Restraint and hierarchy

If the Principal of a school run in the name of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo in Kolkata draws a salary of Rs. Three Lakh per month, can it be treated as corruption? Since we support Free Market enterprise, the answer, obviously, is No. Since we defend Property rights and inheritance, we are also not bothered about the intention of the deceased founders. Competition, ultimately, is the cure; and hierarchy can't be dispensed with. Restraint or generosity, if any, should happen voluntarily.

When a community become large, all kinds of people will be there covering diverse professions. It is, therefore, very difficult to enforce a uniform code of ethics or regimented pattern of incentive. But, bypassing of legal compulsions in functioning should be resisted and appropriate supervision modalities instituted. When even the Hazare team is under the searchlight, all of us must strive to keep the sacred names of the Masters above board. [TNM55]

Knowledge as whip

This year has been quite eventful so far and the fermentation observed in the political sphere can lead to radical changes in the next couple of years. Let's hope that it is not the usual wrestling between the UPA and the NDA, and the country gets the glimpse of an altogether new direction.

The ongoing Yatra by Advani is a drab affair as it is bereft of any uplifting inspiration or wisdom. Besides, the pre-Modern outlook of his party is a drag, not to speak of the charge of terrorism that is under probe. His embarrassment at Bengaluru on account of corruption is symptomatic of the rotten state of politics in most of the States in India.

When thinking of morality and modernity, we find elaborate guidance in the norms prescribed by The Mother & Sri Aurobindo. They recommend a flexible and pragmatic paradigm for life with ethical responses run spontaneously and not mechanically. Knowledge is the whip here and not any personal oath or subjective impression. And then we can hope to end corruption and embark upon more crucial journeys involving evolution. [TNM55]

We are seven billion

Seven billion human beings upon our planet is a landmark event. Let's assume that this is part of the overall path of evolution for fulfilment of the Divine will. About one sixth of the race have their home in India where Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872. He has repeated it several times over that India has the Knowledge and the rest of the world must benefit from it.

Many are used to the glib talk that the academia accredited critical theory is the most integral insight available. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, however, claim otherwise, and hence, we may say for certain that future solutions will ensue from their legacy. Even an iota of receptivity in this regard will be a huge collaboration and a giant leap forward. [TNM55]

Hazare falters

Hazare is clueless about constituting his own team, but insisting to disturb the balance of power between the key Government figures through the JLB. Instead of demanding referendum and forcing the ruling party to pass the bill, the right course is to contest in the elections and come to power. Unwillingness to follow this democratic route is fascist as well as farcical. Flouting norms of decency and FairPlay is also corruption, and not to understand these intricacies is all the more scandalous.

We have been warning against Hazare and his cohorts from the outset and the recent exposes are eye openers. Unprincipled activism and media manipulation cannot bring the needed change. Clarity on policy matters as well as religion is a must for representing the people in this country of great diversity.

Savitri Era Party draws inspiration from The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, and it is pertinent to note that most of the present political parties can trace their lineage to Sri Aurobindo although they hardly acknowledge that. Unity, Mutuality, & Harmony are our aim and pursuit of true Fratenity is the driving force. If India is to lead the world, then it has to be led by Savitri Era Party. [TNM55]

Sri Aurobindo wrote a shelf full of books

Post-1926, we meet a different Sri Aurobindo. The tone of his letters varies depending upon the addressee, autobiographical references slip out at times, and he touches upon several subjects within a blog-length reply. His revisionist and liberal attitude as regards the Indian tradition comes to the fore, so also his irreverence towards his renowned contemporaries. He delves deep into poetry, dismisses scientific psychology, and flirts with politics. Interestingly, he is keen in running of the Ashram as well and never forgets to write out advisories when necessary.

Factional scholastic debates of the past and the Theosophical grandstanding can be said to have dictated the tone of the Arya expositions. Understandably, Sri Aurobindo is cautious and seems to be a conservative as the motivational motive is also in play. Having tried his hand in recreating old themes in plays and poetry, he is attempting to realign more serious themes like philosophy, religion, and yoga in his commentaries. Overall, he establishes himself "as a person who wrote a shelf full of books" so that the likes of Heehs are impressed, the overarching theme of Self notwithstanding.

