Sri Aurobindo
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The Spirit shall look out through Matter's gaze / And Matter shall reveal the Spirit's face.[2]
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Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian
Aurobindo studied for the
At Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo developed a spiritual practice he called
Sri Aurobindo was nominated twice for the Nobel prize without it being awarded, in 1943 for the Nobel award in Literature and in 1950 for the Nobel award in Peace.
His main literary works are The Life Divine, which deals with the philosophical aspect of Integral Yoga;
Biography
Early life
Aurobindo Ghose was born in
Young Aurobindo was brought up speaking English, but used
England (1879–1893)
Krishna Dhun Ghose wanted his sons to enter the
The boys were taught
Drewett emigrated to Australia in 1884, causing the boys to be uprooted as they went to live with Drewett's mother in London. In September of that year, Aurobindo and Manmohan joined
By 1889, Manmohan had determined to pursue a literary career and Benoybhusan had proved himself unequal to the standards necessary for ICS entrance. This meant that only Aurobindo might fulfill his father's aspirations but to do so when his father lacked money required that he studied hard for a scholarship.[18] To become an ICS official, students were required to pass the competitive examination, as well as to study at an English university for two years under probation. Aurobindo secured a scholarship at King's College, Cambridge, under recommendation of Oscar Browning.[23] He passed the written ICS examination after a few months, being ranked 11th out of 250 competitors. He spent the next two years at King's College.[17] Aurobindo had no interest in the ICS and came late to the horse-riding practical exam purposefully to get himself disqualified for the service.[24]
At this time, the Maharaja of Baroda,
Baroda and Calcutta (1893–1910)
In
During his stay at Baroda, he had contributed to many articles to Indu Prakash and had spoken as a chairman of the Baroda college board.
Aurobindo often travelled between Baroda and Bengal, at first in a bid to re-establish links with his parents' families and other Bengali relatives, including his sister Sarojini and brother Barin, and later increased to establish resistance groups across the Presidency. He formally moved to Calcutta in 1906 after the announcement of the
In 1906, Aurobindo was appointed the first principal of the National College in Calcutta, started to impart national education to Indian youth.[34] He resigned from this position in August 1907, due to his increased political activity.[35] The National College continues to the present as Jadavpur University, Kolkata.[36]
Aurobindo was influenced by studies on rebellion and revolutions against England in medieval France and the revolts in America and Italy. In his public activities, he favored Non cooperation and Passive resistance; in private he took up secret revolutionary activity as a preparation for open revolt, in case that the passive revolt failed.[37]
In Bengal, with Barin's help, he established contacts and inspired revolutionaries such as Bagha Jatin or Jatin Mukherjee and Surendranath Tagore. He helped establish a series of youth clubs, including the Anushilan Samiti of Calcutta in 1902.[38]
Aurobindo attended the 1906
Once out of the prison he started two new publications, Karmayogin in English and Dharma in Bengali. He also delivered the, Uttarpara Speech hinting at the transformation of his focus to spiritual matters. Repression from the British colonial government against him continued because of his writings in his new journals and in April 1910 Aurobindo moved to Pondicherry, where the British colonial secret police monitored his activities.[40][41]
Conversion from politics to spirituality
In July 1905 then
During this period in the Jail, his view of life was radically changed due to spiritual experiences and realizations. Consequently, his aim went far beyond the service and liberation of the country. [43]
Aurobindo said he was "visited" by
In his autobiographical notes, Aurobindo said he felt a vast sense of calmness when he first came back to India. He could not explain this and continued to have various such experiences from time to time. He knew nothing of yoga at that time and started his practice of it without a teacher, except for some rules that he learned from Mr. Devadhar, a friend who was a disciple of Swami Brahmananda of Ganga Math, Chandod.[45] [46] In 1907, Barin introduced Aurobindo to Vishnu Bhaskar Lele, a Maharashtrian yogi. Aurobindo was influenced by the guidance he got from the yogi, who had instructed Aurobindo to depend on an inner guide and any kind of external guru or guidance would not be required.[47]
In 1910 Aurobindo withdrew himself from all political activities and went into hiding at
Pondicherry (1910–1950)
In Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo dedicated himself to his spiritual and philosophical pursuits. In 1914, after four years of secluded yoga, he started a monthly philosophical magazine called
At the beginning of his stay at Pondicherry, there were few followers, but with time their numbers grew, resulting in the formation of the
For some time afterwards, his main literary output was his voluminous correspondence with his disciples. His letters, most of which were written in the 1930s, numbered in the several thousand. Many were brief comments made in the margins of his disciple's notebooks in answer to their questions and reports of their spiritual practice—others extended to several pages of carefully composed explanations of practical aspects of his teachings. These were later collected and published in book form in three volumes of Letters on Yoga. In the late 1930s, he resumed work on a poem he had started earlier—he continued to expand and revise this poem for the rest of his life.
