The Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo: Contributors

The Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo

THE INTEGRAL PHILOSOPHY OF SRI AUROBINDO A Commemorative Symposium
EDITED BY HARIDAS CHAUDHURI FREDERIC SPIEGELBERG
Ruskin House GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD
MUSEUM STREET LONDON NOTES ON THE CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS VOLUME

ARABINDA BASU. Spalding Lecturer in Indian Philosophy and Religion, University of Durham, Durham, England. Spalding Visiting Lecturer, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Member, Committee of Experts on Translation of Representative Works, International Council for the Study of Philosophy and Humanities. B.A. and M.A., University of Calcutta.
SATISCHANDRA CHATTERJEE. Head of the Department of Philo- sophy, University of Calcutta. Visiting Professor at the University of Hawaii, 1952. Author of: The Nyāya Theory of Knowledge; Fundamentals of Hinduism; Problems of Philosophy; An Intro- duction to Indian Philosophy (co-author with D. M. Datta). M.A., P.R.S., and Ph.D., University of Calcutta.
HARIDAS CHAUDHURI. Professor of Indian Philosophy and Chair- man of the Department of South Asia, American Academy of Asian Studies, San Francisco. President, Cultural Integration Fellowship, California. Lecturer in Indian Culture, Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, San Francisco. Formerly Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, Krishnagar Govern- ment College, West Bengal. Fellow of Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy, Rishikesh, India. Delegate to: The Silver Jubilee Session of the Indian Philosophical Congress, Calcutta, 1950; The Sixth National Conference of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, San Francisco, 1957. Author of: Sri Aurobindo: The Prophet of Life Divine; The Philosophy of Integralism; The Rhythm of Truth; Prayers of Affirmation; Indian Culture (co-editor with Dr Matilal Das); and some books in Bengali. M.A. and D.Phil., University of Calcutta.
TARAKNATH DAS. One of the co-workers of Sri Aurobindo during the first Indian Independence Movement. Lecturer in different American colleges and universities including The Catholic Uni- versity of America, City College of New York, Queen's College, New York University, Columbia University, University of Hawaii, University of Southern California, University of Mary- land, and Pace College, New York City. Co-founder and the present Director of Taraknath Das Foundation, New York. Author of: Is Japan a Menace to Asia; India in World Politics; Indian Struggle for Freedom; Foreign Policy in the Far East; and others. A.B. and M.A., University of Washington. Ph.D., Georgetown University; Ph.D.(Hon.), University of Munich, Germany.
SIDNEY KARTUS. Member of the Arizona State Legislature ( 1944-56). Observer for Arizona State Legislative Council of Colorado River Litigation before U.S. Supreme Court. Re-elected member of Arizona House of Representatives for 1959-60. Author of reports and articles on reclamation, historical and other subjects including the pamphlet Aurobindo: Prophet of Modern India.
S. K. MAITRA. Honorary Professor of Philosophy and formerly Head of the Department of Philosophy, Banares Hindu Uni- versity. Director of The Indian Institute of Philosophy, Amalner, 1917-18. President, Indian Philosophical Congress, 1948. Author of: The Neo-Romantic Movement in Contemporary Philosophy; The Philosophical Currents of the Present Day; Social Organization in North-East India in Buddha's Time; An Introduction to the Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo; Studies in Sri Aurobindo's Philo- sophy; The Meeting of the East and West in Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy; The Spirit of Indian Philosophy; Whither Philosophy; and numerous articles published in different journals. M.A. and Ph.D., University of Calcutta.
T. M. P. MAHADEVAN. Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, University of Madras. Visiting Lecturer in Cornell University, 1948-9. President, Indian Philosophical Congress, 1955. Delegate to Goethe Bicentennial Convocation at Aspen, Colorado, and to East-West Philosophers' Conference at the University of Hawaii, 1949. Publications include: The Philosophy of Advaita; The Upaniṣads: An Anthology; The Fundamentals of Logic; Whither Civilization and Other Broadcast Talks; Gauḍa- pāda: A Study in Early Advaita; Time and the Timeless; The Idea of God in Śaiva-Siddhānta; Outlines of Hinduism. M.A. and Ph.D., Madras University.
RICHARD P. MARSH. Lecturer in English and Assistant Professor of Radio-TV, San Francisco State College. Formerly Lecturer at College of San Mateo, California. Writer, producer and staff announcer at different radio stations of Northern California. Member of the Guild for Psychological Studies, San Francisco and Middleton. Winner of the Aurobindo Essay Contest in Northern California, 1958. A.B., S.F. State College; M.A., University of California; Ph.D., College of the Pacific, through The American Academy of Asian Studies.
JAY R. McCULLOUGH. Assistant Professor of Philosophy, San Jose State College, California. A travelling scholar of oriental culture in the Far East in 1956. Member, Board of Governors, American Academy of Asian Studies. Publications include: 'Indian Theism and the Importance of Moral Acts,' in The Review of Religion, November 1956; 'Human Understanding in a Technical Age', in The Ananai, Shimizu, Japan, January 1958; and others. B.S. and M.A., University of Arizona; Ph.D., College of the Pacific, Stockton, through The American Academy of Asian Studies.
SISIR KUMAR MITRA. Professor of History of Civilization and Joint Director of Education, Sri Aurobindo International University Centre, Pondicherry. Formerly Lecturer in Cultural History at Rabindranath Tagore Viswabharati ( World University), Shantiniketan. Author of: Cultural Fellowship of Bengal; India's Cultural Empire and Her Future; The Vision of India; The Dawn Eternal; The Secret of India's Evolution; The Liberator--Sri Aurobindo; India and the World; Sri Aurobindo and the New World.
JITENDRANATH MOHANTY. Lecturer in Philosophy, Calcutta Uni- versity. Lecturer at Sri Aurobindo Pāthamandir, Calcutta. Publications include: Nicolai Hartmann and A. N. Whitehead; A Study in Recent Platonism. B.A. and M.A., Calcutta; Dr. Phil., Göttingen, Germany.
CHARLES A. MOORE. Chairman, Department of Philosophy, Uni- versity of Hawaii. Former Member of the Department of Philo- sophy, Yale University. Sometime Acting Director, Oriental Institute, University of Hawaii. Chairman, East-West Philo- sophers' Conferences, 1939, 1949. Editor and co-author, Philosophy --East and West. Co-editor, Jungiro Takakusu The Essentials of Buddhist Philosophy. Co-editor, A Source Book in Indian Philo- sophy. Programme Director of the Philosophy and Religion Section, the sixth conference of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, San Francisco, 1957. Director, East-West Philo- sophers' Conference, Honolulu, 1959. A.B. and Ph.D., Yale. Sabbatical study as Guggenheim Fellow in India and at Oxford, 1947-8.
HAJIME NAKAMURA. Professor of Indian and Buddhist Philosophy, University of Tokyo. Visiting Professor, Stanford University, 1951-2. Delegate to: Congress on Cultural Freedom in Asia, Rangoon, 1955; The Buddhist Symposium held by the Govern- ment of India, New Delhi, 1956. Member of The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Poona; The American Oriental Society; The International Academy of the Jains. Editor of: The Bulletin of the Okurayama Oriental Research Institute; Monu- menta Nipponica; Science of Thought. Author of: A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy, four vols. (in Japanese) (awarded the Imperial prize by the Academy of Japan); Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples, two vols. (in Japanese) (translated by the Japanese Commission for UNESCO into English); and sixteen other books in Japanese. D. Lit., University of Tokyo.
N. A. NIKAM. Professor of Philosophy, Mysore University. General Secretary, Indian Philosophical Congress. Associate Fellow, Silliman College, Yale. Member of: Executive Committee of the International Institute of Philosophy, Paris; Executive Com- mittee of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, Brussels; UNESCO International Committee on Inquiry into the Teaching of Philosophy; East-West Philosophers' Conference, Canberra, 1957; UNEESCO East-West Colloquium, Brussels, 1958; Institute on Ethics, New York. Writer of the Annual Proceedings of the Indian Philosophical Congress. Author of: An Introduction to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason; the article entitled 'Realism' in History of Philosophy, Eastern and Western; The Writs of Asoka (under publication by the Chicago University Press). M.A., St John's College, Cambridge.
RAYMOND F. PIPER. Professor of Philosophy, Syracuse University, 1917-54. Visiting Lecturer, University of California, summer 1926. Delegate to: International Congresses of Philosophy, 1920, 1926, 1937; International Congress of Aesthetics, Paris, 1937. Member of: Phi Beta Kappa; American Philosophical Association; Ameri- can Society of Aesthetics; University Methodist Church. Publica- tions include: The Fields and Methods of Knowledge (co-author with Dr Paul W. Ward); Preface to Philosophy: Book of Readings (co-author with Chancellor Wm P. Tolley and Dr Ross E. Hoople ); The Hungry Eye: An Introduction to Cosmic Art; four articles in Encyclopedia of the Arts. A.B., Wisconsin; S.T.B. and Ph.D., Boston.
A. B. PURANI. Member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. Translator of Sri Aurobindo's main works in Guzrati. Visiting Lecturer in South Africa under the sponsorship of the Tagore Gandhi Trust Association, 1954. Visiting Lecturer in the United Kingdom, 1955. Author of: Sri Aurobindo: His Life and Teachings; On Art; Sri Aurobindo's Sāvitrī: An Approach and a Study; Sri Aurobindo in England. B. A., St Xavier's College, Bombay.
RUTH REYNA. Research scholar in Indian Philosophy in the Uni- versity of Florida. Member of: Phi Beta Kappa; Pi Epsilon Theta, and the like. Author of Contemporary Interpretations of the Concept of Maya in Hinduism (in the press). A.B., University of Southern California; M.A., Florida State University.
RISHABHCHAND. Member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. Author of: The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo, two vols.; The Divine Collaborators; In the Mother's Light, two parts. B.A., University of Calcutta.
ANILBARAN ROY. Extension Lecturer, Sri Aurobindo International University Centre, Pondicherry. Formerly Professor of Philosophy, West Bengal. Sometime member of the Bengal Legislative Council. Author of: The Gītā; The Message of the Gītā as Interpreted by Sri Aurobindo (editor); Mother India; The World Crisis; Songs from the Soul; India's Mission in the World; Sri Aurobindo and the New Age; and several books in Bengali.
INDRA SEN. Professor of Psychology, Sri Aurobindo International University Centre, Pondicherry. Former Professor of Psychology, Delhi College. Author of: Integral Education (compiled from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother); and Science and Culture (compiled). M.A. and Ph.D.
K. D. SETHNA. Member of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. Editor of Mother India. Author of: Essays on Wells, Shaw, Chesterton and Hardy; The Secret Splendour; The Adventure of the Apocalypse; The Poetic Genius of Sri Aurobindo; Evolving India; The Indian Spirit and the World's Future; The Passing of Sri Aurobindo. B.A., Bombay University; Ellis Prize winner.
SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA. Founder and Director of The Life Divine Society, Rishikesh. Founder and Chancellor of Yoga-Vedanta Forest University, Rishikesh. A practising physician in the Federated Malaya States, 1913-23. A wandering monk, 1924-36. Author of about 200 books including: Principal Upaniṣads; World Religions; Rāja Yoga; Hatha Yoga; Kundalinī Yoga; Yoga Vedānta Dictionary; All About Hinduism; Brahma Sūtras; Mind, Its Mysteries and Control; The Moral and Spiritual Regeneration of the World; Spiritual Experiences; Srīmad Bhagavad Gītā; etc.
NINIAN SMART. Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Religion, University of London. Former Lecturer in the University of Wales. Visiting Lecturer in Philosophy at Yale University, 1955-6. Author of a book on Buddhism and Vedānta which is shortly to appear. B.A. and M.A., London.
PITIRIM A. SOROKIN. Professor of Sociology and Director of the Harvard Research Centre in Creative Altruism. Author of: Contemporary Sociological Theories; Social and Cultural Dynamics; Social Mobility; Crisis of Our Age; Reconstruction of Humanity; The Ways and Power of Love; Social Philosophies of an Age of Crisis; and many other works translated into many languages. Editor of: Explorations in Altruistic Love and Behavior: A Sympo- sium; Forms and Techniques of Altruistic and Spiritual Growth: A Symposium. M.A. and Ph.D.
FREDERIC SPIEGELBERG. Professor of Asiatic and Slavic Studies, Stanford University, since 1941. Former Lecturer at Columbia University, University of Rochester, University of California, Berkeley, etc. Sometime Director of Studies, American Academy of Asian Studies, San Francisco. Visiting Lecturer, Institute for Analytical Psychology, Zurich, Switzerland, autumn 1956. Publi- cations include: The Bible of the World (co-editor); Alchemy as a Way of Salvation; The Religion of No-Religion; Spiritual Practices of India; The Living Religions of the World. Research in India under a Rockefeller grant, 1949. S.T.M., Hamburg; Ph.D., Tiibingen. Fellow of Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy Rishikesh.
RAMA SHANKAR SRIVASTAVA. Professor of Philosophy, Ranchi College, Behar. Member of the Board of Philosophical Studies, Behar University. Former Head of the Department of Philosophy, Gaya College. Author of Sri Aurobindo and the Theories of Evolu- tion (in the press). M.A., Banares Hindu University; D. Litt., Patna University.
H. P. SULLIVAN. Research scholar at the School of Oriental Studies, University of Durham, England. B.D., University of Chicago.
JUDITH M. TYBERG. Founder and Director, East-West Cultural Centre, Los Angeles, 1953. Visiting Lecturer at different cultural centres in England, Wales, Germany, Scandinavia, etc., 1935-6. Research work in Banares Hindu University and Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1947-50. Professor of Sanskrit, American Academy of Asian Studies, San Francisco, 1951. Author of: First Lessons in Sanskrit Grammar and Reading; The Sanskrit Key to India's Wisdom. M.A., M.Th. and Ph.D., The Theosophical University, Point Loma; M.A. in Indian Religion and Philosophy, Banares Hindu University.

