Friday, January 27, 2012

Ambition and ambivalence at Fifty six

A blog, by definition, is personal and informal, and so, it is no surprise that my personal views and opinions reflecting my hopes and ambitions find expression in it. These, I think, are quite valid activities for an individual under the Constitution of India, and hence, I fail to understand why I shouldn’t be entitled to any higher ambition at the age of 56. 

It is also no secret that my posts harbour ample ambivalence and incoherence which I attribute to my modest education, average intelligence, and limited memory. This, obviously, is normal of human condition and finitude as theoretical finality has not been achieved in any sphere of knowledge, as of yet. Interrogating the teachings as percolated through my own course of life and permeated into the intellectual itinerary, therefore, has been a priority rather than an anodyne parroting pastime.

While being thankful for the attention showered (by devoting so many pages after as many years), I’d like to emphasize once again that the ivory tower approach is pathetically outmoded. Pretence of superior perception and prognosis by barely a handful of people is absolutely unbecoming of the needed humility, dignity and soberness. [TNM55]

Thursday, January 26, 2012

A new Constitution and a new Manifesto

Prakash Karat performed a yeoman’s service to the nation by forcing the 'historic blunder' leading to the Left collapsing under its own weight. Manoj Das Gupta, however, seems to be lucky but his props are bound to come down very soon. The argument that The Mother has irrevocably designed the grids of administration for all time to come is utterly fallacious, and Sri Aurobindo Ashram is definitely in the dire need of a new Constitution and a new Manifesto.

Limiting Sri Aurobindo’s action and relevance to the Ashram and Auroville alone is another canard. It is illogical to delink agency from history, therefore; and repeating the mistake of disregarding the ripples at the margins. [TNM55] 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Living in a religiously plural society


[Religion takes a back seat to rights in court, says theologian Telegraph.co.uk -  By Andrew Hough 6:30AM GMT 25 Jan 2012 The courts are endangering religious freedom because the judiciary are giving it a lower priority than equality, a leading philosopher has claimed.
Prof Trigg, the founding President of the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion, said that as a result the courts were “limiting human freedom itself”.
“Religious freedom and the right to manifest religious belief is a central part of every charter of human rights,” he said on the eve of the launch of his book on Wednesday.]

[Religious freedom under threat from courts, professor warns The Guardian David Shariatmadari Oxford academic Roger Trigg points to 'clear trend' privileging secular values over religious conviction The Guardian, Wednesday 25 January 2012
Religious freedom in the US and Europe is under threat from the courts, an Oxford professor has warned. In his latest book, Equality, Freedom and ReligionRoger Trigg, who runs the Centre for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Kellogg College, argues: "There has been a clear trend for courts in Europe and North America to prioritise equality and non-discrimination above religion, placing the right to religious freedom in danger." … The academic, a former president of the European Society for Philosophy of Religion, complains that courts are attempting to determine the nature of religious faith for themselves.]

[Secularism: Its content and context - The Immanent Frame by Akeel Bilgrami on Oct 20, 2011 1:06 PM I propose, then, something like the following non-arbitrary stipulation as a characterization of secularism that contains all of the three features I had mentioned at the outset.
(S): Should we be living in a religiously plural society, secularism requires that all religions should have the privilege of free exercise and be evenhandedly treated except when a religion’s practices are inconsistent with the ideals that a polity seeks to achieve (ideals, often, though not always, enshrined in stated fundamental rights and other constitutional commitments) in which case there is a lexical ordering in which the political ideals are placed first. Much commentary is needed on this minimal and basic characterization.]

[Tusar N. Mohapatra has left a new comment on your post "Welcome Auro Truths": Posted to Savitri Era at 6:17 PM, January 25, 2012
Religion being a tangible form of spirituality runs as an amalgamation of politics and culture. The teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo aim at transformation in all these spheres and hence should be perceived as revolutionary. TNM55] 

A self-proclaimed authentic voice of the so called the Aurobindonian collective imagines a world without religion and politics. Cushioned living in the Ashram may be the reason for such hallucination, but imposing the same on others is certainly not cricket. [TNM55]