Sri Aurobindo's distinction from Vivekananda should be seen as the essential contribution of the former and needs to be appreciated threadbare. Any attempt to amalgam the two is a disservice to both, and hence, maintaining an uncompromising attitude is a must. It is also important to note how Sri Aurobindo has introduced several variations after The Mother's arrival in 1920. His letters compiled in the booklets like Bases of Yoga and The Mother stand testimony of this.

The aesthetic aspect of both the prose and poetry of Sri Aurobindo can be an independent pursuit and ennobling experience. As far as intellectual challenge is concerned, they offer unending and multifarious opportunities. Besides, the inspirational and intuitive treasures they harbour is fathomless. So, the interplay of these three aspects can become confusing at times and in the case of Savitri, especially, it can turn intoxicating. A levelheaded approach, therefore, is what The Mother & Sri Aurobindo demand from us. They never recommend to encourage quackery and peddling of therapy or numerology. [TNM55]

Perez and Anderson

During the Symposium on Greece-India in 1996 at IIC, a member of the audience put up a question as regards the psychological significances assigned by Sri Aurobindo to Vedic deities, to which the speaker from Greece replied that Sri Aurobindo is a known creative writer. Such a convincing affirmation, though valid in an academic context, is not the whole truth and hence misleading. This dichotomy is at the root of much misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Sri Aurobindo. Heehs' remark that Savitri is a fictional creation, for instance, rankles many admirers of the poem to this day.

Finding a solution to this problem seems to be impossible. Sri Aurobindo himself has preferred an academic diction for his essays as well as letters. Even his poetry invariably displays intellectual clarity. So, judging his oeuvre with scholarly yardsticks cannot be protested. But to deprecate the profundity of his writings and its extraordinary character is criminal.

The truth is that, the way Internet has facilitated mass publishing, it is difficult to track uninformed comments and write rebuttals. On the other hand, people like Perez and Anderson from the Integral stable are airing very sympathetic appraisals of Sri Aurobindo with the potential of influencing many young minds and helping them find a genuine philosophy of life. An honest quest arriving at Sri Aurobindo is a must. [TNM55]

Ashram's imprint

When the damaging extracts from The Lives of Sri Aurobindo came out in the open, obviously everyone was shocked. Since some people took it upon themselves to defend the book, it was a confusing situation for a while; and even today it is difficult to gauge the extent of harm the book has inflicted or will inflict in the future. There have been widespread protests against the author and the Trustee-in-charge but none has been hostile towards the Ashram.

Helio's Savitri, in contrast, is an anti-Ashram step. Not only it robs the Master's writing of the sanctity of the Ashram's imprint, but also causes financial loss to the Ashram. As devotees, all must think over this matter afresh and be careful in future initiatives. [TNM55]

Freedom is not freely available

[Interest rate on savings bank deposits deregulated - Hindu Business Line - Oct 25, 2011
In the run-up to the deregulation of SB deposit interest rates, the central bank had directed banks to pay interest on these deposits on a daily product basis with effect from April 1, 2010. Banks currently pay 4 per cent interest on SB deposits.]

Fixed rates create a false sense of security among people and diminish risk appetite while in actuality floating returns are the reality considering inflation and non-optimal assets allocation. Inertia, of course, drives (rather, doesn't) substantial savings justifying the rule that no decision too is a decision, but to be a Sarvarambha Parityagi (G.12.16) in matters finance is likely to fetch higher interest in future.

Since exchange transactions are irrational, the need for price discovery is a crucial role discharged by competition. Freedom, in this sense, though desirable, is not always freely available. Finitude is the ontological constraint here, and this basic reality needs to be understood instead of simply blaming the Keynesians. OWS-wallahs too should fresh up on their Whitehead and Hartmann. [TNM55]

RYD lured by red herring.

[31: The Editing of Savitri—This whole Theory of Authentication and Approval by RY Deshpande on Wed 26 Oct 2011 03:30 AM http://www.mirroroftomorrow.org/blog/_archives/2011/10/26/4921410.html#1540252
Here is one which says, Nirodbaran and Amal Kiran had been responsible for “all” the editions of Savitri up to the present Revised Edition. This itself looks strange when we look at the first edition of Savitri that came out in 1950-51. At that time there was absolutely no question of anybody being there to edit Savitri, anybody editing Savitri when the author himself was present.]