K. C. VARADACHARI. Reader in Philosophy, Sri Venkatesvara University, Andhra. Former Lecturer at Madras Christian College and Union Christian College. Author of: Metaphysics of Sri Rāmānuja's Śribhāsya; Theory of Knowledge in Śri Rāmānuja's Philosophy; Living Teaching of the Vedānta; Idea of God; Aspects of Bhakti; Introduction to Logic; and other works on Mysticism, Yoga and Psychology. M.A. and Ph.D., Madras University.
ERNEST WOOD. President and Dean, American Academy of Asian Studies, San Francisco, 1957-58. Formerly Founder and President, Wood National College, Madanapalle, 1913; Founder and Principal, D.G. Sind National College, Hyderabad, 1917; Organizing Secretary, National University of India, 1917. Publications include: The Glorious Presence; Practical Yoga; Great Yoga Systems of India; Yoga Dictionary; Mind and Memory Training; Occult Training of the Hindus; The Bhagavadgītā Explained; and many others. www.questia.com

Institute for Wholistic Education

The Institute for Wholistic Education is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Institute is dedicated to the development of human potential through the integration of spirituality into daily life. The Institute focuses on exploring human evolution and creating opportunities for individuals to bring about meaningful change in their own lives and in human society.
The Institute received its initial direction and inspiration from the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. In carrying out its mission, the Institute recognizes that people need to take responsibility for their own lives and actions and to this end, the Institute has focused on educating interested individuals in the fields of Ayurveda, Reiki, Vedic Astrology and alternative health and wellness practices, including yoga.
The Institute maintains a 6000-volume library of the world’s finest literature, as well as a meditation hall. Programs are open to the general public and visitors are welcome by advance appointment. The Institute has a correspondence course program in Ayurveda and Hatha Yoga. Reiki is also taught through the Institute. In collaboration with several related concerns, the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and an extensive collection of books on Ayurveda, Reiki and other alternative healing modalities are made available.
The Institute is located at 3425 Patzke Lane, Racine, Wi. 53405 USA.262 619 1798. Institute Email
Visitors should make an appointment before visiting.
Contributions to the work of the Center are welcome and are tax-deductible. You should however check with your own tax-advisor to determine deductibility status. The Institute provides an acknowledgement letter for donations that are made.
Applying Spirituality to Social and Political Evolutionary Change: This link features articles and essays which review current affairs from the perspective of how evolutionary change can be brought about within our social and political structure.
Bhagavad Gita Study Course Information (completed September 2006)
Rebirth and Karma Course Information (begins November 2006)

SAIRSS

Science, art, philosophy, ethics, psychology, the knowledge of man and his past, action itself are means by which we arrive at the knowledge of the workings of God through Nature and through life. At first it is the workings of life and forms of Nature which occupy us, but as we go deeper and get a completer view and experience, each of these lines brings us face to face with God. - Sri Aurobindo

the institute - it's need & purpose activities catalogue of research publications / avs

SAIRSS - it's need & purpose
The Sri Aurobindo Institute of Research in Social Sciences (SAIRSS) was created by Sri Aurobindo Society in 1985, to do research in such fields as social thought, human values, cultural traditions, education, the arts, economics, psychology, health and management. The objective is to transform the collective life of humankind by basing it on a spiritual foundation.

ACTIVITIES
The institute has at present 5 subordinate institutes :
1. Integral Consciousness Centre (ICC)
2. Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Education and Research (SAFIER)
3. Sri Aurobindo International Institute for Integral Health and Research (SAIIIHR)
4. Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Indian Culture (SAFIC)
5. Sri Aurobindo Foundation of Integral Management (SAFIM)

6. Sri Aurobindo Institute of Mass Communication (SAIMC)

Catalogue of Researches

A Catalogue of Researches on Sri Aurobindo Approved for Research Degrees by Universitiesin India Rs. 35 (including postage) Sri Aurobindo Institute of Research in Social Sciences - an autonomous research wing of Sri Aurobindo Society - has brought out this Catalogue of researches completed and in-progress in Indian Universities, on the thought and vision of Sri Aurobindo. It lists about 60 universities which have done/are doing research programmes in social sciences and over 150 topics on a variety of subjects based on the thought and writings of Sri Aurobindo. The Catalogue is a useful document to help in identifying areas of further research on Sri Aurobindo.This Catalogue on the website has been updated as on August 2004. A copy of the catalogue of May 2005 edition, in computer print, can be had from the SAIRSS, Sri Aurobindo Society, Beach Office, Pondicherry - 605 002 on prepayment of Rs.35/- (including postage).

home about sas sas activities onlife, online calendar sas & you feedback about site sitemap the ashram centre of education auroville pondicherry 15th august the mother sri aurobindo

