develop into a thriving cultural institution; or, perhaps, into a vibrant religious community whose members will be bound by "a credal adherence, a formal acceptance of its ethical standards and a conformity to institution, ceremony and ritual." (The Life Divine, p. 1058). But what is feared is that the Ashram may lose its essential character and be moribund or even dead as a spiritual organisation.

But surely that type of fiasco the Mother and Sri Aurobindo did not visualise for the destiny of their

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Ashram. Here are Sri Aurobindo's own words:

"I have no intention of giving my sanction to a new edition of the old fiasco, a partial or transient spiritual opening within with no true and radical change in the law of the external nature. If, then, any sadhak refuses in practice to admit this change or if he refuses even to admit the necessity for any change of his lower vital being and his habitual external personality, I am entitled to conclude that, whatever his professions, he has not accepted either myself or my yoga." (Letters on Yoga, p. 1306)

We should not forget even for a moment that the real worth and importance of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram is not in its opulent eye-catching faÇade but in its inner spiritual character and we the Mother's children, the inmates of the Ashram, should see to it that it does not forfeit its spiritual life-force and turn into something stale and of alien character.

But is there really any possibility that our Ashram may meet with some such adverse fate? We do not think so. We foresee for the Sri Aurobindo Ashram a glorious role in the drama of the accomplishment of the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's transformatory Work upon earth. And we have valid reasons for entertaining such faith and hope. We shall come to the discussion of this topic somewhat later on in course of this essay. But even now we may refer to something special to this Ashram and its functioning, and this will, we hope, help us to see things in a different and deeper perspective. With reference to the working of a Conscious-Force in the Ashram Sri Aurobindo made the following observation:

"What seems to me of more importance is to try to explain how things are worked out here. Indeed very few

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are the people who understand it and still fewer are those who realise it.

"There has never been, at any time, a mental plan, a fixed programme or an organisation decided beforehand. The whole thing has taken birth, grown and developed as a living being by a movement of consciousness (Chit-Tapas) constantly maintained, increased and fortified. As the Conscious-Force descends in matter and radiates, it seeks for fit instruments to express and manifest it." (The Mother, p. 226)

A conscious divine Force presiding over the formation, maintenance and development of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram - such, then, is the secret of its constant growth and progress in spite of occasional vicissitudes. But that does not release us from our own responsibilities. For the working of the higher conscious Force is very much dependent on the availability of proper instruments. Sri Aurobindo reminds us: "It goes without saying that the more the instrument is open, receptive and plastic, the better are the results." (Ibid.)

The Mother too has reminded us, in the same vein, of the unique importance of the Ashram atmosphere and the necessity of constant vigilance on our part:

"If you are here, it is for a special reason!. It is because here there is a possibility of absorbing consciousness and progress which is not found elsewhere. And if you don't prepare yourselves to receive this, well, you will lose the chance that's given to you." (Questions and Answers 1954, CWM Vol. 6, p. 269)

But the sceptic may rejoin that all this might have been true when Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were there physically present in the Ashram; but what about now when both of them have withdrawn from their bodies? What guarantee is there to believe that we the Ashramites

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are still in the same privileged position?

Yes, the guarantee is there in Sri Aurobindo's and Mother's own words. For when Sri Aurobindo withdrew from his body in 1950, he gave a solemn assurance to the Mother about his continued presence and action. Here is how the Mother expressed this assurance on 7 December 1950:

"Lord, this morning Thou hast given me the assurance that Thou wouldst stay with us until Thy work is achieved, not only as a consciousness which guides and illumines but also as a dynamic Presence in action. In unmistakable terms Thou hast promised that all of Thyself would remain here and not leave the earth atmosphere until earth is transformed. Grant that we may be worthy of this marvellous Presence and that henceforth everything in us be concentrated on the one will to be more and more perfectly consecrated to the fulfilment of Thy sublime Work." (Words of the Mother, CWM Vol. 13, p. 4)

And when in her turn the Mother too left her body in 1973 she made it a point to assure her children in advance through respected Nolini-da (Nolini Kanta Gupta) that if ever she would withdraw from her physical body, she would continue to remain with us.

With this double assurance of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother as regards their continued presence and active guidance in our midst, we in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram need not at all feel like forlorn children and despair about the future of the Ashram as a destined centre of their world-wide action.

But it is at the same time true that from our side we have to make special and sincere efforts to deserve their unsolicited Grace and earnestly collaborate in the work of our spiritual transformation. For Sri Aurobindo has warned us,

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their work in the Ashram may be hampered by the instrumental difficulties offered by the disciples who dwell there. Let us listen to his words:

"The two obstacles that stand in the way of a smooth and harmonious working [of the Conscious Force] in and through the Sadhaks are:

(1)the preconceived ideas and mental constructions which block the way to the influence and the working of the Conscious Force;

(2)the preferences and impulses of the vital which distort and falsify the expression. Both these things are the natural output of the ego." (The Mother, p. 227)

We should have no hesitation in admitting that many of us, the sadhaks and sadhikas of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, are still very much subject to the play of ego and to its concomitant ills like preferences and antipathies, blind impulses and urges, self-centred behaviour, erratic and erroneous actions and reactions, etc. And because of these we have not yet succeeded in building up an ideal collective life in accordance with the Mother's and Sri Aurobindo's dream. And it is good to be reminded that we shall never be able to realise our goal if we fail to remedy the basic malady assailing and corrupting all ordinary group-formation. We propose to treat this question in the following section.