Friday, February 27, 2015

Bondage to Sri Aurobindo is voluntary and joyful

Coleridge and Arnold, Emerson and Eliot, Bankim and Bipin: Sri Aurobindo drew his ideas of National Education from diverse sources.
Although Mazzini is said to be his inspiration, Sri Aurobindo blends Romantic poetry with Vedic dialectic to carve out his Nationalist ideal.
Sri Aurobindo explains how ideologies have changed over millennia and role of Indians in following the Vedic dialectic of Integral Evolution
How Sri Aurobindo combated the narrow furrows of medieval philosophies and established the Vedic dialectic of Integral Evolution is heroic.
Sri Aurobindo joins issue with formidable philosophical authorities of the past & hence understanding his arguments diligently is important.
No better book than The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo that explains the existence of God in relation to world. [TNM55] http://t.co/M1U9IDpgSq
@souvickch The Human Cycle http://t.co/YQMSk52ikK
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are the peak from whichever angle we look at. ~Posted by Tusar Nath Mohapatra #SavitriEra http://t.co/zWa7kuUHqU
Many are ready to advance number of arguments against Sri Aurobindo but not willing to check a page or two from his works. http://t.co/w2aRchyWfS
Epic Savitri by Sri Aurobindo is a magnificent creation but how many people have read even two lines from it? Colossal indifference indeed!
Now that elections are over, RW ranks are finding it difficult to defend Mythology and Medieval practices which jar with high-flown English.
Widespread superstition that Mythology and Sanskrit can save the nation and if Sri Aurobindo wrote in English he got contaminated, is absurd.
Sri Aurobindo's works are a living testimony of that ancient texts and commentaries are not always free from errors and misinterpretations.
@jadhav_in Unfortunately, Shankara has nothing to say on the Vedas. How do you certify what is original is still a problem with the Shruti.
Mythology is being shoved down people's throat through round the year fairs, festivals, celebrations. Sri Aurobindo invites to Vedic wisdom.
Sri Aurobindo has unequivocally talked about the future course that humanity will take and how dominant religions will fall by the wayside.
The young generation must be protected from the pernicious effects of Mythology, Astrology, and Rituals by exposing them to Sri Aurobindo.
Hindutva has become electorally unviable and no amount of muscle flexing or chest thumping can save this anti-Evolutionary relic of the past.
Modi now understands that Congress should survive as a weak opposition at the national level instead of forces like AAP occupying its space.
Hindutva took a severe beating today by Modi speech but the reason is electoral compulsion and not internal reforms as Sri Aurobindo foresaw.
By asserting ideologies may change, Modi is trying to remind RSS that 31% votes are not enough. Pawar, Lalu, and Mulayam are also allies.
Modi is undergoing his weakest phase and would be amenable to compromises. Forthcoming Bihar disaster can prove to be a great leveller.
Modi and Shah usurping both the top positions is height of hubris and Bhagwat will not rest in peace until Gadkari is rehabilitated suitably.
@inrealisation Merit will continue to matter as long as Universities and their grading exists. Knowledge is hierarchical within a paradigm.
@inrealisation No such watertight compartments for knowledge and bliss and if you are aware of postmodernism, all matters of interpretation.
@inrealisation Thanks for the compliments. No escape from the fact that the world is hierarchical and there is always room at the top.
@inrealisation Reading is a subjective activity and assimilation, still more disparate. So nothing coercive indoctrination here. Free & fair.
@inrealisation You returned to your earlier argument: Whatever happened in history will be repeated in future. Sri Aurobindo is different.
@inrealisation It's education, so that one can be conscious of collaborating with the Evolution instead of being affected by herd mentality.
@jadhav_in Sri Aurobindo restores to the Veda its original significance and majesty which has been appreciated by great scholars afterwards.
@inrealisation Yes as simple as that & every individual should be able to choose for himself his own reading material as well as life's path.
@inrealisation I never said about enlightenment. Let's be honest. What I have been requesting here is to shun Mythology and read Sri Aurobindo.
@inrealisation I don't know why you are bringing in other Religions. Sri Aurobindo's writings are needed for proper understanding of world.
@inrealisation I'm very much aware of my bondage to Sri Aurobindo; it's voluntary as well as joyful, don't think it a threat as you imagine.
@inrealisation Not at all. These are all misconceptions. Every one is not at the same level of Evolution. Not easy to leave Sri Aurobindo.
@inrealisation No man is an island. And therefore, prudence demands that one exercises preference for alliance/reliance after due diligence.
@inrealisation Sri Aurobindo can certainly advise better on what it means to be self reliant than the shallow sociological notion of it.
@inrealisation Why do you fear division and privilege majority or monolith? Must have heard of Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
@inrealisation Sri Aurobindo borrows both from India & the West and so its erroneous to bind him within any particular tradition or religion.
Mythological Trinity forces to consider even historical figures in a lot of three. Sri Aurobindo is better judged sans Savarkar or Subhas.
Facts are facts & are to be assimilated through perseverance. Demanding instant substantiation from a Twitter respondent is patently unfair.
@sarkar_swati Since you are an avid reader, I'd encourage you to discover it yourself. @rationalketan @027VivekM @curryputtar @chinmaykrvd
@SMarrtnoj There are ways in which errors of history can be avoided and in this case, Sri Aurobindo relies upon ongoing Evolutionary force.
@SMarrtnoj That's the preliminary approach, and as one gets more convinced and confident, he is engulfed by an urge for disseminating value.


