Two Days (January 20-21, 2016) National Seminar on “Rethinking Aurobindo and Indian Culture: 21st Century Perspectives” took place at Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi. No means to know the tiles of the papers presented but the academic environment seeks to stick to the literal approach. The challenge here (as also on Twitter), on the contrary, is manifold. They can easily be gleaned from a cache of tweets reproduced below. [TNM55]
A. Mythology and Medievalism
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty 19h 19 hours ago It's absurd that for history and sociology in India Mythologies are looked upon as authoritative sources, forgetting their fictional nature.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty 6h 6 hours ago By reading the works of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo one can gradually extricate oneself from the influence of Mythology, Astrology & Rituals.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty 6h 6 hours ago The Western world was also under the thrall of Mythology one day but got over it and developed. India, too, can by following Sri Aurobindo.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty 6h 6 hours ago Young Indians must be ever vigilant not to allow reign of obscurantism & medievalism in the guise of Nationalism by following Sri Aurobindo.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty 5h 5 hours ago Even Marxists, during their long hold over educational apparatus and national discourse, couldn't eradicate Mythology. Sri Aurobindo will.
Mythology, Astrology, & Rituals are responsible for clouding the minds of Indians so much that they fail to appreciate Sri Aurobindo's works.
B. Secular-Liberal path
Many intellectuals and academicians hesitate to express their admiration for The Mother & Sri Aurobindo in public to avoid sectarian image.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty Jan 18 Misrepresentation of Sri Aurobindo by both who have not read him and those who prefer a literal reading of his texts is a fearful prospect.
Congress prevented discourse beyond dynasty; RSS considered intellectual probe as subversive. Focus will perforce shift to Sri Aurobindo now.
A whole generation of public intellectuals have been responsible to keep Sri Aurobindo away from the public notice. A criminal conspiracy!
If Sri Aurobindo's philosophy could touch Gebser and Wilber, why intellectuals in India happen to be so insensitive? https://t.co/Wwjtugvz4P
Certain contradictions in polity and society are beyond repair and need to be discarded like an old appliance. Sri Aurobindo has the answer.
Savitri Era inspired by the Vedic Evolutionary paradigm unveiled by The Mother & Sri Aurobindo is at the forefront of Secular-Liberal march.
A large section of Sri Aurobindo's followers are Nehruvian and another wedded to Hindutva. Time to unhinge from these outdated formulations.
The nation must learn to graduate from the juvenile enthusiasms led by Nehru to more cerebral and penetrating insights left by Sri Aurobindo
Human destiny is not constrained by national boundaries and Evolution is irreverent of geographical barriers. Man set to transcend himself.
Cultural purity is a common sense approach of seeking identity and security but finding common essence amidst plurality is the destination.
Neither plurality nor homogeneity is sacrosanct for Sri Aurobindo. How any situation serves the purpose of Evolution is what's most relevant
Sri Aurobindo's thought has disruptive potential for all religions & their radical ideologies. Evolutionary forces are slowly ensuring that.
C. The West
Heraclitus and Plotinus, Schelling and Hegel, Nietzsche and James, all find their stands reconciled in Sri Aurobindo's Integral Philosophy.
Dec 5 Sri Aurobindo protects us from the defects in the theories of Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche, Freud, James, Whitehead, etc. down to @RichardDawkins View details ·
Dec 5 Social & political problems draw immediate attention but in Savitri Sri Aurobindo leads to an Evolutionary solution. plasim.blogspot.in/2015/12/hard-p… View details ·
There are books and books but you can start with Vrekhem's Patterns of the Present. twitter.com/SavitriEraPart…
The Mother emphasizing upon Mind of the Cells and Body understanding far surpasses many semiotic laws like Luhmann's theory of communication.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have singlehandedly accomplished an intellectual feat what hundreds of thinkers strived in the West through 20th C.
Power without knowledge and awareness can be misleading with horrible consequences. Reading adds perspective and amplifies right perception.
Most in India are suffering from cognitive closure & the only way to get over it is by reading appropriate books preferably Sri Aurobindo's.
