Sputnik and the supramental

[How Sputnik changed the world - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting ... Posted October 4, 2007 10:33:00. When Sputnik was lifted into space on October 4, 1957, it was humankind's first step into the final frontier.]

["The launch of Sputnik actually triggered heightened interest among the American people, not only in space, but in science, mathematics and education," said White House science adviser John Marburger. "It also opened up people's eyes to the possibility that space could actually be used for something."]

[On 29 February 1956, …the supramental descent and manifestation took place as firmly willed by her…“The greatest thing that can ever be,” she said on 20 October 1957, “the most marvellous thing since the beginning of creation, the miracle has happened…A new world, yes, a completely new world, is born and is here.” -- Page. 842, On the Mother by K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (Pondicherry)]

And we are still busy in nitpicking! [TNM]

Infraspiritual superman

[In the growth into a divine life the Spirit must be our first preoccupation; until we have revealed and evolved it in our self out of its mental, vital, physical wrappings and disguises, extracted it with patience from our own body, as the Upanishad puts it, until we have built up in ourselves an inner life of the Spirit, it is obvious that no outer divine living can become possible.

Unless, indeed, it is a mental or vital godhead that we perceive and would be,—but even then the individual mental being or the being of power and vital force and desire in us must grow into a form of that godhead before our life can be divine in that inferior sense, the life of the infraspiritual superman, mental demi-god or vital Titan, Deva or Asura.

This inner life once created, to convert our whole surface being, our thought, feeling, action in the world, into a perfect power of that inner life, must be our other preoccupation. Only if we live in that deeper and greater way in our dynamic parts, can there be a force for creating a greater life or the world be remade whether in some power or perfection of Mind and Life or the power and perfection of the Spirit. -- Page 1021 Document: Home > E-Library > Works Of Sri Aurobindo > The Life Divine Volume-19 > The Divine Life]

So kind of Sri Aurobindo to make room for even the inferior beings. [TNM]

Lead India lead

The Congress Party, on different occasions, had allowed other parties to form governments at the Centre without joining it. For the first time in its history, under Sonia Gandhi’s stewardship, it decided to form a coalition government which, after three years, seems to run out of steam. The reason for which the government might fall has nothing to do with the issues people vote for a particular party for. The Congress, however, is raring for a fresh bout at the hustings to test Rahul Gandhi’s charisma.

The Savitri Era Party will consolidate around the ideals of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. We must believe in ourselves so as to leapfrog into public life assignments that dovetail into politics. All this calls for unity and solidarity; our various wings and operations joining as tenons and mortises. Should we call it yoga too!

Tusar N. Mohapatra,

President, Savitri Era Party.

Bring the books to the common man

[Founded in 1923, The Gita Press, which started with publishing in Hindi and Sanskrit, is now publishing books in English and various Indian regional languages.]

[Founded in 1932, at Hathras, India, Sangeet Karyalaya was to revive and breathe new life in Indian Classical Music and bring it to the common man.]

[Educate the masses: Swraj Paul --The Hindu - National]

On a day when mass action is valorized, we the Savitri Erans must rejig our strategies to make the books by The Mother and Sri Aurobindo available in reader-friendly formats. There is no other way than to fan out aggressively for wide distribution of the books and magazines. [TNM]

What is most deep is the skin

[So, whereas I think ‘in the end’ Hegel is closer to Aristotle than Kant on most issues, once we descend from the big picture to the details, we must keep Kant in mind at every step...That is, for want of a better term, we are and ought to be ‘common-sense realists’ in our everyday affairs, that the indeterminate thing-in-itself can find no entry into our affairs: it is a mere figment of thought that turns no wheels. Yet, this is so not because thought has a hand in determining everything insofar as it is ‘for us’. Rather, it is because, to quote McDowell: ‘When one thinks truly, what one thinks is what is the case.’ In short, this is the repudiation of transcendental idealism in favour of an idealistic transcendental empiricism. -- Hegel, Kant, Idealism from Grundlegung by Tom (Grundlegung)]

[Personally, I see no value in Theology, at this point in time. In its entire history, I don't know of any convincing proof that came of out that domain of study. Maybe because I don't have enough faith to see the proof. My personal bias is towards an experiential knowledge of God rather than a conceptual proof. -- Theology = Study of Leprechauns from Zaadz: ~C4Chaos' Blog (Crossposted from www.c4chaos.com)]

[Deleuze's rhapsody of the surface makes a strong impression in my mind, but it comes with a puzzle I can't quite piece together (The Logic of Sense, "Second Series of Paradoxes of Surface Effects"). I am impressed by the argument that depth has been illogically privileged over the superficial. Depth is not customarily viewed as a lack of breadth, as being of small surface, so either we should not think of the superficial as a lack of depth or we should rethink depth as lacking breadth. Deleuze calls profound Paul Valéry's idea that "what is most deep is the skin" (p. 10), however for Deleuze surfaces are incorporeal. -- Surface Effects from Fido the Yak by Fido the Yak]

