Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi Day

Samadhi in Pondicherry

On 5th December 1950 at 1:26 a.m. Sri Aurobindo left his body and by morning the entire body was seen to be suffused with a golden-crimson hue, so fresh and so magnificent, lifting us from the pall of gloom to a mute wonder. This Supramental Light remained for five days at a stretch and many people witnessed the magnificent and unique phenomenon. A mortal body generally shows signs of decomposition within twenty-four hours, but for five days Sri Aurobindo's body remained intact with no signs of discoloration or decomposition. Gradually, on 9th December, the light began to fade, and in the evening the body was put in a rosewood box and laid to rest in the Ashram courtyard under the cool shade of the Service Tree.

The Mother on Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi

He had accumulated in his body much supramental Force, and as soon as he left… You see, he was lying on his bed, I stood by his side, and in a way altogether concrete – concrete with such a strong sensation as to make one think that it could be seen – all this supramental Force which was in him passed from his body into mine. And I felt the friction of the passage. It was extraordinary. It was an extraordinary experience.

He was not forced to leave his body; he has chosen to do so.

— The Mother