SAIIIHR and NAMAH

AIM & OBJECTIVES INTEGRAL HEALTH ACTIVITIES FACULTY JOURNAL INSIGHTS HEALTH & HEALING IN YOGA WHAT'S NEW Core Group

1. Dr. Alok Pandey, MBBS.,MD (Psychiatry)
Dr. Alok Pandey has been working in the light of Mother and Sri Aurobindo for more than 15 years. He has developed the working concept of Integral Health and Integral psychology which he is using in his life and practice. He is one of the founders of SAIIIHR.
2. Dr.Arati Sharma, BHMS
Dr. Arati Sharma works as a Homoeopathic Physician at SAIIIHR, Homoeopathic Clinic and Keloid Research Centre. She has prepared the frame work for the Keloid research project & compiled relevant extracts on body, health and illness from "Letters on Yoga" by Sri Aurobindo. She was a lecturer at S.K Homoeopathic Medical College, Beed and has visited many colleges for delivering lectures.
3. Dr. D.B.Bisht, MBBS,M.D,Ph.D,FAMS.,DSC
Dr. D.B.Bisht was professor and Head of department of Medicine at JIPMER, Pondicherry and later took over as its Director. He then moved to Delhi as Director General of Central Govt. Health Services and from there to the WHO's South East Asia regional office at Delhi. He is now the Director Research in Apollo Hospitals and Chairman of SAIIIHR. He is one of the founders of SAIIIHR.
4. Dr.Soumitra Basu, MBBS.,D.P.M.,M.D, (Psychiatry)
Dr.Soumitra Basu was the Project director of a drug detoxification and counselling centre sponsored by the Central Ministry of Welfare; a consultant psychiatrist to the Dept. of Home (Jails), Govt. of West Bengal; consultant to Alakendu Bodh Niketan (an institute for the mentally handicapped); an Hon. child psychiatrist in the child guidance clinic, Calcutta; and a research scholar in the 'Multi-centered study of drug abuse among students' a project of the Central Ministry of Welfare. He is the author of the book on 'Integral Health' and Editor of NAMAH. He is one of the founders of SAIIIHR.
5. Dr.U.R.Pachegaonkar, G.C.E.H (Homoeopath)
Dr.U.R.Pachegaonkar is working as the Chief homoeopathic physician in the Keloid Research project of SAIIIHR under the auspices of the Health and Family Welfare Dept. (ISM&H), New Delhi. He was the principal of Homoeopathic Medical college Latur. He has been the Professor and the Head of Department of Medicine and guide for post graduation courses in Homoeopathy at the S.K Homoeopathic Medical college, Beed. He was a physician at the Homoeopathic Municipal clinic at Ambajogai. He is a senate member of the Maharastra University Health Sciences, Nasik.
6. Dr.Vandana Gupta, MBBS
Dr. Vandana Gupta has been working in SAIIIHR since its inception. She has learnt Homoeopathy, Pranic healing, Iridology, Perceptible breath and Tarot cards through the years. She has been working on the Flower Remedies based on the Mother's significance since the last 10 years and has evolved with the concept of an Integral approach to healing. She is the coordinator of SAIIIHR and one of the editors of NAMAH.
7. Mr. Vijay Poddar
Mr. Vijay Poddar is the director of SAIIIHR. He grew up in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and is a teacher at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry. He is also the Director of Sri Aurobindo Institute for Research in Social Science and a member of the executive committee of the Sri Aurobindo Society.
8. Dr.Yogesh Mohan, MBBS
Dr.Yogesh has been working in SAIIIHR since 1992. He has learnt Acupressure & Pranic healing. He conducted the field study for medicinal flora in the Pondicherry city. He has done the compilation on health, body and illness from the Mothers Agenda. He has completed his MD in Community Medicine from Jawaharlal Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry. His dissertation was on “A Qualitative Study of Spiritual Well-Being”, where in he conducted an exploratory study of spiritual well-being, and based on that developed a research tool to assess ‘spiritual well-being’, which on preliminary psychometric testing shows good reliability and validity. At present he is working as a Senior Resident in the department.
Visiting Faculty /Closely associated
1. Dr. A.S. Dalal
Dr. A.S. Dalal was the Director of Klamath Mental Health Centre at Oregon, USA. He then became the Co-director of the Institute of Integral Psychology, Ojai, California from 1982-84 and then the coordinator of the out patient services at Randolph County Mental Health Centre. He has been the compiler of many books on Mental Health, Psychology and Yoga, from the writings of Mother and Sri Aurobindo. He is now associated with the research advisory activities of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Editorial Board of NAMAH. He is a practicing homoeopath at Tresor Nursing Home, Pondicherry.
2. Dr. Aparna Agrawal, MBBS,M.D. (General Medicine)
Dr.Aparna Agrawal is an associate professor of Medicine at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry. Her special field of interest has been Gastroenterology and Diabetology.
3. Dr. Debabrata Sahani, M.D. (Opthalmology)
Dr. Debabrata Sahani is associated with SAIIIHR Since his student days. He worked extensively on the project of Unconventional Noninvasive Diagnostic Techniques and used it in his practice. He is now residing in Orissa.
4. Mrs. Dhan Palkhivala, B.A.,L.L.B., Yoga Teacher
Dhan 'Ben' as we call her is a versatile personality. She is a student of BKS Iyengar and a sadhika of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga. She is an advocate, a healer, an organisor and a Yoga teacher at Bombay. She has been associated with the activities of the Sri Aurobindo Society since the beginning.
5. Dr. D.E .Mistry, MBBS.,M.S.
Dr.D.E.Mistry, was inspired by the reading of the works of Sri Aurobindo vis and vis homoeopathy. He has worked as a surgeon in the V.M.M. Medical College Solapur as a head of the surgical unit. After leaving the medical college he has been exclusively devoting his practice to treatment of all acute, chronic and terminal cases by homoeopathic remedies. He also uses the Biochemic remedies and the Bach Flower remedies. He has been associated with SAIIIHR since its inception and is editor of NAMAH.
6. Mr. James Anderson, M.B.A.
Mr. James Anderson, from England came to Pondicherry looking for a deeper spiritual understanding. He is now involved in the various facets of the work at SAIIIHR. He has finished the compilation of reference on Flower remedies from the Agenda. He helps in the proof reading and editing of NAMAH. He is also a Reiki channel.
7. Dr. Karoon Agrawal, MBBS,MS M.Ch (Plastic Surgery)
Dr.Karoon Agrawal is the Professor and Head of the Plastic surgery dept. at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry. He has done innovative work in the field of cleft Palate surgery and designing a clip for ear lobe keloids. More than 45 research papers have been presented by him in national & international journals. At present he is closely associated with SAIIIHR in the keloid project.
8. Dr. K.H. Krishnamurthy, B.Sc.(Hons), M.SC., Ph.D., F.B.S.
Dr.K.H.Krishnamurthy was Professor & UGC emeritus scholar, teaching at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry. He has specialised in Botany. He is a poet and a writer. He has developed a new methodology 'Pharmacolinguistics' for identifying plants from their Sanskrit names. He has written many books in diverse fields as Botany, Ayurveda, Poetry, Science and the Indian heritage. The Bhela Samhita has been for the first time been translated by him into English. He has received honours in Linguistics, Botany and Ayurveda. He is on the Editorial board of NAMAH.
9. Dr. Michael Miovic, BA (Psychology), M.D.(Resident in psychiatry)
Dr.Michael Miovic, a psychiatrist in Boston is part of the team who is helping to develop the Integral Yoga Psychology. He has been contributing extensively to NAMAH and is interested in the development of SAIIIHR.
10. Dr. Natalie Tobert, Ph.D (Anthropology)
Dr. Natalie Tobert is a multifaceted person who has moved from ceramics to archeology to Anthropology to Psychology. She is associated with the 'Scientific Network' group in England. She has been interested in the work at SAIIIHR.
11. Dr. Neeraja Bisht
Dr. Neeraja Bisht, daughter of Dr.D.B. Bisht is an ophthalmologist in Pondicherry. She was associated with SAIIIHR through the WHO project on the Spiritual dimension of Health. She is interested in the welfare of its team members, Society & animals.
12. Dr. P.V. Sharma, A.M.S (Ayurveda), M.A.(Sanskrit and Hindi)
Dr.P.V.Sharma graduated in Ayurveda in 1940. He was the Dy. Director of Health Services (IM) Bihar. In 1963, he joined as Prof. of Dravyagnna in the Postgraduate Institute of Indian Medicine at BHU. Later he became the Director of the Institute and Dean, faculty of Indian Medicine. He is associated with many groups to promote the use and spread of Ayurveda nationally and internationally. He has authored 50 books. Many major Ayurvedic texts have been translated by him into English as Caraka Samhita, Susruta Samhita etc. He is an honoured member of the SAIIIHR team being on the advisory board of NAMAH and SAIIIHR.
13. Mr. R. Ramanan, B.A., M.A.
Mr.R. Ramanan is a certified Handwriting Analyst, and a Professional Graphologist through the application of Grapho Cybernetics, a self modification program, he is helping many persons, especially children, to remove negative traits. He is also a Pranic healer and a Reiki Grand Master.
14. Dr. Sharmila Basu, M.Phil. (Psychology)
Dr.Sharmila Basu is working in the field of criminal psychology since the last 10 years. She has co-authored a number of papers on drug de-addiction with Dr. Soumitra Basu. She is deeply interested & closely associated to the team at SAIIIHR.
15. Sheela Pakiam, B.Sc., Peace Pilgrim
Sheela Pakiam, a Malaysian has been living in the light of the soul from childhood. This inner quest brought her to Pondicherry and SAIIIHR where she is helping in all facets especially the Flower remedies. She has collected the data on flowers from all sources, is doing a compilation of references from the Mother, looking after the medicinal plants and spreading joy, peace and love.
16. Mrs.T. Vijaylaxami
Mrs.T.Vijaylaxami, is a Professional Graphologist and helping many Children by imparting the skill of handwriting. She is a Practioner of Neuro Lingustic Program, a Pranic healer and a Reiki Grand Master.