Obviously, one finds these considered concerns merely skin deep, when compared with the galactic sweep of The Life Divine and the glacieral aesthesis of Savitri. [TNM]

Hamilton on parole in Paris

75 years before The Mother's birth, Paris in 1803 had turned a confluence of Indological and Sanskrit-Philological studies by attracting English and German scholars, informs a book by Swami Tathagatananda. [TNM] 10:54 AM 11:12 AM

Cell after cell must be wrested from its darkness and its limits

[May 20, 1914 From the height of that summit which is the identification with Thy divine infinite Love, Thou didst turn my eyes to this complex body which has to serve Thee as Thy instrument. And Thou didst tell me, “It is myself; dost thou not see my light shining in it?” And indeed I saw Thy divine Love, clothed in intelligence, then in strength, constituting this body in its smallest cells and shining so brightly in it that it was nothing but a combination of millions of radiant sparks, all manifesting that they were Thyself.

May 22, 1914 Thy divine love floods my being; Thy supreme light is shining in every cell; all exults because it knows Thee and because it is one with Thee.

May 23, 1914 O Lord, Thou of whom I would be constantly conscious and whom I would realise in the smallest cells of my being, Thou whom I would know as myself and see manifested in all things, Thou who art the sole reality, the sole cause and aim of existence, grant that my love for Thee may grow ever greater so that I may be all love, Thy love itself, and that, being Thy love, I may unite integrally with Thee.

Document: Home > E-Library > Works Of The Mother > English > Prayers And Meditations Volume-01 > 7 April 1914-15 June 1914

November 26, 1915 The entire consciousness immersed in divine contemplation, the whole being enjoyed a supreme and vast felicity.
Then was the physical body seized, first in its lower members and next the whole of it, by a sacred trembling which made all personal limits fall away little by little even in the most material sensation. The being grew in greatness progressively, methodically, breaking down every barrier, shattering every obstacle, that it might contain and manifest a force and a power which increased ceaselessly in immensity and intensity. It was as a progressive dilatation of the cells until there was a complete identification with the earth: the body of the awakened consciousness was the terrestrial globe moving harmoniously in ethereal space.

January 15, 1916 Or rather Thou art myself divested of all error and limitation. Have I become integrally this true self in all the atoms of my being? Wilt Thou bring about an overwhelming transformation, or will it still be a slow action in which cell after cell must be wrested from its darkness and its limits?...

January 22, 1916 Thou hast taken entire possession of this miserable instrument and if it is not yet perfected enough for Thee to complete its transformation, its transmutation, Thou art at work in each one of its cells to knead it and make it supple and enlighten it, and in the whole being, to arrange, organise and harmonise it.
Document: Home > E-Library > Works Of The Mother > English > Prayers And Meditations Volume-01 > 4 March 1915-10 January 1917 ]

The yoga of the cells was a consistent affair with The Mother for at least 60 years that transcends and converges all ecological concerns and geophilia. [TNM]

Gutenberg to Google-Blogger

[Modern Review (Calcutta) since 1907. Founded by Ramananda Chatterjee, the Modern Review soon emerged as an important forum for the Indian Nationalist intelligentsia. - wikipedia]

The Arya ceased publication in 1921 and The standard Bearer in 1924. Some of Sri Aurobindo's writings were also published in outside periodicals like Modern Review (Calcutta), Calcutta Review, The Vedic Magazine (Lahore), Shama's (Madras), Suprabhat (Bengali), and Bharati (Bengali). Other journals like Hindustan Review, Prabuddha Bharata, Vedanta Kesari, The Scholar, Aryan Path, New Review, etc. carried various essays and articles by the disciples till Sri Aurobindo Mandir Annual (1942), and The Advent (1944) were launched.

The Mother's talk, "Woman and the War" was published in the Fujoshimbun newspaper in Japan on July 7, 1916. [TNM]

No evidence

[Most unsettling to religious Jews and Christians may be Kugel’s chapters about the origins of God and his chosen people. Kugel says that there is essentially no evidence — archaeological, historical, cultural — for the events in the Torah. -- David Plotz nytimes.com/2007/09/16 ‘How to Read the Bible’ ] 1:53 PM

[How to Read The Bible, by James Kugel.
I'm not even going to give you a pithy excerpt or try to find the right adjectives. It is simply so, so, so good. If you wish to learn more, here is a NYT review. -- from Marginal Revolution by Tyler Cowen]

How reassuring for the Savitri Erans! [TNM]

Baudrillard

tusarnmohapatra Says: September 26, 2007 at 11:18 pm Wouldn’t it be pertinent to remember Baudrillard too while on the subject of “objects?” 11:19 AM

They are the only truly integrally realized avatars to have graced this planet

[ned said...Indeed, Tusar, I'm in complete agreement with you. There just has not been anyone in history who comes even close to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in terms of their vast vision. I would say they are the only truly integrally realized avatars to have graced this planet. 9:18 PM, September 25, 2007 ]

Tusar N Mohapatra said...

