Saturday, November 26, 2016

Mystery is how we may define man

Tweets by @SavitriEraParty:
"In October 1955, Monnet created the Action Committee for the United States of Europe," and I feel happy that I was born in the same month. https://t.co/6yk0FIUBhX
Savitri Era: Why a single individual be allowed to rule over 1.3 billion people? https://t.co/y3E4puUuzO #SriAurobindo #WorldUnion
Each State of India is a nation and should formulate its own Constitution. Central Govt has been a facilitator the role of which is over now
People in a Democracy should elect a single Govt. The States as sovereign Republics no longer need a Central Govt to oversee them or guide.
People's will, and not intellect, matters in a Democracy. No wonder, supporters of the ruling party see no demerit in whatever the Govt does
Mounting problems of India are a result of its huge size. States as Sovereign nations can handle their respective problems more efficiently.
Poor people don't benefit from the large population of the country. They will be served better by smaller nations constituted by the States.
Dalit issue has become warped due to all India uniformity on Reservations which is sure to get corrected at diverse State level demographics
India is an imposition and confusion that people are suffering for the last seventy years. Time the States break free and Centre abolished.
Creating Sovereign nations out of the States will prevent promulgating Emergency or Demonetisation like harsh measures on a huge population.
Anna Hazare, Kejriwal, Ramdev, and Modi have proved how easily Indians can be taken for a ride. States as free Republics is the best remedy.
@sonaliranade Modi in all likelihood would go for a fresh mandate along with the UP Assembly Election. Otherwise, UP defeat will cripple him
Holders of huge unaccounted cash have been deprived of their funds whereas prior knowledge of Demonetisation has made BJP a prime gainer.
Demonetisation, thus, is the biggest example of insider trading, information asymmetry and lack of level playing field. Day light robbery!
Those who lost money don't matter. Focus should be on who are all that have secured huge cash in advance and what's its effect on Democracy?
Interesting to note Hindutva stalwarts morphing into economic experts! Tragically, economy doesn't proceed like set mythological narratives.
Parliament impasse is symptomatic of its obsolescence. The States must attain sovereignty and fast graduate to managing their own businesses
Constitution of India has outlived its utility. Let the States be free and sovereign to find a life of their own with option of Ferderation.
Don't keep all your eggs in one basket; that's an age-old prescription. Therefore, it's stupidity to stuff 1.3b Indians in one Constitution.
Demonetisation, thankfully, has foregrounded Modernity and universality of human affairs enforcing temporary amnesia of Mythology and Rituals.
Demonetisation is the first major jolt to Hindutva to stir out of intellectual inertia and constantly decrying secular and sociological concerns
Expect drastic reconfiguration of BJP and RSS priorities post-Demonetisation. For economy and intellectual churning, it will be a catalyst.
Hard to say whether Demonetisation will prove to be V.P. Singh's Mandal for Modi, but its Revolutionary and Evolutionary frills are palpable
@greatbong The most serious issue that is critical for survival of Democracy needs to be told with equal seriousness & not couched in humour
Future needn't be defined by past writings or belief; even science doesn't offer any firm standpoint. Life and the world are mysteries still
Intellectual pursuits are driven by career prospects and hence no genuine avenues are being explored. Need to delink knowledge from money.
As a hostage of emotions, man has limited control on action but his perception of the world derives from diverse sources, known and unknown.
Succumbing to psycho-physical methods in the guise of Yoga and philosophical system-building might seem normal but it's not without hazards.
@Nationalistweet In a sense, to teach is to cheat as no one knows the reality and each person is of different make. But for many it's career
Whatever we know, including Vedic, are mere suppositions and probabilities. But life, with its material compulsions, offers diverse careers.
@Nationalistweet Each person evolves according to his own situation (a mystery) and so it's difficult to recommend any particular career.
@Siddhakrishna You have your own background and mission; so it's difficult to come out of that bondage. We are all bonded. @Nationalistweet
@Nationalistweet @Siddhakrishna It's a mystery in the sense that I had no complete control over various happenings and availability of tools
@Siddhakrishna @Nationalistweet I'm hinting at the infinite possibilities that an individual harbours regardless of his past and community.
@Siddhakrishna @Nationalistweet That's where a man is different from the tree. Perception avenues in man is limitless and unique to each one
@Siddhakrishna "Mystery" is how we may define man despite wide biological affinity with most mammals. Perceiving new knowledge is his forte.
@Nationalistweet I don't want you to agree with me. Twitter enthuses to type and I perhaps can't resist the temptation but thoughts not mine
[You are as naive and ignorant as a newborn lamb. That is the way things come, only one does not notice.] Sri Aurobindo https://t.co/hbIhnhnFJl 
How we think about who we are shapes not only how we relate to the world but also our definition of consciousness https://t.co/Hsfq0khS5O
[All great civilizations eventually collapse. So what are the signs of their demise ?]
@vivekshettym February12, 2006 [mutiny in Navy made the British realise it was time to leave India. Dhananjaya Bhat] https://t.co/X8QBt7BXkO
[Let your grand-daughter live in a hut in my village, tend goats all day and sing your poems to her hearts content.] https://t.co/TRaCWQsyHN A rant against English - TALKING TERMS - DILEEP PADGAONKAR - Jul 25, 2004