On 15 August 1947, Sri Aurobindo strongly
Sri Aurobindo was nominated twice for the Nobel prize without it being awarded, in 1943 for the Nobel award in Literature and in 1950 for the Nobel award in Peace.[55]
Sri Aurobindo died on 5 December 1950, of uremia. Around 60,000 people attended to see his body resting peacefully.[56] Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and the President Rajendra Prasad praised him for his contribution to Yogic philosophy and the independence movement. National and international newspapers commemorated his death.[50][57]
Mirra Alfassa (The Mother) and the development of the Ashram
Sri Aurobindo's close spiritual collaborator,
Philosophy and spiritual vision
Aurobindo's model of Being and Evolution[61][62] | |||||
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Levels of Being | Development | ||||
Overall | Outer Being | Inner Being | Psychic Being | ||
Supermind | Supermind | Gnostic Man | |||
Supra-mentalisation | |||||
Mind | Overmind | Psychisation and Spiritualisation | |||
Intuition | |||||
Illuminated Mind | |||||
Higher Mind | |||||
Subconscient mind |
Mind proper | Subliminal (inner) mind |
Evolution | ||
Vital | Subconsc. Vital |
Vital | Subl. (inner) Vital | ||
Physical | Subconsc. Physical |
Physical | Subl. (inner) Physical | ||
Inconscient | Inconscient |
Introduction
Sri Aurobindo's concept of the Integral Yoga system is described in his books, The Synthesis of Yoga and The Life Divine. [63] The Life Divine is a compilation of essays published serially in Arya.
Sri Aurobindo argues that divine
Sri Aurobindo believed that Darwinism merely describes a phenomenon of the evolution of matter into life, but does not explain the reason behind it, while he finds life to be already present in matter, because all of existence is a manifestation of Brahman. He argues that nature (which he interpreted as divine) has evolved life out of matter and the mind out of life. All of existence, he argues, is attempting to manifest to the level of the supermind – that evolution had a purpose.[66] He stated that he found the task of understanding the nature of reality arduous and difficult to justify by immediate tangible results.[67]
Supermind
At the centre of Aurobindo's metaphysical system is the supermind, an intermediary power between the unmanifested Brahman and the manifested world.[68] Aurobindo claims that the supermind is not completely alien to us and can be realized within ourselves as it is always present within mind since the latter is in reality identical with the former and contains it as a potentiality within itself.[69] Aurobindo does not portray supermind as an original invention of his own but believes it can be found in the Vedas and that the Vedic Gods represent powers of the supermind.[70] In The Integral Yoga he declares that "By the supermind is meant the full Truth-Consciousness of the Divine Nature in which there can be no place for the principle of division and ignorance; it is always a full light and knowledge superior to all mental substance or mental movement."[71] Supermind is a bridge between Sachchidananda and the lower manifestation and it is only through the supramental that mind, life and body can be spiritually transformed as opposed to through Sachchidananda[72] The descent of supermind will mean the creation of a supramental race[73]
Affinity with Western philosophy
In his writings, talks, and letters Sri Aurobindo has referred to several European philosophers with whose basic concepts he was familiar, commenting on their ideas and discussing the question of affinity to his own line of thought. Thus, he wrote a long essay on the Greek philosopher
Several scholars have discovered significant similarities in the thought of Sri Aurobindo and Hegel. Steve Odin has discussed this subject comprehensively in a comparative study.[80] Odin writes that Sri Aurobindo "has appropriated Hegel’s notion of an Absolute Spirit and employed it to radically restructure the architectonic framework of the ancient Hindu Vedanta system in contemporary terms."[81] In his analysis Odin arrives at the conclusion that "both philosophers similarly envision world creation as the progressive self-manifestation and evolutionary ascent of a universal consciousness in its journey toward Self-realization."[82] He points out that in contrast to the deterministic and continuous dialectal unfolding of Absolute Reason by the mechanism of thesis-antithesis-synthesis or affirmation-negation-integration, "Sri Aurobindo argues for a creative, emergent mode of evolution."[82] In his résumé Odin states that Sri Aurobindo has overcome the ahistorical world-vision of traditional Hinduism and presented a concept which allows for a genuine advance and novelty.[83]
Importance of the Upanishads
