Sri Aurobindo A Contemporary Reader

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Sri Aurobindo—A Contemporary Reader

Sri Aurobindo A Contemporary Reader

Sachidananda Mohanty

LONDON NEW YORK NEW DELHI

Reprint 2019

This South Asia edition 2016 First published 2008 by Routledge

Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2008 Sachidananda Mohanty Typeset by Star Compugraphics Private Limited 5–CSC, First Floor, Near City Apartments Vasundhara Enclave Delhi 110 096

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-138-23679-0 For sale in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only.

In Memory of My Parents

Bidyut Prabha Devi and Panchanan Mohanty

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Sri Aurobindo—A Contemporary Reader

Contents List of Photographs Preface Acknowledgements

ix xi xiii

PART 1 Introduction

3

PART 2 I

II

Editor’s Prologue The Ideal of Human Unity

45

Editor’s Prologue The Human Cycle

96

III Editor’s Prologue War and Self-Determination

130

IV Editor’s Prologue The Foundations of Indian Culture

143

V

Editor’s Prologue Autobiographical Notes and Other Writings of Historical Interest

177

Epilogue

219

References and Select Bibliography Index

223 229

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Sri Aurobindo—A Contemporary Reader

Preface

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ix

List of Photographs Photo 1 Photo 2

Sri Aurobindo as a schoolboy in England around 1886

7

Sri Aurobindo (centre) with his students at Baroda College in 1906

9

Photo 3

Sri Aurobindo in Calcutta in 1907. The photograph was probably taken after Sri Aurobindo’s acquittal in the Bande Mataram case.

Photo 4

Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry around 1915–18

14

Photo 5

Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry around 1915–18

71

Photo 6

Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry around 1915–18

111

Photo 7

Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry around 1915–18

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Photo 8

Sri Aurobindo in April 1950. Photograph by Henri Cartier–Bresson

159

Sri Aurobindo in April 1950. Photograph by Henri Cartier–Bresson

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Photo 10 Sri Aurobindo in April 1950. Photograph by Henri Cartier–Bresson

214

Photo 9

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Sri Aurobindo—A Contemporary Reader

Preface

I

have often wondered as to why university intellectuals are reluctant to engage with Sri Aurobindo. Indeed, in contemporary discourse, we seldom speak of the major figures of early twentieth century India, barring perhaps Gandhi, Nehru and Tagore. I believe that for the most fundamental issues of our times—of society, culture and polity—one needs to turn to Sri Aurobindo indispensably. My reasons for thinking so have been outlined in this book. I look at Sri Aurobindo as a cultural critic in areas that are in the forefront of contemporary debates today. He stands for integration in his life and work. In him, binaries and conflicts are harmonised: the West and the East, English and the Indian languages, city and the region, merit and social justice, religion and secularism, pacifism and militancy, conservation and development, nationalism and internationalism, et al. Sri Aurobindo was one of the first in modern India to see truth in the formation of linguistic provinces. We need to read the message he gave to the Andhra University in 1948 regarding the importance of India’s regional cultures. His views on the United Nations and the future of ideological systems, spelt out in the ‘Post Script Chapter’ of his book The Ideal of Human Unity, have turned out to be prophetic. His essays on self-determination in his illuminating work War and Self-Determination remain unmatched in the way they anticipate the human rights discourse of today. His emphasis on freedom as the cornerstone of all human endeavours is aligned to our current thinking on identity politics and multiculturalism. His essays such as ‘The Religion of Humanity’* tell us why freedom in matters of language, culture and ethnicity is so essential for human progress, and why excessive centralisation and totalitarian ideologies are so inimical to civilisation. While Sri Aurobindo recognises the importance of each category: the individual, the community, the nation and the world, he also stresses upon the importance of integration and harmony. Integration, he suggests, cannot be achieved by effacing differences, but by recognising them.

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Modern systems have rightly affirmed the importance of diversity, difference and particularism. But the magic key that can unify them all, still eludes us. Sri Aurobindo shows us that we can find the paths to integration, not by a superficial consensus through mechanical means based on expediency and duplicitous behaviour, but by tapping the deeper subjective areas of our being, through the exploration of our latent psychological and spiritual factors in life. According to Sri Aurobindo, there are three realms of existence open to us: the infra-rational, the rational, and the supra-rational. The dominant versions of science and philosophy that have come to us in the modern age have convinced us that reality is unknowable. Universal values do not exist; all values, as critics like Richard Rorty suggest, are contingent upon historical and material contexts, or as Jacques Derrida declares, linguistically constructed. Cultural relativism of the postmodern kind has legitimised a laissez-faire attitude to life and has promoted a cult of hedonism. There is a paramount need to elevate our being to a higher level: to the search for an ideal aesthetic, ethical and egalitarian order. This is best achieved when science and reason can open up to higher truths of life. To gain fully from Sri Aurobindo, one needs to go to his original writings. I have compiled a selection of extracts which appear to be critical indicators of his vision. It is hoped that this body of writing will be of interest to the reading community.

Note ∗ The essay appears in Sri Aurobindo, 1997 (first edition 1918). The Ideal of Human Unity, pp. 564–70. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

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Acknowledgements

I

wish to thank the following who have played a role in the making of this book: Ó Ó

Ó Ó Ó Ó

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Kireet Joshi, for allowing me to speak to him at odd hours on Sri Aurobindo, and for sharing my excitement on the topic. Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, for all the encouragement and support, and for the necessary copyright permissions for the texts and photographs of Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry for the use of the archival material. Kiran Kakad, for the prompt help with regard to the photographs of Sri Aurobindo. Peter Heehs, for sharing his research and publications on Sri Aurobindo, and for the fruitful discussions we have had. Bob, Ranga da, Richard and all others at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives, for their help, affection and encouragement. Fellow researchers at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives, Pondicherry, for making tea-time so very special. Sasheej Hegde for reading through the manuscript and for suggesting the title of the book. Pramod K. Nayar for passing on an important article by Sugata Bose of Harvard University. My family members, especially my (late) parents for teaching us the value of idealism. My mother, poet Bidyut Prabha, who was instrumental in our education at Pondicherry. My sisters, Minoti and Pranati, for their constant warning: ‘Scholarship is not everything, health is more important! And so, take your meals regularly’! Babuni and Hardie for being there! Always a source of support! Vijay Poddar, Pradeep Narang, Manoj Das, Pratijna Devi, Meera and late M. V. Nandarni, Maurice Shukla, Sunayana Panda,

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Ó Ó Ó

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Sri Aurobindo—A Contemporary Reader

R. Y. Deshpande, S. Ravi, Hemant Kapur, Nilima Das, Nira Gupta, Jay Raichura, Sanatan Mohanty, Shailaja Murthy and Sharmila for their good wishes. The Department of English, the administration, faculty colleagues, staff and students at the University of Hyderabad— in particular, Mr R. Nagarajan—for their valuable help. L. N. Jhunjhunwala for his timely and special support. Pradosh Mohanty and Kim Reddy for their encouraging association. Omita Goyal, Nilanjan Sarkar and Rimina Mohapatra at Routledge India, for their faith in this project, steadfast support, comments and suggestions. And finally, Sri Aurobindo and The Mother for their inspiration!

Introduction

Part 1

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