Misc. References:

Nov '16 issue of Sraddha - Larry Seidlitz 
And as more of this body consciousness opened up, it became a part of her supramental body that would survive the death of the remnant which she laid down on November 17, 1973. The Mother’s primary mission was to bring down the supramental consciousness on earth, to establish it as a new principle in the evolving terrestrial consciousness. This she did, with Sri Aurobindo’s help, in 1956. For the next 17 years, she worked to establish it into her very cells, into matter. It is fair to assume that she took this work as far as was possible in the present circumstances. It also appears, from what she has said in the Agenda, that the supramental consciousness is actively at work here, is assured of its eventual manifestation in a new race of supramental beings, and is working to manifest its light and power in human beings who are open to it. Finally, we can assume that the Mother herself is directing this work, and exists in a supramental form in a world close to ours, a world that is like a lining of our own. (Reproduced with thanks and acknowledgement from  New Race, vol / xii – iv, Nov. 2011) [PDF]

gLiMPSES OF ThE MOThEr'S SuPrAMENTAL TrANSFOrMATiON - sacar

www.sacar.in › Larry_NewRaceNovember Nov 27, 2011

The Ever-Living Presence (The 17 Nov 1973 and the Integral Yoga) Part 02/10


Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are not tied to a human body; they never were! Even during the period that is generally termed by us as a lifetime, their action extended beyond boundaries of Space, not only of physical Space but also beyond the material dimension of Space. So also their action extends beyond the boundaries of Time. Each of their deeds and words carries the stamp of eternity and hence will continue to have repercussions and reverberate and even bear fruit as the scroll of human destiny unfolds and the waves of Time roll on. Nor are they limited by the instrumentality of the physical body. There are countless examples that reveal how Sri Aurobindo and the Mother intervened subtly in far off places and changed what seemed an inevitable destiny. These examples have not ceased after 1950 or 1973. If anything they have multiplied, a fact to which many devotees will surely testify. All this is not to turn them into miracle-doing figures; that will indeed be little utility of the Divine Presence on Earth. Devotees of various saints and Avataras experience miracles in everyday life through their faith in respective Masters. That is a small point. The bigger issue is that this goes on to prove that they are not limited to a physical body and its instrumentality. They can and do act in multiple ways that often baffle the intelligence of the limited creature called man who, under the spell of Ignorance, knows not anything beyond his material sheath. But Ignorance in any field is not the limit of truth, it is only the limit of our ‘personal’ knowledge and hence our power to act and effectuate. As someone has rightly and beautifully said, ‘the limits of our sight are not the limits of Light’. Besides since time immemorial it has been known that the Divine can and does act through countless instruments and needs not hands or feet to execute His Will. His Guidance can be felt in the remotest corner of the world by one who seeks. All this is common knowledge and not so uncommon experience to many who live with trust and faith in the Grace and Protection of the Divine. Dr Alok Pandey

Swarajya-Sri Aurobindo saw evolution as a movement 'out of a material Inconscience into spiritual consciousness, an evolutionary self-building of Spirit on base of Matter.
The view of evolution, which The Mother (Mira Alfasa), spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, presented was heavily influenced by Theosophy’s view of evolution.


Remembering Sri Aurobindo And The Vision Of A Life Divine - Swarajya

swarajyamag.com › culture › rememberi... Sri Aurobindo spoke of his five dreams for the nation – a united India, the resurgence of Asia, unification of the world, the spiritual gift of India to the world, and evolution through raising human consciousness.

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Location: Shipra Riviera, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India

Thursday, November 24, 2016

A minor ceremony took place on November 24, 1926

Why Sri Aurobindo is still in demand?

Tusar Nath Mohapatra
A minor ceremony involving 26 people took place in Puducherry (then, Pondicherry) on November 24, 1926 which marked the birth of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Apart from his Sadhana, thereafter, Sri Aurobindo produced a lot of writings before he breathed his last on December 5, 1950. He is an authority on Indian wisdom who is credited to have effected a synthesis with Western thought in alignment with findings of Science. He is also acknowledged as a pioneer in Consciousness-studies and Self-perfection pursuits. It is hoped that the young generation takes adequate advantage of his vast erudition and prophetic contribution. His works can be accessed online at incarnateword.in [TNM55]
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Location: Shipra Riviera, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Why a single individual be allowed to rule over 1.3 billion people?