Although Sri Aurobindo was familiar with the most important lines of thought in Western philosophy, he did not acknowledge their influence on his own writings.[84] He wrote that his philosophy "was formed first by the study of the Upanishads and the Gita … They were the basis of my first practice of Yoga." With the help of his readings he tried to move on to actual experience, "and it was on this experience that later on I founded my philosophy, not on ideas themselves."[85]
He assumes that the seers of the Upanishads had basically the same approach and gives some details of his vision of the past in a long passage in The Renaissance of India. "The Upanishads have been the acknowledged source of numerous profound philosophies and religions", he writes. Even
Sri Aurobindo's indebtedness to the Indian tradition also becomes obvious through his placing a large number of quotations from the
The Isha Upanishad is considered to be one of the most important and more accessible writings of Sri Aurobindo.[90] Before he published his final translation and analysis, he wrote ten incomplete commentaries.[91] In a key passage he points out that the Brahman or Absolute is both the Stable and the Moving. "We must see it in eternal and immutable Spirit and in all the changing manifestations of universe and relativity."[90][92] Sri Aurobindo's biographer K.R.S. Iyengar quotes R.S. Mugali as stating that Sri Aurobindo might have obtained in this Upanishad the thought-seed which later grew into The Life Divine.[93]
Synthesis and integration
Sisir Kumar Maitra, who was a leading exponent of Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy,[94] has referred to the issue of external influences and written that Sri Aurobindo does not mention names, but "as one reads his books one cannot fail to notice how thorough is his grasp of the great Western philosophers of the present age..." Although he is Indian one should not "underrate the influence of Western thought upon him. This influence is there, very clearly visible, but Sri Aurobindo... has not allowed himself to be dominated by it. He has made full use of Western thought, but he has made use of it for the purpose of building up his own system..."[95] Thus Maitra, like Steve Odin,[96] sees Sri Aurobindo not only in the tradition and context of Indian, but also Western philosophy and assumes he may have adopted some elements from the latter for his synthesis.
R. Puligandla supports this viewpoint in his book Fundamentals of Indian Philosophy. He describes Sri Aurobindo's philosophy as "an original synthesis of the Indian and Western traditions." "He integrates in a unique fashion the great social, political and scientific achievements of the modern West with the ancient and profound spiritual insights of Hinduism. The vision that powers the life divine of Aurobindo is none other than the Upanishadic vision of the unity of all existence."[97]
Puligandla also discusses Sri Aurobindo's critical position vis-à-vis Shankara[98] and his thesis that the latter's Vedanta is a world-negating philosophy, as it teaches that the world is unreal and illusory. From Puligandla's standpoint this is a misrepresentation of Shankara's position, which may have been caused by Sri Aurobindo's endeavour to synthesize Hindu and Western modes of thought, identifying Shankara's Mayavada with the subjective idealism of George Berkeley.[97]
However, Sri Aurobindo's critique of Shankara is supported by U. C. Dubey in his paper titled Integralism: The Distinctive Feature of Sri Aurobindo’s Philosophy. He points out that Sri Aurobindo's system presents an integral view of Reality where there is no opposition between the Absolute and its creative force, as they are actually one. Furthermore, he refers to Sri Aurobindo's conception of the supermind as the mediatory principle between the Absolute and the finite world and quotes S.K. Maitra stating that this conception "is the pivot round which the whole of Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy moves."[99]
Dubey proceeds to analyse the approach of the Shankarites and believes that they follow an inadequate kind of logic that does not do justice to the challenge of tackling the problem of the Absolute, which cannot be known by finite reason. With the help of the finite reason, he says, "we are bound to determine the nature of reality as one or many, being or becoming. But Sri Aurobindo's Integral Advaitism reconciles all apparently different aspects of Existence in an all-embracing unity of the Absolute." Next, Dubey explains that for Sri Aurobindo there is a higher reason, the "logic of the infinite" in which his integralism is rooted.[99]
Legacy
Sri Aurobindo was an
Influence
His influence has been wide-ranging. In India,
Sri Aurobindo influenced