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Security and survival gets precedence over ethical

Both history and geography teach that there is no logic or symmetry. Anna-Kejriwal and BJP-PDP alliances are sign of more chaos in politics.
Anna Hazare is much more ethical than most politicians and hence mocking him is wrong even though his understanding of issues may be unsound.
@TRILOKHNATH For the larger cause since Anna lacks organization. The greater point is this RW habit of ad hominem attacks without any qualm.
@TRILOKHNATH Sure, that's the ethical paradigm but the question of security and survival gets precedence which sways away the individual.
@SMarrtnoj @TRILOKHNATH Anna has a Democratic right to lead political protests. Should it be called shenanigans? You may elaborate a bit.
@TRILOKHNATH @SMarrtnoj There can't be strict rules for agitations. Unlike the earlier occasions, Anna can't be accused of fueling anarchy.
@SMarrtnoj @TRILOKHNATH I'm not defending Anna nor his cause but his right to political action and his freedom to choose strategy, partners.
If a suit can be auctioned, why not land? Let there be a proper market for transparent exchange of land for, what they call, price discovery.
Demand for opening more institutions for Vedic learning is justified but unless they teach Sri Aurobindo, they will slide into superstitions.
@SMarrtnoj Threat is much deeper. Sri Aurobindo's anti-rituals interpretation of the Veda is being stoutly resisted for the last 100 years.
@SMarrtnoj I don't find much virtue in this multiple pretext. Sri Aurobindo is a modern and authentic teacher and his verdict counts for me.
@SMarrtnoj It's not merely the question of teachings; The Mother & Sri Aurobindo constitute a new Religion & hence the clash is fundamental.
@SMarrtnoj There may not be any visible conflict but Indians have been unsuccessful in imbibing Sri Aurobindo's Vedic Evolutionary paradigm.
@SMarrtnoj May be your personal opinion but Sri Aurobindo thinks differently. For him, all existing Religions are out of date and must go.
@SMarrtnoj From the political angle, tolerance and choice may be legitimate but when it comes to knowledge, merit matters and validity tops.
@SMarrtnoj Instead of being deluded by dominant and fashionable Civilisational meta-narratives, it's prudent to accept a good path for self.
@SMarrtnoj That's the preliminary approach, and as one gets more convinced and confident, he is engulfed by an urge for disseminating value.
@SMarrtnoj There are ways in which errors of history can be avoided and in this case, Sri Aurobindo relies upon ongoing Evolutionary force.
@SMarrtnoj This is also an admirable piece by Sandeep https://t.co/XVnFtIQCpE
@inrealisation Sri Aurobindo borrows both from India & the West and so it's erroneous to bind him within any particular tradition or religion.
@sarkar_swati Please avoid pigeonholing Sri Aurobindo in such a misleading fashion. @rationalketan @027VivekM @curryputtar @chinmaykrvd
Thus, the notion of political is perhaps a little wider when we evaluate Sri Aurobindo. [TNM55] http://t.co/bvOM9rX4Vv
Compelling habitus of Sri Aurobindo's Letters on Yoga - available now in 4 volumes of Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo http://t.co/ZUhr4yvRaq
Letters on Yoga are available now in four volumes of Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo after 65 years he passed away. http://t.co/S7aWJUVQVD
[Aurobindo lived at a time when East and West were beginning to converge... context can inspire greater sectarianism] http://t.co/WF922EitYo
[@rishibagree: Anna Hazare's favorite song:
Idhar chala mein udhar chala, jaane kaha mein kidhar chala, fisal gaya, arey mein gir gaya...]

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Compelling habitus of Sri Aurobindo's Letters on Yoga

Letters on Yoga are available now in four volumes of Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo after 65 years he passed away. These comprise of his personal guidance to a number of disciples during the last 24 years of his life. Letters on other themes have been published in another four volumes. Collectively, they cover an amazing range of subjects treated with incomparable insights. However, a lot of charm is missing since the questions are not included nor the persons identified. The motive, of course, is to focus on the core subject but it can be argued that excluding trivia strikes at the very notion of All life is Yoga.

The four volumes can be said to contain all aspects of Integral Yoga. Interestingly, they were never available to the persons to whom the letters are addressed. So, they had so less to read but had the advantage of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo's physical presence in compensation. The Ashram scenario, surely, was an immensely complex and vibrant opportunity with both Masters and the disciples engaged in writing as well as practice apart from other functions of community life. Reconstructing such a rich picture over long years is difficult to imagine today. But by publishing the correspondences in whole may help in creating the desired impressions.

The fact that such huge number of letters were written involving so many actors presents a very interesting situation for sociological investigation. Apart from ordinary human emotions, subjects ranged from deep psychological layers to forceful Divine interventions. Reading such narrations in cold print today may leave us cold but once permeated into our notion of reality, they hold their ground and rebound. Thus, this unique habitus or life-world retains the potential of influencing future political events with its compelling amalgamation of ethics and Evolutionary dialectic. [TNM55]

Sri Aurobindo is a challenge to Social Sciences

The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo is the most comprehensive book as an entry point to Indian Philosophy. Many older philosophical strands, though sophisticated, bear serious deficiencies and Sri Aurobindo offers a modern Ontological framework incorporating Evolution. The book contains countless references to earlier concepts and schools by way of allusions and comparisons useful for the new entrants. Secondary literature available on the book are also diverse as well as interdisciplinary. [TNM55]

Tusar N. Mohapatra on 19 February 2015 at 3:44 pm said:
Can’t reply so precisely - being a non-specialist - as my job is just like a sign-post. There are adequate works on the subject which can satisfy such queries and concerns. However, may I add what I just tweeted:
What man must know & think and how he should act are dominant concerns for Sri Aurobindo and not merely his material needs and possessions.
Thus, the notion of political is perhaps a little wider when we evaluate Sri Aurobindo. Thanks. [TNM55]