Tweets by @SavitriEraParty
She the Supreme and substituteless - I have not found any other source or resource as an alternative recourse till now https://t.co/OfZAZYTiIx
Savitri Era: Sing a song in your mother tongue https://t.co/jH6sDUKynG #SriAurobindo #FiveDreams #WorldUnion
Bipin Chandra Pal contemplated an association of free nations - Forerunner of secular nationalism By Subrata Mukherjee https://t.co/GhwXnsmSoo


@Sudarshan_Mlth @a_r_j_u_n @ Each person is an opportunist and guards self interest. No point in blaming politicians who manipulate always.
@maidros78 Historical fiction and history are not the same thing. I don't know why you throw away the critical perspective in this respect.
https://twitter.com/maidros78/status/795448303529947136
@a_r_j_u_n @sarkar_swati @maidros78 @dikgaj @jainnahush Why Hindutva votaries dream of a Great Leader or try to thrust greatness on pigmies?
https://twitter.com/jainnahush/status/795292650198831104
@a_r_j_u_n Democracy should be content with the elected leader. S/he may or may not turn out good. (Great Leader has fascist connotations!).
History and Mythology celebrate Monarchy and the empires. Democracy is about ordinary human beings, their concerns, and living with dignity.
Invoking the memory of one or the other past heroes is of no avail. Right lessons have to be taken from those alive by eschewing party line.
There can't be a more reliable indicator of the future than Sri Aurobindo's broadcast from Trichy on August 14, 1947 https://t.co/rZhvyUYIvJ
Intellectuals and political parties in India unfortunately continue to ignore Sri Aurobindo & his #FiveDreams outlining shape of the future.
Only Sri Aurobindo's Spiritual philosophy has the potential to trounce Marxism, Hindutva, and other religion based political mobilisations.
SAARC can really be called representative when the States of India become independent and join it as equal partners in a true Federal spirit
@yugaparivartan @OGSaffron @NumbYaar @_Mauna_ @Marut_ @Parikramah This admirable thread proves why everyone should read Sri Aurobindo deeply
https://twitter.com/SavitriEraParty/status/796627515166990336
@yugaparivartan @OGSaffron @NumbYaar @_Mauna_ @Marut_ @Parikramah Read "The Clasp of Civilizations" by Richard Hartz https://t.co/gQRfA1936U
@yugaparivartan @OGSaffron @NumbYaar @_Mauna_ @Marut_ @Parikramah Intellectualism is not the issue; it's Physicalism https://t.co/K49p1CyFuw
Amidst too many National and International concerns, let's not forget that granting Sovereignty to States is an urgency & must be addressed.
@harshmadhusudan Please support our campaign for abolishing the Central Govt and granting Sovereignty to the States. https://t.co/dZoVQybOE8
rainbOwther: Empathy, fantasy, and emancipation https://t.co/3AB2rT63Lo
@Bhediya_ @arvindneela @doubtinggaurav Granting Sovereignty to the States by abolishing the Central Govt and SC is the most needed solution.
@tvayi_kimviryam Do you see Dayananda & Sri Aurobindo aiding such a project or there are contradictions? Or, your notion of Hindu different?
@tvayi_kimviryam Well, their historical significance apart, how much their legacies are compatible or contribute qualitatively for H future?
https://twitter.com/SavitriEraParty/status/797252622142967808
Archeology and Anthropology valorise the past and the given but The Mother & Sri Aurobindo declare no confidence and vote for next Evolution
The more the Parliament is kept outside of deciding present happenings and secrecy scores over transparency the more Democracy gets crippled
Government set up through Democracy is simply a means and the moment it's treated as an end in itself and must be saved, Democracy is doomed
20th Century philosophy has admirably exposed hollowness of certainty claims amidst which The Mother & Sri Aurobindo stand as firm pillars.
Ideological churning is on in India and America on political front which has been foisted by Evolution in its march towards A Greater Dawn.
Rational questioning has limits (like Yajnavalkya telling Gargi her head would explode) and so Sri Aurobindo stressed on faith and surrender
@bipinteger I don't think you are through The Life Divine yet from cover to cover. Three pages a day & you are done by the end of next year.
@MukulAgarwal66 @ekvichar_ You may watch YouTube released by @sabhlok read his blog if interested in sane arguments regarding demonetisation
Central Govt is a disaster. States must become Sovereign Republics so that people get back their spirit of entrepreneurship and risk taking.
People of the States bordering foreign countries benefit from variety of legal/illegal trades whereas States like Odisha suffer interminably
@muthushiv Nationhood is not only about investments or doing well. Further, your parameter for measuring prosperity leaves out actual poor.
Population has grown four times since Independence and hence Democracy and Development are spread thin. States must be granted Sovereignty.
Huge population has made India unmanageable and thus an anomalous Democracy. High time the States and Regions are made independent Republics
Central Govt is India's problem. Just scrap it and allow the States their due nationhood and genuine democracy so that people regain esteem.
@bhoopalp Multiple nations operated before the British forged them together. States with own language and optimum population are fit nations
@bhoopalp Unification is not a virtue when it comes to different nations. EU model of federal structure is most suitable for States of India
@bhoopalp You are entitled to your Nationalist feelings but there is no other Democracy with such a huge population. So division necessary.
@bhoopalp There is no fixed definition of a nation but the States of India can easily be categorised as nations on linguistic criteria alone
@bhoopalp We hold diametrically opposite views and so any conversation is fruitless. You may read my blog if interested in detailed argument
@bhoopalp My views evolve as I grapple with current events. A Mahabharata Federation, however, can be seen in consonance with World Union.
@bhoopalp Problem may not be the right word. The Centre is a Colonial legacy and hence superfluous. States are sufficient to rule themselves
Leading 1.3b people is an illusion as no individual can rise to such heights. States of India as Sovereign nations is the best alternative.
India entails too much of uniformity imposed upon 1.3b population. Central Govt. needs to be dissolved with States emerging as free nations.
Being a nation of unprecedented size as a Democracy, India poses a problem and a risk. Why a single individual should be allowed to rule it?

