It is heartening that independent focus on The Mother is growing but academic studies can't sustain without comparisons and juxtapositions. That is understandable but needless extraneous matter trivialises the principal subject under consideration. However, the circumstances were such that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo will continue to be compared with their contemporaries, both Indian and Western.
From the point of view of Savitri Era Religion, the problem is a bit accentuated. Since The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are worshipped as the one Supreme Divine, a devotee feels the comparisons are superfluous. Further, the gratuitous comments offered turn out, more often than not, irritating. Informed and valid criticism, however, should always be welcomed.
Apart from these general complaints, I have been pointing out many methodological aspects from time to time. The first and foremost is since The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have not fully theorised their being the one Supreme Divine, their metaphysical formulations should not be treated as final. Ultimately, it depends upon how the devotees perceive them in the long run.
Another allied point is as their own writings are to be approached with caution, the perceptions of their direct disciples and other perceptive scholars should assume added importance. Besides, the sociological dimensions concerning the devotees and Darshan Day celebrations should also receive academic attention instead of the one-way picture painted so far.
Appropriation and wrong representation are nagging problems and it will continue but awareness on these fronts and right argument can dissuade many. It is upon the devotees to protect the respect and honour of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo and developing necessary institutional mechanisms should be a priority.
Related X posts in original:
[Worlding Encounters: Indian Spirituality and Anti-Colonialism in the
Life and Thoughts of “the Mother” (Mirra Alfassa) by RAVI DUTT BAJPAI AND SWATI PARASHAR, Gothenburg University, Swede - Global Studies Quarterly, 2023] #SriAurobindo #MirraAlfassa
academic.oup.com/isagsq/article
Ashram archives has done a splendid job in preseving and publishing the works of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo but mere textual analysis won't create the right picture. All anthropological aspects, from the memoirs of disciples to congregation of devotees, need to be strung together
Just like Marx, famously, stood Hegel on his head, Savitri Era Religion worships The Mother & Sri Aurobindo as the one Supreme Divine instead of the biographical approach of successive spiritual realisations determining their greatness. Stories of their lives are merely a play.
It's true that many have tried to show The Mother in a poor light as compared to Sri Aurobindo. But when we start from their Supreme Divine status, other historical or exegetical aspects get blurred. Thus, methodologically, Savitri Era religion transcending the texts is in order.
Patrick Beldio's paper on The Mother is quite impressive but he has corrupted it by importing sundry concepts and terminology from other traditions. Somehow, he seems to miss out the first occurrence of descent of Supramental force for which Sri Aurobindo's death was necessitated
[Mirra’s revelations: posthuman sexless supramental humanity... anatomical metamorphosis... and glorified body
Mirra Alfassa: Completing Sri Aurobindo’s Vision by Patrick Beldio
Department of Theology/Religious Studies, Scranton University, PA 18510, USA]
Many get repelled by The Mother for being a relic of Colonialism. It may be true in the sense that she represents East-West integration and human unity. The journey of her life and how she was instrumental in moulding Sri Aurobindo's thought is fascinating
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are the one Supreme Divine who are always present and hence calling them Guru, Avatar, Master, or Shakti etc is erroneous. The Mother's photograph is kept in the left and, accordingly, addressing them should begin with The Mother for the mantric effect.
While no established institutions have been able to take clear stand, I have the satisfaction of putting up objective and neutral views on various political and religious matters from Sri Aurobindo's perspective. Without an axe to grind or strings attached, I plough my own furrow.
Apart from their intellectuality and varied interests, the greatest contribution of the direct disciples is that they recognised and accepted the divinity of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo in a total rational environment and passed the message for the benefit of the future generation
Apart from the mistaken notion of addressing them as Avatar or Guru, The Mother is also characterised as Shakti. These are all drawn from traditional metaphysical formulations. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, on the contrary, are the one Supreme Divine under the Savitri Era Religion.
The revolutionary image and the Ashram identity are a drag on the relevance of Sri Aurobindo. His philosophy and vision for the future has nothing to do with both these aspects. His works warrant serious study and there's no sectarian impediment as his horizon is truly universal.
Since The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, jointly, are the one Supreme Divine, they can't be compared with any other person. Their writings are excellent but still they transcend them. Their relevance is more for the future than the past as they hold the key to Supramental consciousness.
