[Susheel
Mehta • 17
days ago the
relation between cultural memes that we carry and their behavioral expression
is complex and not very well understood. Random mutations that benefit the
society are rare. There is no alternative but to 'incrementally' build upon the
set of norms discovered in the process of cultural evolution… Varna system
provided religious justification for social stratification and legitimized
social hierarchy… Varna system
has less to do with hierarchy and more to do with 'separation of power'. And
since separation of power is a foundation of liberalism, at least part of
liberalism of Indian society can be attributed to Varna system… Brahmins as a class--a set
of public intellectuals fiercely protective of their autonomy both from the
market and state--have played an important role in the civilizational
continuity of India.
I
may be wrong about my contentions. But the point is that social theorists have
not examined with clarity the strength and challenges of our society and its
internal dynamics. Rather the idea is always to look it through western
experience… One can adopt a Dharmic/Evolutionary perspective, look for
principles that sustain, nourish and hold together society, take stock of
native cultural resources and articulate those principles in native moral vocabulary.
The difference is not just trivial. It is the difference between Tulasidas,
Kabirdas, Tagore and Gandhi on the one hand and Nehru on the other.]
Current
crop of theoreticians in India have
no use of Sri Aurobindo. Part of the reason is the biographical details of his
forty Puducherry years are not very well known. Consequently, the context of
the conversations and correspondences that have survived are yet to be
understood properly or valued adequately. The concurrent role of The Mother and
the ancillary activities of the disciples are further problem areas. No one is
willing to enter into such complications what with the present uproar
concerning the Ashram embroiled in Court cases.
Sri
Aurobindo was in the habit of revising his own works. Many of his writings were
waiting for his revision and hence couldn't be published in book form
during his life time. However, the concepts he has introduced in seed form
constitute a major departure from the traditional interpretations of native wisdom.
Obviously, there is resistance and ignorance, and hence the burden of
aggressive diffusion of his name as well as the Dreams. His writings, though
tough to access, are the only means to counter the constant stream of
sophisticated discourse that are paraded from every corner of the world. Be it
AQAL or OOO or the New Atheists, Sri Aurobindo offers us a firm ground to stand
upon and arms us to disregard them.
The
same immunity, however, is not available when it comes to socio-political
formulations and fermentations in the 21st Century. Sri Aurobindo has
drawn the broad evolutionary brush strokes, but to flesh it out is contingent
upon flight and fight of diverse human emotions emanating from different
geographical regions, not all of them noble.
India, therefore, has a prominent
role here. The fate of the country can’t be left in the hands of those who
don’t understand Sri Aurobindo or are averse to him. That would be a disaster.
So there is an urgent need to educate our young in the intricacies of
Humanities soaked in the insights of the Mother & Sri Aurobindo. [TNM55]