Six degrees (and a third) of separation from Fakir Mohan


[Salman Rushdie is poor, substandard writer: Juctice Katju Times of India PTI | Jan 25, 2012
Referring to the Jaipur festival, Katju said one would have expected "serious discussion on literature, particularly indigenous literature" of the likes of Kabir, Premchand, Sharat Chandra, Manto, Ghalib, Faiz, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Subramania Bharti. … Katju maintained that the whole history of the great Indian literature, rich in its variety, from Valmiki and Vyas to modern times should have been discussed. There could also have been a discussion on foreign writers like Dickens, Shaw, Victor Hugo, Balzac, Flaubert, Upton Sinclair, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gorki and Pablo Neruda, he said. …
He said India is facing massive socio-economic problems today and literature should address these. "The struggle which Kabir waged against narrow sectarianism, which Sharat Chandra waged against the caste system and women's oppression, which Faiz waged against despotism, which Subramania Bharti waged for nationalism and women's emancipation, which Dickens and Gorki waged against exploitation and social injustice - these are the matters which should have been discussed at Jaipur. Instead, Rushdie dominated most of the show," he said.]

Oriya writer Fakir Mohan Senapati’s limber and anarchic Six Acres and a Third, every bit as powerful today as it was when first published in 1902. Other great books of an Indian pantheon might include UR Ananthamurthy’s Samskara and Bharathipura (Kannada), Salma’s The Hour Past Midnight (Tamil), and the Bengali novels of Mahasweta]

Oriya writer Fakir Mohan Senapati appears to have asked himself: “Is there an Indian way of writing a novel?” Ramanujan had to identify or isolate his answer; Senapati had to invent his. Senapati poured his idiosyncratic novelistic awareness into a story called Chha Mana Atha Guntha, published in serial form in an Oriya magazine from 1895-97, then as a book in 1902, and at long last in an English translation adequate to its linguistic energy and narrative agility as late as 2006.]

Katju is unaware of Fakir Mohan Senapati, it seems. Odisha Peoples’ Unity Council is organizing 2nd Fakir Mohan Memorial Lecture and Award Presentation ceremony on January 31, 2012 at 5.3o pm in the Constitution Club, New Delhi. [TNM55]

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

18 minus


A home-tutor once commented that the school-goer is his employer. The ubiquity of children appearing in tv-ads also tells how they are crucial to sales. Since the shape of the future society leans upon the young of today, passing on the ethical values and the rationale thereof onto them assumes importance. It is, of course, debatable whether the human goodness is intrinsic and unfolds from the beginning or socially useful skills need to be inculcated in children in a structured manner. Be that as it may, the thought that our fate lies in the hands of the youngsters strikes as a bit disconcerting.
                                      
Bulk of political thought, ordinarily, leave out the ambition of women and children from its ambit. While men blame the Government or God for the ills of society, women blame men, and the children their elders. The dynamics of empowerment, therefore, is a much more complex affair than what is understood superficially. Monochromatic political ideals may be surviving due to university sponsorship, but the social reality is otherwise. The age of majority, too, needs lowering in view of inescapable exposure to visual media and social networking avenues. [TNM55] 

Monday, January 23, 2012

Sadhaks carry their biases

[Google Reader (47): 'via Blog this' I hate to admit there isn’t much love lost between most senior journalists. Over the years, journalism has become divided along ideological lines. Like most humans, journalists also carry their predilections, preferences and biases around. In spite of our best efforts, we try to impose our choices... Prabhu Chawla, editorial director of The New Indian Express and Sunday Standard]

We can say the same about our senior sadhaks. [TNM55]


Anchoring power to ethics is a tall order

Accommodating maximum participants in cultural programs put up by schools is a common phenomenon. Proliferation of civil society organizations, also, is indicative of rewarding more and more people with positions of power or recognition. The Democracy machinery, similarly, employs too many people. Election campaigns and the media vigil multiply it manifold. Thus, while this participatory nature is a welcome feature, wide asymmetry in incentives and risk of rejection make it a virtual minefield.