Jugantar party

Revolutionary activities Apart from a few stray incidents, the armed rebellion against the British rulers were not organized before the beginning of the 20th century. The revolutionary philosophies and movement made its presence felt during the 1905 Partition of Bengal. Arguably, the initial steps to organize the revolutionaries were taken by Aurobindo Ghosh, his brother Barin Ghosh, Bhupendranath Datta etc. when they formed the Jugantar party in April 1906[2]. Jugantar was created as an inner circle of the Anushilan Samiti which was already present in Bengal mainly as a revolutionary society in the guise of a fitness club.
The Jugantar party leaders like Barin Ghosh and Bagha Jatin initiated making of explosives. The Alipore bomb case, following the Muzaffarpur killing tried several activists and many were sentenced deportation for life, while Khudiram Bose was hanged. Madan Lal Dhingra, a student in London, murdered Sir Curzon Wylie, a British M.P. on 1 July 1909 in London.
The Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar opened several branches throughout Bengal and other parts of India and recruited young men and women to participate in the revolutionary activities. Several murders and looting were done, with many revolutionaries being captured and imprisoned. During the First World War, the revolutionaries planned to import arms and ammunitions from Germany and stage an armed revolution against the British.[3] liveindia.com

His writing became the ideal for the Indian youth

Aravinda Ackroyd Ghosh was born on August 15, 1872, in Calcutta. His father, Dr. Krishnadhan Ghosh, a civil medical officer in Bengal, added the middle name Ackroyd because a Miss Ackroyd, a visitor from England, was present at his birth. His mother, Swarnalata Devi, was the daughter of nationalist Rajnarayan Bose. Aravinda's father attained his M.D. from the University of Aberdeen in England. By the time Krishnadhan returned to India, he was so westernized that he vowed to bring his children up as Englishmen Aravinda and his brothers were admitted to a special school in Darjeeling, in 1877, which was meant only for English children. For two years the boys were taught by Irish nuns of the Loretto Convent School. In 1879, the children were taken to England. The two elder boys were admitted to a school, while Aravinda, who was just seven years old, was left in the care of Rev. W. H. Drewett and his wife in Manchester. The Drewetts were to tutor Aravinda. Aravinda learned English and Latin from the Reverend, and history, geography, arithmetic and French from Mrs. Drewett. Aravinda became fond of reading and made full use of the personal library of the Drewetts. After five years of comfortable living in Manchester, when the boys moved to London, their remittances from Dr. Ghosh started dwindling.
Aravinda continued to excel in his studies despite difficulties. He carried away prizes for the classics--classical literature in particular. He won the Butterworth prize for literature, the Bedford prize for history and a scholarship at St. Paul's. While in the King's College at Cambridge, Aravinda was awarded a senior classical scholarship of 80 pounds per annum, in addition to a stipend as a candidate of the Indian Civil Service. Aravinda passed the Classical Tripos examination in the first class with distinction and passed in the open competition for the Indian Civil Service in 1890. He cleared the periodical examination and the medical examination but failed to appear for the horse-riding test which was compulsory for entering the Indian Civil Service. Aravinda returned to India on January 1893 aboard the S.S. Carthage. Just before Aravinda set foot in India, his father died of heart failure.
He was only 21 and did not even possess proper qualifications. He accepted a post promised by Sayaji Rao Gaekwad of Baroda when he was in England, with a fixed salary of Rs. 200. He was first appointed in the survey settlement department, and later in the department of stamp and revenue. Often he served as the Gaekwad's personal secretary and prepared the Gaekwad's speeches and wrote the communiques between Baroda State and the Indian Government. In 1900, Aravinda accepted the post of professor of English at Baroda College and also taught French as a part-time professor.
Aravinda married Mrinalini, daughter of Bhupal Chandra Basu, in 1901. Aravinda was 29 years old at the time of marriage while Mrinalini was only 14. The two had very little time to spend with each other since Aravinda lived in Baroda, and Mrinalini remained in Calcutta. Aravinda deeply loved his wife and was always regular in writing letters to her. His letters to her were published as a book called "Letters to Mrinalini." Mrinalini was initiated by Ma Sarada, saintly wife of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa of Dakshineshwara, seeking spiritual refuge. Mrinalini died of influenza in 1918 in Calcutta at the age of 31.
In one of his letters to Mrinalini, Aravinda mentioned his three beliefs. First, he believed that whatever he had: talent, virtue, high education-all belonged to God. Second, he wished to come face to face with God. Third, in his own words, "Others look upon India , their country, as a mass of matter, a number of fields, plains, forests, mountains, and rivers and nothing more." He believed his nation to be his own mother. He adored her and worshipped her. He saw the entire nation at his door, seeking shelter and help in attaining freedom from foreign shackles.
Initially, Aravinda's political activities were limited to Baroda, but they soon extended to Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bengal. He learned Marathi and Gujarati and taught himself Sanskrit. He studied Bengali under litterateur Dinendra Kumar Roy.
Ghosh's goal was to capture the public through writing. He made an extensive study of Indian literature and papers on the Indian freedom struggle. Armed with fluency in Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali, he then transcribed his views in papers like the Indu Prakash, Bande Mataram, Dharma, and Karma Yogin.
His writing became the ideal for the Indian youth. He called on the young to serve the nation as "karmayogins." He wanted the youth to devote all their energies toward freeing Mother India. He told the youth that, "if you will study, study for her sake; train yourself body and mind and soul for her service; work so that she may prosper; suffer so that she may rejoice."
Ghosh formed secret revolutionary societies which enveloped Bengal. He asked members of these secret societies to take a solemn oath to "secure the freedom of Mother India at any cost." He stoked the fire of revolution by organizing a huge rally on November 9, 1905, in Calcutta. In the meantime, the Bande Mataram, a paper Ghosh edited, won the praise and admiration of all. The British, in an effort to curb the growing dissent, prosecuted the Bande Mataram and arrested Ghosh, who was charged with propagating sedition. The British resorted to caning anyone chanting "Bande Mataram". Aravinda was acquitted for lack of proof.
Ghosh was again arrested and put in jail in the Lal Bazar police station on May 5, 1908 as an undertrial prisoner for what came to be known as the Alipore bomb conspiracy. An attempt on Lord Kingsford's life, a presidency magistrate in Calcutta known for his harsh and prejudiced verdicts against Indians, was made by revolutionaries. The attempt went awry when the bomb intended for Lord Kingsford landed in the carriage of two English ladies. Both the ladies died. Ghosh had often proposed the use of an open rebellion to attain freedom. His secret societies practiced bomb making along with the study of revolutionary literature and the Gita. Ghosh's brother, Barin, opened a center in Ghosh's Maniktala Gardens residence in Calcutta. Following the bombing, Ghosh's residence was raided on May 2, 1908. Barin was arrested along with his associates. Ghosh was arrested at his Grey Street residence.
What began was a grueling trial in which Ghosh was defended by the renowned Calcutta lawyer Chittaranjan Das. Ghosh exhibited his abhorrence for terrorist style militant resistance. He had propagated the idea of an open armed revolt. In his statement, Ghosh said, "The whole of my case before you is this. It is suggested that I preached the idea of freedom to my country which is against the law, I plead guilty to the charge. If it is an offence to preach the idea of freedom, I admit I have done it. I have never disputed it... I felt I was called upon to preach to my country to make them realize that India had a mission to perform in the comity of nations." Ghosh denied having engineered the attempt on Lord Kingsford's life, declaring the act as being against everything he stood for. Due to Chittaranjan Das's professional defense, Ghosh was acquitted.
On his release from jail, Ghosh came out a changed man. He seemed confident that India would attain her freedom. He now decided to devote his life to the liberation of the whole of the human race. On the advice of some friends, like Sister Nivedita, disciple of Swami Vivekananda, Ghosh left British India and moved to French Pondicherry on April 4, 1910 to avoid confrontation with the British.
Ghosh came to be known as Sri Aurobindo to the world. Aurobindo completed his "Savitri", which he began writing in 1899 and published in 1954. Savitri represented, in Sri Aurobindo's own words "a means of ascension. I begin with it on a certain mental level, each time I could reach a higher level I rewrote from that level... ." He wrote in the "Savitri":
"A mightier race shall inhabit the mortal's world. On nature's luminous tops, On the spirits ground, The Superman shall reign as a King of life, Make earth almost the mate and peer of heaven." Savitri
Besides the "Savitri", Sri Aurobindo compiled numerous treatise on the Vedas, Upanishads and the Gita. His "Life Divine", "The Superman", and "Ideal of Human Unity" are fine examples of work done in simple prose. In addition, his literary criticisms, poems, and plays made Sri Aurobindo a litterateur of the highest order.
Sri Aurobindo was a master of Yoga which he believed would develop the "higher principles of life" which remain hidden within every individual. He felt humanity could attain perfection little by little through conscious preparation and effort.
On Independence Day, Sri Aurobindo's message to the nation was, "August 15, 1947 is the birthday of free India. It marks for her the end of an old era, the beginning of a new age. But we can also make it by our life and acts as a free nation, an important date in a new age opening for the whole world, for the political, social, cultural and spiritual future of humanity."
Sri Aurobindo died on December 5, 1950 in Pondicherry. liveindia.com

