Go 4 All – The ashram and the experience of our Pamela

Sri Aurobindo Ashram

What is the ashram ? The Sanskrit term Asrama indicates, in the Indian tradition, a place of meditation and hermitage for each of the four stages of life. The sages live peacefully in the midst of nature and the residents perform various forms of spiritual practices, meditation and yoga daily. Ashrams are usually led by a mystic, religious leader, or spiritual master. Although they have very ancient origins, the most passionate will know that the ashrams became very popular after the release of the film "Eat pray love" where a talented Julia Roberts retires to an Indian ashram to find herself. The main attraction of the ashram is the tomb of its guru, Sri Aurobindo , where hundreds of worshipers come every day to bring flowers, offerings and pray. I was able to reach out to the tomb, but being careful that my wheelchair, which was considered unclean, did not touch the walls of the tombstone. All around people of different races and ethnicities were sitting in the lotus position meditating and praying. You will have remained in that place indefinitely. Click here now to discover our accessible trip to India at Sri Aurobindo ashram! In the same place where Sri Aurobindo Ghose was buried, the remains of a French woman, Mirra Riccardo, known to all as " La Mère ", were also lowered. In 1914 she went to Pondicherry with her husband with whom she settled permanently in 1920. La Mère became a follower of Aurobindo considering him her spiritual father. When Sri Aurobindo retired in solitude, he left the management of the ashram and the entire community of their disciples to her. In addition to the tomb shared with his guru, the Mére also had a private room in this ashram, which is now a pilgrimage destination. While I was contemplating near the tomb, an Indian approached me asking me if I really wanted to visit the room of "La Mère" . I looked around and noticed that the rooms were all located on the ground floor, that the path was flat and that there wouldn't be too many barriers for my wheelchair. So I accepted. I was wrong. La Mère's bedroom was on the second floor of an interior building. At a certain point I stopped: suddenly I saw a series of elderly people, disabled and with difficulty in movement who were made to sit on a heavy wooden chair and then be carried in arms by Indian volunteers and faithful. But the stairs were really steep and the steps were endless! My guilt was immediately felt so I decided to go back. I was blocked by the same person who asked me if I was interested in visiting the bedroom of the French woman who became as famous as the guru. He lined me up and, when my turn came, I was carried in the heavy wooden chair up the stairs. The volunteers were visibly tired and drenched in sweat but no one and nothing could stop them. That was their mission, their duty …