Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Mother's hand in Suparamental manifestation in 1956

@SavitriEraParty: The picture Ganeri paints of India in 1656 http://t.co/N7kmjWd7RI finds fruition in The Mother's hand in Suparamental manifestation in 1956.
@SavitriEraParty: Writing was a sign of learning which accorded journalism a halo. Audiovisual Media took back to the frivolity associated with Premodern era.
@SavitriEraParty: Many tweeting on history or politics also take care to wear their science, tech or finance credentials on their sleeve for enhanced standing.
@SavitriEraParty: @ScorpiusMaximus Without understanding the role played by Sri Aurobindo the Lal-Bal-Pal project would be as an automobile with three wheels.
@SavitriEraParty: How even a highly motivated movement like AAP is floundering in Delhi is a lesson; the Law Minister has lost legitimacy over moral policing.
@SavitriEraParty: @SurajitDasgupta @_AmarnathS Following Sri Aurobindo is the way. Ideological confusion and business compulsion prevented Ramdev's success.

@SavitriEraParty: [Gandhi's Ascetic Activism: Renunciation and Social Action by Veena R. Howard (Jan 2, 2014)] http://t.co/PcDdj2kbFl via @amazon
@SavitriEraParty: [Satyagraha: The Gandhian Faith in Non-Violence (Routledge) by Jesse Van Der Valk (Aug 11, 2014)] http://t.co/qjF7WQ44Mg via @amazon
@SavitriEraParty: [Indra's Net: Defending Hinduism's Philosophical Unity by Rajiv Malhotra] http://t.co/0jUwewnYKo via @amazon
@SavitriEraParty: [The Yoga Sutras of PataƱjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary by Edwin F. Bryant (2009)] http://t.co/QMzNRCZVIA via @amazon
@SavitriEraParty: [The most exciting and polished work of scholarship is Andrew Nicholson’s excellent Unifying Hinduism.] http://t.co/v0qzdsBiSX via @amazon

Monday, January 27, 2014

Added focus on action over what Sri Aurobindo wrote - 4

Corruption has agitated from Adam Smith to Anna Hazare and civilisation has been a quest for overcoming human imperfections. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, however, see ethics as inbuilt in Yoga which is a joint operation between human effort and Divine Grace. But the tragedy is that many institutions run in the name of Sri Aurobindo have turned dynastic fiefdoms and dens of corruption. Some educational institutions are a sorry spectacle. While the great virtues of education and creativity are extolled outwardly, demeaning hankering for power and manipulation continue as undercurrent. So, the lesson is mere enrolling as a seeker is no assurance for ethical behaviour.

From this perspective, the role of proper management, rule of law, administration of justice, political correctness etc. become crucial. How even a highly motivated movement like AAP is floundering in Delhi is a lesson for all. Human affairs can't be dealt with by mere common sense any more in this complex world; very refined and rigorous policy making is essential. Further, there are no fixed, textbook solutions; sensibilities emerge as situations unfold and responses shift in commensurate fashion. Media and advocates foisting twists complicate the situation.

Ban on the book robbed much of the moral ground and it has become indefensible over the years. A parallel can be drawn to the Minister in Delhi who has lost legitimacy for moral policing. Loss of credibility like the Michhua Radhua can play havoc on the part of an individual or organisation. The Mother introduced many exemplary modalities in the Ashram but some others can justifyably be criticized for being harsh on human wants and emotions. So, whether they can be pardoned today in the pretext of spirituality is a much larger question. Devoloping competence and sagacity for judging such matters is also urgent and we need fresh texts to fall back upon. [TNM55]

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Added focus on action over what Sri Aurobindo wrote - 3

The Mother passed away before the TV arrived in India and hence it was a sort of primitive age. The Internet today has transformed the Indian society to a huge degree. The type of professions has multiplied so also infotainment avenues. Pressure on youth for early success has robbed many options from life. So Yoga, as The Mother & Sri Aurobindo formulated it, is no more an easy proposition. Reading the detailed explanations of Parts of the Being spreading over several volumes is a remote exercise today. In short, Integral Yoga is far away from the priorities and preferences of the youth.