RYD, it seems, has exhausted his defence of the new print of the old edition. An old hand and an insider, he can claim a neutral position no longer, however. Looks like Helios is hell bent to play a dirty game in this regard and it's a pity that RYD was lured by the red herring.

Savitri, admittedly, is an incomplete poem as certain portions have not received the needed revision. Hence, to say it is approved by the author appears as window dressing. It is hoped that Savitri will be spared of any further kite flying. [TNM55]

Filter the past

[In a certain way, we’re against the Enlightenment ideal that the most basic characterisation of us is as autonomous agents who can freely give meaning to our own lives. You can’t make something be meaningful for you just by deciding that it’s going to be meaningful. There’s something psychologically plausible about this. If you’re going to experience certain aspects of your life as mattering more than others, you can’t expect that to happen just by deciding it will be so on your own.
NS: But you can expect it from gods? Are your gods really there in some sense?
SK: It would be silly for us to say, for instance, that Athena really exists. Almost nobody would accept that. But there’s a genuine phenomenon that Homer understood, which is the phenomenon of human excellence taking place in the context of masterly, skillful activity, which, when you perform it, isn’t experienced as having you as its source. ...
SK: The Homeric age was one in which people stood in wonder at the amazing things—and awful things—that could happen to them in their lives. That’s something like the opposite of the nihilistic threat that many say characterizes our contemporary age. This led us to ask what is operating in the background of Homer’s understanding of the world that motivates him to emphasize this mood of wonder. One thing seems especially important for him: that human beings can’t be acting at their best unless they’re in a situation that is drawing them to act, in which the gods are present in their acting.
The shining and the shiny: an interview with Sean Dorrance Kelly - The Immanent Frame by Nathan Schneider on Oct 24, 2011 10:39 PM]

[I tie together the proofs of God in this way because I want to get at the heart of the God question in philosophy – and I think that question ultimately comes down to the problem of bad and the problem of good. It is not that I necessarily buy any of the arguments discussed here, even the more sophisticated ones. The problem of suffering is too intractable – it’s at least as big a problem for those who believe in God as the problem of value is for those who don’t. But perhaps there is some sort of dialectical synthesis to be found in between?
Value as proof of God - Love of All Wisdom by Amod Lele on Oct 24, 2011 2:33 AM]

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have saved us from fruitless discussions on whether the God exists. They have also indicated it clearly that the Divine can't be banished from politics, economics, or education. Enormous energy is conserved by this simple intervention and colossal confusion is avoided.

They have also equipped us with the wherewithal to renounce the old religions. Debate and discussion over their merit or demerit, though entertaining, drains away a lot of initiative and enthusiasm which could have been employed in far more purposeful and positive direction. Once one feels that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have shown the right path in our own time, then clinging to the past patchworks is illogical as well as delusional.

Hazare hurricane has made it explicit recently as to how the mob mentality works. Old religions, similarly, thrive by peddling spectacle and the fictional. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, conversely, ask us to filter the past in order to take a leap into the future. [TNM55]

India amended

[NOT EARTH’S GIRL - Post-colonial Kali and the alleged pathology of patriotism - Arindam Chakrabarti, The Telegraph. Sunday, October 23 , 2011
In certain quarters, not only is it ‘cool’ to deride Bankimchandra’s Vande Mataram and Sri Aurobindo’s Motherland obsession but it would be ‘positively uncool’ to be aroused by the part of Tagore’s Janaganamana where the country is hailed as a mother. ...
We have all learnt “the illegitimacy of nationalism” from Rabindranath via Ashis Nandy. We know that patriotism is one thing and nationalism is quite another. Tagore and Gandhi were patriotic, Bipin Chandra Pal and Netaji were nationalistic.]

An evocative piece exposing how deviously distoted history has been harnessed for push-selling ideology and even today the game runs unhindered. As regards Sri Aurobindo, however, it would be in order to record the amendments in his idea of India marked during his later years.

