Modern Hinduism in Text and Context by Lavanya Vemsani

Author:Lavanya Vemsani
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK

Figure 9.1The Mother’s and Sri Aurobindo’s symbols, respectively. Used with permission from the Aurobindo āśram.

Figure 9.2The union of both symbols used as the logo for the Sri Aurobindo Center of Education and the Āśram Archives and Research. Depicted here with the Mother’s handwriting and signature.

Both the Mother and Sri Aurobindo also had a symbol for their avatāric roles that the Mother crafted, shaping the sacred gaze of their devotees (see Figure 9.1).10 These emblems are stylized versions of the lotus flowers that she named, and they enshrine the central values of their yoga and their role in it, which are displayed all over the Āśram and printed on their published materials. The Mother describes her own symbol: “The central circle represents the Divine Consciousness. The four petals represent the four powers of the Mother [that Sri Aurobindo described in The Mother]. The twelve petals represent the twelve powers of the Mother manifested for her work.”11 About Sri Aurobindo’s symbol the Mother writes: “The descending triangle represents Sat-Chit-Ananda. The Ascending triangle represents the aspiring answer from matter under the form of life, light and love. The junction of both—the central square—is the perfect manifestation having at its center the Avatar of the Supreme—the lotus. The water—inside the square—represents the multiplicity, the creation.”12 In other places within the Āśram, the union of both symbols are also displayed, making explicit reference to Īśvara and Īśvarī, another name of the Divine Mother (see Figure 9.2).

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