Auroville Today December 2006

Archive copies Auroville Experience Auroville Today The current issue December 2006
Editorial:
Over the 18 years of its existence, Auroville Today has covered many aspects of village life and Auroville's relationship with the villagers. But we have never focussed upon those who provide a much-valued service in many Aurovilians' homes – the household ‘ammas'. In the December issue of Auroville Today, we report on their lives, their aspirations, and how they view both their work and Auroville in general.
The issue further carries a report of an interaction of the new Secretary, Mr. M. Ramaswamy with Aurovilians. In the section Matrimandir there is an article describing the petal shields in the twelve meditation rooms around the Matrimandir. You'll also find a viewpoint on an appropriate Auroville economic model by Jean-Yves.
In an earlier issue of Auroville Today, October 2006, an article mentioned the inauguration of the statues of Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda in the Indian House of Parliament. “Was there any connection between these two spiritual giants?” asked a reader? “Yes there was,” answers Gilles Guigan, who describes Sri Aurobindo's experience of hearing Swami Vivekananda's voice in Alipore Jail in Kolkata. Suzie writes about her visit to Alipore Jail, and her experience meditating in the cell where Sri Aurobindo was imprisoned.
Is Auroville growing? Recent population statistics released by the Residents' Service indeed show that the population has increased to 1865 people – slow, but steady.
That Auroville's unit Deepam works with disabled village children is well-known. Lesser known it is that disabled children also are helped by Persian Sky, Auroville's healing horse. Read about how this in a catching article by Priya.
This issue also features inventor Mario, who has created so-called ‘Ambience harmonizers', a new home appliance that, by emitting charged sound-light, improves the atmosphere in one's living room. Further there is a report on the Auroville International meeting in Italy and the Formia experience; and a photo essay of Joanna, a woman from Poland who visited Auroville for a few months and whose articles and photographs featured in many of our last issues.
In the section ‘profiles' you will meet with Courage Residents who speak about the experience of building community. Then there is a reports on the play “Ophelia and O,” presented by the Auroville Theatre Group at the New Creation Dance Studio; and lastly, there is a report on the inauguration of Thamarai, on November12th, in a beautiful old Tamil house in Edaiyanchavadi village. Here follow a few of the articles. We wish you happy reading. Please subscribe if you want to read more, or ask for a free copy. Details are elsewhere on this web page.

Sri Aurobindo was one of the first apostles of the New Age

SRI AUROBINDO-A FORERUNNER
by Timo Viitala

"All life is Yoga" The Beacon May/June 1999

AUROBINDO GHOSE, later known as Sri Aurobindo, was born in Calcutta on 15 August 1872. At the age of seven he was taken to England where he attended St.Paul's School in London. According to his father's instructions he received an entirely occidental education without any contact with Indian culture. In 1890 he moved to King's College, Cambridge, where he obtained a senior classical scholarship. In 1893, at the age of twenty-one, Aurobindo returned to India and joined the Baroda State Service. He worked first in the Revenue Department and in secretarial work for the Maharaja, afterwards as a Professor of English, and finally as Vice Principal in the Baroda College. During this period he learned Sanskrit and other modem Indian languages and assimilated the spirit of Indian civilisation. When there was an outbreak of the protests against the British Government's partition of Bengal in 1905, he gave up his job and openly joined the nationalist movement. In 1906 he left Baroda and went to Calcutta as Principal of the newly-founded Bengal National College.
The political phase of Sri Aurobindo's life covered eight years from 1902 to 1910. His impressive articles were published in several magazines like Induprakash, Bande Mataram and Karmayogin. He tried to inspire his countrymen with new political ideas and encourage them to fight for the sake of their motherland. He criticised the British commercial and industrial exploitation of India. He declared openly that the goal of political action was complete independence, and he was the first politician in India who had the courage to do this. Gradually he become a prominent leader of the Nationalist party. The programme which Sri Aurobindo formulated inc1uded boycott of British trade, non cooperation, passive resistance, attainment of complete independence (Swaraj), national education, settlement of disputes in law by popular arbitration, etc. On suspicion of secret revolutionary activities he was arrested in 1908 and put in Alipore jail for a year. This became for him a turning point from politics to spirituality. In prison he devoted most of his time to reading the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and to intensive meditation and yoga.
In 1910 Sri Aurobindo sailed to the French colony Pondicherry. Because of his new calling he refused several requests to preside at sessions of the National Congress. Four years later he founded a philosophical joumal, Arya, which continued to come out every month unti11921. Most of his major works like The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita, The Secret of the Veda, The Isha Upanishad, The Ideal of Human Unity, and The Human Cycle appeared serially in Arya.
At first he lived only with four or five disciples, but gradually their number increased. This became the foundation of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, which grew quite spontaneously and unintentionally around its head. Other developments of the movement are Sri Aurobindo Intemational Centre of Education and Auroville, the city of dawn. In 1920 a French women, Mirra Richard, later called the Mother, became an integral member of the Ashram, and in 1926 Sri Aurobindo handed over the entire administration of the Ashram to her and retired himself into the background. From then onward his main effort was to bring down and anchor the supramental principle on earth. Sri Aurobindo passed away in 1950.
Sri Aurobindo was a prolific writer and his collected works comprise thirty volumes, which include his poetry, plays, letters and a huge metaphysical poem, Savitri. His method of writing was, as he says, from the silent mind. Sri Aurobindo believed that India had a special mission to present spiritual wisdom to the world, and his concern was to restore and revitalise the spiritual heritage of India and give to it a new and dynamic form. His philosophy has its roots firmly in the Hindu tradition (especially Vedantic tradition), and he based most of his ideas on scriptures like the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. He did not, however, think, like his predecessors Sankara and Ramanuja had thought, that the scriptures contained the absolute and ultimate truth. To him all the scriptures were only a partial expression of the eternal knowledge. In many cases he used scripture just as a testing ground for his own intuitions, experiences and findings. Sri Aurobindo was not just a Hindu theologian. He was a liberal and creative thinker who incorporated into his philosophy many elements outside the Hindu tradition, for example from modem science, Greek philosophy and even Christianity.
Yoga is a central concept in Indian culture and the very heart of its spirituality. In his monumental chief work The Life Divine he wanted to create a metaphysical foundation of yoga and point a way to a new mode of life. He is a father of a novel yogic discipline which is called integral yoga or purna yoga. Integral yoga is not an isolated effort but part of the vast cosmic yoga of nature and the collective yoga of the divine nature in the human race. Evolution is a progressive self-manifestation of the eternal and infinite spirit. It is a movement where finite beings express more and more the power and the beauty of the infinite, and where hidden divinity reveals itself gradually in all forms of life and in all kingdoms of nature. In this sense all life is yoga. In this view yoga ceases to appear as something mystic and abnormal, which has no relation to the evolution or the progress of humanity. In placing individual yoga in this larger context, Sri Aurobindo has greatly expanded the traditional concept of yoga. Yoga has long been seen only as a way to individual salvation without any relation to history or the evolutionary process. While yoga of nature is a slow and unconscious movement, integral yoga is a conscious and dynamic effort to take "the kingdom of God by violence". Etymologically the word yoga means union-union of our separated existence to our spiritual source, God or Brahman. It signifies both the union and the method by which that union is achieved. It can also be regarded as implying the yoking or binding together of the different parts of our nature, like the physical, the emotional, the mental and the spiritual. In other words it means integration of the personality by the power of the soul. Sri Aurobindo defines it also as a new birth-birth out of the ordinary mentalized material life of man into spiritual existence. He forecasts that the regenerated and rediscovered yoga will form one of the dynamic elements of the future life of humanity.

The Synthesis of Yogas

Sri Aurobindo thinks that any single form of yoga is insufficient to such a high aim as a total transformation and divinisation of a human being. Only the suitable synthesis of all known yogas can perform this task. He takes all the traditional forms of yoga, like hatha yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, raja yoga, jnana yoga, and tantric yoga and fuses them into one supreme path called integral yoga. The synthesis does not, however, mean that these various yogas are just combined together and practised successively. Synthetic yoga is more than the sum total its parts. It is a new creation. Because its goals are so high, it is said to be the most difficult of all yogas (and paradoxically at the same time the easiest). Sri Aurobindo notes that the genuine synthesis is possible only if the outer forms and externals of these various yogas are neglected. There must be found some central principle which is common to all and some central dynamic force which is the common secret of their divergent methods. This, he concludes, is a soul-force and it forms the foundation for integral yoga.
Sri Aurobindo reasons that if the objective is only to escape from the world to God, synthesis is unnecessary, since contact or union with the Divine is possible by any single power of the soul. Ali ordinary yogas use only some power or aspect of a human being. Consequently each of them taken separately is one-sided and inadequate to the harmonious and balanced spiritual unfoldment. Sri Aurobindo crystallises the essence of integral yoga as follows: The principle of Yoga is the turning of one or of all powers of our human existence into a means of reaching the divine Being. In an ordinary Yoga one main power of being or one group of its powers is made the means, vehicle, path. In a synthetic Yoga all powers will be combined and included in the transmuting instrumentation. (The Synthesis of Yoga, p. 583)
The basis of integral yoga is the triple path of knowledge, devotion and works, which originates from the Bhagavad Gita. Knowledge, love and will are the three main powers in human
nature, and they point to the three paths by which the human soul rises to the Divine. They also correspond to the three psychological types of men and the three major rays. Unfortunately
these paths are often practised exclusively, and the result is a one sided development. Harmonious development of the intellect, the heart and will is possible only if these three are
combined and practised simultaneously. To this triple path Sri Aurobindo has furthermore added a special yoga of spiritual and gnostic self-perfection.
Some other creative thinkers in the first half of the century have also noticed the need for a synthetic yoga. The agni yoga of Helena Roerich is an instance of this. In A Treatise on White Magic Master Djwhal Khul predicts that the yoga of synthesis will come into existence. He says that its main features will be "conscious development of the intuitive faculty" and "union through synthesis", which means "identification with the whole.” He says also that this new yoga will gradually supersede the bhakti yoga and raja yoga schools. As bhakti yoga means union through devotion and raja yoga union through the mind, the yoga of synthesis means union through synthesis, i.e., through all the powers and aspects of man, not just one single power. In the above quotation we can see that this is exactly what Sri Aurobindo is aiming at in his integral yoga. Development of the intuitive faculty is also a very central element in his yoga. We can now in good reason conclude that the yoga of synthesis has come (in some form) into existence through Sri Aurobindo. In 1934 (when A Treatise on White Magic was published) it was probably true that "no book has yet made its appearance which gives in any form whatsoever “the yoga of synthesis". Sri Aurobindo's writings about integral yoga appeared serially in Arya between 1914 and 1921, but the whole book The Synthesis of Yoga was not published until 1948.