A summing up his socio-political thought clearly tilts more towards internationalism than nationalism. The concept of World Union fits nicely within his overall ontological framework as well as the teleological view of history. Hence, the emphasis on nationalism in his life can be said to be quite minor, not only in duration but also in significance. But to draw inspiration from that eventful episode can be life-changing for many. [TNM55]

Quota & conditionalities

Situating Sri Aurobindo's philosophical interventions in the current scenario can seem far-fetched, or even, utopian, but since it tantamount to simultaneous practice as well, the sense of participation, collaboration, and progress constitutes an enormously satisfying experience. In fact, in The Life Divine, he accomplishes a subtle shift by privileging the Sat-Chit-Ananda version of the Supreme instead of the prevailing Advaita abstraction, suffusing thereby our subjectivity as well as agency with sacred intentionality. Evolution, then, seen in this perspective, might look as absurd, but the unerring vision of the Mahayogi focuses upon the modern editions of the Vritra of Vedic vintage.

Evolution, subsuming the much maligned history, therefore, basically means to overcome. The Sacred will playing it out by negotiating manifold difficulties and possibilities is not merely a play or a sport, but rather an intense endeavour at creating potent prototypes for furthering the future course. The dynamics and economy of Infinite energy subjecting to accountability and sustainability conditionalities is surely a reality especially when seen hinged to the third, Ananda the Vedic counterpart of which is Bhaga symbolising share, or quota.

Being the Supreme is no joke, therefore, and you need all the theories as well as theologies, and a bunch of clowns too, to howl from time to time about and against you. [TNM55]

Money and how many

[“Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust does not approve and has nothing to do with the book entitled "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" written by Peter Heehs and Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust is not in any way responsible for the contents or the interpretations of the material contained therein....”]

Last year, Ashram notified its disapproval of the book, but didn't clarify regarding the royalties. It must have earned substantial amount during the last three years, and our curiosity is especially for the reason that it can be an indicator of the sales figure. It can give us a sense of how far the targeted readership has actually responded to Heehs' bait and rewarded him. An impressive number can also offset much of the opposition that he encountered at home. It would be nice if someone can make this information public. [TNM55]

Savitri Era Party is opposed to Lokpal

Within the span of a couple of months, Hazare has turned from a hot cake to a hot potato. Hisar misadventure and Kashmir foot in the mouth has put his team on the spot. Hare brained constitutional reforms are being demanded by them without assessing their overall implications. Himself unelected, Hazare's disdain for elected representatives is a dangerous Fascist tendency and recipe for dictatorship.

Savitri Era Party maintains that the proposed Lokpal will disturb the time-tested balance between the top Constitutional authorities and hence opposes the Bill. It also supports the CEC view that Right to Recall is unworkable. Hazare, better, should bring in honest people into electoral politics who can be instrumental in transforming the existing incentive paradigms. [TNM55]

Hiroshima & Osama

[The Imaginative Conservative on why Tocqueville has a better understanding of technology - by enowning on Oct 21, 2011 9:29 PM
Commenting on the sources of poetic imagination in Democracy in America, Tocqueville observed that the European image of America is that of the untouched wilderness. But Americans themselves hardly see the forests before they have felled them to make lumber.
The technological view does not see the forest as a forest before it resolves it into its constituent parts to be unlocked and put to productive use. Where Heidegger would prophesy catastrophe, Americans saw the image of human conquest, and so of human liberation. In the vision of putting nature to our use we see the image of modern liberty.]

From Hiroshima & Nagasaki to Saddam, Osama, and Gaddafi, America has been fighting anti-evolutionary agents with remarkable foresight and considerable sacrifice. Domestic political opinion has not been always appreciative, but the overall bias for democracy has served the nation well. Rupee at Fifty is a substantial fall for us Indians, but it's hard to resist to say three cheers for American innovation. [Posted from my iPhone, TNM55]

Great gospel for the resurgence of India

[The Political Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo by V. P. Varma - 1990 - Philosophy - 494 pages
Aurobindo conceived of nationalism as a pure Sattvic religion and hence he stressed the … By his emphasis on the inward sources of national strength he has provided a great gospel for the resurgence of India.]

Hazare highlights the village level hub of governance and Sri Aurobindo's laudatory references to local administration in ancient India need not be seen as endorsement of the same. Present day solutions can't be imported from the past save the shining values that flow from the Vedic enshrinements. Sri Aurobindo looked upon Sattwa as the bedrock of an ideal society.

