Uttaryogi -Sri Aurobindo (Short Introduction)

 

The person whom the British government considered to be the most dangerous individual was named Aurobindo Ghosh, and his date of birth was August 15, 1872. Sri Aurobindo was endowed with multifaceted genius; he was not only a great Yogi, seer, sage, philosopher, poet, and writer, but also a great patriot, freedom fighter, and revolutionary.

 

1 Sri Aurobindo also known as Uttaryogi

This name was bestowed upon Sri Aurobindo based on a prophecy made by a renowned Tamil Yogi. Nagai Japtah, a celebrated Yogi from the South, had foretold that thirty years hence, a Yogi would arrive in the South from the North and practice *Purna Yoga* (Integral Yoga) there. To enable the identification of this Yogi, he cited three specific traits—which he termed "madnesses"—as distinguishing signs. All three of these traits are found in the letters Sri Aurobindo wrote to his wife. These three "madnesses" were: 1. The conviction that all his talents were a gift from God and were meant solely for the service of the nation; 2. The quest for God; and 3. The objective of liberating India.

2 Sri Aurobindo - Revolutionary

Sri Aurobindo believed that the reconstruction of India—encompassing primarily economic, social, and political spheres, as well as any other potential avenues of development—was impossible without *Purna Swaraj* (Complete Independence). According to Sri Aurobindo, India at that time faced neither the challenge of merely becoming a wealthy and industrialized nation, nor that of evolving into a purely intellectual or omniscient nation—one possessing complete knowledge of all things in every respect. Rather, the imperative was to rescue India, as a nation, from the very jaws of death. The choice confronting the nation was one between life and death. It was for this reason that Sri Aurobindo put forth the demand for complete independence.

Sri Aurobindo did not view India merely as inert matter—a mere aggregate of fields, plains, forests, mountains, and rivers; instead, he perceived the nation as *Bharat Mata* (Mother India). The British administration regarded Sri Aurobindo as the most dangerous individual in India. Sri Aurobindo’s "Doctrine of Passive Resistance" propounded a pivotal strategy for attaining complete independence—a strategy that imparted a new direction to India’s freedom struggle. Sri Aurobindo’s blueprint for an armed revolutionary movement is articulated in his work, *Bhavani Mandir*. Upon the occasion of Sri Aurobindo’s arrest in connection with the *Vande Mataram* case, Rabindranath Tagore composed a poem in his honor; subsequently, while defending Sri Aurobindo during the Alipore Bomb Case trial, C.R. Das declared:

"Long after the tumult of this controversy has subsided, and long after he has departed from this world, he will be revered as the poet of patriotism, the prophet of nationalism, and the lover of humanity; and his voice shall continue to resonate and reverberate not only within India but across distant seas and lands beyond. Therefore, I submit that this man stands here not merely before the bar of this Court of Law, but before the High Court of History."

3 Spiritual Nationalism

Sri Aurobindo views the nation as the manifestation of a collective soul, ordained to execute specific tasks in accordance with the Divine Law. India needs to cultivate spirituality; America, commercial dynamism; England, practical intellect; France, lucid rationality; Germany, critical proficiency; and Russia, emotional intensity—all for the welfare, prosperity, and progress of humanity. The essence is that Mother Earth is progressively manifesting herself through the various nations. The formation of the United Nations should be viewed as a step in that very direction—towards a world government.

4 Nation Education Policy

Sri Aurobindo’s national education policy is grounded in holistic personality development, national thought, and universal ideals. Regarding educational policy, Sri Aurobindo writes that the living spirit behind the demand for national education does not seek a return to the mathematics and astronomy of Bhaskaracharya, nor does it advocate for the adoption of the educational system of Nalanda. This is akin to how the spirit of *Swadeshi* does not lead us back to chariots or bullock carts in place of rail or motor transport. The choice lies not between the present and the past, but between a civilization imported from abroad and the greater possibilities inherent in the Indian mind and temperament; it is a choice between the present and the future. It is not a call to revert to the fifth century, but a demand for the inception of the centuries to come.

5  Evolutionary Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo from Man to superman, mind to supermind

Following his spiritual experiences at Alipore Jail—including his dialogue with Swami Vivekananda—Sri Aurobindo departed for Pondicherry, where he unveiled to the world the path of *Purna Yoga* (Integral Yoga) as a means of transformation. The objective of *Purna Yoga* is the realization of a Divine Life, a Divine Body, and a Divine World. Within the evolutionary process, Sri Aurobindo does not regard the human being as the final creation. Sri Aurobindo writes that the course of evolution has not yet concluded; that the intellect is not the final word; and that the "reasoning animal" is not God's supreme masterpiece. Just as the human emerged from the animal, so too shall the *Superhuman* emerge from the human. This perspective is crucial to understanding Sri Aurobindo, for he views the human being as an intermediate creature—whereas Western thinkers typically perceive the human as a rational being or a self-sufficient entity.

