Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Sri Aurobindo equates Political Vedantism with ethical relativism and neutrality

Faith & philosophy of Hinduism - Page 32 Rajeev Verma - 2009 - 333 pages
Violent struggle in her defence was a sacred duty which Aurobindo equated with a Vedic sacrifice. Such appeals aroused Hindus but antagonized Muslims, who welcomed the partition because the new province had a Muslim majority. ...
The Edinburgh companion to twentieth-century philosophies - Page 651 Constantin V. Boundas - 2007 - 740 pages
The 'field of being' thus 'enlightened' Aurobindo equates with a 'divine birth' – the telos toward which all of one's previous births are laborious steps. He writes: 'All this evolution is a growing of the Self in material nature to the ...
Columbia companion to twentieth-century philosophies
Social and political thought of Mahatma Gandhi - Page 44 Bidyut Chakrabarty - 2006 - 234 pages
India he visualized as 'democratic and federal [comprising] republican states (British Indian provinces) and constitutional monarchies (native states)'.63 In contrast with Pal, Aurobindo equated swaraj with absolute political ...
Hindutva: exploring the idea of Hindu nationalism Jyotirmaya Sharma - 2003 - 205 pages
What is absolutely clear, however, is that Aurobindo equated this principle with manliness. This is yet another inversion in his thought which inaugurates a separate set of problems. In the Indian cosmology, it was the cerebral, ...
Tradition and the rhetoric of right: popular political argument in ... - Page 113 David J. Lorenzo - 1999 - 339 pages
Where Hegel saw the rationalist bureaucracy of the German state as approximating the apex of human achievement, Aurobindo equated rationalism with the oppression and alienation produced by the British Empire, and he pointed to a ...
The Advent  Sri Aurobindo Ashram - 1998
Sri Aurobindo equates the Vedic ' 'truth-consciousness' ' with the supermind, with the Gita 's concept of Para prakriti and with supreme Shakti of Tantra, and builds up a path to the ascent to the supermind and of the descent of the ...
Encyclopaedia of Eminent Thinkers: The political thought of Aurobindo - Page 92 K. S. Bharathi - 1998 - 111 pages
Aurobindo equates Political Vedantism with ethical relativism and neutrality, bordering almost upon Machiavellism. He said, Vedantism accepts no distinction of true or false religions, but considers only what will lead more or less ...
The Political Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo - Page 229, V. P. Varma - 1990 - 494 pages
But perhaps the most astounding example of the secularization of the Vedanta is obtained when Aurobindo equates "Political Vedantism" with ethical relativism and neutrality, bordering almost upon Machiavellism. 
"Vedantism accepts no distinction of true or false religions, ... The Indian journal of political science Indian Political Science Association  1957
Modern Indian interpreters of the Bhagavadgita - Page 64 Robert Neil Minor - 1986 - 273 pages
Aurobindo equates the deity Krishna with Brahman, identifying him with the "imperishable, undefinable, unmanifest" which the Gita actually teaches is, inferior to Krishna himself in 12.1-7.13 Thus, quoting 12.3-12, he inserts the terms ...
The Advent  Sri Aurobindo Ashram - 1984
Sri Aurobindo equates the recovery of the lost cows from the caves with the release of light and knowledge from the caves of ignorance and inconscience. Similarly Sarama for him is the power of intuition. Such images and new meanings...
Towards the life divine: Sri Aurobindo's vision, Louis Thomas O'Neil - 1979 - 103 pages
Aurobindo equates his lower Maya with Sankara's understanding and maintains that it is for this reason that Sankara fell, as it were, into qualified illusionism. But Aurobindo sees lower Maya as a way which evolves into higher Maya. ...
Nolini: Arjuna of our age Nolini Kanta Gupta, V. Madhusudan Reddy - 1979 - 239 pages
Sri Aurobindo equates Brindavan with the paradise that existed before the dawn of Creation and with the u-orld of Bliss secret within us. ...
Hindu social philosophy, Subramania Gopalan - 1979 - 293 pages Sri Aurobindo equates ... The Calcutta historical journal University of Calcutta - 1979 As the radical and millenarian Milton equated monarchy with Antichrist, Aurobindo equated British rule with ... Towards eternity; Sri Aurobindo birth centenary volume, 15th ... Aurobindo Ghose - 1973 - 526 pages ... so it appears appropriate that Sri Aurobindo equated his ...
Soul of India Satyavrata R. Patel - 1974 - 232 pages
on it to be a beacon to others in a pursuit so different and difficult, for somebody has to keep the flame burning till it burns everywhere. In a brilliant speech, Aurobindo equated the Indian land with Sanatana Dharma or Hindu religion which is but another name for the yearning of the Divine or the quest of the Spirit. He also said that in India religion and nationalism ...
Contemporary Indian idealism (with special reference to Swami ..., Ripusudan Prasad Srivastava - 1973 - 212 pages
Creation Sri Aurobindo equates the nature of the universe with the nature of Reality. In other words creation follows from dhe very nature of existence or being. Thus the problem of creation is the problem of existence. ...
Sri Aurobindo: a biography and a history K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar - 1972 - 1471 pages
Brutus, who is forced in the end to answer her defiance with disarming acquiescence, and exclaim prayerfully: "O ye gods, render me worthy of this noble wife!" With his sure instinct, Sri Aurobindo equated the ...
The extremist challenge: India between 1890 and 1910, Amales Tripathi - 1967 - 246 pages
blade of knife that comes from
Leeds". He would not allow British capital to be invested. "But we shall apply for foreign loans in the open market of the whole world", guaranteeing the credit of the Government.48 Aurobindo equated ...
A critical study of Aurobindo: with special reference to his ..., Laxman Ganpatrao Chincholkar - 1966 - 216 pages
Aurobindo equates the Real-Idea with the supermind. Aurobindo occasionally says that the supermind is the Truth-Consciousness itself. The difference is of the terms than of substance. It is the perfection incarnate, and transcends all ...