The Aims of Integral Yoga

The objectives of integral yoga deviate in many ways from those of the traditional yogas. After the golden age of the Vedas and the Upanishads, the goal of spiritual practices was seen as emancipation from earthly existence and from the wheel of rebirth. Ancient yogas were ascetic in their nature and the renunciation of the world was the final and highest phase of life. The old yogas pointed directly from mind into the timeless absolute, and the world of time and becoming was regarded merely as ignorance or the cosmic dance of Maya. There was a deep gap between the transcendental state of freedom and the world of karma and ignorance. Because earthly life itself was associated with suffering and illusion, ancient yogis did not concern themselves with the transformation or divinisation of human nature or terrestrial existence. Things like service and improvement of the human condition were not emphasised.
Integral yoga aims at a radical change of existence, not liberation from the earthly life or from the wheel of rebirth. Its goal is not heaven, nirvana or samadhi, but the fulfilment of life here on earth and in the physical bodies - an earthly immortality! Sri Aurobindo characterises in the following words the yoga which is practised in his ashram: The way of Yoga followed here has a purpose different from others, - for its aim is not only to rise out of the ordinary ignorant world-consciousness into the divine consciousness, but to bring the supramental power of that divine consciousness down into the ignorance of mind, life and body, to transform them, to manifest the Divine here and create a divine life in Matter. (Sri Aurobindo and His Ashram. p. 39). In integral yoga the union with the Divine should include all the aspects of man. It must take place not only in the soul, but in the whole being of man-the mind, the life (vital principle) and the body. Besides self-realisation, integral yoga aims at self-manifestation and self-perfection, liberation and transfiguration of the whole of our embodied existence. Christian mystics and Indian yogis have generally had a very negative attitude towards the body and the world. Integral yoga does not consider the body as opposed to soul or matter as opposed to spirit. It stresses the need for harmonious development of the personality and the balancing of material and spiritual values. It encourages the mystic to turn to a creative personality and use his capacities in the service of humanity.
The specific features of integral yoga are integral liberation and integral perfection. Integral liberation means not only a liberation of the spirit, but also a liberation of the nature. The aim is to liberate the nature herself and not just gain liberation from it. The objective of yoga is the passage from the lower to the higher plane. In integral yoga this is accomplished not by the rejection of the lower and withdrawing into the higher, but by the transformation of the lower and its elevation to the higher nature. In this way the lower personality becomes the centre of divine transfiguration and the higher principle can reveal itself in the body, the heart and the mind. Expressed technically the integral liberation consists of "a divine unity of supreme Spirit and its supreme Nature". It means the emergence not only of a gnostic spirit, but a gnostic nature or matter. In the last analysis matter is nothing else than Shakti or force of the spirit; matter is also Brahman. In the gnostic life the antinomy and imbalance between spirit and matter would be entirely removed. Matter then no longer veils and hinders the manifestation of spirit. We can see that in Sri Aurobindo's yoga the objective is exactly the same as in modem esotericism: to redeem (and not just purify) the lower bodies so that their substance is heightened and transformed and the lower atoms are replaced by the higher ones.
The integral perfection refers to the divine perfection of the human being. It means much more than just a human completion. It surpasses both the mundane and religious ideals of perfection. It goes beyond the ethical, intellectual, practical and aesthetic ideals, but includes these in the larger spiritual aim. The gnostic and divine perfection contains not only complete spiritualization of the human nature, but also a close unity with all beings by a sympathy and participation in the spiritual purpose manifesting in humanity. The liberated individual should identify himself to the collective consciousness of humanity and work for the liberation of others. In this respect Sri Aurobindo's gnostic being or superman resembles the Bodhisattva figure of Mahayana Buddhism. Union with the supreme Divine, unity with the universal Self and the supramental life action, these three, according to Sri Aurobindo, constitute the essence of the integral divine perfection of the human being.

The Method

Sri Aurobindo stresses that the methods of integral yoga must be mainly spiritual. Physical methods or fixed psychic or psycho-physical methods of hatha yoga and other yogas may be useful at times, but are not indispensable. Generally the emphasis is not laid on the phenomenal aspects of the human constitution. Integral yoga starts from that level where the spiritually oriented man normally functions-the soul in mind. Sri Aurobindo writes: Our synthesis takes man as a spirit in mind much more than a spirit in body and assumes in him the capacity to begin on that level, to spiritualise his being by the power of the soul in mind opening itself directly to a higher spiritual force. (The Synthesis of Yoga, p. 586)
The ordinary (and dangerous) method to open up the chakras is by the physical processes of hatha yoga or by the methods of tantric discipline. In integral yoga these means are not usually used, because the reliance is on the power of the higher being to change the lower nature; the work proceeds from above downward and not the opposite way. In the tantric method Shakti is all-important and it becomes the key to the finding of spirit. In the synthetic method spirit/soul is all-important, and it becomes the secret of the taking up of Shakti. Tantricism concentrates upon the awakening of the sleeping kundalini. Integral yoga strives not so much upon the awakening of the kundalini as upon the corning to the front of the psychic being or the soul. The tantric method starts from bottom, integral yoga starts at the top.
Integral yoga leaves a disciple free to a great extent. Each man has to find his own method of yoga. The apprentice of integral yoga must obey the dictates of his own soul and live by its power beyond any written truth or scriptures. One reason for this is found in the fact that the higher energy, when contacted, does not work "according to a fixed system and succession as in the specialised methods of Yoga". One of the main principles of integral yoga is absolute and unreserved self-surrender to the Divine, which Sri Aurobindo adopted from his guru, Lele, whom he met in 1908. In integral yoga there is no formal initiation. Channelling the great powers and potentialities of the causal body into the physical consciousness is the secret of gnostic life. The causal body is, however, still little developed in the majority of men. Consequently integral yoga, in its full scope, is suitable only for a relative few. In the path of integral yoga and in the spiritual development of man there are three great phases: the psychic, the spiritual and the supramental transformation.
The highest ideal behind the integral yoga is to establish the kingdom of God in the material world or to fulfil the will of God on earth. Sri Aurobindo has consciously used this Christian image as a symbol for gnostic community and the divine life that he expects to be realised on earth. An isolated individual transformation is not enough, and individual perfection and liberation are not the whole sense of God's intention in the world. The emergence of the gnostic race, the flowering of the Divine in collective humanity, the manifestation of the supramental consciousness on earth - such is the great vision behind integral yoga. It is a vision which greatly exceeds all the former ideals connected to yoga.
Sri Aurobindo was one of the first apostles of the New Age. His philosophy contains many relatively new ideas, which also resemble the conceptions of such great seers and messengers as H.P. Blavatsky, Teilhard de Chardin, Paul Brunton and Alice Bailey. Some of these new ideas are: synthesis of the eastern and western world-views, shifting of the emphasis away from individual salvation to the collective liberation, a new kind of yoga or approach to the spiritual realities, redemption of the lower nature, descent of the higher energies, arrival of the spiritual age, internationalism and human unity, evolution of a higher type of man. These are all ideas which the most progressive spiritual movements and pioneering thinkers have emphasised in this and the previous century. Many regard Sri Aurobindo as an avatar (divine incarnation). He has been called the avatar of supramental transformation or supermanhood. He was certainly one of those pioneering spirits who has ushered in the New Age and who has laid a foundation for its spiritual culture and civilisation.
REFERENCES

C.R. Goswami, Sri Aurobindo's Concept of the Superman. SABDA, Pondicherry, India, 1976.
H. Chaudhuri, Sri Aurobindo: The Prophet of Life Divine. Pondicherry, 1951.
Sri Aurobindo and his Ashram, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pon­dicherry, 1983.

Where a synthesis of nations, ideologies, knowledge, culture, etc. would be made

A Violent Revolutionary Aurobindo Ghosh 1872 – 1950

Aurobindo Ghosh had a European upbringing. After being educated in England, he returned to India in 1892 and joined the Baroda State Service. He was stirred by the writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and became an advocate of violent revolution against the British rule. His planing of secret societies in Maharashtra and Bengal created a terror among the British officers. He started a daily ‘Yugantar’. In 1910, he withdrew from political activities and went to Pondicherry, founded his Ashram ‘Aurovile’ there.
A yogic philosopher, revolutionary writer, spiritual revivalist and an extremist of Indian freedom movement, Aurobindo Ghosh was born on Aug 15, 1872 in Calcutta. He was sent to England at the age of 7 where he did his schooling. He passed the ICS exam there but didn’t join. In 1905 having resigned from the Baroda State service, he entered politics and joined the Bengal anti-partition movement. It brought him out as a political leader.
He joined the Indian National Congress and became a strong supporter of the extremist group in the congress. He accused the congress of following a policy of petition, prayer and protest towards the British rather than aiming directly at full independence.
Aurobindo joined Bipin Chandra Pal in running yet another daily ‘Vande Mataram’ started by the later. The reflecting of his radical ideas and thoughts in the editorials of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Karmoyogin’ was a great inspiration to the revolutionaries. He also developed a programme of constructive action, which created a tremendous stir among the intelligentsia and youths. For his revolutionary political activities, he was imprisoned several times. In 1908, he was put in Alipore jail. His detention at Alipore jail was the most memorable period of his life. He had profound religious experience there. It led to his withdrawal from political activities to the life of yoga at Pondicherry. He founded his Ashram ‘Aurovile’ there
Aurovile belongs to the humanity as a whole. Its objective was that there should be somewhere on the Earth a place that no nation could claim its sole property, a place where every human being could live freely as citizens of the world. The town itself was the University of Aurovile, where a synthesis of nations, ideologies, knowledge, culture, etc. would be made.
Aurobindo opined that "Cosmic salvation involves both evolution and enlightenment. On one hand, humanity evolved from matter to the present stage of development called "Mind" is now in the process of moving to a higher state of super mind or divinity. On the other hand human enlightenment and energy come from above". Aurobindo is famous for his remarkable spiritual creations, which are regarded as jewels in religion. Some of his important creations include ‘Life Divine’, ‘Essays on the Gita’, ‘The synthesis of yoga’ and ‘the Human Cycle’
Aurobindo Ghosh passed away in 1950. Footprints of TimeExam Companion