Sri Aurobindo elucidates on the deep significance of concepts like Bhakti, Rasa, or Ananda, beyond superficial festivities and celebrations.
Sri Aurobindo is a challenge to social sciences in the sense Integral Advaita doesn't allow a neat human-centric way of conceiving reality.
By holding "All Life is Yoga" Sri Aurobindo introduces deeper causal dimensions to the popular paradigm of "Social Construction of Reality."
Sri Aurobindo helping his disciples by subtle forces should receive adequate attention like his writings to understand his place in history.
Although he wrote commentaries, Sri Aurobindo was not comfortable with traditional texts, and therefore created The Life Divine and Savitri.
A theory may be unreasonable and unacceptable but serves a valuable purpose of providing a contrast and offering tension for rival emerging.
Ridiculing political adversaries is permissible but losing respect for their scholarly or public contributions must not gain respectability.
It's fashionable now to criticise the West as well as Left-leaning academicians without appreciating how much research work we owe to them.
Indian Universities have produced scores of brilliant Philosophy Professors who are hardly recognised. Roadside Baba snatches away respect.
One may not read but must respect the quantum of labour [The Primacy of Grammar by Nirmalangshu Mukherji] http://t.co/S2AL56TdZJ via @amazon
Last Day: Indian Institute of Advanced Study stall in World Book Fair, New Delhi offering 75% off on books published till 2004. @IIASShimla
@rishibagree Nothing is considered of value these days unless covered by Delhi TV channels as National news. Local events are insignificant!
@_Mauna_ Calling it illusion may not be an objective reading of situation. There indeed is a subtle shift which you must come to terms with.
@_Mauna_ Secular / Sickular and appeasement debate that is staple among RSS supporters. The earlier stridency is no more that rampant.
Big day for Indian politics as Nitish Kumar rides to power signaling realignment of anti-BJP forces at the national level reminiscent of JP.
Nitish Kumar returns as CM of Bihar with a decidedly national stature and ambition. He deserves the support and goodwill of the whole nation.
Anna Hazare has emerged as a rallying point for the opposition and we must welcome him in his new avatar sans the taint of Kejriwal & Kiran.
@SMarrtnoj @RameshSethi1 Good economics is beyond the grasp of majority impressions and sentiments. However, latter is supreme in Democracy.
@SMarrtnoj Media, fortunately, represents Market, and hence, can't be faulted. It caters to demand and commerce. Other institutions lagging.
@SMarrtnoj You are thinking of ideal situations and fortunately there have been no Markets on textbook model. Markets evolve from clumsyness.
@SMarrtnoj Market as much needs regulators as agitators. Nothing not even anarchy is excluded from the Market. So let's welcome Anna Hazare.
@SMarrtnoj Market hates to lament about the past mistakes or crying over split milk. If we understand theory Future is full of opportunities.
@SMarrtnoj Nitti gritties are never valid for all time or nations but offer useful historical data which can be harnessed whenever required.
Sri Aurobindo's Evolutionary vision outlined in the #FiveDreams Manifesto is silently at work. Nadkarni Doctrine http://t.co/9Vg7WAdZG1
[all are in the Divine, all are the Divine and there is nothing else in the Universe] Sri Aurobindo - The Synthesis of Yoga http://t.co/IgqVVoHHU4
[The human being is a complex organism which cannot be rammed into a fixed logical process or formula.] http://t.co/0AiMAkZX6g Sri Aurobindo



Thursday, February 19, 2015

Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo: Five Dreams Manifesto


Tusar N. Mohapatra on  said: 
Despite various strands of intervening intellectual revolutions, Sri Aurobindo remains eminently relevant, readable, and as fresh as ever, a century later. Many educated Indians know not much about Sri Aurobindo’s writings barring a couple of quotations from India’s Rebirth http://t.co/oV43vxsZ1Q
Sri Aurobindo intended to dislodge stereotypical scholarship and inform discourse with sound Ontological moorings but has been stoutly resisted. Sri Aurobindo fights a political battle on the Knowledge front and is loath on compromises. Evolution to higher levels is his firm assurance. The very fact that Sri Aurobindo is not read or quoted widely is itself a political issue & constitutes the core of his Political Philosophy. [TNM55]