Misc. References:

1. Sri Aurobindo Studies - Purification Is the Condition for Liberation - The goal of spiritual liberation cannot realistically be achieved as long as the individual is bound to and driven by the habits of the vital, emotional, m...

2. The Light of the Supreme - The Yantra of the Sentence: 49: Sentence Diagram of 2.3 - The call that wakes the leap of human mind, Its chequered eager motion of pursuit, Its fluttering-hued illusion of desire, Visited her heart like a sweet alie...

3. Progress is an unalloyed good thing. That belief is a fairly recent one, and it's always had opponents https://t.co/LSrIDn60ih

4. Charles Assisi is co-founder of Founding Fuel Publishing. His Twitter handle is @c_assisi
In an earlier dispatch, I had alluded to a course I enrolled for. Called Theory U, it insists we discard all existing methodologies of learning. This is because all of what we learn is anchored in the past. What, instead, if we were to let go and begin by connecting with the moment we are in?
In letting go of our past, we let go of all biases and prejudices. Engagement begins by listening deeply to all of what is going on around us. It then frees us up to imagine what possibilities can exist in the future. When looked at from a philosophical prism, it is both Buddhist and Socratic. Buddhist because you live in the moment and let go of all else. Socratic because you question and test every assumption. On paper, the course sounds easy. In practice, it is incredibly tough for various reasons.

A Dialogue On Civilization. Written by -C.E.M. Joad. MYSELF: I am trying to write a book on civilization and I want to find out what being civilized is.

UN News Centre - ‎Nov 17, 2016‎ World Philosophy Day takes place every November 17 
November 2016 – Marking World Philosophy Day, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ...
Traditionally, philosophical thinkers hold that astonishment is at the root of philosophy – the discipline stems from our natural tendency to be astonished by ourselves and the world in which we live. Philosophy teaches us to reflect on reflection itself, to question well-established truths, and to verify hypotheses in order to find conclusions. This kind of inquiry has been practiced for centuries in cultures around the world and has generated the basis for critical, independent, and creative thought. “Philosophy does not offer any ready-to-use solutions, but a perpetual quest to question the world and try to find a place in it,” explained Ms. Bokova. “Along this road, tolerance is both a moral virtue and a practical tool for dialogue.” World Philosophy Day is of particular importance to the United Nations as it provides conceptual bases of principles and values on which world peace depends: democracy, human rights, justice, and equality.

7. VEDA OF THE BODY 4.1 Health – A Dynamic Equilibrium the same symptom means different things to different specialists and albeit even gets cured equally well or equally badly by them. Even among the super-specialists there is such a disagreement that it will be no exaggeration to say that the doctors today are becoming less comfortable with the living patient and are more at ease while dealing with dead tissues, observing their pathologies under the microscope. 4.2 Illness – An Inner Disequilibrium (Part 1) Modern medicine has indeed begun to admit, however obscurely and in a limited way, the role of faith and will in health and healing. When we observe in this way, we find that an illness is a pointer. But a pointer to what? Not only of a biochemical imbalance but of a deeper imbalance, a more fundamental disequilibrium, a deeper malady seated in our mind and life. 