Further, anchoring power to ethics is a tall order for the players in a democracy (while in monarchy the ruler used to enjoy liberties of various forms). Besides, the multiple tasks that are expected of an elected representative is simply Herculean. Thus, a major cause of the ills of democracy is this imagined version of a human being turning an ideal community leader as well as a skilled law maker. This, of course, can happen by transformation of human nature. [TNM55] 

Sunday, January 22, 2012

SEOF & SEO techniques

Thanks for your kind words and the overall sentiment, but as visible actors in the public sphere we can’t avoid criticism. Rather, by joining issue we might facilitate segregating disinformation and unmask their architects. Cross-linking to sundry sites is a standard SEO technique and hence has its merit as well as benefits. Further, transparency has been a consistent policy of SEOF from which it won’t be wise to baulk. [TNM55]

Friday, January 20, 2012

Unethical ambush marketing

[धूमधाम से की सांई बाबा की मूर्ति स्थापित दैनिक जागरण - गाजियाबाद, जासंकें : जयकारे के साथ प्रताप विहार के सिद्धेश्वरनाथ मंदिर में साईं बाबा की मूर्ति को प्राण प्रतिष्ठा के साथ स्थापित किया गया। ]

Adopting an unethical ambush marketing strategy, the followers of Sai Baba are encroaching many established Hindu temples to install his idol through sheer money power. As a synthetic and hybrid sect, it is unfair on their part to infringe upon the sanctity of traditional forms of worship, when they have the wherewithal to separately build their own places of worship. [TNM55]

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Savitri Era identity is separate

Search engines and aggregators alert us to Sri Aurobindo’s name flashing over the web in view of Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary celebrations. This association, however, is most misleading as Sri Aurobindo’s distinct contributions remain in the background. Since, Sri Aurobindo’s writings are vast and ideas complex, people, ordinarily, adopt the easy way and avoid him. Those who prefer to refer his name, ultimately, misrepresent him. Savitri Erans, therefore, should take care to keep their identity separate and uniqueness aloft. That is the best means to collaborate with the evolution and avoid confusion. 

Problematizing Sri Aurobindo is certainly a worthwhile project; more so, because of the Ashram created by him with the assistance of The Mother. The tangible nature of the Ashram and Auroville, obviously, overshadows their writings, and impressions of visiting Puducherry don’t change easily. Thus, it is not unusual to find many sensible and well-meaning persons being ambivalent regarding Sri Aurobindo and what exactly he stands for. For others, his multiple “lives” pose a formidable difficulty for zeroing on any definite image of him. Further, when examined against the backdrop of the Hindu religion, a lot of opacity surfaces. All these are quite valid reasons for the neglect of his teachings and an honest re-evaluation can help present a clearer picture.

Sri Aurobindo’s message emerges from the deep wombs of the past, both of East and the West, but charts a new path towards the future. Thus, to call it a synthesis alone is insufficient; it’s verily a prophecy. In his writings, he has delved deep into the question of man securing a harmonious living and the solution he hammers out integrates philosophy and religion with politics and economics. Such an interdisciplinary approach is surely a tall order for most people especially when not many are willing to relinquish their old outdated notions and narrow nationalist sentiments. Sri Aurobindo’s option, basically, is to bid farewell to the past and make a foray into the future. [TNM55]

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Sri Aurobindo and secularism

[Sukumar Muralidharan: Redefining the Secular in Indian Society: It was “logical” to have accorded a degree of priority to religious harmony, given the reality of Indian society, where multiple religious traditions had at various times sprouted and flourished. But the notion was not sufficient to achieve a truly inclusive social order. “For realizing inclusiveness, cultural plurality is not sufficient”, said Panikkar: “what is essential is cultural equality”. 12:55 PM 1:06 PM]

Setting liberty and equality against each other serves well as fodder for endless seminars while the society runs in its own manner. Concerns, though legitimate, can hardly be said to be anywhere near being achieved and hence seem purely utopian. Sri Aurobindo, however, offers the golden mean and assimilating his insights is what is sorely needed. [TNM55]

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Hour of prudence

[There are so many imponderables in life, aren’t there? ... Why is abbreviation such a long word? Come to think of it, why does the word monosyllabic have 5 syllables? And shouldn’t “phonetics” be spelt the way it sounds?! http://www.meandi.me.uk/Lifeslittleimponderables.pdf]

Human devised solutions to the issues such as currency, morality, rights etc., will always be unequal. This is not an opinion, it is His (nature/universe) law. He has designed us differently (similar only in race), this universe is uniquely dual and its chaos are loaded with benefits... He has given His creation the adaptability to adjust to the realities of their situation. Fake bleeding hearts and false hope generating exploiters remain the only constant impediment. Nirmal S. Nilvi, Texas]

Democracy is a work in progress and serves as a good sounding board for various hopes and aspirations of people. But chasing achievable goals is a much more prudent option than promising chimera. The same is the case with the so called spirituality. Many print and video publicity materials relating to Integral yoga use the pictures of galaxies and other geographical complexities which intimidate people. Thus, humanising the principles of yoga is more important than describing weird experiences that convey impressions of neurosis. [TNM55]

Friday, January 13, 2012

Savitri Era Religion has the potential of attracting the young Indians


Other than Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita and Gandhi, I read Sri Aurobindo whom I think should be popularized more. I read Shakespeare of course, the entire works four and half times, with copious notes.]

