The Mother, born as Mirra Alfassa in Paris, France, on 21 February 1878, was seen to be a uniquely different child from her early years. She seemed to be always concentrated and absorbed in some invisible worlds.
As she grew up, along with her varied studies, her deep interest in Occultism became evident and later she achieved a great mastery of the Universal Subtle Forces.
In March 1914, Mirra accompanied her husband, Paul Richard – himself well versed in philosophy – who had political plans and was coming to the French Colony of Pondicherry in connection with an election campaign. Once in Pondicherry, she met Sri Aurobindo on 29 March 1914 and stayed on till February 1915. On 22 February 1915 she and Paul left Pondicherry for France because of the First World War.
On 24 April 1920, Mirra returned to Pondicherry to continue her Sadhana near Sri Aurobindo.
After the definite revelatory experience of Sri Krishna’s descent in Himself on 24 November 1926, Sri Aurobindo withdrew from all outer activities to concentrate exclusively on the inner subtle work of making the Supermind descend. He handed over the responsibility of the Sadhaks and their Sadhana to The Mother, the name by which Sri Aurobindo had begun referring to Mirra soon after her arrival in April 1920. The Sadhaks too were reverentially calling her ‘The Mother’. The world which She had dreamt of creating when she was very young, had begun to take shape around Her.
As She says, “I used to tell myself that if ever I could do it I would try to create a little world – Oh! quite a small one, but still – a small world where people would be able to live without having to be preoccupied by problems of food and lodging and clothing and the imperious necessities of life, to see if all the energies freed by this certainty of an assured material living would spontaneously be turned towards the divine life and inner realisation.”
Mirra’s “little world – Oh! quite a small one” had been a thought-seed then and now it had taken the form of the Ashram.
And Mirra became a Mother to all in the Ashram, to all Sadhaks in the world.
Sri Aurobindo left his body on 5 December 1950.
The Mother carried forward His mission of establishing the Supramental Consciousness on earth, in the human body’s very cells and of transforming them.
The Mother left Her body on 17 November 1973.