8. Sri Aurobindo Was Certainly Not For The Disintegration Of India swarajyamag.com Raman Reddy - March 16, 2016
Secular intellectuals obfuscate the obvious, by which I mean, they use every intellectual argument to undermine what is pretty obvious to the common man. Of late, the idea of breaking India has been flaunted by the secular brigade under the cover of free speech... Imagine what would have happened to the country if it was left to this band of berserk intellectuals! They would have shouted themselves hoarse, “To ensure human rights, give Kashmir to Pakistan, hand over Arunachal Pradesh to China, form a Dalitsthan for the backward caste, a Naxalsthan for the Red soldiers and carve out another mini Pakistan.” Then they would have enthusiastically proceeded to redefine the borders of India according to the democratic aspirations of people. 

9. Matriwords - Sri Aurobindo on Gandhian Ahimsa - Beloo Mehra Having suffered terrible and horrific losses of life and property due to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, India now finally wakes up to her long-lost Kshatriya power to defend herself. But sadly this is also the time when a group of self-serving folks in India — from mediocre film actors to out-of-work politicians, from out-of-fashion journalists to ordinary wannabes whose hearts only bleed selectively — start speaking of threat of ‘war’ or ‘escalating tensions’ or such things... This post is directed to such sleeping ignoramuses. It is time they wake up from their tamasic, dark slumber and instead of merely mouthing soul-less slogans of non-violence and peace learn a bit of the history, particularly about the history of wars between India and Pakistan. 

swarajyamag.com/books/the-mahatma-and-the-gita
Oct 2, 2016 - It is even suggested that he was a forerunner of the gospel of Ahimsa. This is quite incorrect. Sri Aurobindo is neither an impotent moralist nor a weak pacifist.

11. on reading sri aurobindo: blindness, insight, outlook and a perspective ... Sep 17, 2015 - Posted by Murali Sivaramakrishnan S´raddha - Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Aug 15, 2013 
In fact, as the master himself points out, either the absence of a critical insight or the lack of inward vision would result in simple veneration or drastic dismissal. This also brings us to the situation of the self-styled unbeliever who dismisses the entire oeuvre of Sri Aurobindo as crass non-sense significantly because they are the products of a different generation, belong to a different order of discourse, and they revolve around spirituality which is decried in an age of commercial capitalism and market economy. To corroborate their dismissal they would also draw parallels with the simple-minded consumer mentioned earlier who claims to be “illuminated” and “blessed” on simply visiting the Ashram at Pondicherry, praying for a few hours at the Samadhi, or elsewhere, and browsing through a book or two from off the shelves. There are of course innumerable poetasters also who read and “interpret” Sri Aurobindo in order to pick holes in his arguments and proffer them as critical interpretations! They hardly matter in the long run. Spirituality and critical enterprise sometimes appears to run counter too. How does one resolve these issues?
Now to return to the inquisitive reader. The works of Sri Aurobindo—the texts as we have them now—are increasing by the day, on account of the archival research that goes into it. The secondary or interpretative scholarship also is increasing alongside. There are also enterprising scholars who engage with the works of Sri Aurobindo for securing a PhD degree for themselves. Many of them stray into the master’s works for want of anything else or simply on account of writing on an Indian author in English (the resource materials are also fairly vast indeed!) The range of Sri Aurobindo is such that he could satisfy any scholar in almost any field whatsoever. So then sociologists, historians, philosophers, literary theorists, psychologists, anthropologists, cultural theorists, Sanskriticians, Indic scholars, life scientists, cultural geographers—you name it, they are all there! There is nothing wrong, sinful, or clever about exposing the works of Sri Aurobindo to the inquiries of different disciplinary methodologies. This goes to prove the inexhaustibility of Sri Aurobindo’s scholarship and contribution. But the moment some too enterprising devotee steps in and cautions the “unwary” and the “radical” thinker of stepping into mined territory, Sri Aurobindo scholarship suffers unduly.
For the most, even among those so called self-styled scholarly inquires into Sri Aurobindo one finds little or no scholarship apart from what gets reflected from the master’s own skill and vision. I would like to classify these sorts of forays in general into two sets: as mere descriptive essays, and interpretative monographs. The first type usually ends up quoting Sri Aurobindo in large chunks and leaving the quotes as self-explanatory. The examiners also would find it easy to sanction degrees and diplomas to these “devotional” scholars and their dissertations unquestioningly. The second type would bring in some comparative elements quite tentatively and with great care for fear of crushing the master’s words (quite unwarranted, no doubt!) and make sure that Sri Aurobindo’s position is uniquely preserved even in the course of the textual arguments. These self-styled scholars then parade as arch Aurobindonians never ever casting a single glance at either Sri Aurobindo’s works or their own (mis)readings ever afterwards.
Sri Aurobindo might be his own interpreter or rather his works could stand testimony to their own insights—but scholarship is indeed something more demanding than submissive commentaries, surreptitious asides, or supportive descriptions. Considering the fact that Sri Aurobindo himself was a master at critical thinking and encouraged anyone who came under his spell to further the intellectual realm, these self-professed Aurobindonians are wont to cause more damage than necessary. Sri Aurobindo certainly is a demanding intellectual, a radical mystic, who needs to be taken a little more seriously rather than left to defend himself in these so-called critical dissertations which are nowhere near to what he himself would have acceded to.
Over the last four decades after the birth centenary volumes (SABCL) were released, scholarship in and around Sri Aurobindo studies have certainly increased many folds. However, I am yet to come across evidences of critical writing of the level of a Sisir Kumar Ghose or a K D Sethna or a Srinivasa Iyengar.