Sri Aurobindo: The Prophet of Nationalism

Dr. Jyotirmati Samantaray

Orissa Review August - 2005

Sri Aurobindo was a scholar, poet, revolutionary thinker, seer, philosopher, yogi and creator of an age. He is above all a 'Rishi', one who sees beyond, 'Kranti darsi', one who has realised his identity with the divine and wields His creative bow, Sri in his name means Glory, Glory of the Divine. Sri came to be used at a particular stage of his life when his consciousness underwent a revolutionary change. The full name of Aurobindo was Aurobindo Ghose. After November 24, 1926 - the day of his Siddhi, realisation of Krishna Consciousness in the physical - he came to be known as Sri Aurobindo.

Sri Aurobindo's father was Dr. Krishna Dhan Ghose and mother Swarnalata. Sri Aurobindo was born at 4.50 a.m.on August 15, 1872 in Kolkata. He was the third of the sons of his parents. When Sri Aurobindo was five years of age he was sent to Loretto Convent School at Darjeeling. In 1879, he was taken to England. Aurobindo was admitted to St. Pauls' School in September 1884 where he remained till 1889. He distinguished himself in classics and literature. In his final year at St. Paul, he took the ICS Examination. He had qualified himself for the Indian Civil Service, passed all the subsequent examinations; but could not appear for the horse riding test. Sri Aurobindo joined service in the Survey Settlement Department of the State Government in Baroda on Feb 8, 1893. Sri Aurobindo had acquainted himself about the political condition of his motherland and had committed himself to work for the liberation of the country. He married in April, 1901 to Mrinalini, who was fourteen years old.

Sri Aurobindo was the prophet of nationalism. He resigned from the post of Vice-Principal of Baroda College and came down to Kolkata into the open arena of politics in 1906. The same year renowned patriot Bipin Chandra Pal invited him to help him in launching a newspaper titled Bande Mataram. Sri Aurobindo extended his help. This newspaper soon became to herald the Indian revolution. Sri Aurobindo took over as the Principal of Calcutta National College in August, 1906. But, the pressure of work on him of the Bande Mataram was heavy; so he resigned.

In frequently organised public meetings and through the pages of the Bande Mataram, Sri Aurobindo spelled out a concrete scheme to make the British rule impossible. Promotion of Swedeshi industries and national education and a complete boycott of and non-cooperation with all government institutions and formation of a militant voluntary force constituted his scheme. There were three aspects of Sri Aurobindo's political ideas and activities. Firstly there was the action with which he started, a secret revolutionary propaganda and organisation of which the central objective was the preparation of an armed insurrection. Secondly, there was a public propaganda intended to convert the whole nation to the ideal of independence. Thirdly, there was the organisation of the people to carry on a public and united opposition through passive resistance.

Sri Aurobindo's journalism not only gave the call of freedom in its treatment of topics and style, it also ushered in a new spirit of freedom. The powerful prose of Bande Mataram won wonder and admiration even from those who were hostile to it. In 1907 the Government prosecuted the persons involved in Bande Mataram and also Sri Aurobindo as the editor for propagating against British rule. It created a country wide sensation. Rabindranath Tagore then wrote his famous poem on Sri Aurobindo, 'Rabindranath, O Aurobindo Bows to Thee !'

The prosecution could not prove that Sri Aurobindo was the editor and he was acquitted. After the Bande Mataram Case, Sri Aurobindo became the recognised leader of nationalism in Bengal. The Surat Congress made it clear that the Indian politics was entering into a new phase. Sri Aurobindo had decided to take up editing work of Bengali dailyNava Sakti. He was sent to Alipur Jail on charges of creating public discontentment. When he came out of the jail he found the whole political scenario of the country altered as most of the nationalist leaders were in the jail. He was determined to continue the struggle for national liberation. He started two weeklies 'Karmayogi' (English) and Dharma (Bengali).

After release from the jail he dissociated himself from all political action. His retirement from political activity was complete, just as was his personal retirement into solitude in 1910. Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya in his book '(The History of the Indian National Congress)' has said, ''Aurobindo's genius shot up like a meteor. He was on the high skies only for a time. He flooded the land from Cape to Mount with the effulgence of his light." Subhas Chandra Bose '(An Indian Piligrim)' has said,

"On the Congress platform he had stood up as a champion of left-wing thought and a fearless advocate of independence at a time when most of the leaders, with their tongues in their cheeks, would talk only of colonial selfgovernment. He had undergone incarnation with perfect equanimity..... When I came to Calcutta in 1913, Aurobindo was already a legendary figure. Rarely have I seen people speak of a leader with such rapturous enthusiasm and many were the anecdotes of this great man, some of them probably true, which travelled from mouth to mouth."

Sri Aurobindo in 'Savitri' wrote -

'As yet thought only same high spirits' dream
or a vexed illusion in man's toiling mind,
A new creation from the old shall rise,
A knowledge inarticulate find speech,
Beauty suppressed burst into paradise bloom,
Pleasure and pain dive into absolute bliss.
A tongueless oracle shall speak at last,
The superconscient conscious grow on earth,
The eternal's wonders join the dance of time.

'No one can write about my life because, it has not been on the surface for men to see.' This was Sri Aurobindo's warning to a disciple aspiring to write his biography. Manoj Das in his monograph 'Sri Aurobindo Makers of Indian Literature' said, 'But since write we must, to do so in full awareness of what he thought about it himself is perhaps the next best course we can follow.' Chittaranjan Das, in his defence of Sri Aurobindo during the Alipur Trial described him as the poet of patriotism, the prophet of nationalism with love of humanity.

References :
1. Builders of Modern India Sri Aurobindo by M.P. Pandit, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, December, 1987.
2. Sri Aurobindo, 'On Himself' Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library herein after abbreviated to SAB (L), Vol.26, pp.400-403.
3. Dilip Kumar Roy, Sri Aurobindo Came to Me, p.319.
4. A.B. Purani, Evening Talks, First Series, p.131.
5. Quoted by K.R. Srinivasa lyengar in 'Sri Aurobindo', p.45.
6. Sri Aurobindo, Bande Mataram, SABCL, Vol.1, p.515.
7. Sri Aurobindo, Karmayogi, SABCL, Vol.1, pp.336, 337.
8. Sri Aurobindo, A System of National Education I, SABCL, Vol.1, p.209.
9. Sri Aurobindo, On Himself, Vol.26, pp.59-60.
10. Haridas & Uma Mukherjee, Sri Aurobindo & The New Thought, p.XXXIX.
11. Sri Aurobindo, Bande Mataram, SABCL, Vol.I, pp.499-500.
12. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar, Sri Aurobindo, pp.492-93.
13. Sri Aurobindo, On Himself, SABCL, Vol.26, p.55.
14. Makers of Indian Literature - Sri Aurobindo by Manoj Das, published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1982.
Dr. Jyotirmati Samantaray is an Assistant Information Officer working presently at state headquarters Bhubaneswar.

Rishabhchand left his body

The Mother

Strangely, you might say there are numbers of miracles, that is, things that contradict all habits, but they hide, they veil themselves - but as for me, I see them. You know that in the night that followed the darshan, they found Rishabhchand...

[[An old and very faithful disciple whose body was found on the beach. This is the continuation of the series that began with Bharatidi, then Amrita, Pavitra.... Rishabhchand was the author of Sri Aurobindo - His Life Unique. ]]

For almost a year he had asked me to leave. So, when he asked me to leave (he asked quite in earnest: he was suffering a lot, quite miserable), I did what I always do: I presented his request to the Supreme Lord and said to Him ... And then, he didn't leave. He recovered. He recovered and for some time he was much better. But his will to go remained. So then, on the day of darshan (I think he saw me, I don't know), he disappeared from his room, and they found his body partly on the shore, partly in the water.

As it was a public place, the police asked for an autopsy, and it was done: there wasn't a drop of water in his stomach, which means he didn't drown. And it does seem, according to what people say, that he didn't drown (but I didn't see the body, so I am not absolutely sure), but one thing is sure, it's that he left his body, and another thing is sure, it's that he did not kill himself.... He went out before 4 in the morning (they don't know at what time - sometime in the night). At 4 they realized he had gone out. No one heard him leave. And he died, obviously but he did not kill himself. So what happened?... He had a bump at the forehead: he fell down...

But he didn't drown, I am sure of that. It's a so-called "accident," which means he left ... You understand, he was really imploring to go, and he went out - he must have been guided where he had to go... Yes. But they told me too, that's how they broke the news to me! They told me that Rishabhchand had "committed suicide." There was in me a categorical NO.... I didn't say it. I didn't say, I waited; because if I had said something, they would have ... I didn't say anything, I waited. Then they told me that the police had demanded the body, and later on they said, "Well, the police found there wasn't a drop of water in his stomach." So he didn't throw himself into the water. And it was the only thing he could have done...

