Puducherry, August 15, 2013: Most people, when they visit Puducherry go home with a small ring or a sticker bearing the lotus symbol that is above the entrance of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

On Thursday, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram will open its gates for a ‘Darshan Day’ to celebrate the birth anniversary of Aurobindo. It is before the darshan days that the demand for jewellery bearing the symbols of The Mother and Aurobindo are in high demand. However, according to members of the Ashram, not many people understand what the symbols represent.

The Mother’s Symbol first appeared in 1928 in a book called The Mother by Aurobindo. The symbol that appeared in that book, however, was slightly different, with the outer petals of the lotus being more elongated. The first time the symbol appeared as it is today was in 1931.

According to a scholar, when Aurobindo envisioned the symbol, it was meant to be in colour, but till date most scholars are unsure of what he meant when he came up with the colours.

According to data available at the Sri Aurobindo archives, each part of the lotus has a separate symbolism. The inner circle represents the ‘Divine Consciousness’ and the four petals surrounding it represent the four powers of The Mother – Maheshwari (Wisdom), Mahakali (Strength), Mahalakshmi (Harmony) and Mahasaraswati (Perfection).

The outer petals, represent the 12 attributes of The Mother – Sincerity, Humility, Gratitude, Perseverance, Aspiration, Receptivity, Progress, Courage, Goodness, Generosity, Equanimity and Peace.

The origin of the symbol of Shri Aurobindo, which is a Star of David that encloses a square, inside which is a lotus in water is not as well known. The symbol is said to have been created after The Mother arrived in Puducherry permanently in 1920 and first appeared in a book called The Riddle of This World that was published in 1933. The symbol is based on a symbol that was used by a cult called Cosmique that The Mother was a part of.

According to a local jeweller, Candamourthy, the main demand for the rings, pendants and other jewellery comes in February and August, before the Darshan days. His grandfather A. Ramu Achari consulted with The Mother before finalising the design on the rings. His grandfather’s book of sketches is the basis for the jewellery that is made even today. Unlike the symbol itself, the jewellery started appearing around the 1950s, he said displaying the tools used to make such jewellery.

Source: The Hindu, DT. August 15, 2013.