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

100th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo’s Uttarpara Speech

Times of India Publications  -  15 Jun 2010 Special programme to honour Aurobindo TIMES NEWS NETWORK Bangalore:
For the first time, the state government will hold a special programme to commemorate the 100th anniversary of revolutionary-turned-philosopher Sri Aurobindo’s Uttarpara Speech delivered in 1909 in the suburbs of Calcutta.
We have formed a high level committee headed by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to decide on the date and the features of the centenary celebration programme, home minister V S Acharya told reporters on Monday.
Acharya said Uttarpara Speech delivered by Aurobindo on
30th May, 1909 is his first public pronouncement after he was released from Alipore jail in connection with the bomb case. This speech is a valuable work for understanding Hinduism and Sanatan dharma as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo. 

मुझे स्मरण है जब भारत को राजनीतिक स्वतंत्रता प्राप्त हुई थी, महर्षि अरविन्द ने कहा था, हमें आज केवल राजनीतिक स्वतंत्रता प्राप्त हुई है, इस स्वतंत्रता के लिए हमें एक मंत्र प्राप्त हुआ था 'वन्देमातरम्', जिसने असंख्य बलिदान की प्रेरणा और स्फूर्ति हमें प्रदान की, किन्तु हम सांस्कृतिक दृष्टि से आज भी स्वाधीन नहीं है और इसके लिए हमें राजनीतिक स्वतंत्रता के लिए किए गए आन्दोलन से भी कहीं बड़ा आन्दोलन करना पड़ेगा। उन्होंने कहा था, यह आन्दोलन मुझे सम्पूर्ण भारत में ज्वार के सम उठता दिखाई दे रहा है, किन्तु इसका वह मंत्र मुझे सुनाई नहीं दे रहा है, जो इसे सांस्कृतिक स्वाधीनता प्राप्त कराने के लिए असंख्य बलिदान देने की प्रेरणा प्राप्त कराएगा।

These selections from Bande Mataram and Karmayogin reveal "how even politics can and has to be reoriented and imbued with spirituality". "Though written several decades ago ... they present thoughts which are still very relevant and provide guidelines to present-day politicians and statesmen." The editor hopes "this compilation will help in reforming our political system on the lines of Sri Aurobindo's thought and vision".