Karlheinz Stockhausen was heavily inspired by Satprem's writings about Sri Aurobindo during a week in May 1968, a time at which the composer was undergoing a personal crisis and had found Sri Aurobindo's philosophies were relevant to his feelings. After this experience, Stockhausen's music took a completely different turn, focusing on mysticism, that was to continue until the end of his career.[107]
Jean Gebser acknowledged Sri Aurobindo's influence on his work and referred to him several times in his writings. Thus, in The Invisible Origin he quotes a long passage from The Synthesis of Yoga.[108] Gebser believes that he was "in some way brought into the extremely powerful spiritual field of force radiating through Sri Aurobindo."[109][110] In his title Asia Smiles Differently he reports about his visit to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and meeting with the Mother whom he calls an "exceptionally gifted person."[111][112]
After meeting Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry in 1915, the Danish author and artist Johannes Hohlenberg published one of the first Yoga titles in Europe and later on wrote two essays on Sri Aurobindo. He also published extracts from The Life Divine in Danish translation.[113]
The Chilenean
William Irwin Thompson travelled to Auroville in 1972, where he met "The Mother". Thompson has called Sri Aurobindo's teaching on spirituality a "radical anarchism" and a "post-religious approach" and regards their work as having "... reached back into the Goddess culture of prehistory, and, in Marshall McLuhan's terms, 'culturally retrieved' the archetypes of the shaman and la sage femme... " Thompson also writes that he experienced Shakti, or psychic power coming from The Mother on the night of her death in 1973.[115]
Sri Aurobindo's ideas about the further evolution of human capabilities influenced the thinking of
The American philosopher Ken Wilber has called Sri Aurobindo "India's greatest modern philosopher sage"[117] and has integrated some of his ideas into his philosophical vision. Wilber's interpretation of Aurobindo has been criticised by Rod Hemsell.[118] New Age writer Andrew Harvey also looks to Sri Aurobindo as a major inspiration.[119]
Followers
The following authors, disciples and organisations trace their intellectual heritage back to, or have in some measure been influenced by, Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.
- Nolini Kanta Gupta (1889–1983) was one of Sri Aurobindo's senior disciples, and wrote extensively on philosophy, mysticism, and spiritual evolution based on the teaching of Sri Aurobindo and "The Mother".[120]
- Nirodbaran (1903–2006). A doctor who obtained his medical degree from Edinburgh, his long and voluminous correspondence with Sri Aurobindo elaborate on many aspects of Integral Yoga and fastidious record of conversations bring out Sri Aurobindo's thought on numerous subjects.[121]
- M. P. Pandit (1918–1993). Secretary to "The Mother" and the ashram, his copious writings and lectures cover Yoga, the Vedas, Tantra, Sri Aurobindo's epic "Savitri" and others.
- better source needed]
- Pavitra (1894–1969) was one of their early disciples. Born as Philippe Barbier Saint-Hilaire in Paris. Pavitra left some very interesting memoirs of his conversations with them in 1925 and 1926, which were published as Conversations avec Pavitra.[124]
- Dilipkumar Roy (1897–1980) was an Indian Bengali musician, musicologist, novelist, poet and essayist.
- T.V. Kapali Sastry (1886–1953) was an eminent author and Sanskrit scholar. He joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1929 and wrote books and articles in four languages, exploring especially Sri Aurobindo's Vedic interpretations.
- Mother's Agenda (1982), Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness (2000), On the Way to Supermanhood (2002) and more.[125]
- integral psychology and integral philosophy, in the 1940s and 1950s. A compilation of his papers came out under the title, Integral Psychology in 1986.[126]
- K. D. Sethna (1904–2011) was an Indian poet, scholar, writer, cultural critic and disciple of Sri Aurobindo. For several decades he was the editor of the Ashram journal Mother India.[127]
- Margaret Woodrow Wilson (Nistha) (1886–1944), daughter of US President Woodrow Wilson, she came to the ashram in 1938 and stayed there until her death.[128] She helped to prepare a revised edition of The Life Divine.[129]
- Prof XuFancheng (Hsu Hu) (26 October 1909, Changsha - 6 March 2000, Beijing) , Chinese Sanskrit scholar, came to Ashram in 1951, he became a devotee of Sri Aurobindo and a follower of The Mother. For 27 years (1951–78) he lived at Pondicherry and devoted himself in translating the complete works of Sri Aurobindo under the guidance of The Mother.
