Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry founded in 1926 had grown under the Mother’s guidance from a small group of two dozen disciples into a large diversified community of 2000 including 650 students of the Centre of Education. The Ashram situated close to the beach is not a quiet place of retreat.It is a vibrant centre of life in a busy urban setting. Every member in the Ashram is expected to do some work as part of spiritual preparation. Work as an offering to the Divine is the main aim and Ashramites do some useful service everyday in the various departments. In the spiritual discipline at the Ashram there are no obligatory practices, no rituals, no compulsory meditations. The Ashram provides its members with all they need for a decent healthy life like food, clothing, shelter, medical care etc. The Ashram has farms and gardens, printing press, a number of small scale industries besides libraries and facilities for a variety of cultural pursuits.

At the Ashram main building, under the service-tree shaded courtyard lies the Samadhi, a white marble shrine where the bodies of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are laid to rest. The Ashram is administered by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust. It serves as an unique example of a different kind of Ashram meant for perfection of life and not its rejection.