Wednesday, October 26, 2016

From OOO to Ramakrishna, Gandhi, and Sri Aurobindo

"He covers all the major events, manages to add interesting and enlightening anecdotes at every point, demolishes many myths and misconceptions, and yet does not sound polemical or aggressive while doing it... I personally found it well written, detailed, fun, enlightening, and generally fair. Highly recommended." That's how Omar Ali reviews The English and their History by Robert Tombs. MT hopes it being "a comprehensive work which can serve as model for history writing" https://t.co/vplzqkH7Qu

Read a few pages from Kali's Child (1995) by Jeffrey J. Kripal, last night and thought what he is telling may not be wholly unfounded. But it's impossible for me to go through all those details. Similar grouses are being unearthed against Gandhi too and they have much value for writing correct history books in future. "Excellent write up. Very researched. I wish it reaches to a larger audience." https://t.co/kKgFQb4fbu

When we think of Heehs, in this context, a sadness crawls into mind. How much he toiled for the book and what was the consequence! Mischievous use of just a couple of sentences marred the book. Otherwise, it would have been an authoritative biography of Sri Aurobindo. The spectre of Kripal was certainly responsible but then let's hope that we have seen the worst and all repressed animosities have been exhausted. Anomalies with regard to the administration of the Ashram, however, remain unresolved.

Silika's PhD dissertation, “Objects of Occlumency: An Inquiry into object-Oriented Ontology” was submitted, yesterday. It fills all of us in this humble household with joy and pride. There is something to PhD among all material achievements, after all, and, especially, if it is in Philosophy, the king of subjects. [TNM55]

Location: Shipra Riviera, Indira Puram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India (Pics TNM 2016: At Hirakud dam near Sambalpur, Odisha) Video: https://youtu.be/aFqvYWYiNhw




All life is Yoga is a composite statement

Being intimidated by the sheer size of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo's writings is not uncommon. So, devising capsules out of them that can be swallowed easily has its benefits. Further, the young generation is impatient with mumbo jumbo; hence, finding things of relevance in digestible form should be a constant effort. At the outset of such an exercise, one word stands as a stumbling block. That is Yoga. But, howsoever one is repulsed by it, there is no escape from Yoga, if one is interested in establishing any familiarity with Sri Aurobindo.

The next hurdle is one's prior conceptions of Yoga as it's very difficult to come out of all that and understand what Sri Aurobindo, actually, means by it. This, of course, needs some effort but can be overcome through sincerity. The most important description that Sri Aurobindo provides is All life is Yoga. It is a composite statement and needs to be understood accordingly.

On the face of it, it resembles sarvam khalvidam Brahma or, All that is is Brahman. So, the lesson is there is no escape; whether one likes or not, just accept that the whole of life is Yoga. Once that is drilled into the head, fresh implications raise their heads.

First is, tasmat yogi bhavarjuna or, you become a Yogi, oh! Arjuna. Thus, this is a command or order and can be understood as Sri Aurobindo suggesting to take up Yoga as the aim of life even without being conversant with its intricacies.

Next, another phrase from the Gita comes handy: Yogah karmasu kaushalam or, Yoga is skill in works. Though slightly confusing, the basic lesson is analogous to what The Mother says elsewhere:

Be simple,
Be happy,
Remain quiet,
Do your work as well as you can,
Keep yourself always open towards me –
This is all that is asked from you.

The final point is also from the Gita: samatvam yoga uchyate, or, Yoga is equivalent to equality or equanimity which finds echo in the other statement: yogasthah kuru karmani, or, do all your work in a state of Yoga. So, all these aspects can be perceived from the single statement: All life is Yoga. [TNM55]

P.S. While writing stumbling, the name of Ned, an aspirant who is no more, came to mind. She ran a site called The Stumbling Mystic. [TNM55]

Misc. References:
www.iiyp.net › lifedivinechapters
A Psychological Approach to Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine. Chapter by Chapter Understanding. - By Dr. Soumitra Basu

[PDF] Indian PM's International Yoga Day 2016 Advocacy: Trends, Advances and Future Perspectives
A Anand, S Telles, V Pannu - Integrative Medicine International, 2016 ... Neo-Vedanta: Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo Asha Maudgil Department of Philosophy, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India E-Mail ashamaudgil@gmail.com ... Purpose: It is to highlight the importance of Sri Aurobindo's integrated approach to Yoga and Vedanta. ...

[PDF] ACADEMICIA
A Khan, U Malik, R Kant, P Muralidhar, V Srihari ... http://www. saarj. com REFERENCES: 1. Arthur Lovejoy, Eco-criticism: The nature of Nature in Literary theory and Practice. 2. Aurobindo. Sri. Collected Poems, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Publications. 2010. Print. 3. Barry ...

