The Divine Mother (Sri Maa) was born Mirra Alfassa on February 21, 1878, in Paris, France. She was a spiritually gifted child with deep inner experiences from an early age. She was well-educated and talented in art, music, and philosophy. Her early spiritual quest led her to study various traditions, including Western occultism and Eastern mysticism. In 1914, she first met Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry, India, an encounter that profoundly changed her life. Recognising him as her spiritual Master, she saw in him the embodiment of the Divine Consciousness. After returning briefly to France due to World War I, she settled permanently in Pondicherry in 1920, becoming Sri Aurobindo’s closest collaborator.

Under her monumental guidance, the small group of disciples around Sri Aurobindo gradually developed into the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. After Sri Aurobindo retired from public contact in 1926, The Mother took full charge of the ashram’s day-to-day management and spiritual direction. She organised the ashram into a community of dedicated sadhaks (spiritual seekers) living for the ideal of Integral Yoga, aiming for a divine transformation of human life. The Mother emphasised the integration of spiritual life with practical living — work, education, art, and progress were all seen as paths of spiritual realisation. In 1952, she established the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education to promote a new system of holistic education.

One of her greatest initiatives was the founding of Auroville in 1968, envisioned as a universal township where people from all over the world could live in peace and harmony, beyond national, religious, and political divisions — dedicated to human unity and spiritual progress. Even after Sri Aurobindo’s passing in 1950, The Mother continued to guide the ashram and its spiritual activities with great strength and compassion. She passed away on November 17, 1973, leaving behind a vast spiritual legacy of writings, letters, and conversations that continue to inspire seekers worldwide. The Mother’s life was a journey of divine realisation, service, and transformation. She united Western intellect and Eastern spirituality, creating a living example of the universal spiritual synthesis that Sri Aurobindo envisioned — the transformation of human life into a divine life on earth.

The teachings of Sri Maa focus on the transformation of human consciousness and the realisation of a divine life on Earth. Sri Maa’s message is one of inner awakening, selfless service, and divine realisation through daily life. She envisioned a spiritualized humanity living in harmony, peace, and truth—an ideal she sought to embody through the Ashram and Auroville, the international township dedicated to human unity. Here are the major themes and teachings:

• Integral Yoga: The Mother, along with Sri Aurobindo, taught Integral Yoga, which seeks not liberation from the world but transformation of life itself into a divine existence. It harmonises all parts of the being—physical, vital, mental, and spiritual—into the divine consciousness.
• Divine Manifestation on Earth: She emphasised that the goal of human evolution is the manifestation of the Divine in material life. Human beings are instruments through which divine consciousness can express itself in the physical world.
• Surrender and Aspiration: According to the Mother, sincere aspiration and complete surrender to the Divine Will are essential for spiritual progress. She urged her followers to give up the ego and allow the Divine to act through them.
• Work as Sādhanā (Spiritual Practice): Every action, when done in a spirit of dedication, purity, and selflessness, becomes a means of spiritual growth. She encouraged karma yoga—work not for personal gain but as an offering to the Divine.
• Education and the Growth of the Soul: The Mother founded the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. She believed education should focus on integral development—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—and help each child discover their inner truth and purpose.

Psychic and supramental transformation:

She taught that humans must move beyond mental consciousness to psychic (soul) and supramental consciousness, leading to the divine transformation of the body and mind.

• Universal love and oneness: The Mother stressed the unity of all beings, transcending religion, nationality, or creed. True spirituality, she said, lies in universal love and service to humanity.
• Divine Grace: She assured that Divine Grace is always present to help those who sincerely seek transformation and rely upon the Divine with faith and humility.

What we learn from the teachings of the Divine Mother is that life has never been a bed of roses for most of us, depending on how we look at it. Many people have worse lives compared to we do. Remembering that we have a much better life, it is very important for our own well-being and connectivity to reality. It is therefore important to train our minds to be content and to be happy with what we have, making reconciliations, accommodations, and accepting that good and bad are true realities of life and move forward. It is important to never look back and regret. We need to remember that the future holds promises and better opportunities, if we fix our present time with lessons learnt from mistakes made in the past.

I personally draw inspiration from the epic Mahabharata, where Lord Krishna provides the divine teachings of the Srimad Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna. The chariot of Arjuna, drawn by the white horses, laid by a charioteer like Lord Krishna, is a superbly monumental and exemplary education in itself! But what is the symbolic meaning of the divine horse-drawn chariot to our life, ego, emotions, goals and final solitude in life, together with peace and a stable mental health, is a million-dollar question that has always haunted me.