Derrida does what philosophers have always done: he starts with reasonable, plausible premises and then follows them out to conclusions that seem bizarre, especially if you leap right to the conclusions... He believes that language is inherently unstable and that a text’s meaning is always open to more than one legitimate interpretation (not infinitely open—readings must be based on what is actually written), and he shows this occurring in his own writing, playing with language and emphasizing ambiguities... Derrida, however, gets consigned to the children’s table because it looks like he’s just throwing food and making rude noises... I would point to his innovative views on and practice of reading and language in general, which go far beyond formulaic descriptions of deconstruction. I would also point to his ideas about the contradictions, instabilities, and paradoxes inherent in many of the ideas we take to be stable and unproblematic.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/on-heidegger-wittgenstein-derrida/

13. Guru Nanak a monotheist? Sufi apostate? The real Nanak beyond the lies of establishment historians via @swarajyamag https://t.co/XSj4RBTMpV

14. If a #fact is given and is to be apprehended, a #value is appreciated and requires to be achieved -- https://t.co/emVU3SfWHZ





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Location: Shipra Riviera, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India

Thursday, November 17, 2016

She the Supreme and substituteless

A picture below pertains to my village home in Odisha clicked when I visited last in February 2014. It is there that The Mother came to me in 1964 when I was nine. Thus, my entry into Integral Yoga has been in a playful manner and not through intense study, search, or sadhana. My initial lessons in self-reflection and self-management, however, surely come from The Mother, apart from so many things other.

Now, fast forward to 1995. By the time I got well acquanited with the intricacies of their teachings, a sense of disquiet set in about The Mother & Sri Aurobindo. Reading the works of The Mother convinced me that what she demands is an impossibility. So, the following poem was a sort of a complain to The Mother by collating and paraphrasing (and, teasing) a few of her own precepts. I continue to express such frustrations and disappointments here in various forms. But, the only solace is that I have not found any other source or resource as an alternative recourse, till now. [TNM55]

Life vs. Yoga

Wednesday, June 28, 1995

Life vs. Yoga

Thou shalt not love
All egoistic attachments will have to go,
Be it freinds or the family
The whole world revels in quid pro quo.

Thou shalt not speak
The first condition is to speak as little as possible,
In silence is the peace
To indulge in gossiping is wrong and listening to too.

Thou shalt not read
Sheets of falsehood should not mar your mornings,
Novels and Dramas too
Which incite the passion and drag you down.

Thou shalt not judge
Of men, their actions and events, the Divine knows better,
Can one judge oneself?
So it is but futile to look at things this way or the other.

Thou shalt not do good
To be altruistic is to be covertly egoistic,
Be just for justice' sake
Not for others' gratefulness as a bargain

Thou shalt not enjoy
When joy comes, can grief be far behind?
Prefer good to pleasant
By renouncing only comes the true enjoyment.

[TNM55 - 280695]

Misc. References:

The sceptics wonder about the fate of Integral Yoga without a spiritual successor, especially since they think that the task of physical transformation undertaken by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother has been left incomplete. Some use the term postponed, others say it has been temporarily abandoned. The faithful however continue to repose their trust in the Mother and accept everything as part of Her Divine Lila even if they do not comprehend it.
This article (running in ten parts) is an effort to take a look at some of these issues with regard to the Integral Yoga and its many-sided fulfillment.