[HTML] WikiVisually–English
P Venkayya ... The symbols that were in vogue included the Ganesha, advocated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Kali, advocated by Aurobindo Ghosh and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Another symbol was the cow, or Gau Mata (cow mother). ...

[HTML] William Thompson (philosopher)
W Thompson ... theory ) than to philosophica. Sri Aurobindo. topic. Sri Aurobindo ( Bengali: ) (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian nationalist, philosopher, yogi , guru and poet. He joined the Indian ...

[in his book, "The End of Work," published in 1996... Mr. Rifkin argued prophetically that society was entering a new phase, one in which fewer and fewer workers would be needed to produce all the goods and services consumed.]

Tiny Mix Tapes- ... Rumi & Aurobindo” as lyrical and thematic influences) about nothing less than mankind's ultimate place in the cosmos! (Whew, I'm tired out just writing all that... Haynes is premiering the psychedelic new video for the album’s titular track, “All Are One”, an otherworldly gospel tune 

WORTH THINKING ABOUT - *David Rotman* posts (12 October) HERE *Capitalism Behaving Badly* *It’s time to rethink the role that government plays in shaping and supporting policies t... 

Savitri Study Camp 19-08 “The limited finite truths of Mind” - The force of life chained, the mind dissects Truth into various bits and parts and assigns to each ‘piece’ a fixed formula. Thus are sects and religions ... 

Manas: the Basic Sense Mind and Its Action - All of the sense impressions delivered along the nervous pathways from the physical senses are delivered to the basic sense mind, called “manas” in yogic p... 

In memoriam: Claude Vipond - My maternal grandfather, Claude Vipond, died peacefully last Tuesday. His life was long – he reached 95 years. Claude was … Continue reading → 

Mind in man poses new evolutionary challenges for the body - Dr Alok Pandey - Veda of the Body – Preface Let’s take the example of a typical stress response. It is designed to prepare the body for fight or flig... 

Ray Brassier on Nick Land - This is a brief (and quickly written) commentary on an old talk by Ray Brassier, about Nick Land, dating from 2010. The questions around speculative realis... 

Subhash Kak, Sunil Khilnani, and Ramashray Roy - "Subhash Kak is Regents professor of electrical and computer engineering at Oklahoma State University and a vedic scholar." His two-part essay celebrates t... 

(Pics TNM 2016: Haldia and near Digha, Bengal)




Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Two Gujaratis at the helm is a sure recipe for disintegration of India