His delineation of it (17.296) can be interpreted as encapsulating the four limbs of sagehood contained in a seminal line of the Gita (anapeksha ... 12.16). Thus, Selfless sympathy, a Calm self-possessing peacefulness, Disinterested enlightenment and Dispassionate wisdom are essential characteristics of a good citizenship. Nothing less can save us from the all pervading corruption. [TNM55]

Specialisation and abstractions

Comment posted by: Tusar N. Mohapatra
http://www.mirroroftomorrow.org/blog/_archives/2011/10/1/4904292.html#1537617
Re: 21: The Editing of Savitri—Was not the 1950-1951 edition of Savitri approved by Sri Aurobindo?

The whole purpose of higher education is specialisation and juggling with abstractions. So lay persons passing stray comments on sophisticated thought is ridiculous. It is better to desist from such practice in public and shun prejudice. Let's not demotivate those who are pursuing their Ph.Ds in Post-modernism and allied fields. [TNM55]

Ideological antipathy shouldn't colour appreciation of communicational idioms and one's own disability or disinclination need not be imposed upon the collectivity. All word smiths are creative artists and responding to the muse is their sole obligation. Thereafter, the author is dead and so too the readers in the long run. [TNM55]

Vote for order and stability

[Occupy Wall St's demand? No demands By Sebastian Smith (AFP) – NEW YORK — They brave the elements, the police and uncertainties of life on the street, but probably the hardest thing anyone in the Occupy Wall Street demonstration can do is join something called the "Demands Working Group."
As they enter the second month of a protest that has echoed around the world, the activists of Occupy Wall Street are under fierce pressure from the media and major commentators to do what protest movements usually do: issue demands.]

[Nenon writes that the French Revolution was taken by Kant to directly challenge two of the fundamental beliefs of the Enlightenment. The first belief was that enlightenment is compatible with order, stability, and the gradual reform of political and social institutions. The second was that progress in any one area of human endeavor would be mirrored by progress in other areas. Nenon suggests that there were two chief responses to this challenge. The “romantic view” of Fichte, the early Hegel, and Marx maintained that progress will result in the elimination of the state. The “realist position” of the later Hegel held that the rational state is not only required for progress but is itself an instance of that progress. http://www.continental-philosophy.org/2011/10/17/kant-kantianism-and-idealism-the-origins-of-continental-philosophy-reviews-philosophical-reviews-university-of-notre-dame/]

No one is very sure where it is headed, but it is fairly apparent that OWS is a new edition of WSF jamboree. We don't dispute its entertainment value, but to see it as something leading to a higher purpose is questionable.

Like the Hazare movement, OWS is nothing but way to anarchy. As we have no love for such luxuries, we vote for order and stability instead. Learning to walk along the spirals of evolution warrants perseverance, and hence eschewing mob wisdom is the need of the hour. [TNM55]

Integralism of Sri Aurobindo ensues from the Veda

[My mistake is that Aurobindo is not a canonical figure in the same way Descartes is. Many feel him to be marginal and unfairly marginalized. Consequently, if you describe the more problematic sides of Aurobindo's contribution (his historicism) without first offering a kowtow to his brilliance as a poet, sage, and political leader, then you have basically shat on his grave. To this day I get criticisms for having an "incomplete understanding" of Aurobindo. ...
Anyway, this aspect of my own immaturity and insensitivity as a thinker has really hindered my ability to express a fundamental critique of integral theory on the basis of how it has sucked Aurobindo's thought right on in to itself. ... - For The Turnstiles
by DGA on Oct 17, 2011 6:15 PM]

Anderson has expressed regrets for the harsh manner he approached Sri Aurobindo, although he said many good things also in his admirable studies. Integralism of Sri Aurobindo ensues from the Vedic vision and as a keen student of Integral Theory Anderson should acquire some acquaintance with The Secret of the Veda. Even, he may find his understanding of Buddhism deepened through this exercise. [TNM55]