In contrast, some other religious camps are flourishing by imaginatively marketing recreational events and well-being modules. Being affiliated to influential sociopolitical organizations also raises profile as well as popularity. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, however, have been averse to such techniques from the very beginning. The level of ethics they insist makes one unsuitable for team-spirit and group-dynamics. Thus to reconcile Yoga with ordinary demands of life or casual religious approach is an uphill task. Rise in prosperity is adding more hurdles to practicing simplicity.

The truth is that all these difficulties were not unknown to The Mother & Sri Aurobindo but without dealing with them theoretically no assured results for practice of Yoga can be offered. The safe heaven they created in the form of the Ashram is also in doldrums. So it can safely be concluded that their teachings are impractical both in theory as well as in practice. But fortunately, this conclusion has other implications. No other solution can be said to have any credible prospect and in comparison The Mother & Sri Aurobindo stand heads and shoulders above them in many respects. [TNM55]

Sri Aurobindo has saved from the tyranny of Indian Philosophy

Tusar Nath Mohapatra on 25 January 2014 at 7:01 am said:
Demarcation between philosophy proper and history of Indian philosophy has been deep since the arrival of Sri Aurobindo in the scene. This year marks the Centenary of his magnum opus “The Life Divine” and other original works like “The Secret of the Veda.” The Evolutionary dialectic of his Integral Ontology seeks to establish a universal template of philosophy that acts as applied psychology as well by suitably incorporating poetic aesthesis. So, not to include him in the list would be an injustice to the future of human civilization and education. [TNM55]

Tusar Nath Mohapatra on 26 January 2014 at 6:16 am said:
Bringing in other names while thinking of Sri Aurobindo is a real problem; so is the period during which he wrote. Most of his books, fortunately, allow us to concentrate on the subject proper and a slim volume like “The Problem of Rebirth” or “Heraclitus” can introduce one elegantly to his philosophical project that dovetails into poetry too.
Though neither germane nor palatable, let me say as a nonspecialist here that it is Sri Aurobindo who has saved the modern day Indians from the tyranny of “Indian Philosophy” by offering an alternative set of literature in English reading which is transformative as well. [TNM55]

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Added focus on action over what Sri Aurobindo wrote- 2

Apart from pointing out the newness of their philosophy or the synthetic nature of their yoga, The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have been careful to reject founding of a new religion. A following, nevertheless, has taken shape after their departure accentuated by the periodical ceremonies celebrated at the Ashram and regional Centres. This constitutes an added aspect to their complex legacy and needs to be confronted astutely by theoreticians. Political dimensions arising out of the religious identity also should be grappled appropriately.

Tracing the evolution of Sri Aurobindo's opinions, itself, is a challenging task. So when it comes to deciphering additional tendencies obtaining after his departure, it's verily a minefield to stray beyond his written words. But the task has its own validity as Sri Aurobindo never considered his own path as a separate category for comparison which, nonetheless, has come to modify his prognostications. The founding of Auroville, similarly, has considerably altered the texture of dispensation originally conceived by The Mother. These practical results, howsoever unsavoury, need to be accommodated within a more charitable appraisal of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo leading to their realistic appreciation.

This brings us to the question of authority as well as authenticity. Since each individual is constrained by a set of personal experiences and cultural setting, his impression is bound to be subjective. So the way the disciples have attempted to portray the Ashram life when The Mother was around belongs to a bygone era. Or how Her devotees carry on their lives in the outside world and confront the demands of the dominant religion has never really been tackled theoretically. Thus the challenge is to look at the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo from a realistic perspective and the altered socio-political situation in India. [TNM55]

Added focus on action over what Sri Aurobindo wrote

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have left behind around 80 volumes of collected works that includes paintings, poems, plays, speeches, essays, letters, messages, translations, and conversations spanning over a period of 80 years. Since the contents are of a specialized nature, they attract a very restricted kind of readership. The dense character and vastness of the writings prevent many from going through them all even as some of them are still unpublished. Secondary literature, however, is flourishing and varied estimation of the Masters are mushrooming. The works of the disciples or dedicated sympathizers are precious as credible introductions while commentaries or comparisons with the opposite intention are not uncommon.