Tweets by @SavitriEraParty
Anything attempted on a pan-Indian scale is a disaster. States as independent nations on the basis of language is the only longterm solution
Smriti Irani in HRD episode showed how the Central Govt. has turned a caricature and needs to be jettisoned, so that States get Sovereignty.
Twenty four hours debate on TV and Twitter goes on while the poor continue to be poor. Granting Sovereignty to the States can bring succour.
Real problems faced by the poor people is out of focus of the Central Govt and National Media. Independent States can remedy the situation.
UP needs to be split into four to five independent nations with around 50m population. Maharashtra and MP too need urgent reorganisation.
Huge population of India and China are a threat to world peace and progress. Breaking into a hundred nations of 40 to 50m size is the answer
Pushing Democracy and Human Rights is not the only burden of a modern world. Rightsizing of nations (around 50m) is the most important task.
Culture, customs, and religion vary too much from State to State but are facing homogenisation and obliteration due to pan-Indian imposition
False Indian nationalism by visiting a few State capitals or tourist places must see its end. Supremacy of each State must come to the fore.
@rahul75as I don't think you object to Nepal & Bhutan with much lesser population as independent nations. Why can't UP get such recognition?
From the point of view of efficient administration and sound public relations the population of a modern-day nation shouldn't exceed 50-60m.
@BavejaH @HerrBains @TrustingINDIA Population of India has become unmanageable. States as Sovereign nations is the only way for Development.
Securing Democratic mandate from a population of a size of 1.3b is impossible for any single party or person. Central Govt needs dissolution
Coalition Govts are playing havoc in the country. States as Sovereign Republics will weed out unholy alliances of so called national parties
People of India have been deprived of real Democracy & empowerment for the last 70 years and this dual Govt system needs to be laid to rest.
People of India need independence from National news & Central Govt ceremonials. States must regain their individuality and rise as nations.
Those addicted to National discourse with poverty and unemployment as grist to their mill will find the Sovereign States idea disappointing.
@TrustingINDIA Population is not the problem, Democracy and Development not reaching people is. Sovereign States will bridge the distance.
Dividing the country has instinctively been perceived as a danger but the example of USSR stays a very relevant lesson for India to emulate.
@TrustingINDIA Seventy years were wasted with such fond hopes; no inherent virtue in having a large population of 1.3b under one nation.
@TrustingINDIA Diversity of India doesn't allow national Institutions to function properly due to rivalry between people of different States
@TrustingINDIA I want to know why do you support an abnormally large nation and are not in favour of more democratic, optimal sized nations.
Dual Govt system has left people confused being torn between separate nationalities. Time to restore their linguistic nationalism to people.
Isn't it a shame that a nation of 1.3b population is going with begging bowl to another of 50-60m population? Each State must turn a nation.
People of India must exercise their superiority by becoming fifty new members of U.N. and thus taking the international affairs by the horn.
Hegemony of metropolis has sapped interior areas of the country. States as Sovereign nations will apply adequate checks on resource outflow.
The Idea of India has proved to be the most pernicious one and it needs to be dismantled. Give us our Odisha, Bihar, Bengal, Andhra & Kerala
The States of India need independence from puppet Prime Ministers in Delhi acting under remote control. Democracy has turned out to be sham.
@Aravind8 That looks normal but geopolitics takes over as has happened in Europe. Further, dialogue and not war is the order of the future.
@Aravind8 Fear of war shouldn't be a pretext to keep people poor. My logic is based on Democracy and Development reaching people. That's all
@Aravind8 May be you are right but I have enough justification for each State getting nationhood which has been denied for the last 70 years
@Aravind8 Nationalism is an emotion and I'm convinced that different States and regions of India have enough of it which is bound to explode
@Aravind8 China can't be in present shape for too long. Evolutionary pressure will force it to break into optimum-sized nations like India.
PM and President of ruling party hailing from one State is a tyranny over the people of rest of the States of India. Time to hive off Centre
Half of India never gave their mandate to the Prime Minister and yet he rules. Time to throw away the Central Govt and make States Sovereign
@Aravind8 I can't say about the past but the present population of India definitely deserves better Democratic settings in Sovereign States.
@Aravind8 Yes linguistic division provides natural groupings of around fifty new nations to be born from within India with 10-50m population
@Aravind8 All this will generate bilateral cooperation and regional federation like EU. That is the most evolved model mankind has developed
@Aravind8 You emphasise on defence and economy, which are valid grounds. But, I focus on Democracy, Nationalist emotion, and cohesiveness.
@Aravind8 I know, it's not practical right now. But I'm trying to spread the idea so that people think about it instead of triple talaq only
@Aravind8 Language has a certain power and people speaking the same language draw together. That's the cohesiveness I was referring to.
@Aravind8 I fully disagree here. Evolution is in direction of intellectual muscle and not military. Reason and goodwill will rule in future.
@Aravind8 No point arguing extreme examples. We are talking macro, nitty-gritties will play out. This scenario, however, can't be ruled out
@Aravind8 Nation-States of India can build a phalanx at the international level and exercise their soft power to counter existing anomalies.
@Aravind8 Material needs will precipitate the optimal size and level of bilateral cooperation. 50-60m is maximum population for a nation.
@Aravind8 Apart from totalitarian China, there is no other nation on earth with as large a population as India. This abnormality must end.
@Aravind8 They are still States and not nations; so lack that Sovereignty and people lack necessary motivation to work with new enthusiasm.
@Aravind8 Population is not curse; lack of Democracy & empowerment is to be remedied. Only the Central Govt needs to be abolished that's all