Unimpaired Ontology

[I’m going to begin this week not with God, but with Buddhism. Because I think one of the most deep and important elements of Buddhist tradition is precisely its atheism. That atheism is, indeed, a great part of what brought me to Buddhism in the first place. ...
You can be an agnostic or even an atheist and still be a Buddhist, because God or Gods don't figure. I still think this is something remarkable about Buddhism, at least in its Theravāda variant. Unlike Epicureanism, a similarly atheistic tradition which died out within a century or two, Buddhist tradition survived for thousands of years while denying that there were gods out there. And I don’t think it’s just me for whom this is an appealing point: in an atheistic age where we are more aware than ever of the hideous sufferings that befall our fellow human beings, and where Darwin managed to dispense with God as the explanation for life’s diversity, Buddhism provides the kind of wise and enduring tradition that the various theisms provide, without having that God at the core. ...
The Buddhist problem of value - Love of All Wisdom - by Amod Lele on Oct 17, 2011 2:32 AM]

Ontology, when constrained by either religious or ideological considerations, suffers impairment. When Levi, for instance, proclaims that he is a materialist, he ceases to be a diligent ontologist. Thus, honest pursuit of ontology defies preconditions. One's bias can surely be a starting point but reason goads to the right destination.

Sri Aurobindo himself has traversed through a massive bunch of arguments in The Life Divine and Essays on the Gita to arrive at the most logical inferences. Though developed within the ambit of Hindu scriptures, he unveils an ontology that is truly universal and comprehensive. Apart from answering the savants of the old, he successfully counters Darwin, Nietzsche, Freud et al. Even his contemporaries like Husserl, Heidegger, and Whitehead pale before the all encompassing integral vision presented by Sri Aurobindo. [TNM55]

No reservation about reservations

[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Anna-stir-is-Brahminical-Agnivesh/articleshow/10371426.cms]

Savitri Era Party firmly supports the principle of reservation that is in operation in the country and endorses the demand for incorporation of the same in the proposed Lokpal as well as Women's Bills. Any attempt to snatch away the hard earned rights of the Dalits must be resisted at all costs. [TNM55]

Safety in plurality

Seems to be an admirable project as you imply but given the fact that most academicians are Marxists, I have my own doubts. Although, they are interrogating Religion for a couple of decades now, their safety is in plurality. Multiculturalism is their mantra and diversity, the watchword. The project, in fact, encourages discovery of new faiths and codification of their practices so that religions grow in number and apply a check upon each other. The scholar, when delves into so many religions as a dispassionate observer, tends to turn a sceptic or areligious. University Departments of Comparative Religion regularly churn out such breed of students.

If someone, conversely, concentrates upon one/own Religion, then he is branded as a fundamentalist. They also prop up people of minority religions as models of inter-faith dialogue and communal amity. All these, indisputably, have their brighter side but the ulterior motive often makes them suspect. The way Sri Aurobindo's philosophy has been sidelined by them, for instance, exposes their true colours. [TNM55]

Return to rationality

Churchill said "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." The same can also be said about rationality since irrational or infra-rational behaviour is hardly dependable and the intuitional or supra-rational is no better. Hazare's flip-flop has caused acute consternation within his team and the nation is watching in bewilderment. Many good people like Gurcharan and Gopinath have endorsed this movement, but their motivation derives from their own thirst for transformation. Hence, to gloss over how the build up of this movement exposed the soft underbelly of our young democracy will be dangerous.

To heal the propensity of our people to succumb to emotional manipulation through media management, therefore, is of primary importance. Return to rationality is essential in order to save this nation from Mandir type mass mobilisations. Hazare, despite his good intentions, has legitimised a Fascist tendency in the country in the 21st Century. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo had fought Hitler during the World War II; and Savitri Era Party rededicates itself to resist his recurring legacy. [TNM55]

Adequacy of Devotion

Levi often bemoans that instead of any original philosophy people are mostly engaged with history of philosophy. Books, invariably, are commentaries and little original philosophy is attempted at present. The case of the spiritualist is also largely identical. What begins as an attempt at transformation of one's life tends to change into scholarship, specialisation, or teaching. Life undergoes commensurate modification and the higher objective takes a backseat.

The general notion about Yoga and Ashram etc. in India also poses a difficulty. The instant visualisation of meditation and saffron introduces needless yardsticks. Common people turning their everyday life into conduits of aspiration and inspiration is a remote mentality. The spin that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have given to the word Yoga, therefore, remains under-appreciated.