Thanks Ned for expressing the obvious, which as you have observed in a number of online forums, people are reluctant to accept. Alan and you, of course, invariably insist on the experience aspect of the Integral Yoga and that is certainly the most important facet; but a general appreciation in respect of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo is sorely missing, and that is not going to improve as long as we the followers remain ambivalent.

You must, further, have realized that the opposition to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo arises out of a concerted resistance that has neither any intellectual rigour nor democratic ethos. So, it is only apparent that we too face them with comparable means. I am happy to spot you after a long silence as The Mother has endowed you with the power of eloquence. Let’s strive to be her instrument in the best possible way and the victory will be ours. 9:40 AM, September 26, 2007 1:17 PM

Aurobindology

[In my upcoming book on "Christology and Science" I attempt to spell out some reconstructive directions for the doctrines of the incarnation, the atonement and the parousia... Posted by LeRon Shults in Theology Permalink]

How about an Aurobindology in a similar fashion? [TNM]

Worshipping photographs

[naveenarora said... Dear all, Arya samajists never worships the picture of Swami Dayanand or anybody else. If you don't know anything about Arya Samaj then please don't spread this false propoganda. As per the history of Congress(pre independence)70% of freedom fighters got there inspiration from Arya Samaj. eg.-Lala Lajpat rai, Swami ShardhaNand, Shyamji Krishan verma, Ram prasad Bismil, Bhagat Singh etc. To know more about Arya Samaj please contact nearby Arya Samaj. Once again I request you to plz. don't spread false propoganda. Regards, Naveen Arora 11:43 AM, September 25, 2007 ]

Tusar N Mohapatra said...

Dear Naveen, I can understand your sentiments. But the author of the book and the writer of this letter both are no longer with us. Hence we cannot refer back to them in the matter. Fraternally, Tusar 12:51 PM, September 25, 2007

The man who dared to take Savitri to the people is no more

[Dr. M.V. Nadkarni's forthcoming Series of Talks: A Study-Camp on Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri" will be conducted by Dr. Mangesh V. Nadkarni at the Society's Beach Office hall, Puducherry, from 26 November to 5 December 2007. There will be two sessions daily, 4:30 to 5:15 pm and 5:40 to 6:40 pm. The talks are open to all. sri aurobindo society newsletter sep 07 12:27 PM]

The man who dared to take Savitri to the people is no more. His contagion will ever endure. [TNM]

A harmonious environment in which all citizens feel actually involved

[It is unacceptable to obstruct the forces of competition from having freer play
Manmohan Singh Warned Indian Corporations Against Any Form of Cartelization Home > World News > Political Economy 12:39 PM]

Perhaps the same holds true for free speech as well. [TNM]

Savitri Era mythology

The Mother and Sri Aurobindo have liberated us from the numerous gods and goddesses and there is no need for us to search for ancient epics and mythologies. They are the sole gods now but interestingly, a new mythology emerges from their work during the last two centuries. Momentous events, dramatic as well as traumatic, have taken place between 1872 and 1973, and countless persons are connected to these, whether directly or indirectly. To string them together is an enormous task, but Savitri Erans will do it as a labour of love. [TNM]

Savitri Era Religion is growing fast

[The big counter-example to what I’m saying is of course Pentecostalism, which is one of the fastest-growing things in the world outside the realm of speculative finance. But Pentecostalism does not seem to me to be in the mainstream of religions — it is one of the only movements I can think of in history that has tried to produce something like a “religious” or “mystical” experience on a mass basis...I don’t think it’s an accident that Pentecostalism started in America, given that our society is so radically defined by the Enlightenment privatization of religion... Posted by Adam Filed in politics, religion An und für sich September 10th, 2007 9:44 AM]

Savitri Era Religion, too, is growing fast, and far and wide. A political party, in order to garner maximum support, does not discriminate between different religions. A religion, similarly, takes care not to pitch for a particular political ideology so that it is able to attract as many people as possible. Though, this survival instinct is the basis of all that goes in the name of secularism, it is deceptively presented as a high ethical principle. [TNM]