To me one of the horse reflects our 'true' self (the actual person you are), the second horse is the 'masked you' to hide yourself and your true intentions and feelings, the third one is the face you usually carry for the society to look at you in the light in which you want them to see; and the fourth and last one is how actually the society looks at you despite all your efforts. The fifth horse represents our past deeds and Karmaphol, the sixth represents our ego and our current circumstances, and the seventh and the very last horse relates to our future and destiny. But how do they relate to our modern life?

Well, as far as I can see at this, it appears to me that we are on that chariot of wisdom drawn by the white horses on a long and infinite path called life. The horses collectively representing our ego, positive and negative emotions, pride and prejudices; our anger, fear, frustrations and depression, together with our non-disclosed vanity, hatred, impurity and destiny, need to be balanced properly using the ropes to which they are attached. We are not as lucky as Arjuna to have a charioteer like Lord Krishna to direct the dimensions of the chariot, but we are fortunate enough to have those teachings to apply to our lives and our problems.

But we need to remember that here on this chariot travelling in the life path, we are the sole charioteer. We have the ropes attached to the horses in our own hands. It is now our duty and responsibility to guide and balance the horses properly to help us carry the chariot forward. If we are too tight or loose with the control ropes, the balance of the horses will be impacted. We may be travelling very slowly when we actually need to move fast. Or, we could he travelling extremely fast when we need to control our speed and movement. Any imbalance in handling the ropes will cause disharmony and lack of coordination among the horses, which may lead to the overturn of the chariot and destruction of our peace and stability in life. Thus, to keep going in life smoothly, the charioteer has to keep his/her faith in the Creator and His teachings, and thus balance the movement of the horses, drawing the chariot.

The charioteer needs very small, steady, timely and precise pulling and relaxing of the ropes tied to them to control the horses for a smooth ride. This actually speaks about controlling our uncontrolled ego and emotions in our life's journey. If we could balance them properly and based on our Karmaphal will sail smoothly in life; else, there are unimaginably difficult hurdles that we need to overcome. Mother teaches us that it is important to face our problems in life valiantly; only then can we think about resolving them. Further we try to run away from them, our problems will be chasing us diligently and catch up with us in no time. It is important to be honest, open-minded, respectful and humble to deal with complex challenges in life and bold enough to clash with them head-on. Only then will you notice that they have suddenly vanished. Because these challenges are our own creation, and the fear we have is also our own hallucination that keeps us further away from the real truth of life. So Mother teaches us to be brave and honest; and slowly transform into fearless individuals to win over the problems of our life, and become masters of dealing with our own problems.

Here is one of the well-known sayings of The Mother that resonates with me very strongly:

“Always remember that you are never alone. The Divine is always with you and in you.”

This particularly resonates with me in the context of mental health and well-being.

1. Sense of Inner Support: Mental health struggles often make one feel isolated, as if no one truly understands or stands by them. This reminder that the Divine presence is constant instils courage and reduces the sense of abandonment.
2. Grounding in Self-Compassion: Many mental health issues stem from harsh self-criticism and inner conflict. Remembering that the Divine is within us reframes our relationship with ourselves—turning self-judgment into self-care, and criticism into acceptance.
3. Hope During Struggle: Anxiety, depression, or stress can create a heavy sense of hopelessness. The Mother’s words remind us that beneath the turbulence of the mind, there is a deeper spiritual anchor that remains untouched. That awareness fosters resilience.
4. Practical Well-Being: Even from a psychological lens, faith in a higher presence (whether Divine, universal energy, or inner consciousness) has been shown to improve stress management, enhance optimism, and strengthen one’s ability to endure life’s uncertainties.

For me, this quote feels like an inner reassurance. On days when the mind becomes restless or heavy, the thought that “I am not alone, something greater is walking with me” helps me regain balance, calmness, and a sense of safety within.

I personally try and follow a five-minute Daily Reflection for Mental Well-Being. Steps that I follow:

1. Finding a quiet spot, I try to sit comfortably, close my eyes, and take 3–4 deep breaths.
2. Repeat the affirmation: I slowly say to myself (silently or aloud): “I am never alone. The Divine is within me.” I try every day so that these words sink into me.
3. Visualise Presence: I imagine a warm golden light in my heart—gentle, steady, and luminous. I try to think that this light is the divine presence within myself. I feel it spreading calmness through my mind and body.
4. Release Heavy Thoughts: If a worry or negative thought arises, I try to place it into that golden light and see that it dissolves softly.
5. Close with Gratitude: I whisper to myself or think: “Thank you for being with me.”

Carrying that sense of quiet support into my day.

Practising this daily can provide me with the following divine gifts:

1. Reduce feelings of isolation & negativity
2. Strengthen my inner resilience and willpower
3. Promote calmness and emotional balance within me while the outside world is chaotic
4. Deepen my trust in my own inner strength, that I personally call self-empowerment, detachment from materialistic fear and pursuit of inner peace and happiness

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