[In 1926] Sri Aurobindo had given me charge of the outer work because he wanted to withdraw into concentration in order to hasten the manifestation of the Supramental consciousness and he had announced to the few people who were there that he was entrusting to me the work of helping and guiding them, that I would remain in contact with him, naturally, and that through me he would do the work. - The Mother
After 1926, disciples & devotees were able to have Sri Aurobindo's darshan (darśana, दर्शन) on select occasions, referred to as Darshan Days.
At first there were 3 Darshan Days : The Mother's Birthday, Sri Aurobindo's Birthday and Siddhi Day. In 1939, a 4th Darshan Day was added : The Mother's Final Arrival Day at Pondicherry.
After 1950, The Mother continued to give Darshan on these days.
From 1963 onwards, The Mother gave Darshan from the terrace as She gazed upon those who had gathered in the street below.
Sweet Mother, What do you give us in the morning at the balcony, and what should we try to do in order to receive what you are giving?
Every morning at the balcony, after establishing a conscious contact with each of those who are present, I identify myself with the Supreme Lord and dissolve myself completely in Him. Then my body, completely passive, is nothing but a channel through which the Lord passes His forces freely and pours upon all His Light, His Consciousness and His Joy, according to each one’s receptivity.
The best way to receive what He gives is to come to the balcony with trust and aspiration and to keep oneself as calm and quiet as one can in a silent and passive state of expectation. If one has something precise to ask, it is better to ask it beforehand, not while I am there, because any activity lessens the receptivity.
In the days when Sri Aurobindo used to give Darshan, before he gave it there was always a concentration of certain forces or of a certain realisation which he wanted to give to people. And so each Darshan marked a stage forward; each time something was added. But that was at a time when the number of visitors was very limited. It was organised in another way, and it was part of the necessary preparation.
But this special concentration, now, occurs at other times, not particularly on Darshan days. And it occurs much more often, on other kinds of occasions, in other circumstances. The movement is much accelerated, the march forward, the stages succeed each other much more rapidly. And perhaps it is more difficult to follow; or in any case, if one doesn't take care to keep up, one is much more quickly out-distanced than before; one gets the feeling of being late or of being abandoned. Things change quickly.
And I ought to say that these Darshan times with all this rush of people serve not so much for an inner progress―that is to say, inside the Ashram―as for a diffusion outside. The use we make of these days is a little different; above all, it is to go farther, have a vaster field, reach more distant points. But the concentration is less and there is this inconvenience of a large crowd, which was always there but which has been much greater during these last years than at the beginning. At the beginning there was not such a crowd; and perhaps the quality of the crowd was also a little different.
View all Darshan Messages
But Mother, what is the significance of the message you give every Darshan?
Yes, as I have just told you, this is spread in thousands of copies all over the world. It is an externalisation of the thing, it is a way of spreading the influence, spreading the message, reaching farther. Everything that is said in a Darshan message has been studied, proved, tested, beforehand. And on Darshan day it is given. First the experiment is made, then it is declared publicly. The first movement is the individual development; at the Darshan time it is spread abroad.
Sri Aurobindo always spoke of two movements: the formation of the individual in order to be able to reach the goal individually, and the preparation of the world.... For the progress of the individual is, so to say, not exactly delayed or helped by the condition of the whole, but this brings about a certain balance between the two. The individual movement is always much more rapid and more penetrating; it goes farther, more deeply and more quickly. The collective movement forms a sort of basis which both restrains and supports at the same time. And it is the balance between these two movements which is necessary. So, the more rapidly one goes individually, the more necessary it is to try to extend and strengthen the collective basis.