@Aravind8 True, but history can't be our sole guide. Poverty and deprivation that I see in India tells me that Central Govt is irrelevant.
@Aravind8 Again, it's all in the past. Similar things may happen in the future and nobody can stop that. The Centre has lost all legitimacy.
@Aravind8 Present dispensation is equally guilty of crony capitalism and remote control. So Sovereign linguistic States are the only answer.
@Aravind8 Constitution of India throwing absurd plots has become a caricature of Democracy. Needs to be jettisoned. https://t.co/z4RMnDzGDA
@Aravind8 Not necessary that all people speaking the same language will be under one nation. India is a fertile field for linguistic nations
@Aravind8 Branding ends arguments. What I'm telling is my feelings and I haven't seen anyone else on Twitter supporting the same theory.
@Aravind8 I'm not okay with the process of election and the sham democracy. But as a supporter, you are entitled to your opinion and pride.
@Aravind8 You want status quo but I foresee change which may not be pleasant in the short run but would pave the way for future world peace.
@Aravind8 By sticking to the idea that the Central Govt be abolished and States made sovereign, I'm avoiding all other nitty-gritties, now.
@Aravind8 Nothing prevents your patriotic feelings but my perceptions are different and hence the methodologies and whole set of preferences
@HindolSengupta Granting Sovereignty to the States is the most efficient way of allowing Democracy and Development reaching people of India.
@kisankrantidal @IndianExpress Savitri Era Party demands abolition of Central Govt and granting of sovereignty to the States @AmareshMisraFC
@sarkar_swati @maidros78 Instead of squandering away time and energy on Gandhi, writing of events with focus on Sri Aurobindo can be helpful
Blaming Modi or MMS is not the solution because problem lies in the Constitution. India has become unmanageable as one Nation and must split
@Sheks65 All romantic notions of a Nation should give way to rational imperatives tailored to administrative convenience and 50m population.
@Sheks65 I don't see Sri Aurobindo as frozen in time. His theory like Hegelian history must evolve with time and that includes what I tweet.
@Sheks65 Your hero Modi is not either. But I don't think I should go on collecting character certificates from the supporters of RSS. Never.
@Sheks65 Don't worry, no one reads my tweets. I've only a handful of active followers. So, I'm just venting my brainwaves. No effect. Okay?
@Sheks65 So that is in-house and everyone is mature enough. One person's opinion need not receive attention unless it has some merit. Simple
@RamaY_BRF @Sheks65 @himanshujmohan @ngc1729 Please read the justifications I have listed at https://t.co/VMzLz4Rd3K
@himanshujmohan Population is not statistics, it's flesh and blood human beings. They will decide their fate and 50m are enough as 1 Nation.
One household of 1947 has given rise to 50 families and India reorganising itself into 50 Sovereign countries is the most sensible solution.
Each block of 50m people deserves to be an independent Nation. Languages of India provide a natural criteria for creation of 50 new countries
@ngc1729 If you think that only Gujratis like Modi and Shah have all the brain power and not Odias or Telugus, then you should remember NTR.
@ngc1729 India is a British legacy, an anomaly. Linguistic States are real Nations which must get liberation for people's self-determination
The issue is not who will win in UP but how to give its 200m population 4 independent Nations so that Democracy and Development reach people
Had the Khalistan demand acceded to with grace, the history of the subcontinent would have been much different from present plight & poverty
Majority of Indians are groaning under acute poverty & deprivation. States as sovereign countries is necessary for their self-determination.
Every generation must ratify the Constitution since it's not a divine incarnation. Right now it's redundant; Central Govt has become defunct
@ngc1729 You are parroting the RSS narrative that is not responsive enough to people's poverty. States as Nations is an economic necessity.
Languages will get a new lease of life when the States are granted sovereignty & people regain pride as belonging to their own free nations.
https://twitter.com/SavitriEraParty/status/790221362673557504
Indian languages are characterised as regional languages whereas a nonexistent language like Sanskrit is appeased. States must turn Nations.
PM and BJP chief from one State is a slap to the Constitution of India; torpedoes federal consensus leading to sovereignty demand by States.
If BJP head and PM hail from the one State then other States have every right to demand Sovereignty out of self-respect & self-determination
1) Language, 2) Development, 3) Democracy, and 4) Gujarati hegemony are reason enough for abolishing the Centre and States going sovereign.
Many naïvely believe in Ramdev's Corporate rise but whose expertise is functioning behind the curtain? India won't surrender to one State?
People of different States and specified regions of India must exercise their right to self-determination as Centre has failed in its role.
No one in BJP or RSS is left with spine to question how can PM & President (of party) belong to one State. Pay fitting reply to this insult.
https://twitter.com/SavitriEraParty/status/790243815500034048
@ngc1729 Fine; you are entitled to your affection. Similarly, I have the democratic right to write what I consider as right for the country.
@ngc1729 Thanks for permitting me to write albeit grudgingly; I can assure you continuous supply of food for thought if you have open mind.
@ngc1729 When the country is divided, it doesn't vanish away. My concern for the people as a whole continues. People's poverty is the target
@ngc1729 Okay, you seem to be much evolved than me. By the way, your DP is a distraction, reminds the PB logo. May be you find it useful :-)
@ngc1729 Yes. Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan etc. stand tall as inspiration.
@ngc1729 @bhoopalp I'm not repudiating Sri Aurobindo. But population has increased four fold and we must take a rational decision over it.
@ngc1729 @bhoopalp Nothing is happening tomorrow but the discussion and consultation process must continue as part of democratic discourse.
@ngc1729 Focus is limited at the moment.
https://t.co/WK83uMlm6U
@ngc1729 @bhoopalp While building up an argument, one has to explore all directions. https://t.co/C89QisthAY
@ngc1729 @Aravind8 @bhoopalp I'm simply pointing out a problem lying dormant with the potential to explode. All must think preemptively.
https://twitter.com/SavitriEraParty/status/790256771180789760
@ngc1729 Right now, my thesis is no Nation should be larger than 50-60m population after crossing which it must split in democratic fashion.