Not only cognition or education but also our enjoyment system runs on a set of hermeneutic motifs tied to self-interest and self-protection.
Sri Aurobindo wrote out his Yogic prescriptions after analysing in depth the root causes of the malady afflicting the present civilisation.
The philosophical victory achieved by Sri Aurobindo over the West needs to be highlighted by Indians which the Westerners tend to undermine.
While discussing their 20th Century philosophers is fairly common, Westerners slip back to 5th Century when it comes to Indian Philosophy.
A distinct political line inspired by Sri Aurobindo is the need of the hour. savitriera.blogspot.in
Sri Aurobindo was able to foresee 100 years back what India is debating now. He worked for World Union to overcome ignorance and intolerance
Reading Mother & Sri Aurobindo's works is a sure means to be cured of stupidity, rascality, bigotry, and intolerance. incarnateword.in
Hindu or Muslim, Left or Right, Dharmic or Abrahamic, goodness has no substitute which each human being ought to cultivate sans any holiday.
Talent is rare and, hence, the nation must not be driven to a situation for disregarding creativity and artistic activity even by opponents.
Political opponents are an integral feature of Democratic set up but arts and literature are Civilisational resource. Handle them with care.
Political patronage and an environment of approval is a spur for creativity to blossom. So, questioning the background of writers is unfair.
Resist the temptation of discrediting literature/creative arts in the guise of opposing political adversaries. Remember "the author is dead"
Nurturing Creativity, Quality, & Talent should be the national goal and not soulless repetition of mythological tales & meaningless rituals.
D. Democracy:
So comforting that BJP is yet to win election on Hindutva plank. Indian Democracy must, officially and statutorily, steer clear of Religion.
Savitri Era Party demands repealing anti-democratic provisions of Indian Constitution and stop referring to religions, castes, and languages.
Along with Religions, Govt must wash its hands off Castes, Languages, and Cultural productions like Movies, Music, Dance, Plays & Literature.
Savitri Era Party demands automatic suspension of all rules and regulations relating to various religions in force in all our statute books.
Religion is nothing but a lifestyle choice and must not be seen being inherited through genes. Linking it to race or civilisation is fiction.
Democracy has no business to bother about religions and must not poke its nose into them. They should be treated as purely private affairs.
Neither Nehruvian consensus nor Hindutva straightjacket is fit for future India. Sri Aurobindo's philosophy is the only recourse available.
The Marxist and the Nehruvian paradigm is past its prime, and the RSS school of thought is no match for the future. https://t.co/dRAeV5VOZj
There is no better formula than Democracy as regards human affairs. RSS jettisoned by BJP will be the first step for ushering in Democracy.
Communists joining electoral politics in India with their masters in China is same as BJP feigning Democratic functioning with Nagpur intact.
Indians will have to win Democracy by shedding their weaknesses for lesser ideals like language, religion, region, profession, caste, etc.
Democracy can set the nation free to pursue the path of its true destiny as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo. End of Congress and RSS is a must.
Democracy is the prime task but RSS and Congress are hindrances.
Hidden agenda of Congress and RSS have prevented economic forces from operating freely as a result of which Indians are trapped in poverty.
Unless India is freed from the clutches of Congress and RSS, its people won't achieve the power of self-determination or economic progress.
Patriotism is akin to any other form of love. If you harbor soft corner for language, faith, or caste, your love for the country is impaired.
As a general rule, almost all eminent contemporaries of Sri Aurobindo can be accused of harbouring some strands of anti-Evolutionary traits.
Fundamentalist feelings for own country or religion can be a hindrance in the path of Evolution unless one follows Sri Aurobindo's guidance.
Popular understanding of Advaita, Vedanta or Rituals must undergo critical scrutiny by undertaking a thorough study of Sri Aurobindo's works.
Rejecting Mythology, Astrology, and Rituals is as important as examining Dayananda, Vivekananda, Tagore, Tilak, and Radhakrishnan critically.
By studying the works of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, one can easily recognise the inadequacies of Vivekananda, Tagore, Tilak, and Gandhi.
Read Dayananda, Vivekananda, and Tagore, but it's Sri Aurobindo who offers comprehensive theories on human Evolution based on Vedic wisdom.
Hindutva ecosystem being so obsequious to Golwalkar or Goel is an insult to the intelligence of young Indians. Surely, they deserve better.
Popularity of Shankara, Vivekananda, and Ramana privileges a strand of metaphysical thinking which Sri Aurobindo has challenged successfully.
Many supporters of Vidyasagar, Vivekananda, Tagore, & Subhas Bose are found lukewarm towards Sri Aurobindo and dismissive of his scholarship.
Sri Aurobindo is the most appropriate political alternative to Gandhi, Nehru, Lohia, Periyar, Ambedkar, Savarkar, Golwalkar, or Kejriwal.
Instead of identifying themselves as Dalits and trapped forever under the shelter of reservations, SC/ST people should follow Sri Aurobindo.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty 5h5 hours ago If Mythology followers constitute one extreme, Ambedkar's followers form the other extreme. Integral philosophy of Sri Aurobindo is way out.
Neglecting Sri Aurobindo is the most detrimental lapse in Ambedkar's scholarship. [Ambedkar, Democracy, Upanishads] https://t.co/KSgq7MOrLa
Plurality may be a good political principle but philosophically would amount to confusion. Sri Aurobindo helps to arrive at a secure truth.
Neither Anekantavada nor Tagore represent unblemished philosophies and search for a true icon ends at Sri Aurobindo.twitter.com/anil_pandey12/…
Science, Modernity, Democracy, Market, and English are fuel for future Evolution and, hence, should not be undermined under sway of emotion. Posted by Tusar Nath Mohapatra at 5:20 PM
E. Sanskrit and the Veda:
Disproportionate emphasis on Hindi is a major factor contributing to corrosion of intellectual vigour in RSS. English can instil liberalism.
Superficial meanings of Sanskrit texts popularised by poets and playwrights need to be critically examined in the light of Sri Aurobindo.
Sri Aurobindo unhinges Veda from ritual & religion to explain the Ontological framework hiding behind its utterances https://t.co/savP1oVWfe
Without trying to understand Sanskrit as per Sri Aurobindo's hermeneutics, pedantic conclusions are bound to be flawedhttps://t.co/Vom3mkQ4aG
Vedic dialectic is an ongoing narrative. The fight between light and night is enacted perpetually in innumerable instances. Choose your side.
Vedic Evolutionary ideals Sri Aurobindo foregrounds are self-evident and self-existent; so can't be judged on economic or utilitarian lines.
Mulling over how the tenets of Democracy, Modernity, & Globalisation may evolve to the Vedic Sat-Chit-Ananda level is the most urgent task.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have handled far greater challenges like Evolution of body to a deathless state and establishment of Life Divine.
The Veda, Upanishads, & other Scriptures have existed for thousands of years but nothing much has happened. Follow Sri Aurobindo to benefit.
F. BJP and RSS:
BJP, RSS, Modi and Margdarshak Mandal are four different directions. I don't think it's within human capability to manage this contradiction.
RSS must practice the virtue of being truthful. If you are dealing with public affairs, speak your mind with forthrightness and conviction.
RSS has not left its habit of operating clandestinely even after capturing power at Centre. This timidity is a blot on Hindu assertiveness!
Many delude themselves that Modi is highly dynamic while RSS is dragging him back. It's all eyewash; they all are Hindu Rashtra soldiers.
Democracy & Secularism are sine qua non of modern civilisation but RSS is hell bent to demolish both with utter foolishness & intransigence.
After thousands of years, India could taste the delicacies that Democracy offers but the Congress Dynasty and RSS continue to sabotage it.
Sep 10 Mythology blunts critical faculty. One can hail Sita Ram Goel's criticism of RSS and admire RSS at the same time. Elst endorses these Hindus!
Sep 6 Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty Though a historical accident English flourishing in India is part of a greater Evolutionary design which must not be deprecated or neglected.
Remember the two cats and a monkey story? When Congress and RSS wrestle over Secularism, benefit would accrue to Savitri Era automatically.
Our opposition to RSS, BJP, and Modi in general and Hindutva in particular has been in the right direction, as the sequences from Babri to Dadri prove. Posted by Tusar Nath Mohapatra at 2:22 PM
Congress and RSS are guilty of spreading defective interpretations of Indian tradition. But, Savitri Era Party is inspired by Sri Aurobindo.
RSS strategy is to keep Indians ignorant and subjugated by temple politics. Savitri Era Party invokes Vedic wisdom unveiled by Sri Aurobindo.
Savitri Era Party is against the concept of Hindu Rashtra and strives for World Union as foreseen by Sri Aurobindo in line with Vedic unity.
Go means light in the Veda, says Sri Aurobindo. But RSS emphasis on Go as cow has led to many misreadings and mistakes which must be mended.
42m Apart from RSS, many neo-Hindu cults & quasi-religious outfits enforce an anti-intellectualist culture & adherents don't read Sri Aurobindo. View details
Leftists curse Neo-liberal policies; Hindutva-wallahs denounce Secular-Liberal polity. Truly baffling to make sense of any such utopian zone.
RSS relies heavily on loyalty, preaching, and propaganda. Democracy functions in the reverse direction by valorizing individual preference.
G. Old Religions:
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo introduced such revolutionary ideas that people of all faiths get influenced causing turmoil in their religions.
Dec 5 Everyone is entitled to his own faith & attendant practices. Sri Aurobindo provides a superior template against which others can be checked. View details ·
Dec 5 Getting rid of the superstition that performing those particular sets of rituals will yield results is also essential for educated persons. View details ·
Dec 5 Sri Aurobindo exhorts to apply a little bit of more stress on consciousness instead of lazy performance of rituals and enjoying celebrations. View details ·
Dec 5 Rituals are like abacus which has no use for the experienced but the grip of habit is such that older people become more addicted to rituals. View details ·
Dec 5 All religions grapple with the problem of reconciling the mundane with the sacred and resort to rituals. Sri Aurobindo taps consciousness. View details ·
Sep 4 Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty Sri Aurobindo extricates the Veda from a Mythological setting & snarls of Rituals by offering a psychological interpretation linked to Yoga.
Sep 4 Entire Indian thought and literature ensue from the Veda. Sri Aurobindo has restored the original meaning of every term used in its verses.
Sep 4 Before reading any book, just check whether the author understands what the Veda contains. If no, why should you waste your time and future?
Sep 4 All commentaries on Gita & Upanishads are defective except Sri Aurobindo's because no one except Sri Aurobindo has any understanding of Veda.
Sep 4 Compared to the Veda, Mythology is like the Cartoon Channels telecast for toddlers. So understand The Secret of the Veda from Sri Aurobindo.
Sep 4 Mythology might be having a hundred merits but it's your responsibility to keep yourself and your family members free from its dire snares.
Aug 31 Personal journey towards Perfection is different from Professional ambition or Political preference. One must try to keep the three separate.
Aug 31 Searching for right source of Knowledge is your own responsibility and if you prefer to be deluded by tradition & culture, it's your failure.
Aug 31 Sanskar is a very clever word which is used by parents to keep children under leash and demand obedience. But remember, you are born free.
H. Science and Modernity:
The whole story of 20th Century was the Vedic fight with Hitler on one side & The Mother & Sri Aurobindo on the other http://www.auro-ebooks.com/hitler-and-his-god/ …
Let Hindutva nurture its preference for Vivekananda, Subhas, & Savarkar. Followers of Sri Aurobindo must remember he fought against fascism.
Those who are supporting Hindutva for the sake of short term personal benefits must understand that it's an act of betrayal of Mother India.
Democracy, Secularism, Liberalism, and Modernity are anathema for Hindutva fundamentalists. Fight them with the Five Dreams of Sri Aurobindo.
All are free to follow their own faiths. Savitri Era Party recommends the path of self-development enunciated by The Mother & Sri Aurobindo.
Modernity demands that the provisions relating to caste, religion, and language should be out of Indian Constitution as Sri Aurobindo dreamt.
Since January 26, 1950 each one born in India enjoys freedom to pursue his own interest and profession irrespective of his caste or religion.
Modernity has four pillars: English, Science, Democracy, and Market. Each citizen of India must do his best to protect and strengthen them.
19 Aug 2015: When Einstein was venting his exasperation on meeting Whitehead and Bergson (1921-22), The Mother & Sri Aurobindo had established Knowledge.
4 Dec 2015: [Just as Darwin's science of evolution, evolutionary spirituality can be traced back to Sri Aurobindo's work (1909)]
New paradigm of perception and validation introduced by The Mother & Sri Aurobindo 100 years ago must find reception in scientific community.
Obscurantism, Medievalism, and Kafkaesque functioning are basic flaws of RSS today. Further, its fascination for Fascism is also well known.
Tryst with Abhinavagupta can make RSS wrestle with philosophy and break its anti-intellectualism. But then, Sri Aurobindo won't be far off!
In Sri Aurobindo's philosophy, Evolution and Quantum physics find due explanation whereas RSS is more interested in the icons of bygone era.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo advised to practice Integral Yoga, a psychological exercise for self-enrichment, instead of performing rituals.
Sri Aurobindo gave a new interpretation of the Veda saying it doesn't involve Rituals. Indians need to follow him instead of superstitions.
The Veda is the pivot of Indian identity. Sri Aurobindo exhorts to integrate our common sense existence with the underlying common essence.
BJP and RSS feel terribly uncomfortable with the Constitution of India and want to dethrone it through personality cult and temple politics.
7h Western thought is essential for mental growth but goal should be to logically arrive at The Mother & Sri Aurobindo. evergreenessays.blogspot.com/2015/12/buddha… View details ·
Dec 5 Democracy, Modernity, & free-thinking are crucial for any nation and for this purpose, dethroning Mythology, Astrology, & Rituals essential. View details ·
Dec 5 As long as its people are under the sway of Mythology, Astrology, and Rituals, India cannot develop large-scale entrepreneurial capabilities. View details ·
Any grandstanding on the basis of some imaginary past or a hallucinatory future is dangerous without Sri Aurobindo's Evolutionary dialectic.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty Jan 19 Be it Sociology or Technology, Management or Medicine; teaching Sri Aurobindo's Integral philosophy is a must for inculcating life skills.
Neither economy nor feminism is an isolated phenomenon. How Sri Aurobindo refurbishes our understanding of surrounding should draw attention.
Modernity pillars: English, Science, Democracy & Market savitriera.blogspot.com/2015/09/modern… Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother Posted by Tusar Nath Mohapatra at 10:26 PM
I. Discourse:
You run the risk of damaging your reputation as budding historians unless you substantiate from primary sources.
Nothing more paradoxical than the RW stalwarts refusing vigorously to discover any virtue or value in Sri Aurobindo's contribution to theory.
Leftist historians distorted history but why Right Wing scholars are so reluctant to give Sri Aurobindo the honour he deserves is intriguing.
Intellectual dishonesty due to political, religious, & cultural anchorage is preventing many from approaching Sri Aurobindo with receptivity.
Each person should be free as to how to approach another or a knowledge source depending upon his/her own situation and evolution. I was rather more interested to learn about the authentic template against which you're trying to paint Sri Aurobindo as fanciful.
Each one is entitled to his own edition of Ontology and act accordingly, but when it comes to teaching it to others certain scrutiny is must.
SA has been conspicuous by his absence (selective amnesia) so far. You are free to do whatever you like. I'm just pointing out that ignoring crucial sources leads to wrong conclusion.
Fine. I'm more interested in how educated Indians can read The Mother & Sri Aurobindo's original writings https://t.co/vQbBsO2ae4
That's okay, since individuals differ. But it shouldn't mean exchange of ideas cease. Discourse has its own dialectic; takes time. Posted by Tusar Nath Mohapatra at 1:23 PM
You are free to have your own views but please don't distort facts which circulate over the Internet. https://t.co/OyCb8JlWn5
Many people are floating gossips and rumours about Sri Aurobindo although the story of his life is largely documented by now. 6:41 PM
Distorting facts in the age of Wikipedia and refusing to admit making an error, when caught, is really surprising. https://t.co/9illQvEbub
You don't tweet about Sri Aurobindo much. Perhaps you are addicted to his pre-Puducherry personality as a Nationalist. Nothing more! Fine. So, please don't use your handle to be an impediment for those who are trying to spread SA's teachings in whatever pretext. Also spare a praise where it's due. (Twitter has provided buttons to facilitate that.)
You can't become an expert on Sri Aurobindo without going through his Autobiographical Notes and Other Writings... https://t.co/F1XhWptrXK
J. Savitri Era Party:
Three madnesses, Four interventions, and Five Dreams define Sri Aurobindo who relied upon the Sixth sense.
Building a new party to face the challenges of future in alignment with scheme of Evolution must be the most needed.
Think beyond AAP, BJP, RSS, and Congress. Sri Aurobindo's thought is essential to ride the waves of Evolution and see resurgence of Nation.
The singlemost innovation that India has produced during the past one century that can beat rest of the world is Sri Aurobindo's philosophy.
Aspiration for the Life Divine and assent for working towards a harmonious society should mean best collaboration with the aim of Evolution.
World Union foreseen by Sri Aurobindo in his broadcast on August 14, 1947 forms the right direction of Evolution for which all should work.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have prepared India to be in the forefront and lead the world through their mantra: Unity, Mutuality, and Harmony.
Task of being aware of the aim of life and endeavour to join adventure of consciousness with Sri Aurobindo is always. https://t.co/Zbwzi68gze
Hindutva suffers serious infirmities in the eyes of Sri Aurobindo, who offers an alternative paradigm that is universal and stems from Veda.
Oppose AAP, BJP, and Congress. That's how a new national party can take root in the country with The Mother & Sri Aurobindo as Inspiration.
Collaborating with the Vedic Evolutionary dialectic as broadcast by Sri Aurobindo as his Five Dreams in 1947 should be the motto of Indians.
Modernity has a fetish for plurality, no doubt; but Savitri Erans rejoice over their lack of option. https://t.co/CRYUu4gZ2p
Savitri Era Party has been able to navigate through recent political events reasonably well. https://t.co/81pcoc0k41 #SriAurobindo #WorldUnion
Support Savitri Era Party drawing inspiration from Sri Aurobindo's Five Dreams. https://t.co/WXiX06vy9s
The Doctrine of Passive Resistance - Introduction by Sri Aurobindo https://t.co/qmjmXefLAi
Published in 1915, Sri Aurobindo's two essays on Supermanhttps://t.co/AZiR5DKYLM and Evolution https://t.co/pu0pHM1rlR need to be reread. Posted by Tusar Nath Mohapatra at 10:33 PM
Dec 6 Nationhood may not be a virtue. A federal State for the whole world should be the ultimate aim, as Sri Aurobindo visualises.
Savitri Era Party @SavitriEraParty Jan 18 All those who love India must come forward whenever there is an attempt to tarnish the clean image of Sri Aurobindo. http://savitriera.blogspot.in/2016/01/new-paradigm-of-perception-and.html …
The dream of the World Union, however, doesn't seem irrelevant or impracticable but the Hindutva Juggernaut will have to collapse under its own weight before that. This appears to be a clear possibility and that's speculation enough at Sixty. [TNM55] Posted by Tusar Nath Mohapatra at 4:20 PM
References:
1. Aurobindo’s Opposition: Why the Indian establishment resisted him by MANGESH V. NADKARNI, Indian Express, Thursday, March 21, 2002
2. Evolution and Development will go hand in hand Thursday, 7 January 2016 National Conference at the Institute on December 29-30, 2015 - JKSHIM - was inaugurated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
3. Alive amnesia This is a live case of how culprits enjoy power and protection due to lack of appropriate and timely judicial intervention. [TNM55] 4:26 PM
4. Shant Prakash Jatav @shantprakash Jan 19 डॉ अम्बेडकर सर्व समाज के आदर्श हैं उनके नाम पर दुर्भावनाएं फैलाना उनका व् संविधान दोनों का अपमान है।
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