2. Kerala Seminar - Psychology in India: Past, Present and Future



Event sponsored by the Infinity Foundation, NJ, USA

"Sharing my Experience About the Psychology Conference at Kollam," a report by Sangeetha Menon, PhD, Associate Fellow: Consciousness Studies, Philosophy of Science Unit, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore, India 560 012
1. Organisation: The organisers really did a wonderful job, always careful to have traditional Kerala touch, including for the formal inaugural session. The head of the dept. of psychology of the college, principal and their colleagues were all so wonderful. My thanks to all who made this conference possible, especially, Prof. George Mathew (Head, Dept. of Psychology, University of Kerala), Prof. Jose Puthenveed (Head, Dept. of Psychology, FMN College, Kollam) and Prof. Henry (Principal, FMN College, Kollam). I would say it was a good 'experience'. They tried to include all of whom desired for paper presentation, and even fit in a panel session.
2.Quality: Sadly, below average papers ruled the stage. It once again showed that Indians have the 'extraordinary' ability to talk about something with no research or thinking at all. The President of the Academy, with whom I had extensive dialogues shared my view. But still, if I make a little more differentiation, the senior professors seemed unconcerned about what they speak, or to put their ideas in a larger context and open it up for dialogues. Young scholars and students, though their representation was quite small, relatively, did a better job. Most of the papers concerning Indian psychology were repetitive and usual glorifying stuff with the starter like 'ancient Indian wisdom or psychology having all answers and being the repository of all solutions'. There were hardly any presentation (on Indian psychology) with detailed study, except a few on Sri Aurobindo's psychology.
3. Convictions: It was interesting to see that almost 90% of the participants directly or indirectly appreciated the idea of looking at 'Indian psychology'. Of the 10% which didn't favour the idea, half the number had somewhat well spelt out reasons, while the other half had reasons based on faulty notions and ideas. This came up during the panel session which Janak Pandey (President of NAOP) chaired, on the last evening of the conference. Two ideas fascinated me, of the opponents of (looking at) Indian psychology, both for their shallow conceptualisation. One argument (he was a senior professor of psychology) was that Indian psychology cant be related to empirical methods, and the other argument was that (she is a feminist, I think) ideas like 'self-exploration' cannot be pursued by subaltern sections of the society, since it is for hierarchically higher classes or sections of people. Let me also share with you my responses (in short) to these two arguments which I expressed at the panel: i) there need to be a clear distinction made between what is empirical and what is experiential; to be empirical, in order to be validated, is a normative idea we have followed, but the norm need not be the truth, when what is 'empirical' itself is to be re-looked and accounted for. ii) 'self-exploration' or 'self-hood' is not a right to be gained or lost. It is looking for new understandings of one's identity, re-directing goals, new experiences. What is needed is a paradigm shift in our thinking and framing concepts


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Location: Shipra Riviera, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India