@ngc1729 What actually happens as per pressures of geopolitics and viability is something one can't predict; be left to the people concerned
https://twitter.com/SavitriEraParty/status/790472633359867904
@vs70 Two Gujaratis ruling India in monarchical fashion is an insult to the federal structure and hence the States should claim sovereignty.
@vs70 Congress is heading towards irrelevance and hence I don't discuss much about it. No democracy in BJP-RSS; that is a matter of distress
@vs70 I don't dispute Modi being PM. But the Leader and President of the Ruling party being from one State is an insult to the other States.
Two hundred years back, Odisha was under Maratha rule and now two Gujaratis are ruling over it. An ancient civilisation it needs sovereignty
@vs70 If you find hegemony of one State so palatable, I have no objection. But I will demand Sovereignty for all the States for self respect
@vs70 Internal democracy is crucial in the ruling party which is conspicuous by its absence at present with the risk of escaping to fascism.
Needless uniformity imposed by the Indian Constitution on 1.3b population has enervated the nation. States should be Sovereign to experiment
@vs70 I'm more concerned about the present and implications for future than the past. And you seem to avoid it; a methodological discrepancy
Central Govt emits a fictional politics all over the country that has no connection with local realities. States need Sovereignty to bust it
Major functions being handled by MNCs, the Central Govt has become redundant. Sovereign linguistic States must emerge as natural Nations.
RSS must ensure that President of BJP belongs to some other State than Gujarat. The country can't let to be held to ransom by two Gujaratis.
One State, Gujarat, can't be allowed to rule India. All States must be granted sovereignty on language basis by abolishing the Central Govt.
@pierrefitter Each linguistic State in India has some racial distinctiveness and hence is a natural nation. They must be granted sovereignty
Being under Foreign rule & then Central rule, various States of India have not got an opportunity to achieve full flowering of potentiality.
@himanshujmohan Can't recount History tomes here. What pinches at present should be relevant. Rightsizing of nations should be a priority.
Central Govt. has lost all legitimacy due to the PM and President of the ruling party hailing from the same State, violating Federal spirit.
@vs70 Instead of waiting for a situation coming to a head like what's happening in SP, it's prudent to raise voice and seek remedial, early.
@Aravind8 Odisha being an ancient civilisation, I feel that its people have the right to self-determination and it must achieve nationhood.
@Aravind8 My apprehensions are for the present and the future since no one is raising this issue. My Odia self-respect is genuinely ruffled.
@Aravind8 Two Gujaratis at the helm is a sure recipe for disintegration of India and the States and specified regions clamouring for freedom
@Aravind8 No hate for Gujaratis. My objection is top two posts can't go to a single State in a Democracy which stands on Federal principles.
Top two posts grabbed by Gujaratis is not acceptable to the people of the rest of India and hence all the States must be given sovereignty.
@Aravind8 If Ruling party doesn't respect Federal principles enshrined in the Constitution, then it is definitely taking the fascist route!
@Aravind8 The truth is that BJP is under Monarchy now which Hindutva valorises with RSS as Rajaguru. So other States should seek Nationhood.
@Aravind8 That's not surprising as RSS supporters don't distinguish between Democracy and Fascism. So you are entitled to your understanding
@Aravind8 Another demerit of Hindutva is believing in grand narratives that entail overlooking local realities and marginalised perceptions.
Democracy and Modernity entail examining Constitutional functioning without waiting for people's agitation. Sovereignty to States an urgency
Consensus on culture and religion or sophisticated debates over custom and reforms have no meaning for the poor. Sovereign States are answer
Oversized India must face its logical destiny. 50m population is the optimum figure for a modern nation from administrative efficiency angle
States as Sovereign nations will prevent Metropolis from monopolising resources facilitating equitable growth and diffusion of opportunities
Gujaratis and Punjabis are ruling over Odisha. Time for this ancient civilisation to claim its nationhood and show the path to other States.
Odisha is in chains and the situation is no different from what it used to be 100 or 200 years back. So claim nothing less than Sovereignty.
MGNREGA is the Central Govt's way of removing poverty. Stop giving alms and let the people be empowered through States attaining Sovereignty
Savitri Era: Telescopic Democracy from Delhi is a saga of hypocrisy https://t.co/dW9AgjVis6 #SriAurobindo #FiveDreams #WorldUnion
Justification in three parts for the independence of Indian States:
Savitri Era Party: India must split due to overpopulation https://t.co/pX4rxSPXJd
Savitri Era: At seventy India must retire https://t.co/fYo2k49F2s #SriAurobindo
Savitri Era: Society should be rationally reconfigured like shop floor https://t.co/yN08p3wabu #SriAurobindo
Savitri Era: Sri Aurobindo as springboard and sounding board https://t.co/ezMn2YQI9s #FiveDreams #WorldUnion
Admiring extraordinary men is a symptom of camouflaging ones own shortcomings and wishing away and whitewashing whatever blemishes they have
Whose words carry more weight? Unsavoury comments of Subhas Chandra Bose or Sita Ram Goel on Sri Aurobindo or what the latter himself says?
A whole generation of educated Indians have been misguided over the worth of Sri Aurobindo and thus deprived of the ammunitions he provides.
Sri Aurobindo inaugurates an altogether new world where neither Hindutva nor Marxism has any relevance. High time for the youth to discover.
@maidros78 Who in your opinion represents the most revolutionary spirit at the moment and should be supported by all right thinking persons?
@vs70 Sri Aurobindo sought to design a sublime future for the humanity and to that end all permutations and combinations have to be triedout
@vs70 It's not disdain, I'm against disproportionate and impractical respect for Sanskrit and overenthusiasm over its relevance for future.
@Aravind8 There is a book called The Lives of Sri Aurobindo where you meet his different personalities. Further, his ideas are never static.
@Aravind8 That awareness sounds nice and I hope you allot some more time reading him on a regular basis so that discussion is more informed.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Subhash Kak, Sunil Khilnani, and Ramashray Roy