Critics
- Adi Da finds that Sri Aurobindo's contributions were merely literary and cultural and had extended his political motivation into spirituality and human evolution[130]
- N. R. Malkani finds Sri Aurobindo's theory of creation to be false, as the theory talks about experiences and visions which are beyond normal human experiences. He says the theory is an intellectual response to a difficult problem and that Sri Aurobindo uses the trait of unpredictability in theorising and discussing things not based upon the truth of existence. Malkani says that awareness is already a reality and suggests there would be no need to examine the creative activity subjected to awareness.[131]
- Ken Wilber's interpretation of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy differed from the notion of dividing reality as a different level of matter, life, mind, overmind, supermind proposed by Sri Aurobindo in The Life Divine, and terms them as higher- or lower-nested holons and states that there is only a fourfold reality (a system of reality created by himself).[132]
- Rajneesh (Osho), in response to his devotees that "Sri Aurobindo says there is something more than the enlightenment of Gautam Buddha", stated that Sri Aurobindo "knows everything about enlightenment, but he is not enlightened.[133]
In popular culture
The 1970 Indian Bengali-language biographical drama film Mahabiplabi Aurobindo, directed by Dipak Gupta, depicted Sri Aurobindo's life on screen.
Literature
Indian editions
- A first edition of collected works was published in 1972 in 30 volumes: Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library (SABCL), Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram.[138]
- A new edition of collected works was started in 1995. Currently, 36 out of 37 volumes have been published: Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo (CWSA). Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram.[139][140]
- Early Cultural Writings.
- Collected Poems.
- Collected Plays and Stories.
- Karmayogin.
- Records of Yoga.
- Vedic and Philological Studies.
- The Secrets of the Veda.
- Hymns to the Mystic Fire.
- Isha Upanishad.
- Kena and Other Upanishads.
- Essays on the Gita.
- The Renaissance of India with a Defence of Indian Culture.
- The Life Divine.
- The Synthesis of Yoga.
- The Human Cycle – The Ideal of Human Unity – War and Self-Determination.
- The Future Poetry.
- Letters on Poetry and Art
- Letters on Yoga.
- The Mother
- Savitri – A Legend and a Symbol.
- Letters on Himself and the Ashram.
- Autobiographical Notes and Other Writings of Historical Interest.
American edition
Main works
- Sri Aurobindo Primary Works Set 12 vol. US Edition, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-93-0
- Sri Aurobindo Selected Writings Software CD-ROM, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-88-8
- The Life Divine, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-61-2
- Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-80-9
- The Synthesis of Yoga, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-65-5
- Essays on the Gita, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-18-7
- The Ideal of Human Unity, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-43-8
- The Human Cycle: The Psychology of Social Development, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-44-6
- The Human Cycle, Ideal of Human Unity, War and Self Determination, Lotus Press. ISBN 81-7058-014-5
- The Upanishads, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-23-3
- Secret of the Veda, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-19-5
- Hymns to the Mystic Fire, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-914955-22-5
- The Mother, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-79-5
Compilations and secondary literature
- The Integral Yoga: Sri Aurobindo's Teaching and Method of Practice, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-76-0
- The Future Evolution of Man, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-940985-55-1
- The Essential Aurobindo – Writings of Sri Aurobindo ISBN 978-0-9701097-2-9
- Bhagavad Gita and Its Message, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-78-7
- The Mind of Light, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-940985-70-5
- Rebirth and Karma, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-63-9
- Hour of God by Sri Aurobindo, Lotus Press. ISBN 81-7058-217-2
- Dictionary of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga, (compiled by M. P. Pandit), Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-74-4
- Vedic Symbolism, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin ISBN 0-941524-30-2
- The Powers Within, Lotus Press. ISBN 978-0-941524-96-4
- Reading Sri Aurobindo, Penguin Random House India. ISBN 978-0670097036
Comparative studies
- Hemsell, Rod (Oct. 2014). The Philosophy of Evolution. Auro-e-Books, E-Book