Apart from their writings, the Ashram at Puducherry and the Auroville community owe their existence to The Mother & Sri Aurobindo. Besides, a large number of institutions run all over the world by drawing inspiration from them. Thus, a distinct cultural, religious, and political identity has come to be associated with the followers despite their being geographically scattered. The thrust on integration of the East and the West and Human Unity in the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo is responsible for the internationalist bias on the part of their devotees. Access to Sri Aurobindo's works is also facilitated since he wrote in English. This year marks the Centenary of his magnum opus “The Life Divine” and other original works like “The Secret of the Veda.” The Evolutionary dialectic of his Integral Ontology seeks to establish a universal template of philosophy that acts as applied psychology as well by suitably incorporating poetic aesthesis. 

The Mother travelled from France to Puducherry in 1914 in order to meet Sri Aurobindo and so action preceded their philosophical collaboration. The amount of activity The Mother has inspired theresince is surely unparalleled in the human history. Interested students will be studying this phenomena in the years to come but authentic documentation of the present decades is woefully inadequate. In the absence of truthful tales narrated by the current crop of practitioners, impressionistic accounts by cunning swordsmiths are taken to be as genuine. Problems associated with writing and publishing, reach and interpretation etc., however, cannot be evaded, but a more web-enabled discursive environment could have developed over time contributing to theory. [TNM55]

Friday, January 24, 2014

Sri Aurobindo had the advantage of not dealing with his own theory as a new category

@SavitriEraParty: Sri Aurobindo had the advantage of not dealing with his own theory as a new religious or political category which we are forced to do today.
@SavitriEraParty: Lack of popularity, no doubt, is a severe disability for Sri Aurobindo's teaching but by no means for its worth or relevance for the future.
@SavitriEraParty: Negligible success both on the spirituality & philosophy front after 63 years of Sri Aurobindo's departure forces us to be humble on claims.
@SavitriEraParty: Dissonance between theoretical formulations and actual performance by people or organizations associated with Sri Aurobindo bogs scrutiny.
@SavitriEraParty: Though seeming elitist or abstract The Mother & Sri Aurobindo actually strike at the most pertinent & intricate problems of human existence.
@SavitriEraParty: Ethical licence is implicit in Monarchy and as a legacy political parties do condone moral transgressions in Democracy. AAP has come of age!
@SavitriEraParty: India is doomed until intellectuals need to be told about the importance of Sri Aurobindo's writings which they fail to notice on their own.
@SavitriEraParty: Sri Aurobindo resisted bolstering the Nazi forces and despite all his patriotism, Netaji fails the test of aligning with Evolutionary arrow.
@SavitriEraParty: Uncritical extolling of historical personages is fraught with risk and The Mother & Sri Aurobindo offer a safe guide https://t.co/gcMKxuuTYz
@SavitriEraParty: Leftist atheism, Nehruvian secularism, and RSS obscurantism are hurdles for full blossoming of Indian nationhood that Sri Aurobindo insists.
@SavitriEraParty: Sri Aurobindo understands the ontological worth of religion for future Evolution of man and neither RSS-BJP nor AAP. http://t.co/syPMskdrN7
@SavitriEraParty: TOI edit is spot on on electoral arithmetic but forgets about the deeper issue of place of religion in nation-building which BJP-RSS stress.
@SavitriEraParty: More than any particular religion or geographical territory Sri Aurobindo is concerned about the future man, his destiny & moulding society.
@SavitriEraParty: Like many choosing a school or hospital by building-size and not by teachers or doctors, RSS valorized tradition by ignoring Sri Aurobindo.
@SavitriEraParty: RSS itself denotes an abstract form of Hinduism but is victim of supporting contradictions accumulated over the period of last 60 centuries.
@SavitriEraParty: Perceptions on its performance notwithstanding the theoretical stance of RSS on religions is accommodative & informed by a fraternal spirit.
@SavitriEraParty: Is this the sign of Indian culture and Hindu pride? Not a single person can stand up and say that Modi cannot win 272 and won't become PM?