Sunday, November 06, 2016

Sing a song in your mother tongue

Tweets by @SavitriEraParty
Savitri Era: Prerna Singh's book vindicates our campaign for Sovereignty for the States https://t.co/J28IahtmIV #SriAurobindo #WorldUnion
Key is to allow people of India to reorganise themselves voluntarily into multiple Nations constituted on the basis of whatever affinities. https://t.co/ykzpWczryi
Nationalism born more than a century back has lost meaning due to population explosion and India as one administrative unit is an anomaly.
Suppression of genuine nationalist feelings on linguistic lines in various States plus providing sordid governance has been a double whammy.
Linguistic regions being reorganised into independent nations with around 50m population has become a compulsion from good governance angle.
Culture and religion do spread over multiple nations but the way a language binds people should form a secure basis for nationhood in India.
Too much of uniformity is paralysing 1.3b people. Abolition of Central Govt. will galvanise the States and electrify international scenario.
Unity, Nationalism, etc pale in significance before the overriding principle of Democracy. Smaller linguistic nations can serve people well.
State-level politics has assumed a local character everywhere which is a clear signal of embryonic nationhood and unhinging from the Centre.
Most problems that Indians face emanates from the Central Government abolishing which is the only solution for people's welfare & happiness.
Delhi-centric worldview has to be abandoned if empowering people is the objective. States as Sovereign Republics will do it with efficiency.
India as one administrative unit has been an absurdity for the last seventy years. 1.3b people can't be forced to live under a single tent.
Each State is a repository of enormous cultural & linguistic treasure for preservation of which awarding Sovereign Republic status is a must
The Central Government must be done away with to save Indians from coterie type machinations to decide the fate of 1.3b citizens with ease.
Constitution of India has awarded too much power to two Gujaratis to lord over rest of the States and this warrants abolishing Central Govt.
@natsocialist Earlier errors can't be cited to justify present anomalies. The States should get Sovereignty to save them from two Gujaratis.
@natsocialist UP as an independent nation is a must for welfare of all concerned. Splitting it into four with 50m population is still better
@natsocialist India is an anomalous concept that has existed for seventy years. Languages and the States are the true basis of nationhood.
@natsocialist Definition of anti-national should change. Linguistic nationalism has been suppressed for too long and Central Govt. must go.
@natsocialist It's for the people to decide for which they have never got a chance as Constitution of India as a British legacy was imposed.
Two Gujaratis ruling BJP, RSS, and the Country without any respect for Federalism, Democracy, Modernity, and Civil liberties is a calamity.
Abolishing Central Govt and granting Sovereignty to the States is the most valid way of freeing the Country from the clutch of two Gujaratis
Socialism till 1991 and Capitalism thereafter has not been able to change the condition of Indian people and hence Sovereignty to the States
The real issue is granting Sovereignty to the States. All other socalled National issues are superfluous and meant for feeding media machine
Media and media persons are themselves newsmakers now and Citizens are hapless consumers. Sovereignty to States will stop political theatre.
India has many problems and they will be divided if States are made sovereign whereas benefits and opportunities will multiply exponentially
As fascist outfits, BJP and RSS may be spineless before two Gujaratis but it violates self-respect of people of other States and Federalism.
@GargaC @dna Hope you support our campaign for abolition of the Central Govt. and awarding Sovereignty to the States and specified Regions.
@ShivaKap Hope you support our campaign for abolition of the Central Govt. and awarding Sovereignty to the States and specified Regions.
@ShivaKap With allowance to personal preference, the question is whether a linguistic community of 77m has a right to a distinct nationhood?
@ShivaKap Constitution is a British legacy and people of India have never got a chance to review it. Population has grown four times since.
Indian languages act as magnets outside the country. They deserve nationhood for their people. A candid tale! @dna https://t.co/mhby6mVXEZ
Democracy in India has never reached even average soundness and, hence, two Gujaratis at the helm should not be mistaken as people's choice.
Ruling party leader and president belonging to one State is against the Federal spirit of the Constitution as well as fairness and decorum.
@m_for_moriarty What The East India Company initiated has reached its anti-climax with two Gujaratis concentrating all power in their hands.
@m_for_moriarty Western India (including Nagpur) has become a threat to the Eastern side of the Country and self-determination of the people
@m_for_moriarty That was the situation then but now the population has grown 4 times. So division is necessary for administrative efficiency
@m_for_moriarty Each State has a local character to its politics owing to demographics. So this "National" narrative is totally superfluous.
@m_for_moriarty You have just been exposed to the idea. Read my blogs, think over it; there's no hurry. Try to write an article examining it
@alok_bhatt Time ripe for abolishing the Central Govt. and the States claiming Sovereignty so that Democracy and Development reaches people.
@swarajnews @_SwarajIndia Real India lives in the States and hence abolishing Central Govt. and Sovereignty to the States must get priority.
India as a nation shouldn't be a facilitator of spreading religious obscurantism & hatred. States as independent Republics will put spanner.
Sing a song in your mother tongue
And feel the pangs of a suppressed nation.
Promise it its due Sovereignty
Without any other consideration.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo met on March 29, 1914 inaugurating Savitri Era which is facing a challenge by victory of Hindutva since May 2014.
Mythology, Astrology, and Rituals promoted by Hindutva fail to pass rational scrutiny. Savitri Erans should steer clear of dubious healings.
Foisting Smriti Irani as HRD Minister was a clear sign of how RSS views the future of India by promoting Mythology, Astrology, and Rituals.
@m_for_moriarty "Internationalist" is a better description of Sri Aurobindo and Sovereignty to States will lead to his envisaged World Union
@m_for_moriarty Your impressions may seem right but what Sri Aurobindo wrote a Century back points to a different order of things in future.
@m_for_moriarty Sri Aurobindo's broadcast over AIR Tiruchirappalli on August 14, 1947 is the most eloquent testimony https://t.co/rZhvyUYIvJ
@m_for_moriarty Nature of politics is to break domination and assert and I think I'm engaged precisely in such a project with Sri Aurobindo.
@m_for_moriarty No point in dwelling in the past or idle speculations. The task is for the future and Sri Aurobindo must come to the fore.
A vital contribution of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo is in restoring respectability to being a Believer while rejecting legitimacy of Rituals.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo focus on the human aspiration instead of any particular tradition or region thus engendering a universal Religion
Sri Aurobindo relies on the Veda, Upanishads, and Gita to delineate his Spiritual philosophy plus Yoga psychology but transcends boundaries.
Integral Advaitism of Sri Aurobindo - R.S. Misra, Political Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo - V.P. Varma, Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy of Social Development - R.N. Sharma
@kalisbrood Thanks for telling your miraculous story which is likely to inspire many. (From one with whom you have wideranging disagreement)

Misc. References:
[A humble attempt by @murlignosis and @maheshcr to record our journey on Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga] 
[Even on the day that India gained independence, Sri Aurobindo was already looking toward post-nationalism. Visionary.] http://t.co/hdi7qatH
Bhagavad-Gita online https://t.co/PNzX3gtlii put together by Dr Sampadananda Mishra (SAS and Vande Mataram Library) https://t.co/YqF3Tz7qa1
Savitri Era Learning Forum: Grand vision and unreliable Utopia in the service of Pedagogy https://t.co/b77BDqtEbf #SriAurobindo #WorldUnion
Umberto Eco's analysis on Fascism is also pertinent here: https://t.co/x0tvWNAYFC via @lithub https://t.co/pbwEI8vfNZ


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Location: Shipra Riviera, Indra Puram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India
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