- Hemsell, Rod (Dec. 2014). Sri Aurobindo and the Logic of the Infinite: Essays for the New Millennium. Auro-e-Books, E-Book
- Hemsell, Rod (2017). The Philosophy of Consciousness: Hegel and Sri Aurobindo. E-Book
- Huchzermeyer, Wilfried (Oct. 2018). Sri Aurobindo’s Commentaries on Krishna, Buddha, Christ and Ramakrishna. Their Role in the Evolution of Humanity. edition sawitri, E-Book
- Johnston, David T. (Nov. 2016) Jung's Global Vision: Western Psyche, Eastern Mind, With References to Sri Aurobindo, Integral Yoga, The Mother. Agio Publishing House, ISBN 9781927755211
- Johnston, David T. (Dec. 2016). Prophets in Our Midst: Jung, Tolkien, Gebser, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Universe, E-Book
- Singh, Satya Prakash (2013). Nature of God. A Comparative Study in Sri Aurobindo and Whitehead. Antrik Express Digital, E-Book
- Singh, Satya Prakash (2005). Sri Aurobindo, Jung and Vedic Yoga. Mira Aditi Centre, ISBN 9788187471127
- Eric M. Weiss (2003): The Doctrine of the Subtle Worlds. Sri Aurobindo’s Cosmology, Modern Science and the Metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead, Dissertation (PDF; 1,3 MB), California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco
See also
- Integral psychology
References
Notes
- ^ Aurobindo described his father as a "tremendous atheist" but Thakur calls him an agnostic and Heehs believes that he followed his own coda.[9][10]
- ^ Krishna Dhun Ghose returned to India soon after, leaving his wife in the care of a physician in London. Barindra was born in England in January 1880.[12]
- ^ While in Manchester, the Ghose brothers lived first at 84 Shakespeare Street and then, by the time of the 1881 census, at 29 York Place, Chorlton-on-Medlock. Aurobindo was recorded in the census as Aravinda Ghose, as he was also by the University of Cambridge.[15][16][17]
- ^ Benoybhusan's education ended in Manchester.[18]
Citations
- ^ Dasgupta, Sanjukta. "A horrendous tale". www.thestatesman.com. The Statesman. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Book XI: The Book of Everlasting Day, Canto I: The Eternal Day: The Soul's Choice and The Supreme Consummation, p 709
- ^ Chaama, Sridhar (16 August 2012). "Remembering a guru". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ McDermott (1994), pp. 11–12, 14
- ISBN 9788170588443. Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ISBN 9780941524667. Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ Bandyopadhyay, Amritalal, Rishi Aurobindo, 1964, Biswas Publishing House, p. 6.
- OCLC 258335.
Aurobindo's father, Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose, came from a Kayastha family associated with the village of Konnagar in Hooghly District near Calcutta, Dr. Ghose had his medical training in Edinburgh...
- ^ a b Heehs (2008), pp. 3–7, 10
- ^ a b Thakur (2004), p. 3
- ^ Heehs (2008), pp. 8–9
- ^ a b Heehs (2008), p. 10
- ^ a b Heehs (2008), pp. 9–10
- ^ Heehs (2008), pp. 10, 13
- ^ a b Heehs (2008), p. 14
- ^ 1881 Census
- ^ a b ACAD & GHS890AA.
- ^ a b Heehs (2008), p. 19
- ^ Peter Heehs, The Lives of Sri Aurobindo, Columbia University Press (2008), p. 43
- ^ Heehs (2008), pp. 14–18
- ^ English Heritage
- ^ Heehs (2008), p. 18
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), pp. 29–30
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 31
- ^ a b Thakur (2004), p. 6
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 34
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 36
- ^ Thakur (2004), p. 7
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 37
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 42
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 43
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 68
- ^ Heehs (2008), p. 53
- ISBN 978-81-7058-496-4.
- ^ "Advice to National College Students". Site of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "History". Jadavpur University Website. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 71
- ^ Heehs (2008), p. 67
- ^ Thorpe (2010), p. 29C
- ^ Lorenzo (1999), p. 70
- ^ Heehs (2008), p. 217
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 86
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 61
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 98
- ^ K.R.S. Iyengar, Sri Aurobindo – a biography and a history, Pondicherry, 1972, p. 62.
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 110
- ^ Heehs (2008), pp. 142–143
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 101
- ^ Thakur (2004), pp. 31–33
- ^ a b Sri Aurobindo: A Life Sketch, Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library, vol. 30, archived from the original on 11 March 2015, retrieved 1 January 2013
- ^ Heehs (2008), p. 347: Sri Aurobindo without the surname seems to have first appeared in print in articles published in Chandernagore in 1920. It did not catch on at that time. He first signed his name Sri Aurobindo in March 1926, but continued to use Sri Aurobindo Ghose for a year or two.