Selections from Sri Aurobindo's early political writings and speeches which mostly appeared in three journals he edited between 1906-1910: Bande MataramKarmayogin and Dharma. These are of striking contemporary relevance

The philospohy of the Vedanta was an integral vision of life. In its view no area of human activity, including politics, can be fully understood without an insight into the source and goal of life itself. Sri Aurobindo wrote "All political ideals must have relation to the temperament and past history of the race. The genius of India is separate from that of any other race." This book presents the "New Ideal" advocated by Sri Aurobindo ninety years ago. Though the roots of the ideal are ancient, it is of striking relevance to the problems of politics today. [Glimpses of Vedantism in Sri Aurobindo's political thoughtSamar Basu Glimpses of Vedantism in Sri Aurobindo's Political Thought.(Book Review): An article from: International Journal of Humanities and Peace Ananda Reddy

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Habermas famously pronounced modernity an “unfinished project”

“The peculiar tenor of current ideological campaigns against fanaticism derives from the smug conviction that ‘we’ are indeed enlightened, and the concomitant notion that the Enlightenment is something to be preserved rather than enacted, furthered or repeated. Especially prevalent is the idea that Enlightenment is something like a cultural patrimony (a ‘value’, precisely) which defines our civilization. It would perhaps be otiose to point out the many ways in which contemporary, rationalist visions originating in the French Lumière or German Aufklärungare systematically denied in the contemporary political panorama. If we can indeed speak of it as a project, much of the Enlightenment is not merely unfinished: it has been ignored, buried or traduced.”    Alberto Toscano, Fanaticism: The Uses of An Idea, Verso, 2010, p. 99 review forthcoming) Copyleft of Lenin's Tomb

Several decades ago, well before there had been any concerted effort among historians and sociologists of religion to trash the standard model of the “secularization thesis,” Jürgen Habermas famously pronounced modernity an “unfinished project,” and then proceeded to outline both the conditions needed to complete the project and the barriers that the twentieth century had thrown up in its way. This is obviously not the place to rehearse Habermas’s ideas, especially since so many others have done it well. . . . But, for the present purposes, I think we can usefully boil the conditions down to two.

Vellupillai Murugesu - 'An inspirational life' The Island Anil Tittawella, President’s Counsel
Vellupillai Murugesu (fondly known as "Freddie") passed away on Saturday 20th March 2010 at the age of 86. … Born a Hindu he later became an ardent follower of the teachings and the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. He was instrumental in creating the Sri Aurobindo Society and spearheaded the movement’s work in Sri Lanka.
Retirement, after such an assiduous career, might have been sadly anticlimactic, but Mr. Murugesu went on to derive much pleasure by concentrating his energies on the unfinished business of completing the Sri Aurobindo Centre and spent his days in meditation, teaching and propagating the philosophical teachings of Sri Aurobindo. Even in retirement and in a vastly different endeavour his appetite for perfectionism never waned. He was relentless in his pursuit and the result is the now completed Sri Aurobindo Centre. Like the law firm he created and fostered with much devotion he left a fine legacy in Colombo for the Sri Aurobindo Movement, which has evolved to be a fine seat of learning and meditation. 

Nandini Satpathy Fondly Recalled from Orissa Matters by Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
Nandini Satpathy had epitomized the determination against gender discrimination and was in her assertive best in the male dominated political scenario. In this respect she was the first in Orissa and one of the first few in India that have made their marks in applied democracy.
Orissa, to her credit, had, before emergence of Nandini, excellent leaders amongst the women like Sarala Devi, Rama Devi and Malati Choudhury. But, though legendary Gandhians, none of these leaders had ever been in assertive politics. […]
She was in fact a wonderful personality in politics. […] Her birthday was celebrated on 8th at the State Information Center she had founded in Bhubaneswar. The day had begun with an exhibition of her photos that are preserved by her son Tathagat Satpathy, M.P. and editor of Dharitri. In the evening, its auditorium was jam-packed to remember her and to hear eminent writer and activist Indira Goswamy as well as Sarojini Sahoo. Both of them, famous for emancipatory writing in interest of women, paid their rich tributes to Mrs Satpathy who had personified women emancipation even as they dealt with the unending psycho-physical trauma females are yet being subjected to in the male-dominated society. Juxtaposing the present time with the time of the formative stage of Mrs Satpathy, they praised her for having pioneered the rise of a new epoch where females feel free to face the challenge from the gender-supremacists.

Having come to read and know all that is written by Heehs on Sri Aurobindo, I feel and understand that an anti-Divine force is active in and through him, and in course of time, he will be swept away by the current and force of Time into oblivion! from ASPIRATION - Aspiration is a call to the Divine. — The Mother