I said, "He's quite all right, he didn't kill himself" - I'm sure of that. But I found it was ... it was all guided so wonderfully! It was ... (how can I put it?), to make myself understood, I prayed: I prayed that if it were really possible, well, let him be helped to leave. And that's what was done (but I had done it the previous time). It came just at the right time. He had completed his work; you see, the first time when he asked to leave, he hadn't completed his Life of Sri Aurobindo, while this time he had completed it - he had nothing more to say. ma/agenda/11/1970-04-29

Rishabhchand was the first person from the Jain community to join the Ashram

— Sunayana Panda SABDA, May 2006

It is not generally known that he was the first person from the Jain community to join the Ashram. Many others, who were close to him and turned to him for guidance, eventually followed his example and came to live in the Ashram. In a way he opened the door for the others who came after him. He continued till the end of his life to be a guide and an elder brother to all those who needed help to better understand Sri Aurobindo’s thoughts. Through letters he was also in touch with people living in the outside world who had an inner aspiration to follow Sri Aurobindo’s path.

Rishabhchand began writing on the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, and The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo was published in 1953. Perhaps he got the idea of writing an entire book on this subject since he was often explaining the fine points of Sri Aurobindo’s writings to so many. This book turned out to be an answer to the real need of people all over the world and served not only as an introduction to the major works of Sri Aurobindo but also as a guide to those who wanted to put this new philosophy into practice. It is not at all surprising that this book was reprinted several times and continues to be available today.

In 1960 he started writing the biography of Sri Aurobindo. People often wonder why he took the trouble of writing it when such a good book as A. B. Purani’s Life of Sri Aurobindo already existed. There was also Sri Aurobindo On Himself for those who wanted to know more about the subject, in the Master’s own words. The truth is that this was not a personal project initiated by him. The Mother herself had asked him to write about the life of Sri Aurobindo, making it clear that she wanted him to focus on the external aspect of his life only. She wanted it to be serialised in the Bulletin of the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education.

Sri Aurobindo Society, January - 2007

News from Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry)
Upcoming Events
Bonne Année - Happy New Year 2007!
The New Year dawns in the Ashram with meditation at 6:00 a.m. with recorded music. There is also March Past at 6:55 pm and collective meditation at 7:45 pm. At the Society's Beach Office hall at 9 a.m., there is collective meditation with the lighting of candles, invoking the Presence and Grace of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and a re-dedication to their work.
Here is a New Year Message from the Mother:

Let this year bring you the power to smile in all circumstances. For, a smile acts upon difficulties as the sun upon the clouds - it disperses them. With my love and blessings. The Mother

New Year is also a time for making fresh resolutions and then carrying it out for a better living. Here is a most practical guidance from the Mother, regarding resolutions:
A little sincere and regular practice is worth more than a lot of short-lived resolutions.
Dr. M.V. Nadkarni's forthcoming Series of Talks
The Society will organise a study camp by Dr. Mangesh Nadkarni at its Beach Office hall from 23 February to 5 March 2007 on Sri Aurobindo's "Savitri". As usual there will be two sessions daily 9:00 to 10:00 am and 10:30 to 11:45 am. The talks are open to all.
Recent Events
Anniversary Celebrations of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education - 1 & 2 December 2006
The Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education celebrated its 63rd anniversary on 1 & 2 December 2006. As part of the celebrations, the Department of Physical Education of the Ashram presented a beautiful physical demonstration on the theme of "Harmony & Beauty" at the Ashram's Sportsground on 2nd December 2006. There was also a dance drama on Sri Aurobindo's Sanskrit work "Bhavani Bharati", performed at Ashram's theatre in the evening of 1st December.
Maha-Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo - 5 December 2006
On 5th December 2006, there was collective meditation around the Samadhi at the Ashram in the morning and at the Playground in the evening, to observe Sri Aurobindo's Maha-Samadhi day. A visit to Sri Aurobindo's Room was arranged in the morning.
Annual Seminar of the Women's Council - 2006: "Progressive Friendship with the Divine"
A view of the audience
The Society's Women's Council held its annual Seminar on "Progressive Friendship with the Divine" on 21, 22, 23 November 2006 at the Beach Office. About 60 delegates, both women and men, from 9 States of India and 3 from U.K., U.S.A. and Nepal participated actively with interest in the Seminar.
Group Discussion under progress
The purpose of the Seminar was to put ourselves consciously in a friendly and progressive contact with the Divine Consciousness which governs our lives as well as the entire universe.
A playlet based on "Dream" Sri Aurobindo
There were many speakers who dwelt on different dimensions of the theme of the Seminar. They shared, giving their personal incidents, on how we can build up a beautiful and progressive relation with the Divine within us all, viz. man, animal, vegetal kingdom, Nature, and in all circumstances of our life.
Books Released Recently
The following two books were released recently:
1. Sri Aurobindo and the Advent of the Supermind By Gopal Bhattacharjee Price: Rs. 125/- (US $ 5 ) This book in English is a compilation of talks based on the teaching of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on various themes, delivered in various parts of the world by Shri Gopal Bhattacharjee, Joint-Secretary-cum-International Secretary, Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry. The Ranchi branch of Sri Aurobindo Society has published this book.

2. Sri Aurobindo & The Freedom Struggle of India By Gopal Bhattacharjee and Dr. Geeta GhoshPrice: Rs. 150/- This book, published by the Kolkata Centre of the Society, is a bi-lingual (English and Bengali) compilation of Sri Aurobindo's writings on the political events of India. Both the above books are available at: Splendour<splendour@sriaurobindosociety.org.in>

and SABDA<sabda@sriaurobindoashram.org>

News from Branches and Centres
News from Abroad Singapore Centre
The Singapore Centre of the Society arranged the following talks by Prof. Manoj Das of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry:
1. 'Streams of Yogic Experiences' - 2 December 2006.2. 'Questions and Answers' - 26 November and 3 December 2006.3. 'Hinduism in the 21st Century', followed by question and answer session on 3 December 2006. This talk was jointly organised by the Hindu Endowment Board, Singapore, and Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore.

News from India
Noida Branch (Uttar Pradesh)
Shri Pradeep Narang (extreme right), Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, lighting lamp to mark inauguration of Photo Gallery of Flowers with Spiritual Significance at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida. Also seen in the photo Shri Vishnu Prakash Goyal & Shri Om Prakash Dani
Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society addressed a gathering of about 50 persons at the Noida branch on 5 December 2006 - Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi day - informing what the Mother had said about how to observe the 5th and 9th December.
On the same day, a photo gallery of flowers with their spiritual significance as rendered by the Mother was opened at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Noida, in an atmosphere of silence. The event was covered by the press: Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala and Rashtriya Sahara.
Ambala Branch (Haryana)
A view of the Books stall
The Ambala branch put up a stall of books and agarbathis on the occasion of the 'Vishal Hindu Sammelan' held at Ambala Cantt. on 17 december 2006. Free booklets were distributed. Many visitors enquired about the Society's activities and showed interest in the daily satsang organised by the branch.
Gulbarga Branch (Karnataka)
As a part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Sri Aurobindo Society, Gulbarga branch, a new centre was inaugurated in Sedam in Gulbarga District on 16 November 2006 by Prof. P.M. Galgali. Prof. Galgali delivered a talk on the life and spiritual message of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Shri Trembakrao Ghantoji, founder Chairman of the Gulbarga branch, spoke on the "Blessings of the Mother".
Tirupati Branch (Andhra Pradesh)
Siddhi Day on the premises of the Tirupati branch was celebrated on 24 November 2006 in the lecture hall of Sri Aurobindo Vidyalaya. Shri M. Balarama Reddy, Chairman of the branch, presided. He narrated the events that took place on 24 November 1926.
Delhi Branch
On 17 November 2006 Dr. Bijlani gave a talk on 'Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World'.
Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, addressed a gathering of devotees at the Delhi branch on 5 December 2006 - Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi day - on what the Mother had said about observing 5 and 9 December.
The Delhi branch organised a programme "An Evening of Sufi Poetry" by the famous Sufi singer Rekha Surya, at 7 pm on 10 December 2006. The programme started with meditation with the Mother's music. Shri Ranjit Puri, Chairman of the Delhi branch, welcomed the guests.
Annanagar Centre, Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
A book titled "Annaiyin Arul Vakkugal 1000" (Part I, 1-500) compiled and translated by Shri N.V. Balu, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Annanagar Centre, from the works of the Mother was released by Shri Kalaimamani Vikraman, President, All India Tamil Writers' Association' on 24 November 2006. The book contains 509 quotations of the Mother on various topics like prayer, meditation, money, cure from illness, depression, food etc. It serves as an introduction to the teachings of the Mother on the concerned subjects. Copies of the book priced at Rs. 50/- can be had from: Sri Aurobindo Society Centre, AP-514, J-Block, 8th Street, Annanagar, Chennai - 600 040. Telephone: 044 - 26161826.
Sultanpur Branch (U.P.)
The Sultanpur branch arranged a lecture by Dr. J.P. Singh on the topic "An Introduction to Sri Aurobindo Society and the Awareness of the Supramental Consciousness" at National Intermediate College, Kadipur (Sultanpur) on 23 November 2006.
A seminar was held on 10 December 2006 at the T.D. College, Jaunpur, U.P. Dr. J.P. Singh, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Sultanpur branch, spoke on the "Lives of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and the Objects of their Yoga". The Principal of the college, Dr. A.K. Singh, also spoke on the concept of evolution in Sri Aurobindo's Yoga.
Chinchwad, Pune (Maharashtra)
The members of the centre meet every Sunday in the evening. They read from the writings of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and meditate collectively.

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