Sri Aurobindo used to smoke while he was being educated in England in the latter half of the nineteenth century[1]. This was not unusual considering the fact ...]

[Lakshmi Chaudhry Jan 12, 2012 Over the past thirty years, Christian conservatives have slowly, relentlessly, inexorably pushed America to the right. From electing presidents to restricting abortion rights to shaping school curriculum, they have been the most powerful and enduringly successful grassroots movement in modern US history.]

Savitri Era Religion, too, has the potential of attracting the young Indians by ushering in curiosity and free thinking among them. As a knowledge based modern religion with a global perspective, it is aptly the religion of the future. [TNM55] 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Savitri Era Party offers a genuine and transparent option

[Yes, I am writing to you in support of Congress, coz its time we bring a change in the Congress and not try to bring new party all together.]

Thanks JBG for disclosing and justifying your political preference. But I have no clue as to how I can "bring a change" in a party of which I am not even a member.

Savitri Era Party took birth in 2007, and it is not without significance as it was the Centenary year of the famous Surat Split. Further, the party has its own distinct ideology and objectives. So, I think, there is no harm in offering a fresh option to the people as long as it is genuine and transparent. The ultimate judge in a democracy, however, are those who take the trouble to vote. [TNM55]

West forgets; Sri Aurobindo preserves

[And of course, it doesn’t help that Neoplatonism was given form by Plotinus and his successors (ie: Porphyry, Proclus), reshaping other crucial precursor movements such as Epicureanism and Stoicism, yet its center soon transfered to a ‘non-western’ culture, namely, the Arabic speaking world. No wonder the ‘west’ wants to forget this! But this Neoplatonic synthesis is in fact where ‘the west’ came from. For it was this networkological worldview that built the raw materials which mutated in Jewish thinkers of the medieval period, and the early Christian scholastics. Reading ‘The History of Philosophy’ Symptomatically, Or, Thoughts on a Networkological Historiography of Philosophy - Networkologies by chris on Jan 11, 2012 6:08 AM]

[I hero worshipped Aurobindo in my college days; but now half a century later, I am terribly disappointed. His discussion of time and eternity is wholly derived from that of Boethius; Page after page in Life Divine is watered down Plotinus. -Krishna Chaitanya (Dr. K.K. Nair) 12:55 AM]

From this viewpoint, Sri Aurobindo can be said to have preserved the original treasures of wisdom (which the West has preferred to forget) and synthesised the same with the Vedic pronouncements, thus presenting a truely global perspective suitable for the modern times as well as the future. [TNM55]

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Evolution and socio-political vision of Sri Aurobindo

The campaign against corruption led by Anna Hazare has exposed the soft underbelly of Indian polity. That a large chunk of the informed section of the public can exhibit such gullibility and kowtow before publicity is an alarming eventuality. Mobilising civil society for a noble cause is, in essence, an admirable job; but forcing others to sign on the dotted line is Fascist. This distinction is quite clear and glaring; but his supporters are blind to it.

Evolution, basically, is an ongoing war against ignorance and falsehood (symbolised by the Vedic Vritra). Hitler, too, began with good intentions but later turned a plaything in the hands of the evil. Thus, mistaking success for goodness or benevolence can be misleading, illusory, and hazardous.

We are aware that many are incensed at the attempt to rescue the socio-political vision of Sri Aurobindo from its forced samadhised tranquility. But in the absence of any supernatural powers of perception, the best course to judge the world as well as events is through the writings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo. Irrigating their insights, however, need not be construed as arrogating. [TNM55]

Katju quoting mythology

Katju quoting mythology for justifying current social phenomena might be part of his penchant for culture, but valorising the past is not a value neutral exercise. Superstitions and suppression of critical reasoning also come with the bargain which is injurious for the younger generation at an impressionable stage.