The-Life-Divine = Sat-Chit-Ananda

The-Life-Divine, the three words denote the trinity, Sat-Chit-Ananda. While The (Theo) denotes Sat or Existence, Life is Chit or Consciousness (as well as Tapas or Ethics). And, what is Divine if not Ananda or unadulterated Bliss? [TNM]

The ''narrow ridge''

[In Martin Buber's I and Thou or Sri Aurobindo's Life Divine, the philosophy and the theology are so integrally related that it is difficult to decide whether to call these projects philosophical theology or theological philosophy... It is time for the West to adopt a more humble attitude towards a philosophical tradition based not upon the conquest of the world but upon the conquest of self, upon self development, more specifically, the raising of the self to ever higher levels of consciousness. This is the perennial aim of Indian philosophy, an aim never more badly needed than today, when the results of our Western pre-occupation with science and technology threaten the physical world with destruction. -- Christopher E Macann Add comment 9:17 AM]

Buber once attended "a meeting of European intellectuals at Easter 1914, called to discuss the establishment of a supranational authority for the purpose of maintaining peace." His Unfinished Dialogue stands entwined with the agenda of Savitri Era. [TNM]

Voyage to Bali

To be woken up before dawn and then made to trudge to the river 2kms away in an winter morning every year, first, to take a dip in the cold water and then sail a well-decorated toy-boat made of plantain tree sheaths, was perhaps the most significant internationalist idea that one lived through like all children in Orissa. The whole crowd of boats was supposed to leave for Bali amidst chanting of “Aa-Ka-Ma-Bhai, Pana-Gua-Thoi."

To visit and move about in Balijatra, the annual fair held in front of the erstwhile Barabati Fort at Cuttack was a persistent yearning, the maritime prowess that the ancestors possessed being a salutary sentiment alongside. The popular Khudurukuni puja with its tear-jerker tale of Ta’poi, held on four consecutive Sundays of the subsequent month, kept the memory of her brothers, who had sailed abroad, always alive. Not to mention, the classic, “Baliraja” by the great novelist, Kanhu Charan Mohanty depicting the exploits of the maritime traders and sea-pirates, an unforgettable thriller.

The six-day Indo-US joint naval exercise along with Australia, Japan and Singapore dubbed Malabar 07, is on in the Bay of Bengal while a protest march by the Left parties is underway in Orissa. “Voyage to Bali” is still a far-off dream bordering on the mythical, but the ideal of human unity is aflame in our hearts and formation of the World Union indeed seems a distinct possibility today. [TNM]

Vanga-Darsan and 6, Theatre Road

[A more self-composed era of creative assurance was now entered, and with the founding of Vanga-Darsan in 1872 (the year of the foundation of the National Theatre and the first public stage) Bankim undertook the task of formulating the philosophy of Bengali nationalism...Critical conservatism was organizing itself (under Bankim’s leadership) on the basis of national pride and “national” cultural, to be revitalized with the science and rational thought of the West. -- Gopal Haldar, Bengali Literature Before And After 1857, People's Democracy Vol. XXXI No. 35 September 02, 2007. From Rebellion 1857 – A Symposium, Edited by P C Joshi, National Book Trust 2007 reprint; First published in 1957]

And the same year on August 15 was born Sri Aurobindo at 6, Theatre Road poised to play a role that would alter the destiny of the world. The next Act unfolds now. [TNM]

Savitri Era Religion will grow on this powerful principle of love for The Mother

Despite the fact that the teachings of Sri Ma and Sri Aurobindo are riddlesome even for those endowed with a very high intellectual level, they command a large following. No one is entitled to deconstruct this paradoxical phenomenon nor is anybody really competent. This is the power of “faith, sincerity, and surrender.” As Nolini Kanta Gupta once advised an author: “The only remedy to your malady is to fall in love with The Mother.”

Savitri Era Religion will grow on this powerful principle where every iota of emotion embodying trust and devotion would count a lot. A sense of urgency would seize the adherent to rush out for action seeking more affiliation. The smug notions of propriety that spurs restraint and reticence would melt away. One need not consciously try for such a state; it happens. [TNM]

Integral Yoga enunciated by The Mother and Sri Aurobindo

Indistinct Union: Christianity, Integral Philosophy, and Politics
"shadow 101" 1 Comment - Show Original Post

At 1:50 AM, Tusar N Mohapatra said...

You are conversant with the Integral Yoga enunciated by The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Your "matter-matter and a body-matter and a mental-matter, soul-matter, and spirit-matter" are already delineated by them, to which you may refer.

No “Integral” would be complete without “The Life Divine”

Tusar N. Mohapatra Says: September 1st, 2007 at 12:38 am

No “Integral” would be complete without “The Life Divine” by Sri Aurobindo. Neither you nor your friends have so far cared to go through it. Until then one has but to suffer “ambivalence, uncertainty and relativity.”