As more and more ploys are being deployed to keep Sri Aurobindo within the clutch of Hindutva the relevance of Savitri Era Religion is becoming more crucial. Using quotations from the works of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo is very good but implying a secular scenario is hypocritical
Sri Aurobindo can't be defined by his writings alone. His life and action contain innumerable indications of his vastness. The Mother's perceptions of him provide further dimensions. Thus any reductionist portrayal of him is methodologically faulty. Integral perspective essential
[Theosophy and Integral Yoga: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-91) and Mirra Alfassa (1878-1973), the Mother. Genealogies of Transnational Religion: Translation, Revelation, and Discursive Technologies in Two Female Gurus of Esoteric Vedanta by Nika Kuchuk, University of Toronto]
Misc. References:
1.
[HTML] Mirra Alfassa: Completing Sri Aurobindo's Vision
P Beldio - Religions, 2023 - mdpi.com
Mirra Alfassa’s influence, power, and authority are essential to the integral yoga according
to Aurobindo Ghose, yet most scholars have so far refused to examine their contours. …
to Aurobindo Ghose, yet most scholars have so far refused to examine their contours. …
2.
[PDF] Worlding Encounters: Indian Spirituality and Anti-Colonialism in the Life and Thoughts of “the Mother”(Mirra Alfassa)
RD Bajpai, S Parashar - Global Studies Quarterly, 2023 - academic.oup.com
… In this paper, we trace Mirra Alfassa’s journey from a spiritual seeker to being anointed as
“… tional collaborations (as in the case of Mirra Alfassa) worked to achieve the nationalist goals …
“… tional collaborations (as in the case of Mirra Alfassa) worked to achieve the nationalist goals …
3.
The life incarnate and the life divine: Spiritual evolution, androgyny and the grace of the goddess in the teachings of Mirra Alfassa, the Mother of Integral Yoga
N Kuchuk - Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 2023 - journals.sagepub.com
… At the same time, Alfassa deemed celibacy as necessary for … Alfassa’s complex attitudes
towards gender and normative … materiality is an important current in Alfassa’s thought, including …
towards gender and normative … materiality is an important current in Alfassa’s thought, including …
4.
[PDF] The Educational Principles of Mirra Alfassa (The Mother) on Child-rearing Practices
A Das - galaxyimrj.com
… Mother Alfassa was well aware of the fact that in order to create great human beings for
the … For Mother Alfassa, children are a part of the supreme God who holds tremendous …
the … For Mother Alfassa, children are a part of the supreme God who holds tremendous …
5.
[HTML] Fluid Encounters Between 'East and West': Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa in International Thought
RD Bajpai, S Parashar - e-ir.info
… (Mirra Alfassa) were some of these fascinating figures. Here, we focus on The Mother (Mirra
Alfassa), a … nor static; Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa negotiated and often transgressed these …
Alfassa), a … nor static; Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa negotiated and often transgressed these …
6.
[PDF] EDUCATIONAL THOUGHTS OF THE MOTHER (MIRRA ALFASSA)(1878-1973)
SB Mohanty - researchgate.net
The Mother (Mira Alfassa) of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry as the founder of the Ashram
and its Centre of Education, was involved in education of children and started writing on …
and its Centre of Education, was involved in education of children and started writing on …
7.
[BOOK] Death and transformation in the Integral Yoga of Mirra Alfassa (1878–1973) of the Sri Aurobindo ashram: A Jungian hermeneutic
SL Julich - 2013 - search.proquest.com
… This is not to put Mirra Alfassa on the couch, but to show the larger symbolic context
within which she was contained. This singular individual is also a universal one, and we can …
within which she was contained. This singular individual is also a universal one, and we can …
8.
[PDF] The Kabbalah, the Philosophie Cosmique, and the Integral Yoga. A Study in Cross-Cultural Influence
P Heehs - Aries, 2011 - academia.edu
… Par Mirra Alfassa, Aurobindo eut connaissance de plusieurs termes et concepts «
cosmiques », dont certains avaient probablement des antécédents kabbalistiques. Mais d’autres …
cosmiques », dont certains avaient probablement des antécédents kabbalistiques. Mais d’autres …
9.
Mirra Alfassa: A Western Occultist in Inda
C Rhone - Pomegranate, 2000 - journal.equinoxpub.com
Abstract" Pathotisme", which Theon said meant magnetism in antiquity, is a practice where
two persons, one psychically sensitive or a medium, and the other a protector and guide …
two persons, one psychically sensitive or a medium, and the other a protector and guide …
10.
Affective Communities: Anticolonial Thought, Fin-de-Siècle Radicalism, and the Politics of Friendship
M Jasanoff - Common Knowledge, 2008 - muse.jhu.edu
… For Edward Carpenter, anti-imperialism meshed with a radical understanding of homosexuality;
for Mirra Alfassa, the Parisian "Mother" of Sri Aurobindo's ashram, resistance to empire …
for Mirra Alfassa, the Parisian "Mother" of Sri Aurobindo's ashram, resistance to empire …
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