It will soon be a year since, one Wednesday, we had the manifestation of the supramental force. Since then, it has been working very actively, even while very few people are aware of it! but still I thought the time had come for – how to put it? – for us to help it a little in its work by making an effort of receptivity. Of course, it does not work only in the Ashram, it is working in the whole world and in all places where there is some receptivity this Force is at work, and I must say the Ashram hasn’t an exclusive receptivity in the world, the monopoly of receptivity…
For a very long time the Ashram was only a gathering of individuals, each one representing something, but as an individual and without any collective organisation. They were like separate pawns on a chess-board—united only in appearance—or rather by the purely superficial fact of living together in the same place and having a few habits in common—not even very many, only a few. Each one progressed—or didn't progress—according to his own capacity and with a minimum of relations with others. So, in accordance with the value of the individuals constituting this odd assemblage, one could say that there was a general value, but a very nebulous one, with no collective reality. This lasted a very long time—very long. And it is only quite recently that the need for a collective reality began to appear—which is not necessarily limited to the Ashram but embraces all who have declared themselves—I don't mean materially but in their consciousness—to be disciples of Sri Aurobindo and have tried to live his teaching. Among all of them, and more strongly since the manifestation of the supramental Consciousness and Force, there has awakened the necessity for a true communal life, which would not be based only on purely material circumstances but would represent a deeper truth, and be the beginning of what Sri Aurobindo calls a supramental or gnostic community....
Birth of Sri Aurobindo at Calcutta.
You spoke of Sri Aurobindo's birth as "eternal" in the history of the universe. What exactly was meant by "eternal"?
The sentence can be understood in four different ways on four ascending planes of consciousness:
1) Physically, the consequence of the birth will be of eternal importance to the world.
2) Mentally, it is a birth that will be eternally remembered in the universal history.
3) Psychically, a birth that recurs for ever from age to age upon earth.
4) Spiritually, the birth of the Eternal upon earth.
The Mother is born in Paris to a Persian father and an Egyptian mother. She is named Mirra Alfassa.
Since the beginning of the earth, wherever and whenever there was the possibility of manifesting a ray of the Consciousness, I was there.
The Mother first visits Pondicherry in 1914. She returns for permanent stay in 1920.
It was the descent of Krishna into the physical.
Krishna is not the supramental light. The descent of Krishna would mean the descent of the Overmind Godhead preparing, though not itself actually bringing, the descent of Supermind and Ananda. Krishna is the Anandamaya, he supports the evolution through the Overmind leading it towards his Ananda.
The 24th November is called the day of Victory in remembrance of a very important spiritual event which took place in 1926.
… the Ashram was founded or rather founded itself in 1926.
During the common meditation on Wednesday (29.Feb.1956)
This evening the Divine Presence, concrete and material, was there present amongst you. I had a form of living gold, bigger than the universe, and I was facing a huge and massive golden door which separated the world from the Divine.
As I looked at the door, I knew and willed, in a single movement of consciousness, that "the time has come," and lifting with both hands a mighty golden hammer I struck one blow, one single blow on the door and the door was shattered to pieces.
Then the supramental Light and Force and Consciousness rushed down upon earth in an uninterrupted flow.
Sri Aurobindo's withdrawal from the physical.
Sri Aurobindo has given up his body in an act of supreme unselfishness, renouncing the realisation in his own body to hasten the hour of the collective realisation. Surely if the earth were more responsive, this would not have been necessary.
We must not be bewildered by appearances. Sri Aurobindo has not left us. Sri Aurobindo is here, as living and as present as ever and it is left to us to realise his work with all the sincerity, eagerness and concentration necessary.
The Mother's withdrawal from the physical.
Currently, people are allowed to visit Their rooms for a few moments on Darshan Days.
There, - there is the manifestation of the Truth. To be in front of His room is to perceive the Absolute Consciousness. He who knows how to open himself, truly open himself wide and spontaneously, will find His invariable help for everything. It is unbelievable! It is Invincible! And All-Powerful! Do not pretend. In front of Him, one has to be straightforward, scrupulously frank and sincere and one has to simply open oneself to be able to feel His Beatitude.
It is extraordinary, the power of His Reality. No one could stand and no one could bear it if He reveals Himself in His entirety. That is why I was warning you in advance. Never pretend or make a semblance that you are one of those who have the permission to stand before His room. It vibrates with His Presence. Be happy and make of your life a consecration for accomplishing His work here below. It is an exceptional opportunity. Be worthy of it and do not waste time.
What a marvel! What a Power! What Grandeur! The One who was with us, His Power and His Force still vibrate in His room. It is a place for meditation and for receiving the Vibration of the Truth which it emits. It is charged. The presence of Sri Aurobindo is palpably felt by one who is sincere. Voilà.
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