"Subhash Kak is Regents professor of electrical and computer engineering at Oklahoma State University and a vedic scholar." His two-part essay celebrates the Indian tradition but obfuscates. He has quoted Sri Aurobindo at one place but doesn't acknowledge his contributions to the theory of Consciousness. Reading him brings to the fore the reasons why various streams of Indian philosophy were fighting with each other like erstwhile Princely States. Collating disparate ontological principles doesn't a good philosophy make. Rather, resolving contradictions and reconciling with common sense perceptions is the key. Otherwise, what one builds can come down in a moment. 

The role of Western philosophy in interrogating ruthlessly is paramount here; but Sri Aurobindo, somehow, comes out unscathed. There are contradictions even within the formulations Sri Aurobindo offers and deft interpretations are needed to overcome them. Besides, a careful distinction between his commentaries on ancient texts and his own assertions is crucial to resolve ambivalences. But, on the whole, Sri Aurobindo stands out as the pre-eminent voice reconciling Indian and Western wisdom with Science. So, valorising older texts by bypassing him is fraught with danger and this needs to be taught to both young and the old.

I remember Ramashray Roy once retorting, "if we need to read the Veda, then one can read it directly; why via Sri Aurobindo?" His book Political Oder, however, lists Sri Aurobindo in bibliography. But, this gives an idea how scholars have been indifferent to Sri Aurobindo for years. For instance, Sunil Khilnani's ‎India in 50 Lives exiles Sri Aurobindo except for a brief mention. So young Indians need to find Sri Aurobindo with their own effort. [TNM55]

Misc. References:

Swarajya - In the words of Sri Aurobindo: Kshara Purusha is the Self reflecting the changes and movements of Nature, participating in them, immersed in the consciousness ... Between the classical and the quantum worlds lies metaphysics, the domain of philosophers for centuries.@subhashkak1 https://t.co/aDvawzDlb8

https://books.google.co.in/books?id...
Ramashray Roy - 2002 - ‎More editions Study on the relationship between Vedic tradition and political order of India.

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
Ramashray Roy - 2003 - ‎In Explaining The Meaning And Relevance Of Samskaras, The Book Presents A Fine Blending Of The Traditional And Modern Systems Of Knowledge Construction.

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
Ramashray Roy, ‎Ravi Ranjan - 2016 - ‎Preview - ‎More editions In the words of the authors themselves, ‘We are aware that in a world divided into a number of ideological camps, the way out suggested in this book will invite ridicule and accusation of orthodoxy.

Who were the sepoys of 1857? Amaresh Misra: Tue May 08 2007 http://t.co/RqW8y2YzKi @IndianExpress Amaresh Misra states that KKD carries 3 agendas: 1857 nationalism, capital formation and power to peasant.

https://books.google.co.in › books
Sunil Khilnani - 2016 - ‎He read German idealist philosophy and Henri Bergson, and came directly to politics through the works of the spiritual nationalist Sri Aurobindo Ghose. Aurobindo, twenty five years older than Bose, was a hero of ... 
But it was also an act of provocation – and not only to the British. Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse, a Brahmin from the Pune region of Maharashtra, was directly inspired by the ideas of Savarkar, the young terrorist and ideologue of Hindu nationalism Gandhi had argued with in 1909.

Innovation in India: Combining Economic Growth with Inclusive
Shyama V. Ramani - 2014 - ‎Preview - ‎... Wireless in Local Loop System [corDECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless. Torch bearers of the future? A case study of innovation for rural markets Source: Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Devendra Jalihal, and K.Giridhar,TeNet Group, IIT-Madras Fig. The University as a Catalyst of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and New Markets 65.

3G Networks - Page xiii
Sumit Kasera, ‎Nishit Narang - 2004 - ‎Preview - ‎We would also thank the Senior Consultants in our company — Prabir Datta and Dinesh Singh and our managers Sunil Godse, Tarun Singhal, Vibha Bansal and Sudatta Kar. We would like to thank Rajiv Gupta and Prashant Vashisht for being good friends and something more. We would like to thank the entire team at Tata

VISIBLE PRICES ENABLE MARKETS TO WORK - *Englewood Staff* post (222 October) on *Englewood Daily* HERE *"Turbulent Week Ends, How Did This Stock Fare: Eastman Chemical Co. (NYSE:EMN)"* *“Stock ind... 