Tusar Nath Mohapatra on 25 January 2014 at 7:01 am said:
Demarcation between philosophy proper and history of Indian philosophy has been deep since the arrival of Sri Aurobindo in the scene. This year marks the Centenary of his magnum opus “The Life Divine” and other original works like “The Secret of the Veda.” The Evolutionary dialectic of his Integral Ontology seeks to establish a universal template of philosophy that acts as applied psychology as well by suitably incorporating poetic aesthesis. So, not to include him in the list would be an injustice to the future of human civilization and education. [TNM55]




Monday, January 20, 2014

Go for the Veda

Tusar Nath Mohapatra on 20 January 2014 at 7:01 am said:

Gaveshana or Research derives from the word Go meaning light, a connotation brought to light in modern times by Sri Aurobindo in his epochal The Secret of The Veda. This hermeneutical coup has so unsettled the received wisdom that there is unwillingness to look at the later texts in terms of the Vedic Sanskrit as unveiled by Sri Aurobindo. This blog, however, is a sign that such resistance will recede. [TNM55]

Monday, January 13, 2014

Antiquity of sources can't be only criteria for ontological veracity

Aware of the constraints of not straying outside the texts and syllabi, let me mention for the sake of discussion that later day philosophical formulations contain many ingenious notions like Sanghita or Loka-Sangraha to predicate emancipation. The problem of rebirth itself undergoes substantial transformation in the hands of Sri Aurobindo and hence antiquity of sources shouldn’t be the only criteria for ontological veracity. [TNM55]

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Conversations are subject to inertia of motion

@SavitriEraParty: Much like Ekta Kapoor, Ramdev, Modi, Anna Hazare and Kejriwal have explicitly proved the Katju remark that 90 percent of Indians are fools!
@SavitriEraParty: Pop-Hindu puja rituals largely drawn from Tantra entail a sense of mechanicity like Astrology & Medicine enticing politicians for assurance.
@SavitriEraParty: The portrait of politicians as popularised by the Bollywood serves as a fine template to cash in on Reality TV familiarity and enchantment.
@SavitriEraParty: CMs moving around the country addressing rallies is like University Professors attending Conferences at home and abroad neglecting students.
@SavitriEraParty: Constitutional propriety demands that Chief Ministers with national ambition should resign from their posts & don't comment on other States.
@SavitriEraParty: None of the established parties in India is prepared or willing to field someone less than 60 years of age as the next Prime Minister. Why?
@SavitriEraParty: Pranab Mukherjee and Advani as PM probables are likely to play as two opposite poles of Indian politics in May to attract the State satraps.
@SavitriEraParty: @bhoopalp Advani will have the advantage of numbers over others & not be at anyone's mercy. Not age but his experience will see him through.
@SavitriEraParty: @bhoopalp Of Savitri Era Party. Perhaps we are the only people to support Advani as PM at the moment as BJP-RSS have no confidence in him.
@SavitriEraParty: @bhoopalp Of Savitri Era Party. Perhaps we are the only people to support Advani as PM at the moment as BJP-RSS have no confidence in him.
@SavitriEraParty: @arungiri Expect not more than 20 seats for BJP in UP plus Bihar and all India tally will be just 100.
@SavitriEraParty: @thinkoutofbox The situation in each State is different. Let's take Odisha and I don't think AAP can win even a single seat. So in TN & WB.
@SavitriEraParty: @thinkoutofbox AAP's limited success in Delhi was expected. But its party structure in other states is nonexistent, lacking local charisma.
@SavitriEraParty: @thinkoutofbox See, we are speculating on the basis of the present realities. But your being so optimistic about the AAP borders on fiction.
@SavitriEraParty: @thinkoutofbox Despite best of circumstances, AAP couldn't secure a mandate in Delhi. In rest of the States, it will draw a blank.
@SavitriEraParty: @thinkoutofbox The numbers right now favour a Third Front combine and most probably Jayalalitha will be the final choice to win South Block.
@SavitriEraParty: @ash_dubey That's a flaw of the Indian Constitution and not any functional laxity on the part of MMS. So, his personal integrity is intact!
@SavitriEraParty: The so called PM candidates of major parties are unfit and undesirable. Let intimate identity sentiments drive organic, State-level voting.
@SavitriEraParty: Dominant parties are neither national in their spread nor ethos. Let the State level players bring their experience in an equal atmosphere.
@SavitriEraParty: Third Front is the best bet for the future of the country. Let a genuine federal polity evolve from the regional and linguistic diversity.
@SavitriEraParty: In view of the changed scenario, SEP is forced to revise its strategy for the Lok Sabha elections: Oppose Congress, BJP-RSS, AAP & the Left.
@SavitriEraParty: @bpandey72 Trusting anonymous entities on Internet is not without its hazards and the Kafkaesque functioning of AAP is certainly repulsive.
@SavitriEraParty: @bpandey72 The question is priority and corruption is a lesser threat at the moment. So if the collective might of Satraps helps, so be it.
@SavitriEraParty: @bpandey72 I'd tend to agree with you here and that's the raison d'ĆŖtre of SEP. The evolution of AAP so far however is deeply disappointing.
@SavitriEraParty: @bpandey72 Reality is the power of drawing votes through imaginative use of Caste, Religion, Regional & Linguistic chauvinism besides Money.
@SavitriEraParty: @bpandey72 Even that's imaginary. Point is not to be swayed away by theoretically reductionist ethical versions of politics & accept reality.
@SavitriEraParty: @bpandey72 I don't believe even AAP is fired by those greater ideals, it has not invested enough to create such a core cadre; no ideology!
@SavitriEraParty: @bpandey72 Honesty perhaps is not the right category to judge politics; its rather Might that's derived from identity, geography & charisma.
@SavitriEraParty: It's really perplexing how by gathering a crowd of a lakh or so imparts the authority & legitimacy of knowing the minds of a billion people.
@SavitriEraParty: @crguna Easy to trust a bud but when human nature is involved the future is not secure. You were suspicious of AAP TN unit yesterday only!
@SavitriEraParty: @crguna Statutory warning: Past performance is no indicator of the future, so beware!
@SavitriEraParty: @thinkoutofbox Any one can be a contender, but where are the numbers? @SavitriEraParty: @thinkoutofbox Please avoid spreading utter lies as revealed truth.
@SavitriEraParty: If Congress is really the brain behind the Kejriwagon phenomenon then its sponsoring CAG's astronomical presumptive losses seem the genesis.
@SavitriEraParty: Stop advising or providing data to parties; they don't need it. Join any party (including SEP) if you are enthusiastic to prove your talent.
@SavitriEraParty: No matter whether Keynes said it or Churchill, but "when the facts change," each and every Aam Admi is entitled to claim "I change my mind."
@SavitriEraParty: Nation-building is not such a cheap undertaking as to be left to the singular preference of thirty-year-old patriots jumping to a bandwagon.
@SavitriEraParty: Never to be deluded by the efficiency of any Govt. or the virtues of some CM or PM. How democratically the Party functions is the real test.
@SavitriEraParty: No one should falsely appropriate the supposed wish of the people. Executing the wish of the Party is the most legitimate function of Govt.
@SavitriEraParty: Though the cornerstone of democracy if a party is incapable of functioning democratically then it's time to call this sham machinery a halt.
@SavitriEraParty: Party apparatuses accurately reflecting demographic spectrum of the nation is the ultimate confirmation of democracy being in pink of health.
@SavitriEraParty: Altering nuts & bolts of party functioning by infusing transparency, delegation and feedback is far more important than changing the System.
@SavitriEraParty: Threadbare discussion on policy issues in a plenary session of a party is a must for nurturing healthy convention in securing authorisation.
@SavitriEraParty: Panchayat is equally vulnerable to being monopolized. Besides, politics itself is a game of charisma and maneuvering. (Wed, July 4, 2012)

@SavitriEraParty: @kiranbatni Civilizational episodes are much longer than the span of human life and so better to make peace with currently reigning flavors!
@SavitriEraParty: Let political conviction be built upon thinking and opinion and not on physical objects of election symbols or wearing theatrical costumes.
@SavitriEraParty: May my countrymen be freed from the obligation of wearing caps, turbans, or such other sartorial devices imposed by religion and politics!
@SavitriEraParty: It's not difficult to spot who profess sobriety in politics today but the youth tend to root for the "teach them a lesson" kind of rhetoric.
@SavitriEraParty: Carnivalism during the election campaign infuses brazenness into the behaviour of political actors while the aim is sober parliamentarianism.
@SavitriEraParty: The political compulsion to win in the elections forces to strike deals and make compromises. Ideology, therefore, is a must to hold ground.
@SavitriEraParty: No pan-Indian campaign has the power to influence the voting behaviour across the country. Political affections and affiliations are local.
@SavitriEraParty: The Delhi-centric view has been to overlook the geographical mosaic of the country but India's polity today is firmly rooted to the ground.
@SavitriEraParty: Like nationhood, Twitter is turning into a Republic of ghettoes depending upon who follows or blocks whom. Not a very desirable spectacle!
@SavitriEraParty: Conversations are subject to inertia of motion which also entertain myriad gestures and emotions and live mode lacks facility of correction.
@SavitriEraParty: 1) The Western, Christian, Modern society, 2) Academic, Secular, Theory-centric studies and 3) Reductionist, Textual world are triple flaws.
@SavitriEraParty: @sabhlok Okay, let's join hands and see how we are able to give the things a practical shape. @SavitriEraParty: @sabhlok @yehlog Great! All the best.
@SavitriEraParty: @santoshk1 Please add Sri Aurobindo to the text so that the tweets appear in search results. Thanks.
@SavitriEraParty: The Constitutional framework surely facilitates economizing on virtue but the evolutionary imperative is following Sri Aurobindian ontology.
@SavitriEraParty: A Party run on the basis of Indian Constitution only can be instrumental in giving a practical shape to the values and visions set therein.
@SavitriEraParty: India is yet to give birth a Party founded on the values that form the core of Indian Constitution. So politics till then is just juvenility.
@SavitriEraParty: Sri Aurobindo underscores the federal spirit of free association, unity and voluntary mutuality driven by fraternal sentiments and harmony.
@SavitriEraParty: The Party in fact is the antithesis of Indian Constitution for in order to fight for right and freedom, first you must lose it to the party.
@SavitriEraParty: RW-wallahs love the freedom of orbiting in their independent trajectories and hate to submit before the discipline & hierarchy of any party.
@SavitriEraParty: Is it too much to ask for a right-leaning party today outside the borders of RSS-BJP? SEP with Sri Aurobindian ontology is the right choice.
@SavitriEraParty: Sri Aurobindo reinvented the Veda by integrating it with Evolutionary teleology so as to serve as the pivot for India & future of humanity.
@SavitriEraParty: Sri Aurobindo has applied broom to centuries old cobwebs that spawn superstition and fuel bigotry. His #FiveDreams vision is the right path.
@SavitriEraParty: How many are willing today to partake of the distilled wisdom of the Vedic tradition from The Life Divine and discover the true Nationalism?
@SavitriEraParty: Collaboration between The Mother & Sri Aurobindo resulted in the publication of the epochal "The Life Divine" in 1914 in the "Arya" journal.
@SavitriEraParty: The Mother's arrival in India in 1914 to meet Sri Aurobindo in Puducherry ranks as one of the most undervalued momentous events in history.
@SavitriEraParty: If behavioural traits transmitting through genes is okay then why objection to professional skills passed on through family and the castes?
@SavitriEraParty: @AgentSaffron There are deeper behavioural traits inscribed in the genes responding to the evolutionary imperatives opted by the individual.