Further, appreciating the distinction between history and literature is an important parameter for applying ethical yardsticks and preventing anomalous inferences such as the word Oedipal has wrought to modern theory. Wild and colourful imaginations as regards the dialectical stance with the progeny has polluted the philosophy of religion and allied fields. Tedious and painstaking anthropological studies are often used as authority for such speculative enterprises. Caution, therefore, is the only recourse and discretion the better part of valour. [TNM55]

Perennialist argument spreads confusion

We wouldn't have known otherwise, had The Mother not told us specifically, who was Hitler, or who is Sri Aurobindo, for that matter. She thus is the saviour, she the standard bearer, and she the usher of the next evolution. Simply to follow her is all that is asked of us. Analysing and judging this invitation is, however, beyond human intellect.

The perennialist argument, in this context, poses the most dangerous confusion. All religions of the past are sacred for them but a new one is suspect. Words of all teachers are welcome and their cocktail is valued more than the solitary. A pantheon of gods and gurus is what they long for and in whose company they derive the maximum solace.

Spending time in a joyful state and working willingly for facilitating evolution are, however, two separate attitudes. The Yoga of Transformation warrants dynamic meditation and voluntary collaboration. This planet and one's environment is the lucus of action and our means is not mere contemplation. Understanding this basic difference is important as the cumulative value that accrues is crucial for moving forward. [TNM55]

Elephants under erasure in UP

Elephants under erasure is the latest conundrum unleashed into the political circus of UP. The trace, however, persists and the semiological implications of statues being covered has bypassed the mind of the thoughtful bureaucrats at the Election Commission. That meanings are manufactured in the mind and the covering might magnify the significance and attract more attention and discussion has been conveniently lost sight of. The EC rather has helped mounting an effective ambush marketing on behalf of the BSP through its order as the statues have been transported from the far flung public parks to the TV screens.

Lakshman Sharma, however, has another take. He attributed the covering to the cold wave currently sweeping North India. [TNM55]

Monday, January 09, 2012

Subverting caste system with kindness

The Communists in India chose to suffer setback and cede political space to the Socialists by not recognising the castes. Their principled stand, though sounds laudatory, is, however, devoid of sound metaphysical undergirding. Castes, as division of labour mechanism, may not be that harmful and rather serve as carrier of skills over generations. It is only when they are harnessed for political mobilisation and become a basis for favouritism or discrimination that the problem starts and the age old system seems abhorrent.

Be that as it may, caste divisions are so ineluctably imbricated with the Indian psyche that it is futile to banish them. Come elections, and hard nosed arithmetic of caste equations do the rounds and drive strategy. The same is the case with matrimonial advertisements that are printed in the most modern presses. The Dalit factor, however, is a much more complex affair than mere demographic taxonomy, and hence, deserves ICU treatment (EC order for covering elephant statues, therefore, looks a bit odd).

Overall, instead of being outraged and endeavouring to do away with the entire system, it is preferable to subvert it through asymmetrical repairs and nonlinear patronage. In addition, the insights offered by Sri Aurobindo on this score can, fruitfully, be assimilated into a compassionate theoretical framework admissible to any universalist manifesto. [TNM55]

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Protein for intellect

Had you read the article 20 years back, your intellectual journey would have been certainly different. This emphasises the role of right reading material at appropriate points in life, and hence, a sort of syllabus indicating essential reading needs to be endorsed. [TNM55]

Why this worship of obsolescence

The great perplexity pertaining to form and formlessness dividing various religions was settled by Sri Aurobindo by The Mother's presence. All theological taxonomies and mythological hierarchies were amended thereby by abandoning copious cobwebs. A simple consent for surrender to her with the will for transformation is all that he prescribed as Sadhana or Yoga.

But the human propensity for chasing complexity and digging into the past is a severe drawback in this context. Worshipping obsolescence and ancient relics in the name of culture and tradition is nothing but a bondage. Commodification or political exploitation of the same might be paying decent dividends to those with vested interests, but to impose it upon the younger generation is, apparently, an injustice.