The Mother's birth anniversary on February 21 is an occasion to remember the contributions of an extraordinary woman who loved India so much.
The Mother asks to concentrate on change of Consciousness rather than concerning ourselves about religious formulas. http://t.co/HDU4DEtWqL
@jaya_k_ @agarwaltraining @radharaju18 Sri Aurobindo too was "Influenced by such diverse sources as the Theosophical" http://t.co/cuhWM1kbHT
Sri Aurobindo wrote and published almost throughout his life which influenced many, yet some think his political contribution is negligible.
What man must know & think and how he should act are dominant concerns for Sri Aurobindo and not merely his material needs and possessions.
Sri Aurobindo, not only explains The Secret of the Veda, but also tells the truth about following Buddha, Vivekananda, Tagore, or Gandhi.
It's because of Sri Aurobindo that we understand the deficiencies in the theories of great men like Hegel, Marx, Darwin, Nitzsche, or Freud.
Neglect of Sri Aurobindo by academia has left a whole generation ignorant about and prejudiced against him. Some day good sense will prevail.
Sri Aurobindo indicates not to stop at Dayananda, Vivekananda, Tagore or Gandhi & follow Integral Yoga based on Evolutionary Vedic dialectic.
Sri Aurobindo awakens us to the superiority of Vedic pronouncements that should form the basis of patriotism and not Mythological narrative.
In Sri Aurobindo we find diverse areas like Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Politics, Ethics, Aesthetics, & Yoga converging.
When the whole nation is debating a suit, let's recall how Sri Aurobindo refutes Shankara's interpretation of vasyam as cloth to posit house.
Phobia of the West spread in India by Swadeshi as well as anti-Colonialist enthusiasts is sure to have a debilitating effect on the Nation.
Just like Heidegger's Philosophy can't be ignored due to his brief Nazi connection, a Nation's culture and politics must be seen separately.
Just like home grown medicines, ancient & indigenous sources of aesthetic or intellectual enjoyment may not be the best; need replenishment.
Protectionism is as injurious in trade and commerce as in intellectual discourse. Western Philosophy has turned moribund sans Sri Aurobindo.
If widening and heightening of Consciousness is the task, then one must not remain bound by the history and culture of a particular country.
Mythology numbs the mind and kills curiosity as well as critical faculty. Sri Aurobindo's writings awakens to such dangers and conditioning.
Dharma and Dharmic are clever terms now to sell Mythology. Nothing to do with their sublime significance as explained by Sri Aurobindo. Alas!
No better source for intellectual churning and enrichment than ploughing through the Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo: http://t.co/S7aWJUVQVD
Sri Aurobindo's Evolutionary vision as outlined in the #FiveDreams Manifesto is in action silently. Nadkarni Doctrine http://t.co/9Vg7WAdZG1
Democracy never meant one is a slave of a political party. Education should make citizens more discerning but now blind support is the norm.
@priyankac19 @ma28nav No one, not even the PM, should be deprived of the opportunity to learn and evolve; errors notwithstanding.
Should yesterday's Modi speech be seen as a sign of RSS turning more open and modern with Dattatreya Hosabale assuming a top position?
Concept of Parliament emerged when there was neither TV nor Twitter. Constitution should be rewritten to accommodate instant Citizens' views.
@DrunkVinodMehta @ADhanvantri The fact that Parrikar used to enjoy a huge reputation could be the reason of him being trapped by conspiracy.
[Mahatma Gandhi and His Contemporaries by Bindu Puri] http://t.co/5OVWgyHr6O via @amazon
[Integral education: Dr Bodh Bral] http://t.co/EVBwWBRuv9 via @dailyexcelsior1 The Mother & Sri Aurobindo


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Sri Aurobindo conceives a future where current faiths don't matter

Politics grapples with religions whereas Sri Aurobindo conceives a future where current faiths don't matter & fight is for human priorities.
Sri Aurobindo's Evolutionary vision as outlined in the #FiveDreams Manifesto is in action silently. Nadkarni Doctrine http://t.co/9Vg7WAdZG1
Delineating a neat ideological roadmap for Hindutva, the Modi speech also points to an Ontological primacy by tracing genealogical aspects.
Amazing that concentration of Muslim population in Bihar & elsewhere is seen as a problem! Citizens will live in their country; where else?
Civil codes pushing citizens under the hegemony of different Religions and sundry Scriptures goes against the liberal spirit of Constitution.
High time to decouple Marriage and Inheritance laws from the clutch of Religions and set the citizens free to act with modern sensibilities.
Legal recognition of new Religions like Savitri Era would provide citizens ample choice and freedom to come out of the tyranny of old faiths.
@dkgdelhi Why do those who fast feel a strong need to publicise it?
IF THIS IS SHE OF WHOM THE WORLD HAS HEARD, 
WONDER NO MORE AT ANY HAPPY CHANGE. 
Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother.


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Sri Aurobindo cleanses your mind of hatred

Strategy to become PM and policy to remain PM as long as possible have obviously to be different. Modi struck right notes but Bihar pinches!
So reassuring that Kulkarni Doctrine has not run out of steam and will be of use to serious politicians of all hues. @SudheenKulkarni
Modi has just reaffirmed the oft-repeated Constitutional position on Religion whereas on Bihar imbroglio, he owes an apology to the nation.
Modi has inflicted such a punch today that many of his supporters have started speaking Greek and Latin. Modi must atone for his past sins!
@niranjan_takle On this point, speaking is enough; nothing else to be done unless actual events warrant. Even that much is being resented!
@tamhanespeaks @niranjan_takle The fault lies with President then who administered the oath of office to him. But then, each person evolves.
@rohanmintoo @Baisaaa Nevertheless, today will go down as a red letter day in the history of Hindutva movement that is groping for direction.
It's easy to accuse that Delhi verdict is responsible to bring Modi to his knees but to be fair, his Govt has been consistent on this score.
@shaidang Modi has been respectful to Gandhi and that speaks for his policy on religious diversity. His task is to occupy the Congress space.
@shaidang As you tweeted earlier, Modi is trying to win new constituencies and perceptions matter in a variety of ways. It's political march.
@shaidang The whole Hindutva focus has been misleading & younger leaders of BJP-RSS are discovering that it's counterproductive. Hence tweak.
Whether the PM attends a Christian function or joins a Temple ceremony has no distinction from the Vedic perspective and that's Indian ethos.
Those tied to form or stone must endeavor to liberate themselves from bondage & embark upon an adventure of Consciousness via Sri Aurobindo.
Sri Aurobindo explains what is best in Religion and injurious effects of Rituals & Superstition. Mythology as poetry is fine for consumption.
Intellectual lethargy has been a stumbling block for the nation but at present the challenge is overcoming prejudice against Sri Aurobindo.
Learning from Sri Aurobindo cleanses your mind of hatred and adds you to the army of Harmony that is marching towards the future Evolution.
Let your faith not stand in the way of intellectual expansion and reformulation of ideas so that one remains receptive to gifts of Evolution.
Faith is a personal property and must receive protection. Intellect is a public place and must be subjected to perpetual alien interrogation.
No better source for intellectual churning and enrichment than ploughing through the Complete Works Sri Aurobindo: http://t.co/S7aWJUVQVD
[Mr. Modi was as unambiguous as he could get] "@the_hindu: Religious tolerance should be in the DNA of all Indians: http://t.co/fbG6E3zXZd"