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The Psychic Prana: The Sensational Mind and Its Nervous Action - When the sense organs receive impulses from the external world, they have to deliver these impulses to the mind. This is done through the nervous-bital she... 

Mingling of cultures produces caricatures - The multi-level stage at the ongoing Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav at IGNCA has a curious combination of structures. This tendency in India for "mingling of... 

- Mark Blitz on Martin Heidegger. Bill Kristol compères. 

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Times of India- Their notebooks, which cost upward of Rs 1,000, are made of special kid leather and handmade paper from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram factory in Puducherry. 

Times of India- "My father was highly influenced by India and was called `Sundarananda' by SriAurobindo," she said. Mira further said that her father put great emphasis on ... 

The Shillong Times- A lecture will be delivered by Biswanath Ray for four days from October 24 to October 27 from 5:30 pm at the auditorium of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Indian ...

Sri Aurobindo Study Forum: Sath Sang on Sri Aurobindo's life divine ...

Location: Shipra Riviera, Indira Puram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India (Pics TNM 2016: ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav’ organised by Ministry of Culture at IGNCA, New Delhi)




Mingling of cultures produces caricatures

The multi-level stage at the ongoing Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav at IGNCA has a curious combination of structures. This tendency in India for "mingling of cultures" at times produces caricatures. The fusion dance items presented, yesterday, also seemed to be failures. The backdrop, however, reminded some of the famous architectural blendings attempted in the past:

1. [Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from traditional Indian palace architecture.]

2. [The Secretariat Building was designed by the prominent Britisharchitect Herbert Baker in Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. They have broad corridors and each building is topped by a giant dome, while each wings end with colonnaded balcony. Much of the building is in classical architectural style, yet it incorporated from Mughal and Rajasthani architecture style and motifs in its architecture. These are visible in the use of Jali, perforated screens, to protect from scorching sun and monsoon rains of India. Another feature of the building is a dome-like structure known as the Chatri, a design unique to India]

3. [The Ramakrishna temple at the Belur Math is designed to "celebrate the diversity of Indian Religions" and resembles a temple, a mosque, a church if seen from different positions. The ground plan is in the shape of Christian cross. The central dome is derived from European architecture of the Renaissance period. The high entrance with their lofty towers is like a South Indian Gopuram and the pillars on both sides represent Buddhistic architectural style. The windows and balconies inside the temple draw upon the Rajput (Hindu) and Mughal (Islamic) style of north India. The three umbrella-like domes on the top built in Rajput-Moghul styles give an idea of thatched roofs of the village Kamarpukur. The circular portion of the entrance is an intermingling of Ajanta style with Hindu architecture]

4. [Triveni was one of the first buildings by noted American architect, Joseph Allen Stein (1957-1977) in India, who also designed several important building in New Delhi, likeIndia International Centre and India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road. Designed in modern architecture style, the complex is noted for its "multiple spaces for multiple purposes" and use of jali work (stone lattices), which was to become Stein's hallmark.] 

In this context, what Godwin wrote a decade back comes to mind:

[Savitri Era Open Forum: I do not believe in "cafeteria style" spirituality Dec 30, 2006 - The Absurdity of Absolute Relativity posted by Gagdad Bob. I am as comfortable in a Catholic or Orthodox service as I am in a Vedanta or Jewish temple, so long as they radiate the sacred. However, I am definitely not "eclectic." I do not believe in "cafeteria style" spirituality. It is more like being able to appreciate, say, Arvo Part, Dexter Gordon, Merle Haggard, and James Brown. Each is a musical "avatar" who conveys real musical light, but I wouldn't want to blend them. One Cosmos Under God Robert W. Godwin at 12/29/2006 06:44:00 AM Posted at 10:25 AM]

Sri Aurobindo wrote The Synthesis of Yoga and enunciated Integral Yoga. His philosophy has aptly been characterised as the meeting of the East and the West. May the spirit of human unity and World Union pervade the whole globe. [TNM55]

Misc. References:

The Integral Advaitism of Sri Aurobindo - Page xi

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
Rāmacandra Miśra - 1998 - ‎Preview
In the same 'way, there is a meeting of the Vedantic and Tantric thought in his system. His philosophy combines in itself the best elements of Indian and Western thought, both ancient and modern. SriAurobindo has reinterpreted and recreated Indian religious and philosophical thought and the modern Western idea of ...

Integral Education Thought and Practice - Page 6

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
R.n.pani - 1987 - ‎Preview - ‎More editions
On December 8, 1907 he presided over a separate meeting of the Nationalists at Midnapore. But the Surat Congress held by the end of December that year marks an epoch in Sri Aurobindo's life as much the life of the National Congress, for it was here that the Congress was split into two groups-the moderates and the ...