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo prod us to think anew and eschew the skewed rhymes and reasons of the old. No mediation is needed to commune with them nor any contraption or technicality; and, humanity heaves a sigh of relief. [TNM55]

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Seamless flow of life, learning, religion, & politics

[Social Constructions of Religiosity and Corruption beta.epw.in By: Vinod Pavarala, Kanchan K Malik XLVII No.1 January 07, 2012
Religion coexists with what may be described as a liberalised, cosmopolitan and global outlook among Indians and remains an indispensable part of the cultural ethos and social fabric of Indian society. However, interpretations of both religion and corruption are extremely diverse. Notwithstanding the existence of deep-seated faith with strong moral values, religion is not seen as contributing to the moral or spiritual fabric of the nation in present times, while corruption is regarded as pervasive. Very few of the respondents canvassed in this study thought that we should count on religion to make a difference in people’s general attitudes towards corruption. Respondents indicated that their confidence in the accountability of religious organisations is low, and it is therefore problematic to assume that religious organisations are likely to be either appropriate or effective vehicles for fighting corruption. In fact, religion is looked upon as a discredited entity by many, largely due to a sense of popular disillusionment with its “caretakers”.]

All life is yoga, as an axiom, can be said to have assumed tremendous significance in this context. The overpowering consumerist impetus on the one hand and the aggressive Dawkinsian opposition by science on the other has turned religion into an apology and old fashioned. The stigma of corruption corrodes it further, and thus, rescuing it is not an easy task.

Yoga, surely, is like a new bottle, but the term has been so contorted that it is futile to blow fresh meaning to it. Savitri Era, by contrast, conjures up an aura of seamless flow of life, learning, religion, and politics in a common space for the collectivity to evolve. [TNM55]

Saussure, Derrida, Chomsky, & Chalmers

One Response to My words will remain imprinted on your soul

  1. Thankfully, Derrida seems to be on a welcome pitch here instead of being derided. Since, Saussure derived his famous principles from Sanskrit, the sound-object linkage, too, is significant in this context. That would lead one to Chomsky and Chalmers, however. [TNM55]


Friday, January 06, 2012

Savitri Era Party is against normlessness

From: Tusar N. Mohapatra
tusarnmohapatra@gmail.com
To: Arvind Kejriwal iacsuggestions@gmail.com
Date: 6 January 2012, 13:25
Dear Kejriwal,
This is in response to your inviting suggestions in TOI, today.

While disagreeing with the assertion, "There is just one agenda," may I propose that there are no shortcuts. One thing leads to another in collective life and in this journey a political party is the most appropriate means for grappling with public affairs within a democracy.

In fact, Savitri Era Party, devoted to the ideals of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo and occupying the "middle space" you mention, can be a potent option for fighting the prevailing normlessness in the society as well as the government. Thanks. [TNM55]
--
Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Reservation in Mother India

Mother India, this month, seems to be a healthy mix barring an overdose of Bengali contributors and Pavitra popping up too often. A principle of reservation can provide representation to marginalised writers as well as neglected subjects. A journal is a fit instrument to achieve this which pleases the reader also. A grounding in Schopenhauer is OK, but discussing the current scenario would be more welcome. [TNM55]

Monday, January 02, 2012

Relaunching the wave

An Anna used to be a princely sum as pocket money in the school before it was devalued. Anna Hazare suffered a similar fate during 2011, thanks to the market dynamics. Incidentally, being the first popular movement thrown up by the Shining India, the Hazare hurricane has been successful in interweaving democracy with the markets, thus confirming the End of History thesis. Since moods and sentiments are intrinsic to market ups and downs, democracy, too, needs to factor in such eventualities in order to survive.

Coveting generates value and charisma accumulates power. Periodical waves, therefore, have great potentials to force change regardless of their worth. Relaunchings, hence, are quite common and reinventing, a popular strategy to dispel consumer fatigue. Our counsel, in this context however, is a mere repetition.

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, alone, are capable of rescuing the national consciousness from the present morass. Lack of education and awareness on one front and excessive manipulation and lawlessness on the other has jammed the market mechanism. With a wider ontological perspective, everything can change. [TNM55]

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Plotinus, Upanishads, and Sri Aurobindo

[No-one reads Plotinus today. And in the last few posts, I’ve worked to explain some of why this is. Strange historical accidents of various sorts have erased much of his name from the history of philosophy, even as his ideas have proliferated under the names of others (most importantly, Spinoza and Leibniz). The Philosophy of the Future: Plotinus as Dynamic Set Theorist of the Virtual (Realy!!) - Networkologies by chris on Jan 1, 2012 8:01 AM]
Tusar Nath Mohapatra on said: Upanishads constitute an important source of ontological speculations in ancient times. A modern interpretation of these formulations can be found in The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo published nearly a century back. [TNM55]