PUDUCHERRY, November 24, 2025 – A profound, luminous silence descended upon the French Quarter of Puducherry today, wrapping the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in an atmosphere that was less about celebration and more about a deep, inner communion. Today marks the 99th anniversary of Siddhi Day—the ‘Day of Victory’—a threshold moment as the spiritual community steps into the centenary year of one of the most significant events in human spiritual history.
For the thousands of devotees gathered around the flower-bedecked Samadhi, the air today held a distinct charge—a vibration of the "Anandamaya." It was on this day in 1926 that the Overmental Consciousness, the consciousness of Sri Krishna, descended into the physical body of Sri Aurobindo.
The Descent of Light
While the world bustled with the noise of the 21st century, the Ashram remained a sanctuary of timelessness. To understand the emotion of the day, one must look back 99 years. It was the day the physical preparation for the ultimate Supramental Manifestation began.
As Sri Aurobindo famously wrote of this momentous event:
“The 24th November [1926] was the descent of Krishna into the physical… The descent of Krishna would mean the descent of the Overmind Godhead preparing, though not itself actually, the descent of Supermind and Ananda.”
Today, that promise of Ananda—divine bliss—seemed to palpably touch the hearts of those waiting in the queue for Darshan. The silence spoke louder than words, carrying the assurance that the evolution of consciousness is not a distant theory, but a living, breathing reality supported by the Overmind.
A Sanctuary for the Soul
November 24 is doubly sacred, for it also marks the birth of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram itself. On that day in 1926, with Sri Aurobindo withdrawing into seclusion to focus on his sadhana, the Mother took charge, nurturing a small seed that has since grown into a "mighty banyan tree" with branches reaching across the globe.
Standing in the Ashram courtyard today, one could not help but recall the Mother’s tender yet powerful explanation of why this sanctuary exists. Her words, recalled by many devotees today, felt like a balm to the weary modern soul:
“My child, that is why the Ashram was created! ... Because, in France, I was always asking myself: How can one find the time to find oneself? ... So then I thought: a place where material needs will be sufficiently provided for, so that if one truly wants to become free, one can do so. And the Ashram was founded on this idea... a place where people would have enough to live on so as to have time to think of the True Thing.”
Towards the Centenary
As the sun set over the Bay of Bengal, casting golden hues upon the Ashram buildings, the significance of the year 2025 settled in. We have now completed 99 years of this "descent." We stand on the brink of a century of Victory.
For the devotees, today was not merely a commemoration of a past event, but a renewal of a pledge. It was a day to breathe in the "True Thing," to feel the support of Sri Krishna’s consciousness, and to walk forward with the quiet assurance that the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother continues—silent, steady, and victorious.
24 November