6  Human Unity

Human unity has been the aspiration of mankind since time immemorial. In the modern era, the expression of human unity is manifested in the guiding principles of the French Revolution: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Sri Aurobindo observes that Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity have not yet been successfully established in the world. Mankind has witnessed the implementation of Capitalism in the name of Liberty, and Socialism and Communism in the name of Equality. Sri Aurobindo asserts that Fraternity—that is, brotherhood—has not yet been established anywhere in the world. The reason for this is that Fraternity necessitates a spiritual revolution; and a spiritual revolution, in turn, requires a transformation of consciousness. Auroville stands as an experiment designed to give concrete form to this spiritual transformation. The concept of Auroville has been endorsed four times by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

 

7  Five dreams of Sri Aurobindo in the message to All India Radio on 15-08-1947

Sri Aurobindo's speech of August 15 remains relevant even today, in which he outlines five resolutions: 1. Opposition to the Partition of India; 2. The resurgence of Asia; 3. The role of the United Nations; 4. India's spiritual contribution to the world; and 5. The significant role of Yoga in the process of evolution, wherein India is expected to play a leading role.

 

8  Constituent Assembly remembering Sri Aurobindo

Drawing inspiration from Sri Aurobindo's philosophy, thought, and literature, the Constituent Assembly engaged in discussions regarding India's role in the world. The proceedings of the Constituent Assembly are available in twelve volumes; a study of these reveals frequent references to Sri Aurobindo in Volumes 7, 8, 9, and 11. On November 5, 1948, Sri Aurobindo was invoked during discussions concerning the subject of Indian politics. Similarly, on December 6, 1948—with members of the Constituent Assembly who had witnessed both the First and Second World Wars in attendance—Sri Aurobindo was remembered as they sought to define India's role; they deliberated upon Sri Aurobindo's view that the transformation of consciousness constitutes the sole remedy and solution for resolving global problems. Likewise, Sri Aurobindo was remembered on May 16, 1949. On August 31, 1949, Sri Aurobindo was recalled in the context of the West looking toward India for solutions to global issues, emphasizing that India—as the repository of spiritual knowledge—must utilize this wisdom to provide guidance to the entire world. Finally, on November 25, 1949, the Constituent Assembly paid tribute to the revolutionary facet of Sri Aurobindo's legacy.

9 Expectation from Youth

Sri Aurobindo expects of an independent India that it fully attain spiritual knowledge, identify global problems, and subsequently present to the world solutions to these problems grounded in that spiritual wisdom. Sri Aurobindo regards India as the physician of the world. He accepts India's role as the *Vishwa Guru* (World Teacher). Sri Aurobindo identifies spirituality as the very foundation of India's creativity and intellect. However, he was not an ascetic who viewed poverty as a prerequisite or necessary condition for spirituality. On the contrary, he considered poverty to be an element antithetical to spirituality. He believed that the existence of poverty signified an unjust society—one that is fundamentally ill-organized.

10 Need of Original Thinking

Our first necessity, if India is to survive and do her appointed work in the world, is that the youth of India should learn to think,—to think on all subjects, to think independently, fruitfully, going to the heart of things, not stopped by their surface, free of prejudgments, shearing sophism and prejudice asunder as with a sharp sword, smiting down obscurantism of all kinds as with the mace of Bhima. Let our brains no longer, like European infants, be swathed with swaddling clothes; let them recover the free and unbound motion of the gods; let them have not only the minuteness but the wide mastery and sovereignty natural to the intellect of Bharata and easily recoverable by it if it once accustoms itself to feel its own power and be convinced of its own worth. If it cannot entirely shake off past shackles, let it at least arise like the infant Krishna bound to the wain, and move forward dragging with it wain and all and shattering in its progress the twin trees, the twin obstacles to self-fulfilment, blind mediaeval prejudice and arrogant modern dogmatism. The old fixed foundations have been broken up, we are tossing in the waters of a great upheaval and change. It is no use clinging to the old ice-floes of the past, they will soon melt and leave their refugees struggling in perilous waters. It is no use landing ourselves in the infirm bog, neither sea nor good dry land, of a second-hand Europeanism. We shall only die there a miserable and unclean death. No, we must learn to swim and use that power to reach the good vessel of unchanging truth; we must land again on the eternal rock of ages.

11  Writings of Sri Aurobindo

The Divine Life , Savitri, Foundations of Indian Culture, Essays on the Gita, The Synthesis of Yoga, Letters of Sri Aurobindo, The Human Cycle, The Secret of the Vedas, Karmayogin, Bande Mataram, Arya, Our Yoga and Its Objects, etc.

12 Message for present generation 

"The recovery of the old spiritual knowledge and experience in all its splendour, depth and fullness is its first, most essential work; the flowing of this spirituality into new forms of philosophy, literature, art, science and critical knowledge is the second; an original dealing with modern problems in the light of the Indian spirit and the endeavour to formulate a greater synthesis of a spiritualised society is the third and most difficult."  CWSA VOL 20 PAGE 15

 

Surya Pratap Singh Rajawat

Vice Chairman Sri Aurobindo Society Rajasthan