The Meeting of the East and the West in Sri Aurobindo's ...

https://books.google.co.in/books?id...
1956 - ‎No preview




Journeys East: 20th Century Western Encounters with Eastern ...

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
... also meeting Aurobindo and the Mother.31 Krishna Prem is interesting for several reasons: he spoke Hindi and Bengali fluently, achieved some competency in Sanskrit and wrote several commentaries, in strictly orthodox vein, on the Upanishads and the Gita; he rigorously adhered to his renunciate vows and lived a highly ...

The Antithesis of Yoga - Page 262

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
Jocelyn - 2009 - ‎Preview - ‎More editions
Roslyn went the next morning to a Pour Tous (all Auroville) meeting under the Banyan.It was hard for ... People from all over the world had come to Auroville to participate on the land owned by the SriAurobindo Society, or on new lands that they could buy and donate to the Sri Aurobindo Society, develop, and leave. The Sri ...

Indian Philosophy in English: From Renaissance to Independence

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
Nalini Bhushan, ‎Jay L. Garfield - 2011 - ‎Preview - ‎More editions
References Sri Aurobindo. (1949). The Life Divine. Pondicherry: Sri ... “Aurobindo's Concept of Llā and the Problem of Evil,” International Philosophical Quarterly 16: 3, pp. 315–329. Burtt, (1956). “East and West in Sri ... The Meeting of East and West in Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy. Pondsichery: Sri AurobindoAshram. Odin, S.

Guru English: South Asian Religion in a Cosmopolitan Language

https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn...
For full-length expositions of Savitri, see Aurobindo's Letters on Savitri, 29:725–816; Iyengar,Aurobindo; A. B. Purani, Sri Aurobindo's Savitri: An Approach and a Study ... and Athenian than to the Anglo-Saxon, but owing to the accident of British domination, our intellects have been carefully nurtured on a purely English diet.

Combining Indian and Western Spiritual Psychology: Applications to Health and Social Renewal
D Oman, NN Singh - Psychological Studies, 2016
... spiritual experiences. Exemplars of this mode of knowing include many religious founders and mystics, such as the Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Plotinus, Ramana Maharshi, Saint Tuka¯ra¯ma, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sri Aurobindo. All ...

[HTML] The Info List-Dandi March
L Irwin
TheInfoList.com - (dandi march) The SALT MARCH, also known as the DANDI MARCH and the DANDI SATYAGRAHA, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India initiated by ...
[PDF] Lifestyle Change as Climate Strategy
D Nissen
... The world belongs to Man. Oil is here for us to use. Spiritual • “I am part of the [planet] protecting itself.” – John Seed • “We are on the brink of an evolutionary leap in consciousness.” – Sri Aurobindo Large Footpring • I want my MTV and like my campus' . ...

[HTML] Social contract
H Grotius, T Hobbes, J Rawls
Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing - eBooks.
Women Architects and Modernism in India: Narratives and contemporary practices
M Desai - 2016

The conundrum of communalism - The Pioneer

www.dailypioneer.com › state-editions
3 mins ago - ... and there was a tendency towards a mingling of cultures, even some heroic attempts were made to discover or create a common religion built out of these two apparently irreconcilable faiths,” says Sri Aurobindo.

The New Indian Express-1 hour ago
While Sri Aurobindo handed over to her the Karmayogin's charge beforeleaving for Chandernagore and then Pondicherry, Tagore addressed her as “Lokmata”.

The New Indian Express-1 hour ago
In one of his memorable essays titled 'The Ego and the Realities' scripted in 1939, Sri Aurobindo wrote that “it is not easy for the customary mind of man, always ...

Livemint-20-Oct-2016
He's going to Kolkata to visit a friend, a batchmate from Insead who runs the Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture in the city. For the most part though, his weekends ...

The Daily Star-17-Oct-2016
From the Neo-platonic sages like Plotinus to modern Indian Sri Aurobindo or Swami Vivekananda we see all but the same reference of the ancient mystic ...

Daily News & Analysis-12-Oct-2016
"So long as war does not become psychologically impossible, it will remain or, if banished for a while, return," wrote Sri Aurobindo in an April 1916 essay, The ...

New Straits Times Online-10-Oct-2016
He stated that Gandhi proved to the world the might of non-violence and ... Madan Lal Dhingra, Veer Savarkar, Mangal Pandey, Aurobindo and many more ...

Daily Nation-08-Oct-2016
... Gandhi (centre), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, in Bombay (now Mumbai), ... Rabindranath Tagore and spiritual leader Sri Aurobindo are there, as are the ...

(Pics TNM 2016: ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav’ organised by Ministry of Culture at IGNCA, New Delhi)