Śrī Aurobindo
Mirra Alfassa

Śrī Aurobindo (Ghose) and The Mother (Mirra Alfassa) are among modern India's most profound spiritual figures. They attained the highest realisations, recognising the divine in themselves, each other, and the world. Like Ishwara (the Conscious Soul) and Shakti (the dynamic Force of Nature), they were One—two aspects of a single truth. At the intersection of colonial struggle and independence, they sought liberation—of India from British rule, society from inequality, and human consciousness from maya and samsara. Śrī Aurobindo, once a fierce nationalist leader, developed Integral Yoga, a path of divine transformation. The Mother co-founded the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville, manifesting their shared vision of collective harmony and unity. Together, they forged a transformative path through the revolution and evolution of consciousness, offering a timeless blueprint for personal, communal, and universal spiritual growth.

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In the painting:

The painting depicts Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Mirra Alfassa, seated together in the city of Auroville—a manifestation of their vision and spiritual ideals. Founded in 1968, Auroville began as an experiment in harmonious living beyond cultural and social barriers, symbolised by soil from 124 countries mixed at its inauguration. Today, it continues as a beacon of innovation, ecological renewal, and higher consciousness.

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Sri Aurobindo and The Mother are with their hands intertwined—an imagined depiction meant to illustrate their unity. Śrī Aurobindo was regarded as the embodiment of Brahman, Purusha, and Ishwara (the Conscious Soul), while The Mother embodied Maya, Prakriti, and Shakti (the dynamic Force of Nature). Together, like Purusha and Prakriti, they were One, living in mental harmony as two aspects of a single truth—the being and the dynamic force of Reality.

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Aligned as Purusha and Prakriti, Śrī Aurobindo withdrew into seclusion from 1926, dedicating himself to writing, while The Mother managed the Ashram’s daily affairs, guided disciples, taught, founded Auroville, and nurtured the Ashram community.

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The lion represents Bharat Mata, the divine embodiment of India’s unity, culture, and strength, often associated with Goddess Durga. Sri Aurobindo, a devotee of Shakti, saw the Divine Mother as essential to India's independence, invoking her power in his Durga Stotra (1909). He regarded Vande Mataram (I bow to thee, Mother) as a sacred mantra, believing the Mother’s awakening would inspire the nation's liberation.

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The golden orb that rises from the earth is the Matrimandir, the soul of Auroville. Its radiant surface reflects light, illuminating both the landscape and the soul. The inner pure white meditation chamber, centred around a crystal globe diffusing sunlight, symbolises the Divine light and the journey towards higher consciousness.

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The flowers in Auroville hold deep spiritual significance, symbolising nature's transformative power. The Mother identified flowers' meanings, using them as tools for spiritual growth and connection to the divine presence. She even created an index of over 800 flowers. In the painting:

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• Red Lotus: Sri Aurobindo, “Avatar, the Supreme Manifest on earth in a Body.”

• White Lotus: Aditi, the Mother, “the Divine Consciousness, pure, immaculate, gloriously powerful.”

• Ginger Lily: Sachchidananda, "Strong and pure, it stands erect in its creative power."

• Sunflower: "Consciousness turned towards the Light. It thirsts for the light and cannot live without it."

• Grape: "Divine Ananda, abundant, succulent, nourishing, full of vigour."

• Marigold: “Physical Plasticity, one of the important conditions for transformation."

• White Thunbergia: "Opening of the higher vital to the Light, the vital existing only for the Divine. The vital knowing no other master than the Divine."

• Duranta Erecta: "Aspiration for Vital Purity. Delicate, modest, insistent."

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The book in Sri Aurobindo's hand symbolises his writings that channel higher states of awareness, serving as spiritual tools for evolution. His epic Savitri is a means to unlock higher consciousness, with each word crafted as an effort to transform reality itself.

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Sri Aurobindo's and The Mother's symbols are united in the frame. The Mother’s symbol, resembling a flower, represents the expansion of Cosmic Consciousness into the realm of phenomena, bringing forth the powers and qualities of the Divine Mother into the world. In Sri Aurobindo's symbol, the descending triangle symbolises Sat-Chit-Ananda (Absolute Existence-Consciousness-Bliss), while the ascending triangle represents matter’s aspiration. Their union signifies perfect manifestation, with the lotus representing the Avatar of the Supreme.

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And finally, the sofa print and tiger skin in the painting are inspired by the historic images that the renowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson captured in the last known portraits of Sri Aurobindo, in April 1950.

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