Monday, February 16, 2015

Sri Aurobindo, Gandhi, and the Zeitgeist

@Nikhil_7D Would you elaborate what your understanding of (or, objections to) Sri Aurobindo are, to dispel the ambiguity?
@Nikhil_7D In fact, Sri Aurobindo, too, doesn't insist upon such a strict dichotomy. There are convergences and genealogical affinities.
@Nikhil_7D How to bridge subjective perceptions should be the intention of conversation. Evolutionary Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo is for future.
@Nikhil_7D Natural state, from a scientific angle, should apply for the whole human species. But different Evolutionary stages do occur.
@Nikhil_7D Sri Aurobindo chooses to look at it as a human problem bypassing religious divides and prefers the Antagonism set out in the Veda.
@Nikhil_7D There are many Westerners among Sri Aurobindo's followers which is proof that all of them are not exactly enamoured of old faiths.
@Nikhil_7D Methodological disparity: You are ticking off my reading of Sri Aurobindo as subjective & posit your reading of Dharma universal.
@DivyaSoti @pras4net Sri Aurobindo has written books that are relevant to our times and lives which is not there in Mythological narratives.
@DivyaSoti @pras4net Sri Aurobindo is an acknowledged Social Scientist and Visionary. Just read his books without losing faith in your God.
@DivyaSoti It's better to rely upon Sri Aurobindo's words and tread the Evolutionary path. He assures that mass-conversion of minds possible.
Mythology is a malady from which Indians must liberate themselves to march towards progress & prosperity, intellectual & cultural vibrancy.
Not by spreading hatred but by spraying Harmony that the next Evolutionary goals can be achieved in which past Religions will be transformed.
@_Mauna_ Found too generalised and needlessly accusative. Expect more balanced assessment given the Zeitgeist acted through him for 30 years.
@_Mauna_ You are right; the hypocrite part made a misleading impression. So, you are inferring: Gandhi is okay, but Indians are hypocrites!
@_Mauna_ Mass in India is too scattered and there were meagre mass media. This mass myth in fact is a product of latter day Films and Plays.
@_Mauna_ If not mass, the fact that at least a dozen top minds of the day were swayed by Gandhi's idiosyncratic ways is no mean achievement.
@pras4net @DivyaSoti Gandhi represents Action at a scale no one does & therefore his place in History as well as Academic Theory is secured.
@pras4net @DivyaSoti Gandhi used to marshal Action while Sri Aurobindo preferred the Consciousness route. So, no shifting in methodology.
@DivyaSoti Can't show instant results as past formulas are ineffective. No one has solutions except Sri Aurobindo & Indians must follow him.
@DivyaSoti See, no escape from historical accidents. The point is how to benefit in the present time by taking lessons from the past events.
Jaitley attracting flak from BJP fans round the year seems to be sponsored by him to keep him in news since nothing happens by such tirades.
@anityakr You are right, but lately the suit has taken over from Jaitley as buffer against Modi, it seems!
@anityakr Jaitley's role can be compared to that of Pranab Mukherjee in Congress and he surpasses in articulation too. Surely a jewel in BJP
Many are so slavish that they are not willing to accept that Modi lost in Delhi. Instead, they keep on parroting that the blasted suit lost!
Democratic idea is to authorise the Govt. of law & oder but some are engaged in fear mongering by spreading suspicion about fellow citizens.
When some tweet like having their own intelligence agency or knowing things from secret sources then the Social Media tag becomes anomalous.
No woman minister in AAP cabinet may not be politically correct but signifies a hard reality in terms of ability. Revisit Gender equality?
It's a riddle how someone seeming intelligent can support Free Markets on the one hand and abide by Hindu Rashtra narrative on the other.
@Lutyenspundit Let quality develop on-the-job through trial-and-error as they never got the opportunity to invest in intellectual culture.
Heartening to note that influential voices within BJP ecosystem are taking firm stand against radical elements among them, to Modi's credit.
BJP must aim at replacing the Congress of yore and the recent tryst with NCP needs to be built upon by relinquishing sharp edges of Hindutva.
Instead of spending energy in fighting Gandhi-Nehru-Indira legacy, the wiser course for BJP is to pose as continuation & amend subsequently.
AAP may be owing its genesis to RSS but has come to possess an altogether different identity over time. Will undergo Janata type splintering
@Shahdatt_Allam No, I'm against AAP, BJP, and Congress which represent fascist and dictatorial forces. Support Nitish Kumar at the moment.
@Shahdatt_Allam That's the Indian reality; Nitish Kumar is a fairly experienced and qualified leader with a firm grip on the grassroots.
February 21 is The Mother's birth anniversary. May Indians discover the great significance of her work in Puducherry! http://t.co/kqPfT8xHYm


