‘The Mother’s Prosperity’ or ‘Prosperity’ began in 1970, with just one quotation from the Mother, handwritten by Sundaram and sent to a friend in answer to his plea for help in his spiritual growth. Sundaram, the foremost poet of Gujarat, living in Ahmedabad, had left behind everything and settled in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram – at Pondicherry, a Union Territory in South India – to pursue his sadhana living near Sri Aurobindo.
The friend requested Sundaram to send such help every month. Soon, others too came with similar requests. Sundaram sent them all the help they needed. New requests kept coming.
From one handwritten quotation Sundaram had to move on to using a typewriter, then to stencilling and cyclostyling, and finally to the Ashram Press for printing every month 2000 copies of the ‘Prosperity’ .
Our name ‘Prosperity’ is subtly and strongly connected to a regular activity of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram which takes place on the 1st of every month – known as the Prosperity Day. On that day, every sadhak would go to the Mother and receive from Her the items requested by him for his use in the month, in the year.
Sometime in 1986 Sundaram started a similar, modified activity at the Ahmedabad Centre, Matrubhavan, naming it ‘Riddhi Mangal’, meaning ‘Auspicious Prosperity’. The members of the Centre would meet on the 1st of every month and after a Meditation in front of the altar with the photographs of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, would go to the altar, offer their pranam and pick up a ready packet of 3 to 4 items, as symbolic Prosperity from the Mother. Along with that packet would also be the ‘Prosperity’ with printed words of Sri Aurobindo, of the Mother, – carrying a subtle Thought-Force for the inner growth – The Inner Prosperity.
The Riddhi Mangal at Ahmedabad continues even now, giving some new silent guidance for the inner journey of the devotees.
Since then, other Centres of Gujarat have also started their own Riddhi Mangal Day when the members all come together, meditate, pick up their Prasad packets and ‘Prosperity’, and leave, filled with a quiet happiness within.
Now in 2018, to reach unknown new readers, we are entering the domain of the WWW – World Wide Web.
Here, in ‘Prosperity’, our aim has always been to give to the readers that which would help them grow in their own self-awareness and take them closer to The Presence of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.