Man’s urge for plumbing his own depths

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Human unity must base on the idea of culture and not simply commerce

Another year is drawing to a close and what we observe in what can be called the national discourse is sheer ennui. There are many voices, old and new, and proliferating, no doubt, but everybody is speaking in quite expected and predictable lines. The Hindutva and cultural nationalism orchestra is not as enthusiastic as earlier nor the Swadeshi caravan. The secularism debate is groping in the dark and seems to have lost its way in the myriad bylanes of myth and culture.

All polemics concerning haves and have-nots, North and South, State and individual, human rights and technology issues appear to perish under the Juggernaut of Globalisation. Perorations by cheerleaders of both sides abound but bereft of any new insight. Continental commercial conglomerates are being tom-tommed as the panacea for the future. Everything is being weighed in terms of trade or tourist-traffic.

But that is not the model of a greater World Union what Sri Aurobindo and other great thinkers dreamt of. The ideal of human unity must base itself on the idea of culture and not simply commerce. Books like Savitri and The Life Divine can very well form the basis of an enduring inter-cultural dialogue. The evolution-intelligent design dichotomy and racial unrests from Paris to Australia, are perhaps the pointers of such a hunger.

Sri Aurobindo holds a unique position among the modern day thinkers of the world. He has lived through the tradition of the east as well as the west for quite a long time and has not only delved deep into the soul of both the cultures, but also written about them extensively in English with a universal sweep. The futuristic vision that has come out of his forty years’ spiritual retreat needs to be kneaded into all our socio-economic endeavours.

At a time when all our heroes and idols are gradually fading into oblivion, Sri Aurobindo must be invited to occupy the dominant consciousness of the nation. The poet-philosopher must be allowed to teach us so as to exorcise our ephemeral notions about national regeneration and Global citizenship. The contemporary confusion concerning the search for the wisest man ends here.

Monday, December 05, 2005

The other worlds

Sri Aurobindo passed away 55 years back, on December 5, 1950. He is perceived as a great soul but his writings have yet to earn the reception they deserve. The vast body of his work and the difficult diction he employs, may be the reason to deter the common reader; but even the scholar is not enamoured enough of them. The most plausible factor that seems to be responsible is Sri Aurobindo’s insistence on spirituality while discussing secular themes such as politics, poetry, the arts, or education.

The convenient demarcation between secular and the sacred suits the academic approach. But for Sri Aurobindo this is a faulty notion because the causal aspect is eclipsed. The linkage between the two is less of the manner of an umbilical chord and more in the nature of interpenetrating imbrications. If our sensory and scientific construct of the world fails to accommodate such a picture, it must be understood as a lack.

Astronomy as an ancient passion has helped us to know about the outer universe. Astrology, too, by talking of stars and planets attunes us to their subtle influences. The different abodes of gods as described by various mythologies, also, permit us certain familiarity of the other worlds. But we rarely take their effect on our lives any seriously. And the task of Sri Aurobindo is to hammer the modern mind so as to rid it from secular superstitions.

The inner and the other worlds are a consistent theme in his poem, Savitri. Composed through the years from Quantum mechanics to nuclear holocaust, this modern epic puts a stamp of authority on the unseen fecund worlds and their inhabitants who are inextricably linked to our motions and emotions. To recognize this reality seriously, is what Savitri demands from its readers.

The different parts of our being and consciousness, as delineated by Sri Aurobindo in his Integral Yoga system, are nothing but the other worlds. We can well imagine our plights as puppets when disparate worlds are very much in the play to pull the strings. Somewhat similar to the insight offered by Baudrillard that it is the object which uses and employs us and not the other way round that we ordinarily perceive. But then, how do we benefit by this concept in our practical life?

That there runs a perpetual consonance between the seen and the unseen, might seem, at times, hard to digest, but a poetic impression can be allowed to swim aloft. The process should further deepen in the realm of creative imagination leading to a faint intellectual recognition. Since the notion runs counter to our egoistic autonomy, it is bound to take a long time to percolate down to the distant and defiant impulses. And regular recitation of Savitri helps here; its mantric effect casting its reach down to our body cells.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Mysticism and measuring rods

In Mind, Language and World ( Ed. Jonardan Ganeri, OUP:2002 ) Bimal Krishna Matilal claims, “ The ineffability of mystical experience or mysticism is a doctrine which seems to be unanimously accepted by most modern writers on mysticism.”( p. 3 )

There is nothing irrational about it, asserts Sri Aurobindo, speaking of the so called spiritual visions and experiences. The cosmic scheme of things has its own logic and necessity and hence the tenor and sequence of the whole dynamics appears to us as a jigsaw puzzle. But then a puzzle it is, which points to a solution, as yet unresolved and unrevealed.

Such an approach attracts labels of deterministic fatalism, but it arises from a human-centric world-view. Social science has its peculiar compulsions and it can’t do without the data-based procedures. The fact that it is under-equipped to probe matters in the realm of human mind should have been a well-accepted proposition. On the contrary, it is considered a rightful activity and the result is, understandably, disastrous.

