After Sri Aurobindo retired from daily contact with his disciples, he saw them only a few times a year on what came to be known as the Darshan days. "Darshan" in Sanskrit means "seeing". It refers here to seeing Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and to receive their blessings.
During Sri Aurobindo's lifetime, messages were given out only occasionally on the Darshan days. Afterwards, they were issued regularly. Some of these were written expressly for the occasion, others were passages chosen from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
That tradition still continues today. The day starts with a meditation around the samadhi. During the day, sadhaks and devotees are allowed to visit either Sri Aurobindo's or the Mother's room, depending on the occasion. Message cards containing passages from their works are distributed to all who attend the Darshan.
| Message cards are distributed on the following days. | |
| Day | Occasion |
|---|---|
| 01 January | New Year's day |
| 21 February | The Mother's birthday |
| 29 February | The Supramental Manifestation day |
| 24 April | The Mother's final arrival in Pondicherry |
| 15 August | Sri Aurobindo's birthday |
| 17 November | The Mother's Mahasamadhi day |
| 24 November | Siddhi day |
| 05 December | Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi day |
| learn more on the significance of these days » | |