- ^ Thakur (2004), pp. 20–26
- ^ Yadav (2007), p. 31: "the fame of Sri Aurobindo mainly rests upon Savitri which is considered as his magnum opus ... [It is] a 24000 line blank verse epic in which he has widened the original legend of the Mahabharata and turned it into a symbol where the soul of man, represented by Satyavan, is delivered from the grip of death and ignorance through the love and power of the Divine Mother, incarnated upon earth as Savitri."
- ISBN 978-81-241-0795-9.
- ^ "Nomination archive: Sri Aurobindo". The Nobel Prize. April 2020. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Sri Aurobindo Passes Away". Shri Aurobindo's death - Colombo plan - Foreign Policy. 1950. New Delhi: India News Chronicle. 6 December 1950. p. 57. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2022 – via National Archives of India.
The sage's body lay in State in the Ashram, and by 6 p.m. more than 60,000 people had filed past it in queues in absolute silence.
- ^ Heehs (2008), pp. 411–412: "On the morning of December 6, 1950 all of the major newspapers of the country announced the passing of Sri Aurobindo ... President Rajendra Prasad, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, central and state ministers ... recalled his contribution to the struggle for freedom, his philosophical and other writings, and the example of his yogic discipline. Abroad, his death was noted by newspapers in London, Paris and New York. A writer in the Manchester Guardian called him 'the most massive philosophical thinker that modern India has produced.'"
- ISBN 978-1-58270-390-9.
- ^ Aurobindo (2006), p. 102
- ^ Jones & Ryan (2007), pp. 292–293
- ^ Wilber 1980, p. 263.
- ^ Sharma 1991.
- ^ McDermott (1994), p. 281
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Synthesis of Yoga. Lotus Press, 1996. P. 7-8
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Synthesis of Yoga. Lotus Press, 1996. p. 106.
- ^ Aurobindo (2005), p. 5
- ^ Aurobindo (2005), p. 7
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Life Divine Lotus Press, 1990. P. 132.
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Life Divine Lotus Press, 1990., P. 132-133
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Life Divine Lotus Press, 1990., P. 134
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Integral Yoga.Lotus Press, 1993. P. 65.
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Integral Yoga.Lotus Press, 1993., P. 65-655.
- ^ Aurobindo, Sri. The Integral Yoga.Lotus Press, 1993., P. 68.
- ^ Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo (CWSA) vol. 13, Essays in Philosophy and Yoga, Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram 1995, pp. 215–58
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016Ch. 2–4, 7 and 8
- ^ CWSA vol. 36, Autobiographical Notes, p. 112.
- ^ One of the more comprehensive titles is: K.D. Sethna. The Spirituality of the Future. A Search apropos of R.C. Zaehner’s Study in Sri Aurobindo and Teilhard de Chardin. London 1981
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016, p. 0127.
- ISBN 978-1611470703.
- ^ Sri Aurobindo and Hegel on the Involution-Evolution of Absolute Spirit. Philosophy East and West, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr. 1981), pp. 179–191
- ^ Odin, p.179. (Sri Aurobindo himself denied to be influenced by Hegel. See A.B. Purani, Evening Talks with Sri Aurobindo. Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram 2001, p. 106)
- ^ a b Odin, p. 186
- ^ Odin, p. 190
- ^ Evening Talks with Sri Aurobindo, p. 106
- ^ CWSA vol. 36, Autobiographical Writings, p. 113
- ^ CWSA, vol. 20, p. 330
- ^ CWSA vol. 27, Letters on Poetry and Art, p. 520.
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016, p. 10.
- ^ Heehs (2008), p. 276.
- ^ a b Heehs (2008), p. 267.
- ^ CWSA vol. 17, Publisher’s Note
- ^ CWSA 17:30
- ^ K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar (1972) Sri Aurobindo – A Biography and a history. Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram. p. 441.
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016, p. 85.
- ISBN 978-8170580782
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016, p. 78.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-246-0087-0. Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ For Sri Aurobindo’s critique, see, for instance, CWSA vol. 17, Isha Upanishad, pp. 498–99. There he says that Shankara’s world-negative approach "has overshadowed for centuries the lives and souls of hundreds of millions of human beings." However, he also recognized him as "one of the mightiest of metaphysical intellects." (Isha Upanishad, p. 497)
- ^ ISBN 9788124604021
- ^ McDermott (1994), p. 11
- ^ Heehs (2008), p. 379
- ^ René Guénon, Etude sur l'hindouisme, Les Éditions traditionnelles, 1989, nouvelle édition, p268
- ^ Guénon, René. "Études sur l'hindouisme" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ Haridas Chaudhuri and Frederic Spiegelberg (1960) The integral philosophy of Sri Aurobindo: a commemorative symposium, Allen & Unwin.