Obviously, the mismatch is methodological. Though nobody can dispute man’s urge for plumbing his own depths, surely there can be disagreements about the tools and territories. The measure of success in such ventures would depend upon the measuring rods one selects.

One important aspect, which is often overlooked, is the personal disposition of the individual undertaking the exploration. Sedimented mind-sets are a terrible barrier. The tyranny of the normal and contemporary is formidable. Attempting empathy by rising above a hedonistic indifference is intimidating. Above all, the person is a hostage of his own contradictions and therefore, any objective inference is hard to expect.

Monday, October 10, 2005

The Upanishads

by Sri Aurobindo

"THE Upanishads are the supreme work of the Indian mind, and that it should be so, that the highest selfexpression of its genius, its sublimest..." (more) main breath, years sempiternal, upper breath, eternal syllable,blind gloom (more) Kena Upanishad, Taittiriya Upanishad, Chhandogya Upanishad, Shwetashwatara Upanishad, Mundaka Upanishad (more)

Editorial Reviews: Book Description

The Upanishads is a collection of Sri Aurobindo's final translations of and commentaries on every Upanishad or other Vedantic text he worked on. Upanishads are the ancient treatises on spiritual truths as envisioned by the seers, sages and rishis of the civilization of India.

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Guide to The Life Divine, October 9, 2005
Reviewer: savitriera - See all my reviews

The 18 verses of Isha Upanishad, which also appear in the Veda, were most dear to Sri Aurobindo in the sense that he has attempted several commentaries upon them in order to break free from the anomalies occuring in the received interpretations. In the process, he has audaciously ventured to disagree with many venerated masters and philosophical doctrines. Now that all these commentaries are available in one single volume, one should relish the delightful arguments and illumining explanations.

It is important to know that, out of the repeated revision of these commentaries was born, 'The Life Divine', by far, the greatest philosophical work to date. His shorter commentary on the Kena Upanishad deals with epistemological issues while that on Isha takes up the ontological aspects. These works are much more accessible than the sophisticated idiom of 'The Life Divine', and, in fact, serve as guide-books.

Monday, October 10, 2005

The Secret of the Veda

by Sri Aurobindo

"IS there at all or is there still a secret of the Veda?..." (more) three luminous worlds, luminous cows, shining herds, radiant herds, luminous herds (more) Vedic Rishis, Angirasa Rishis, The Guardians of the Light,Surya Savitri, Retrospect of Vedic Theory (more)

Editorial Reviews: Book Description

Sri Aurobindo breaks new ground in interpreting the ancient Vedas. His deeper insight into this came from his own spiritual practices for which he found vivid allegorical descriptions in the Vedas. The hidden meaning of the rig Veda is revealed with numerous translations and commentary. Many have been perplexed by the reverence accorded to the Vedas when they read past commentaries or translations. Sri Aurobindo was able to uncover the mystery of the double meanings, the inner psychological and yogic significance and practices and the consistent, clear sense brought by this psychological view of the Vedic hymns. Finally, the true inner meaning of the Veda and its relevance to the seeking after self-realization and enlightenment is revealed.

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Stop chanting, start decoding, October 9, 2005
Reviewer: savitriera - See all my reviews

This epoch-making work of Sri Aurobindo on Vedic mysticism is of immense import as far as hermeneutics and psychology are considerd. It is the most original contribution of Sri Aurobindo to the modern knowledge systems. To the reader of this work, Indra is no longer a mere mythological deity, but the master of his own 'indriyas', senses, with whose active help, it would be easy to win new frontiers of awareness. Varuna is not simply the lord of the sea but the highest psychological state of oceanic vastness, light and purity into which we all must aspire to surge forth. By this simple exercise of replacing the connotations, one turns with profit the Vedic text of great antiquity into an excellenct self-management treatise. The Veda is no more prisoned in rituals and conventions but becomes a handbook of self-culture.

As a result, thematic unity between the Veda and the Upanishads has been restored. By addressing the most primordial existential issues besetting human life, the Veda is a univesal testament, and Sri Aurobindo has delivered it from the confines of a particular religion.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Savitri: A Legend & A Symbol

by Sri Aurobindo
Paperback: 816 pages, Publisher: Lotus Press

Editorial Reviews- Book Description:

In this epic spiritual poem, Sri Aurobindo reveals his vision of mankind's destiny within the universal evolution. He sets forth the optimistic view that life on earth has a purpose, and he places our travail within the context of this purpose: to participate in the evolution of consciousness that represents the secret thread behind life on Earth.

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Adventure of consciousness, October 15, 2005
Reviewer: savitriera - See all my reviews

Yes, it was originally written in English, it's not a translation from some Indian language. The whole book is one poem, a long poem, one of the longest, they call it an epic. A poem is not meant for the poets only, it can be read by anyone. But, it is so difficult to understand? OK, a poem or a song is primarily meant for the ears, so reading aloud is the key. Can it be one page a day? Yes, and then the power and music of the words play magic. The message seeps in by and by.

SAVITRI is the finest substitute for those who can't access the VEDA because of the difficult sanskrit language. As a modern scripture it synthesizes the wisdom of all cultures. So, go for the pure gold; what better way to read SAVITRI than to start reading, right away? Bon Voyage.