Sunday, February 15, 2015

Read the Poems, Plays, and Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Both Science and Philosophy are dependent on past theories but with The Mother & Sri Aurobindo one can start with an absolutely clean slate.
Those who can't read may remain content with wearing caps and masks. Those who can must read the Poems, Plays, and Letters of Sri Aurobindo.
Even if you feel close to Dayananda, Vivekananda, Sivananda, or Osho, reading the works of Sri Aurobindo can offer much intellectual fodder.
That literacy on Sri Aurobindo is steadily growing among RWs is surely heartening but to club Savarkar or Golwalkar with him is horrendous.
Reading the works of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo convinces us how Hindutva is the worst enemy of the core of ancient Vedic wisdom of India.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo steer clear of Rituals and Mythological fictions and present a robust Ontology in consonance with modern Science.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo train how to overcome the predominantly materialistic priorities of Politics & Economics to access Causal realms.
Castes are various stages through which life must evolve. Following different Religions is also like stairs in order to reach the final goal.
Bollywood could never discover an enduring Box-office formula and hence to think that Modi can ensure power for BJP perpetually is a chimera.
@pras4net Anti-Congess initiative goes back to SVD days of which BJS was also a constituent. BJP's emphasis on Hindutva has made it a loner.
Delhi verdict has shown the limits of Hindutva politics & hence Modi would do well to take his rapport with Pawar to the next logical level.
@pras4net Vast space occupied by Congress earlier is a dream for any new player and BJP must occupy the same. That's the greatest difference
Winning elections by borrowing formulas from Advertising industry is no glory. Neither Modi nor Kejriwal command genuine love of the people.
Securing people's mandate doesn't necessarily mean legitimacy for policy or performance. The Democratic parameters are severe at every step.
PMs and CMs so confident about ruling for full five years in a Democracy is laughable. Political churning can throw surprises at any moment.
Nitish Kumar is key to a genuine All India party emerging from the grassroots without resorting to fascist personality cults and theatrics.
@c_ontrarian @pras4net Depending upon situation. It's illogical to allow someone to be power while the right person is going pillar to post.
@SMarrtnoj @c_ontrarian @pras4net I stand by my argument.
@SMarrtnoj @c_ontrarian @pras4net It's not interference; the President acts in consultation with Home Ministry.
@SMarrtnoj @c_ontrarian @pras4net The President is under PM, who ultimately is the arbiter.
@c_ontrarian @pras4net @SMarrtnoj Governor is under President and is not independent. Has powers to do so.
@SMarrtnoj @c_ontrarian @pras4net The provisions are different when it comes to the States vis-a-vis Centre. Governors have leeway.
@SMarrtnoj @pras4net @c_ontrarian My first comment, therefore, was this is a serious lapse on the part of Modi. Should have been avoided.
@c_ontrarian @pras4net @SMarrtnoj Assembly has no power to appoint CM. Governor has to apply his wisdom to invite who he feels has numbers.
@c_ontrarian @pras4net @SMarrtnoj Depending upon how clear is the situation. Even 48 minutes are enough.
@SMarrtnoj @pras4net @c_ontrarian You are straying into academics which is also a diversionary tactic.
@c_ontrarian @pras4net @SMarrtnoj HC action is tangential; Governor should have acted appropriately to invite Nitish instead of delaying it.
@SMarrtnoj @pras4net @c_ontrarian The issue is permitting a minority Govt. in office is Constitutionally untenable and must be condemned.
@c_ontrarian @pras4net @SMarrtnoj HC can go wrong too and they have since amended their decision.
@SMarrtnoj @pras4net @c_ontrarian You are avoiding the issue. As patriots, our first duty should be to protect the sanctity of Constitution.
@pras4net @c_ontrarian @SMarrtnoj Past mistakes don't justify present or future errors. Each situation is unique & Nitish has clear majority.
@SMarrtnoj Laughing away Constitutional indiscretions is nothing unusual but the way our young Democracy suffers is irreparable.
Current Bihar imbroglio is a major failure of Modi as Prime Minister in protecting the Constitution. The matter is gigantic in significance.
You may be politically opposed to Nitish Kumar but delaying his due coming to office by questionable manipulation should be deplored by all.
Young Indians must resolve to get over the Modi and Kejriwal phenomenon like the world learnt to forget the legacies of Hitler and Stalin.
Delhi verdict has outlined the imaginary and illusory nature of Hindu monolith which the BJP ecosystem must get rid of and regain sanity.
No official reaction on Delhi results, yet no major uproar within the Party. BJP seems to have surpassed Congress in High Command culture.
BJP supporters have started expressing misgivings but unable to elicit any response from Modi. Perforce, they valiantly announce allegiance.
@drarora_gaurav @madhukishwar Restricting a god's jurisdiction to a city only is blasphemy!
@pras4net Agreed; instances of lapses would be a legion but that's no excuse for running down everything Nehruvian. http://t.co/SaTVe4iiYs
Be Indian; be Sri Aurobindian.
Savitri Era of those who adore,
Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother.
[dreamer of human unity aiming at Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) was father of militant nationalist politics] http://t.co/rgQW7KTimB
[Whitehead was an avowed Platonist & a close follower of Bergson, and as such his philosophy is closer than others to that of Sri Aurobindo]
[Paradox of Being Human by Ramahant Sinari Reply w/ #AmazonCart to add this] http://t.co/0721Pmkx4J via @amazonIN


Thursday, February 12, 2015

Understand Sri Aurobindo to reach right inferences

Sri Aurobindo clarifies that his Philosophy was necessary in view of glaring lacunas found in that of his predecessors, both East and West.
Those pondering over Cultural Nationalism or Economic Liberalism must make an attempt to understand Sri Aurobindo to reach right inferences.
Craving for neat classifications and symmetry is a habit with human intellect which, unfortunately, are a rarity in reality and the society.
Delhi verdict has turned Twitter pundits a bunch of clowns who used to pontificate day & night on virtues of being Hindu and life of Dharma.
Delhi verdict has exposed the bankruptcy of all kinds of political ideologies tried so far. Sri Aurobindo alone has answers for the future.
Modi's most important achievement so far has been to display that he is talking to world leaders on equal terms; it's nothing but illusion!
@pras4net Don't agree fully with such a characterisation but then past mistakes are no justification of perpetrating more in the future.
AAP victory against BJP is commendable but that doesn't mean its methods are endorsed or emulated. Sri Aurobindo is key to India's future.
Right from the IAC-Anna Andolan days, Kejriwal has always been seen not to be very transparent regarding money matters. May be a gotra flaw!
Chances of BJP sliding down fast under Modi is more and hence reverting to Advani would be an attractive judicious view in the time to come.
Why does RSS utter lies in public; lose credibility? "@centerofright: RSS denies it reviewed Delhi poll debacle - :) http://t.co/cRkwtbD3tf"
@Vidyut Madhu, Smriti, Saswati, Rupa, and Kiran
Forget Vishkanya; the acrobatics of Panchkanya are no less responsible for the recent BJP downfall. Madhu, Smriti, Saswati, Rupa, and Kiran.
@prabuddhasaha What is your stand? Do you support the hardliners? That's a more important question.
Manjhi is not entitled to be in power even for 10 minutes but Bihar Governor has granted him 10 more days. Travesty of Democratic propriety.
Guardians of Constitution, when manipulate under some Party instructions, turn themselves into caricatures of human honesty and uprightness.
Excellent round-up by @SanjeevFocusED in @FocusTonight with incisive and perceptive observations sans any shouting or distracting gimmicks.
An irony of the current times is that reading any book or magazine is seen as less cool than browsing the same on a tablet or a phone.
Instead of the proposed giant Patel statue India should gather its resources and scientific expertise to build the world's largest telescope.


Monday, February 09, 2015

Integral portrayal of Sri Aurobindo

Preface and Introduction from Bertrand Russell´s History of Western ... - Bertrand Russell - With the possible exception of Leibniz, every philosopher of whom I treat is better known to some others than to me. If, however, books covering a wide field are to be written at all, it is inevitable, since we are not immortal, that those who write such books should spend less time on any one part than can be spent by a man who concentrates on a single author or a brief period. Some, whose scholarly austerity is unbending, will conclude that books covering a wide field should not be written at all, or, if written, should consist of monographs by a multitude of authors. 
There is, however, something lost when many authors co-operate. If there is any unity in the movement of history, if there is any intimate relation between what goes before and what comes later, it is necessary, for setting this forth, that earlier and later periods should be synthesized in a single mind. The student of Rousseau may have difficulty in doing justice to his connection with the Sparta of Plato and Plutarch; the historian of Sparta may not be prophetically conscious of Hobbes and Fichte and Lenin. To bring out such relations is one of the purposes of this book, and it is a purpose which only a wide survey can fulfil.]

On reading the above years ago, I had felt a certain uneasiness which continues to this day. On Reading Sri Aurobindo by Murali Sivaramkrishnan also raises similar methodological issues with regard to Sri Aurobindo's works. Given the complex history of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo's collaboration and their varied writings, even a reasonably accurate impression of them is difficult to acquire. Further, books and essays by those connected with the Archives like Peter Heehs and Richard Hartz continue to add new dimensions. The recent article on A God's Labour in Mother India (January 2015) is a case in point. How many people can access or appreciate such research output, however, is a moot point. 

How to connect Philosophy to life? That Philosophy literally cultivates the brain and thereby enriches thinking and spurs ideas should be considered as reward enough. But the specific course of life also decides a person's understanding and areas of emphasis. Sri Aurobindo is busy writing his ARYA articles 100 years back in 1915 which constitutes the zenith of Indian genius. http://t.co/c4VLs52xUs. But those who come across a mischievous compilation like India's Rebirth, for instance, never come out of an overall impression of Sri Aurobindo approving religious hatred. Thus, an integral portrayal (and reception) of Sri Aurobindo is, by definition, impossible. [TNM55]

[Sri Aurobindo's Ashram > Jugal Kishore Mukherjee > The Practice Of The Integral Yoga > The Ninefold Daily Sadhana] http://t.co/o6Wv12Rp8W
[ELEVEN BASIC ATTITUDES When a traveller decides to undertake a long and rigorous journey, he first provides himself] http://t.co/xN9eSDVSj1
[Larry Seidlitz — We find in Sri Aurobindo’s treatment of emotions a great paradox and its synthesis and resolution.] http://t.co/y4CMoOfHuu
[limitations and pitfalls in contemporary attempts to integrate Indian philosophic/psychological ideas with contemporary science] http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/i_es/i_es_salmo_psych_frameset.htm
[Philosophy can then be viewed as therapy, the function of which is to purge emotions from the soul (Nussbaum 1994).] http://t.co/w0aQRY5b57
[think.: Why should contemporary philosophy care about Indian Philosophy - Posted by Malcolm Keating] http://t.co/oi0wlOS9ja
[So Prof Juluri Vamsee is son of yesteryear telugu actress Jamuna, good to know] http://t.co/wtgbvlBMvG
[Akeel Bilgrami: ‘Hindu Right’s appropriation of svaraj is hypocrisy’ - The Hindu] http://t.co/m0cwki8JRF



Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Babaji Maharaj used to stress on Ma-nama-japa

Reading Sri Aurobindo on a sustained mode is found to be more profitable than finishing any of his books at a stretch. http://t.co/tzlM9Ojuzz Sri Aurobindo borrows from the West enormously but refuses to be tied down to its overtly dominant rationalist stance. http://t.co/mhKnHtgCh1

Western disciples of Sri Aurobindo have greatly contributed in systematising his Philosophy as well as Psychological principles. Yet, it can't be said that they have made the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo any more accessible for the common people. Authors or orators may be good at their respective skills but the basic difficulties of headway in Sadhana remain. Turning the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo into University syllabus pattern has not proved to be very successful. Although it satisfies the intellectual curiosity for a while, the real transformation of Consciousness remains beyond reach. Similarly, the aesthetic route through Savitri may never proceed further than a joyful wallowing in words and images, perpetually.

No doubt, the task of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo is too futuristic and not much can be achieved at present than just their dissemination to a larger whole. The hope and assurance they inspire is of much more value than any actual progress in terms of Consciousness. Further, the unboken relationship of the devotees with them is invaluable and beyond any quantification or judgment. This falls under the religious domain and surpasses in significance all talk of spirituality or evolutionary goals. No need of being troubled 24x7 over any 7x4 stipulations. The beauty is that, no one can even claim such religious behaviour falling ouside of Integral Yoga, for none possesses that kind of authority or qualification.

The Internet, during the last decade, has facilitated much comparison and scholarly interrogation. And today, we seem to be back at the square one: that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are, basically, Religion. The way Babaji Maharaj used to stress on Ma-nama-japa has no substitute and perhaps holds the secret to any possible foray in Consciousness. The very physicality of the technique also raises the hope of some concrete and perceivable effect. The question of ably responding to diverse demands of social and professional life, however, remains unresolved. [TNM55]


It was one thing to ponder a map, something else to traverse the boundless countryside]

Emotion and its transformation in Sri Aurobindo’s Yoga Psychology. Larry Seidlitz — Sri Aurobindo Center for Advanced Research, Pondicherry.
We find presented in Sri Aurobindo’s treatment of emotions a great paradox and its synthesis and resolution. On one hand, emotions are presented in the most disparaging terms, as the center stage for all suffering, perversion, and obscurity. On the other hand, emotions are viewed as not only deriving from the ineffable Ananda or Bliss which is the very nature and substance of the Divine Existence, but they are also a powerful means into the very heart of that Ananda.] http://t.co/y4CMoOfHuu

[Initiation: Spiritual Insights on Life, Art & Psychology - Michael Miovic - Prema Nandakumar, Sri Aurobindo Society] http://t.co/2tg2j77HSP
[refreshing to see review of Michael's Initiation., he is not only psychiatrist but vibrant storyteller & pucca bhakta] 

[Trustees go about diluting the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother by turning the Ashram into a free-for-all place http://t.co/pxFpyvceqF 
The failure of the present Ashram management is clearly visible in various Ashram departments. There is now hardly any work ethic or culture: no discipline, no obedience, extremely rude behaviour, no quality work and, above all, Ashramites are burdened with the monopoly of departmental heads who mostly engage themselves in private businesses.
For all the above mentioned reasons, there is an urgent need, an imperative necessity for government intervention in the Ashram administration. When we have a responsible and fair administration, the stress in our day to day life due to the present mismanagement will be definitely much less and we will able to focus better on our inner work. The general apprehension regarding disturbance in sadhana due to the government taking over the Ashram administration is totally baseless.] http://t.co/URFLKrjfCE

We all draw life maps for our lives, consciously or unconsciously. Very like geographical maps, some contours connect what is significant in our lives and blur others that do not count.]

If Modi managed to create a constituency out of middle class aspiration, Kejriwal is attempting to do so out of underclass frustration. 
As cities prosper, it would seem that they grow unhappier. The city, at a gross level becomes more attractive, while at the net level, it becomes less livable. This dichotomy between having better lives while living miserably lies at the heart of a new urban political vocabulary that the AAP has carved out for itself. Tangible frustration trumps abstract hope, or so the AAP believes. This is a new kind of secularism, the universality of urban dislocation, and one that overrides more local considerations.
What it has also underlined is that there is place for the politics of hope and mythmaking and there is place for the politics of passionate strife.]

[The whole burden of our human progress has been an attempt to escape from the bondage to the body and the vital impulses.] ~Sri Aurobindo
[An ever-enlarging self takes the place of the old narrow self which is confined to our individual mind and body, and it is this moral growth which society helps and organises.] http://t.co/qV7brwoxUF
[If the clarified intellect is not supported by purified emotions, the intellect tends to be dominated once more by the body... The purification has been done by morality and religion, the clarification by science and philosophy, art, literature and social and political life being the chief media in which these uplifting forces have worked. The conquest of the emotions and the intellect by the spirit is the work of the future. Yoga is the means by which that conquest becomes possible.] ~Sri Aurobindo
[the force of the democratic tendency is not a force which is spent but one which has not yet arrived] ~Sri Aurobindo http://t.co/6wSY0aEEHT

[The Divine Humanity To Be Evolved Through the Yoga] http://t.co/tNRjPOAcRl

[many positives of American higher education – emphasis on academic rigour, independent inquiry and interdisciplinary and flexible learning - BLEW: On Blogging, Learning, Education & Writing (and a bit about NRIs & ex-NRIs too)] http://t.co/BY3SyRlSwx via @sharethis

[Eight different types of schizophrenia identified - The Hindu
Scientists have found that there is not a single type of schizophrenia, but that it consists of a group made up of eight genetically different types of diseases.]