A Spiritual Retreat and Seekers’ Delight in the Heart of Delhi – Sri Aurobindo Ashram

During a recent visit to Delhi, a one-night stay at TAPASYA Guest house in Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi premises was a serene experience. This visit, after a gap of many years, after I moved to Ahmedabad many years back in year 2000, was a delightful witnessing of the exponential growth in Ashram activities in a serene environment.

What continues are sustaining Core Values imbibed from the holistic approach of Integral Yoga for all-round development of Individual Self and also the Ashram community as a whole. I could notice many resemblances in the way of life of Ashramites in Pondicherry Ashram and Delhi Ashram. This is probably due to the legacy of Sri Surendra Nath Jauhar "Chachaji", an ardent devotee of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, further nurtured by Sushri Tara Didi. My last visit to the Ashram was in 1996 with my father, Dr. Devaki Nandan Srivastava, as my father was also closely connected with Sri Aurobindo Society and Ashram.

Though being in touch with activities of the Ashram through reading about its events and listening to experiences of sadhaks in their spiritual journey following Sri Aurobindo’s thoughts on Integral Yoga, this was my first stay in the Ashram guest house. 

Some of the practices which I found inspirational were:

  1. Naming of each room having Divine significance such as True Worship, Chastity ...
  2. Concept of involvement of guests in their chosen area of service as a volunteer
  3. Nicely kept gardens and a variety of trees
  4. Peacocks singing their language
  5. Creatively done gardens with Divine touch having inscriptions of Thoughts of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and having zig-zag path named "Labyrinth" as a metaphor
  6. Large number of volunteers from different age groups contributing to activities chosen as per core competence
This makes Delhi Ashram one of the benchmark examples of a living entity which has practiced Perseverance in a Peaceful journey of Growth, with Humility and Sincerity driven by The Mother’s symbol.

This could be a good place for seekers on spiritual journey to spend quality time in sublime environment of Nature and feeling the Divine presence of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and actively contributing as a volunteer.

- Pranav Srivastava (India)

Comments

  1. Anonymous15 March 2024 at 18:00

    I agree. A unforgettable place. 🔥🙏🔥 Sabina Centro Sri Aurobindo e Mère Italy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous16 March 2024 at 11:41

    A book should never be judged by it's cover. Less said the better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16 May 2024 at 17:04

      Sir, The best book is our own book of life. Thanks.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for posting a comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Let Go and Call Her

When you dig and dig some more to find out why something bothers you so much, it hurts. When you discover, or at least you think you have discovered, the real reason why something bothers you so much, it hurts. When you figure out that the real reason why something bothers you so much has to do with your egoistic preference, it hurts. When you understand that your egoistic preference is nothing but your unwillingness to accept what is happening in the present, it hurts. When you accept that you are unwilling to accept the present moment because you fail to surrender to the deeper wisdom that is guiding your life’s journey through all the veils of ignorance, it hurts. When you realize that you are unable to surrender to the deeper wisdom because you lack faith and trust in the Divine’s Plan for you, it hurts. It hurts because you now see clearly the working of the ego which kept you deluded as to how much faith and trust you had in the Divine and Its Working. It hurts because this is no
Read more

Importance of "JAPA" in Spiritual journey to realise the Divine

Right from my childhood days till now, I have observed seekers on spiritual journey using "JAPA" (repetition of a mantra or a hymn) as a daily practice in most of the religions, be it Hinduism, Christianity or Buddhism or any other) across the different parts of the world during my travels to different places. It had been a curiosity in me in earlier days and now a realisation that this is perhaps a simple and proven way to connect and be in resonance with the chosen form of Divine (be it a Deity or a Sound or most cherished role model). This thought gets reinforced as we read the scriptures and stories of the transformational journey of Saints and spiritual leaders who chose "Bhakti Marg" (Sadhana through Devotion) as the path to tread in their spiritual journey and realisation of Self and its communion with Divinity in the form of the chosen Deity. Contemplation on JAPA as a Daily Practice and then self experince in doing JAPA in early mornings and late evening ho
Read more