The fifth chapter of The Mother book is an excellent How To of Integral Yoga. Bereft of any external paraphernalia, the three steps constitute a volitional progress in conjunction with Grace. Scholarship is also covered as work in this context and classified as Aesthetic Yoga. But aspirants not so equipped would prefer an ordinary devotional approach. [TNM55]

Jug and Clock

[True family and True country - Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother - Comment by Tusar N. Mohapatra on 15/10/2011 3:51 PM
While citing the Master, accuracy should be ensured down not only to a comma, but also to the space succeeding it. - TNM55]

Blank space or absence lends itself to umpteen ontological speculations. Derrida, Sartre, and Heidegger's Jug easily come to the mind. Not to speak of Nagarjuna culminating in Ken Wilber.

Nearer home, the Aphorism: "... Yes, but let me know also the truths which the Avatar cast not forth into speech and the prophet has omitted from his teachings. ..." And, who can forget the story of the wall-clock taking rest twixt two strokes? [TNM55]

Future Savitri

[Considering all these factors I will go for the 1951-version which has the finality of revisions by the author himself. - RYD]

Personally, RYD is entitled to his own choice and opinion (like, everyone has his version of JLB), but the question is what will be his verdict as the Chairman of a Committee (like, the Standing Committee) on Savitri. He has to take into consideration the views of various quarters (including even the adversaries) and give audience to the most reticent. Drawing out the feelings of the unwilling, the unassuming, and the withdrawn will be an equally challenging task. We must move, as it were, the heaven and the earth, for we are dealing with Savitri, the Savitri for the future - for the following aeons - and any chink left at this juncture can prove too costly.

FIRST edition is the easiest option, but the complications don't vanish, nor are they all irrelevant. Further, none can rob the validity of SABCL edition on account of The Mother's presence. The CWSA edition, similarly, has its own authenticity and admirers. Fortunately for us, all these are products of a pre-cyber era, and this very fact offers us a wealth of opportunity.

Open or not, a site must have all resources relating to Savitri, and let people study and be aware of the complexities involved. A fresh edition will arise from this collective effort, and there is nothing to hurry or worry. This proposal is sure to infuriate those hardliners further who are sentimental about Savitri as mantra. But the CWSA edition, for all practical purposes, is the point of departure as of now and to stick to this much of common sense can save us from much rancour and recrimination. [TNM55]

Grim consequence

[Open Diary… « porinoti
porinoti.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/open-diary/
Pondicherry happens to be a SPIRITUAL Place which is very close to my heart. Recently started reading about the life and ideologies of Sri Aurobindo. I am yet ...]

Yet another blog by Students of Religion, who wish to enforce their textbook definition of God, Saint, Devotee etc. They are so sure of what God or Saint want that they are perplexed at deviations from their own rigid notions. They fail to understand the impropriety of this proprietorial attitude and continue to question others' intelligence. Instead of studying others' behavioural diversity, they wish to codify and dictate them. Colonial hangover and false superiority is a problem they can't get over. God save this species! [TNM55]

The write choice

The Mother's arrival in Puducherry to meet Sri Aurobindo and consequent establishment of the Ashram subsequently are momentous events of modern history. Their views on diverse subjects and the path they have hewed jointly are a beacon of light amidst the chaos of competing opinions. Many complain of difficulty in understanding their writings, not unjustifiably and unavailability of their books widely is another bottleneck. As a result, the speciality as well as uniqueness of their thought continues to be under-appreciated.

The Ashram ecosystem has produced a large number of quality scholars and communicators but mostly devoid of necessary academic credentials. Commentaries with a critical rigour are a rarity therefore and not many are trained in the craft of writing adequately. Picking up a topic and accumulating arguments for and against it by bouncing the same against diverse contexts necessitates depth as well as wideness in approach. Although, not many are regular in our online forums, the sheer shallowness of participants saying a mere Thank You (by consuming precious URL bandwidth) is surely nauseating.

It is a lazy supposition that those who have the call will turn to the Masters automatically. Writing with a focus on contemporary relevance will always be a challenge, and more so, as we have something infinitely significant to offer to people around us. [TNM55]