- American Academy of Asian Studies to the California Institute of Integral Studies" [1] Archived 30 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 978-81-7629-843-8. Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ O'Mahony (2001)
- ^ Sri Aurobindo and European Philosophy, pp. 155–56
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016, p. 155.
- ^ Der unsichtbare Ursprung, Olten 1970, p. 96.
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016, p. 157.
- ^ Asien lächelt anders, Frankfurt 1968, p. 112
- ISBN 978-1-58420-938-6
- ^ Mother India, Puducherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, June 2023, p. 66
- ^ "Thinking otherwise – From Religion to Post-Religious Spirituality: Conclusion". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ Kripal (2007), pp. 60–63
- ^ Ken Wilber, Foreword to A. S. Dalal (ed.), A Greater Psychology – An Introduction to the Psychological Thought of Sri Aurobindo, Tarcher/Putnam, 2000.
- ^ Rod Hemsell (January 2002). "Ken Wilber and Sri Aurobindo: A Critical Perspective Archived 26 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine".
- ^ "Hidden Journey: A Spiritual Awakening". Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-415-46093-4.
- ^ Nirodbaran (1973), pp. 1–19
- ^ Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy's writings on Sri Aurobindo, srichinmoylibrary.com, archived from the original on 11 October 2014, retrieved 12 November 2013
- ^ Dua (2005), pp. 18–22
- ISBN 978-0-938710-12-7.
- ^ Satprem (1982), p. 5
- ISBN 978-8172015145
- ISBN 9788126052837
- The Milwaukee Sentinel. 14 February 1944. p. 1. Archived from the originalon 23 October 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar. (1972) Sri Aurobindo – A Biography and a history. Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram. p. 559
- ^ "Bubba Free John in India". The Dawn Horse Magazine. 4 August 1974. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ "Sri Aurobindo's theory of evolution – a criticism by Prof. Malkani examined". Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ "Wilber's Critique of Sri Aurobindo". Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
- ^ "Osho Beyond Enlightenment". Beyond Enlightenment. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ISBN 978-81-207-2116-6.
- ^ "R-Day parade: Ministry of Culture presents tableau on Sri Aurobindo's life, works as nation celebrates his 150th birth anniversary". ANI News. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Sri Aurobindo: A New Dawn". Sri Aurobindo: A New Dawn. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Animation film launch, dawnfire communion mark Sri Aurobindo birth anniversary". The Hindu. 15 August 2023. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ISBN 978-8170581703
- ^ "SABDA – Collected Works". Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
- ^ Huchzermeyer 2016, p. 189.
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Further reading
- Iyengar, K. R. Srinivasa (1985) [1945]. Sri Aurobindo: a biography and a history. Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. (2 volumes, 1945) – written in a hagiographical style
- Kallury, Syamala (1989). Symbolism in the Poetry of Sri Aurobindo. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978-81-7017-257-4.
- Kitaeff, Richard. "Sri Aurobindo". Nouvelles Clés (62): 58–61.
- Mehrotra, Arvind Krishna (2003). A History of Indian Literature in English. Columbia University Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-231-12810-0.
- Mishra, Manoj Kumar (2004). Young Aurobindo's Vision: The Viziers of Bassora. Bareilly: Prakash Book Depot. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- Mukherjee, Prithwindra (2000). Sri Aurobindo. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer.
- Satprem (1968). Sri Aurobindo, or the Adventure of Consciousness. Pondicherry, India: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press.
- K. D. Sethna, Vision and Work of Sri Aurobindo
- Singh, Ramdhari(2008). Sri Aurobindo: Meri Drishti Mein. New Delhi: Lokbharti Prakashan.
- ISBN 978-81-7223-327-3.
- Raychaudhuri, Girijashankar.....Sri Aurobindo O Banglar Swadeshi Joog (published 1956)...this book was serially published in the journal Udbodhan and read out to Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry while he was still alive......Sri Aurobindo commented, " he will snatch away smile from my face"
- Ghose, Aurobindo, Nahar, S., & Institut de recherches évolutives. (2000). India's rebirth: A selection from Sri Aurobindo's writing, talks and speeches Paris: Institut de recherches évolutives.
External links
- Official website Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Sri Aurobindo at Curlie
- Works by or about Sri Aurobindo at Internet Archive
- Auroville
- Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo