No compulsion for slogging for a PhD degree, no need for publishing in peer-reviewed journals, no scope for post-publication discussion or review articles, no compunction for self-congratulatory blurbs and piles of promotional messages; and critical response is branded as hostile.
Repeating an old theme in the New Year. Many actions and words of Sri Aurobindo were relevant at that point; they are no longer applicable to current situations or future scenarios. So exercising sufficient caution is required to avoid self-delusion and spreading misleading cues. https://t.co/gRsjB9CDog
As you are well aware, Sri Aurobindo has foreseen a #WorldUnion of smaller nations. In such a federal set up borders will certainly be there but they may not be as rigid as today. Thus, language based Sovereign nations are perhaps the first step for fulfilment of his #FiveDreams.
Basic literacy in Analytic philosophy, Semiology, or Hermeneutics can easily clarify on Cognition, Perception, etc. Experience is another form of knowledge; no watertight compartments. That reading and rumination can carry one to higher levels of consciousness is too tall a claim.
Study of Humanities in India should be redesigned with Sri Aurobindo at the Centre. Colonial and Congress influence have to be toned down so that a more integral ethos emerges where various persons and events are looked bit more dispassionately. Religions too get their due space.
Marxists cling to their ideology as it's immensely appealing to young adults; individuality and autonomy are dominant themes. Life, however, is more complex and reality multi-layered. Hence Sri Aurobindo seeks to correct the imbalance and offers an Integral paradigm for grown-ups.
No scholar worth his salt would dismiss Marx. He will remain relevant till the worth of Sri Aurobindo is appreciated on a wider scale. As of date, Marx forms a formidable bulwark against regressive and obscurantist forces like Hindutva. That of course needs to be upgraded to SA. https://t.co/8bdguzQ1dJ
Please use quotations from Sri Aurobindo's Complete Works for appropriate context. They are available free online. India's Rebirth is a misleading compilation that misrepresents Sri Aurobindo. Seasoned hands like you should endeavour to correct distortions and not propagate them.
I don't feel myself as competent to contest when you say there's nothing wrong. Yet you understand very well how adding one or two sentences more can entirely change the whole emphasis. Sri Aurobindo is too versatile a thinker to be pigeonholed; please do justice to his worldview.
Revolutionary period of Sri Aurobindo is not relevant in the present Democratic milieu. His poetry, philosophy, political vision, and prescriptions for education however are becoming ever more relevant for their insight and foresight. Intellectuals in India should seek guidance.
Sri Aurobindo is not against the West; rather he seeks its integration. Moreover, he laments the distortions and abstractions subsequent to the Vedic symbolism in India. So, the tasks are a bit difficult in view of glorification of popular religion and antipathy towards the West.
Yes, I understand. Btw, your English should be less sophisticated so that everyone on Twitter gets it.
ARYA appeared month after month from August 1914 to January 1921 during which epochal world events occurred. This year is the centenary of the last year of this great journal. Its profound contents were far ahead of their time. Appetite for Sri Aurobindo's works is growing, now.
The Life Divine is also a book of yoga and Sri Aurobindo takes the logic of Evolutionary compulsion to posit how purification of human nature through ethical or mental control can lift the human race to Supermanhood. Such certitude in his works is common, though seems improbable.
Being in power, Hindutva votaries think it to be their priority to remove Marxists from various institutions but that's not the way to root out Leftist ideology. Confronting it with adequate scholarship is necessary but Hindutva lacks intellectual wherewithal. Sri Aurobindo gains.
We have been pointing out this intellectual bankruptcy Hindutva is suffering from on Twitter since 2012. So far, not a single response or scope for engagement. Additionally, Sri Aurobindo has been suffering the same neglect that Leftists meted out to him since his demise in 1950.
Humanities courses can be completely redesigned with emphasis on current concerns and Sri Aurobindo as the central focus. Otherwise mostly history of different subjects forms the bulk of syllabus. Needless to say such conviction is not possible without reading him in some detail.
Democracy and dissent are inseparable but how to respond to the latter or engage with it is how the quality of the former is judged. Only ruling is not enough; sensing dissent in advance and giving it due attention no matter how feeble it is is the key to true Democratic instinct
Democracy is a dream, true Democracy remains in the realm of possibility.
That this country comprises of multiple Nations is no secret but giving it legal recognition is a matter of time. Languages and local priorities are so different that no one can claim to possess a reasonable level of acquaintance with diverse regions separated by thousands of KMs https://t.co/moHd9e2C03
1020 - Multiple Kingdoms in India
1520 - Multiple Kingdoms in India
1620 - Multiple Kingdoms in India
1720 - Multiple Kingdoms in India
1820 - Multiple Kingdoms in India
1920 - Multiple Kingdoms in India
2020 - There must be multiple Sovereign Nations in India on language basis.
Begging has become so ubiquitous that it's difficult to spend some time in a public place without being approached by someone. Further, aggressiveness is increasing and seeking financial help by false tales is mushrooming. Exhibiting disability is visual and emotional harassment.
Intellectuals holding institutional posts or drawing remuneration from govt claiming objectivity, neutrality, or panoptic insights is laughable. One's ideological preference is a privilege but to flaunt it as unchallengeable truth is preposterous. Postmodernism teaches humility.
There is nothing much Hindu in Savitri except the legend appearing in Mahabharata. That also was drastically altered by Sri Aurobindo. Christian epics like Dante's Divina Commedia and Milton's Paradise Lost form sizable template for delineation of successive psychological worlds.
Sri Aurobindo's interpretations of various deities featuring in Veda forms discovery of a whole new knowledge universe. How he defines Savitri, Savita, or Surya, in this context, is important since each one is a link in the overall ladder of consciousness. https://t.co/NYkzQayaka
Whether one thinks about own Company or the Country, self-interest never ceases to operate. So, those who are paid to think and write about the country are doubly suspect. Further, no one has any right to be more equal than others or claim whole territories for his clan and tribe.
Living in a civil atmosphere can't be an end in itself and no such luxury exists since evil has been an integral part of any dispensation right from the Vedic times. Sri Aurobindo exhorts for collaborating towards the next step in Evolution and that demands some serious reading.
Taking Sri Aurobindo a bit seriously can remove such despondency. The miracle of India achieving independence on his 75th birth anniversary is not just a coincidence. He elaborated upon its significance in his radio broadcast on August 14, 1947 outlining #FiveDreams, #WorldUnion.
Marxists are against Modi without realising that he stands as a pillar against Hindutva. Some of the top intellectuals are such blind advocates of Hindutva that they can justify anything to establish a theocracy or even a Monarchy. Thank god, Modi is moderately educated but firm.
Most active in public life today were influenced by the JP movement in their youth. It was a defining moment for India and Modi seems to have been amply affected. #CAA is not at all a Hindutva agenda but opponents have found an alibi to protest. Well that's part of Democratic way
1) Admiring Sri Aurobindo alongwith his contemporaries is either uninformed or hypocritical. 2) Appreciating him as a revolutionary is no longer necessary. 3) Not realising his unique contributions to World events and future Evolution is downright puerile. 4) He is the greatest.
Mentioning Sri Aurobindo in passing may not be an appropriate appreciation of his significance since magnitude may not be a dependable indicator of influence. For example, Sri Aurobindo spoke highly about Blake while Wordsworth was more popular and powerful. So, quality matters.
Hope, you are aware of this famous quote from The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo signifying profound ontological clues yet to be fully grasped. This has influenced many in the west and inspired their work. Of course, Coomaraswamy's book is much more popular. https://t.co/0UlMZuC0we
Somehow the popular appeal of Vivekananda, Tagore, and Subhas Chandra Bose has eclipsed the hugely insightful writings of Sri Aurobindo. When it comes to future Evolution his predictions are the most credible and coherent. His #FiveDreams broadcast on August 14, 1947, a must read
Fine, but as you know self-certification is not proper education nor it should treat schooling as final. Sri Aurobindo provides the much needed avenue for surging beyond traditional wisdom and complacency. His covers diverse areas of human interest and culture that are universal.
The questions actually are something different. Whether the old religions need be given a new lease of life or should we collaborate with Evolutionary forces to unleash a sublime destiny for the whole mankind as envisaged in the Veda. And, what are the avenues to reach this goal?
Exactly, that I observe everywhere but people in general are reluctant to engage whereas I'm at this job almost fulltime. Certainly we can discuss the intricacies in more simpler terms in future. Thanks.
Something I wrote fifteen years back https://t.co/9Cqq1DXHEz
Hope we meet for an hour or two for a better mode of understanding.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo hold the key to the future of India as well as the world and not Rammohan, Dayananda, Vivekananda, Tagore, Bose, Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Ambedkar, Savarkar, Golwalkar, Periyar, Namboodiripad, Upadhyaya, or Lohia. Students should be very clear in choosing.
The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo is very much about our very life and existence, its nature and future; yet steers clear of current affairs. Being in that state of mind to probe how normal functioning of mind can be transcended so as to invite intuitive knowledge is the challenge.
Many people have never visited even the Wikipedia page on Sri Aurobindo which can easily give some basic idea about his life and philosophy. Even, a public intellectual like Panda confessed recently that he never knew anything about him. Here is the link: https://t.co/ntAecICGE7
So many lament for the Bengal of Bankim, Tagore, and Sri Aurobindo but in their own days they didn't have much popular following. So, creating such myths is a function of human mind for feel good effect. Many are so happy by watching movies which glorify the past defying reality.
I don't think it's proper to call anything a failure for it serves its Evolutionary role. Then, mankind is too abstract a term considering 30-40 years of active life of any person. What the posterity values and saves especially in a digital age now needs to be regularly reviewed.
I think the past is a given, nothing can be termed as a failure or blunder since from the Evolutionary angle each thing has its role, positive or provocative. Diallectical tension is necessary for progress and so designing the future in a set pattern is not a feasible enterprise.
In South, it's pretty common. Build a temple or a church by displaying the names of top donors near entrance. Provide free lunch and you get a regular stream of devotees who offer small contributions. This commercially viable model has now been adopted by political parties also.
Hindutva emphasis on externalities is a huge departure from traditional values like simplicity and austerity. Optics, of course, has taken the front seat in this age of television and watching a movie is seen as discharging one's social or religious duty, but yoga hasn't changed.
Twin towers by D.P. Chattopadhyaya. His critical estimation of Sri Aurobindo still remains unparalleled. His integral perspective and civilisational quest for harmony marks the culmination of 20th century fermentation in various spheres of life and society https://t.co/DCDSmxWeBh https://t.co/Lx1OprWlB9
Sri Aurobindo strived to establish a modern knowledge system based on inner needs of human beings that are universal. In this scheme, external divisions relating to religion or nationality don't have much meaning. Even language, culture or aesthetics serve only a limited purpose.
Newspapers thrust warped priorities and to look beyond it or rather behind it, in line with between the lines, to see through things so as to be awake to the real aim of life and attend to its imperatives is the challenge. Life's demands are difficult but they alone aren't enough
Diligence in matters of history or religion mustn't suffer negligence. Sri Aurobindo has established the purity of the Veda and hence subsequent distortions via mythology, rituals, and superstitions need to be jettisoned. Bollywood music shouldn't be allowed to replace Classical.
One is free to follow this Baba or that Baba but there's no better person than Sri Aurobindo to advise on religion, psychology, or philosophy. His emphasis on spirituality introduces huge corrective to the superficial perspective imposed by science, common sense, and rationality.
Not many here are aware of even the first line of the Veda on which Sri Aurobindo has written several explanations. He also emphasises upon the power of Mantra and hence anything composed in Sanskrit shouldn't be treated as one especially those popularised by Tantra. Buyer beware
In fact, the phrase Hindu Dharma itself is a supposition and general unwillingness to subject it to critical scrutiny with due academic rigour baffles professors. They encounter searching questions from students and to that extent they do justice to their job but also do politics.
Plato, Plotinus, Sri Aurobindo
Kant, Hegel, Sri Aurobindo
Husserl, Heidegger, Sri Aurobindo
Bergson, Whitehead, Sri Aurobindo
Dante, Milton, Sri Aurobindo
Coleridge, Arnold, Sri Aurobindo
Blake, Rimbaud, Sri Aurobindo
Jung, Gebser, Sri Aurobindo
Rammohan, Dayananda, Sri Aurobindo
Mocking is fairly common on Twitter sans any responsibility or inclination for offering counter arguments. Viewpoints are bound to differ depending upon one's orientation or level of education but people seldom recognise this deficiency. So, repeating certain themes is essential.
Followers must desist from making false promises in the name of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo. Their writings are in the public domain and it's for the people to take advantage of them. One thing that needs to be told over and over again that the Veda constitutes the fulcrum of life
The Teaching of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo belongs to the whole world. So what happens in the tiny enclave of Sri Aurobindo Ashram is not of much consequence. To my knowledge, it's a fairly plural atmosphere and no particular ideological path is pushed. But it's not a Hindu site.
Celebrations and social issues are important but The Mother & Sri Aurobindo keep on reminding about profounder aspects of life like what is envisaged as Mitra or Varuna in the Veda. Thus, the Sun is not merely the one in the sky but the inner Sun that's waiting to be discovered. https://t.co/5WwZfRWBQk
Employment and family affairs consume a lot of energy but ignoring more urgent obligations is also not prudent. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo foreground profounder aspects of our existence such as the Evolutionary task of Adventure of Consciousness. Savitri is a new version of Veda.
Street food is a prominent feature of any urban setting but most of the time they operate near drains and filth. Even shops of almost permanent nature run from makeshift cottages for years near garbage heaps. No one feels bothered as people regularly gather for tea and snacks.
Most sane voices are canvassing for Congress; Media too is in its payroll. Modi rule has many flaws; yet it's the best at the moment. The role of RSS is also changing with added responsibilities and concerns. The whole Hindutva ideological formulation is undergoing transformation
Govt servants aren't entitled to take part in active politics but academics freely dabble in it. This has resulted in erosion of any distinction between a professional politician and a professor. Nothing wrong but clash of interests as well as theoretical questions are a problem.
Community and collective affairs is an underlying concern in the literature of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, yet nothing much is conceived in terms of collective activity for progress in spirituality. For that would be religion with the possibility of degenerating into mechanicity.
Not a great number of people were attracted towards Sri Aurobindo or The Mother when they were alive. The situation is not much different at present. But free availability of their writings online is a huge advantage with infinite possibilities. Can galvanise the young generation
Respect for Sri Aurobindo as a Rishi is normal for many but awareness about his views is slender. As a thinker his ideas are certainly difficult to cover or to grasp but his vision of a better society or conscious life is the only means of cure. Turning to him therefore is a must
Darwin's theory of Evolution was a revolution but many don't accept it even today. Sri Aurobindo completed it by his concept of Involution which means original creation is of Divine origin and Supramental Consciousness is the next level to which we are in the process of evolving.
Sri Aurobindo left seventy years back but considering the span of human civilisation over seven thousand years his prediction of Supramental Consciousness is an altogether new proposition. Moreover supplementing scientific view with causal aspects provides an integral perspective.
Now, a small number of people including me regard Sri Aurobindo not merely as a visionary thinker but as the Supreme Divine. This implies he is present and guiding various events including our personal affairs. Obviously this is religion and enables us not to rely upon old faiths.
Sri Aurobindo's theory of Evolution in The Life Divine may seem speculative sans any substantiation but his The Secret of The Veda amply convinces of later day misinterpretations and distortions. Restoring faith in Mitra and Varuna in their pristine glory is definitely a priority
Aphoristic and abstract but the reality is there is no vacuum or any scope for beginning with a clean slate. Society with its long history and complex composition is so multilayered that conceiving any overnight transformation is a chimera. Further fearing too much is not proper.
It'd be nice if you specify your notion of Vedic culture for according to Sri Aurobindo prevalence of Astrology, Mythology, and Rituals has robbed the original Vedic focus on spirituality and self-culture. And he said all this much before Hindutva surfaced as an ideological pole.
This handle by @NathTusar encourages critical appreciation of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo as Evolutionary trajectory isn't predetermined. I have no means to know whether current phase of Hindutva has any scope for renewal but its original narrow formulation can safely be rejected.
Politics, power, and material gains drive most even in this predominantly cerebral platform and I'm yet to come across anyone dealing with Theory in the Indian context. Consequently, no comparative analysis is possible vis-a-vis the scenario Sri Aurobindo has so boldly presented.
Christianity has unlimited global resources but it's not their fault if they are able to "fool people." Hindutva is in power now and how they respond must be a concern at the apex level now. My belief is that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo offer a safe option in between the two poles.
You may be right and as ordinary citizens we are helpless before such might. Those operating at the macro level should devise appropriate strategies. However each person should have the freedom of changing his religion as many times he wants and defending such right is necessary.
Materialism or physical objects don't rank much high in the spirituality index but quest for beauty is an underlying phenomenon. Buying a costly carpet or a fancy jacket can't be dismissed as merely hedonistic. Beauty in ordinary life forms a feeble urge towards Vedic immortality.
The Veda on one side and Savitri on the other form the whole trajectory of human aspiration. Mankind is grateful to The Mother & Sri Aurobindo for this magnificent gift. Those ignoring or oblivious are surely an unfortunate lot. Uttering even a line can usher in light and delight.
The Hound of Heaven, that's how Sri Aurobindo names a chapter of The Secret of The Veda evocatively alluding to Francis Thompson's poem in which the hound chases the hare unceasingly. Sri Aurobindo however is grappling with Sarama, the faculty of intuition https://t.co/YzXBaMbTul
Chapter XIV / The Power of the Instruments
https://t.co/EAvkYFnzTt
A Defense of Indian Culture (A Rationalistic Critic on Indian Culture)
https://t.co/Hozl038Gqs
The Future Poetry: The Sun of Poetic Truth
https://t.co/2l0ZMnXrLc
Arya, January 1920, #SriAurobindo Sri Aurobindo.
Many on Twitter are so informed and concerned about the country that they deserve to be in the Parliament or Assemblies. Traditional norms of choosing people's representatives need to be suitably tweaked to draw talent from the digital public sphere. Democracy isn't a fixed form.
Indifference towards Sri Aurobindo is intriguing but we take it as his own will. Events unfolding in history is one of his prominent postulates and so it can be surmised that the time hasn't come. Nevertheless, emergence is always a possibility and hence vigilance has no off day.
With the Freedom struggle and World War as backdrop, it's simply amazing the way Sri Aurobindo reviewed and reinterpreted almost every aspect of human civilisation to offer an absolutely innovative orientation. Such a global perspective was unprecedented and remains so as of date.
Overdose of enthusiasm for Hindutva among followers of Sri Aurobindo is patently an anomaly and paradoxically Modi is teaching them moderation. Admiration for Vivekananda similarly needs to be toned down for right level of appreciation for Sri Aurobindo's scholarly contributions.
From the political perspective, this may be a fact but from the civilisational point of view, as Sri Aurobindo highlights, cross-cultural fermentation has been of immense help for future Evolution. So, India seems to be the ordained melting-pot; can't remain a puritanical habitat.
Destiny of the body is of significant concern for The Mother & Sri Aurobindo not in the sense of nutrition, physiology, or anatomy but reorientation of the cells by suffusing them with advanced textures of Consciousness and enhanced contours of intuitive perception and intimation.
Agree, the reality is unpalatable but the only way to expect any drastic transformation is through aspiration for harmony and not any demographic permutation or military intervention. Sri Aurobindo's predictions on this score are crystal clear. Evolution is very much on to this end.
While your delight might seem quite justified I'd like to speculate that in these seemingly bold initiatives, seeds of myriad mutinies are concealed. Sri Aurobindo's prediction of a #WorldUnion might necessitate a federal set up on home ground spreading to the entire subcontinent.
https://twitter.com/NathTusar/status/1218223820781178882?s=19
Sri Aurobindo thought of going back to the original ethos like adoration of Mitra and Varuna in their spiritual purity. Spurious and utilitarian tendencies that rose subsequently can't really be accomodated for obvious reasons. To say all streams are okay is source of corruption.
https://twitter.com/NathTusar/status/1218280168315179008?s=19
Nice summary but not only Hindutva but the very nomenclature of Hindu or Indic is also problematic. No such overarching identity existed ever and even today it's an anomaly. So all suppositions about it are misrepresentation and misleading. Even plurality per se can't be a virtue
https://twitter.com/NathTusar/status/1218325081820020736?s=19
Reimagining and Refashioning Integral Management - Tusar Nath Mohapatra, Savitri Era Learning Forum (SELF) Ghaziabad https://t.co/YGoEhdLyp7
Psychological significance of flowers https://t.co/1Uq07Db076
Not much awareness on this episode of history. Cc @sarkar_swati @maidros78 @dikgaj @Parikramah @NayyarSanjeev @sabhlok
#2020Vision https://t.co/D2MiSqe101
VIBGYOR at Rampachodavaram (Andhra Pradesh) #MyTwitterAnniversary https://t.co/dOt3TR8DtR
Thanks. Yes, that was a crucial period and we were at best a dozen enthusiasts on the Net. Yet, the tasks are unfinished and the deserved quality is yet to arrive.
That would be great. Alongwith Sadhana, they can be considered as the best contribution of Balakrushna Dash. Bidushi Sipra Bose has no such songs even in Bengali. Real gems.
By quality I meant archiving and access like a Bengali site mh music archive with different types of playlists singer, composer etc. All these surely need organised work. Ideally there should be one site with links to audio songs, video songs, movie clips. https://t.co/mjOlteFvcU
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