The founding force behind Auroville

This was all surprising to me because when I took world history in high school there is no mention of India when talking about Greece and Rome. In fact outside of hearing about such things as the Upanishads, I can’t rightly recall having much exposure at all about India’s history. Shameful, really.

We also visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It is a simple place but profound is the sight of so many people meditating around, kneeling at and lovingly tending to the final resting place of ‘The Mother’. Perhaps you will recall the French woman mentioned in an earlier post. She also happened to be the founding force behind Auroville. posted by A Pink American 8:45 PM

Mother’s International School

The Indian Express Neha Sinha Home> Delhi> Page One Friday , October 27, 2006
New Delhi, October 26: Like a number of parents in Delhi trying to get their children admitted to school this year, Sonali finds the new nursery admission policy suggested by the Delhi High Court-appointed expert committee to be a mixed blessing.
Many parents, including Sonali, are finding that the points system which awards more marks for considering one's own former school and for having a sibling in the same institution doesn't always work. But by far the biggest problem remains the neighbourhood policy, with parents saying there is an unequal distribution of schools.
Sonali passed out from Mother’s International School at Adchini but finds that this does not help her son — her first-born — in any way as her old school is too far from her current residence. Like the alumni factor, the sibling factor does not help Sonali or her son in any way: Sonali’s daughter is yet to go to a playschool.

I really wish I could have gone to a high school like Future School

Future School: Today I did a presentation on feature animation to the students at the Future School. Future school? you say. What the heck is Future School? Well, here in Auroville, they have some specific ideas about education. "The Mother" was very clear about what she considered the ideal in education: No grades, no tests, etc. Many people here take that stuff very seriously. So, the Mothers Will, it was. As a result, the first school here is actually called Last School, as in, it is a last school you'll ever need. (You are then expected to teach yourself). The former school here for high school aged kids is called Transition School. It's a place where students can direct their own education. Things are not very structured there. Unfortunately, it also does not provide any kind of certification for students who want to go on to university, etc.

As a result, many kids were leaving Auroville for private schooling around age 13. ( or just slacking at Transition school. ) A couple of Aurovillians recognized the need for something new since the Future School / Transition School experiment didn't seem to be working. Future School was born.At Future School, students can earn "O" and "A" levels in what is a more structured environment compared to Transition School. Compared to any regular western school the environment is extremely flexible, though. The first thing I learned about Future school that blew my mind was the teacher student ratio. There are 54 students and something like 32 teachers. As a result many courses are more like tutoring sessions than "classes". The school also promotes a mentoring program where students may pick a mentor to help guide them.

OK, enough about the school. How did the presentation go? I would say quite well. The students were attentive and thoughtful in their questions. I managed to cover the concepts of pre-production and the various steps of production in 3D animation. I even had time to talk about the steps of "traditional" (i.e. hand drawn 2D) animation for some students that showed interest. At the end I covered the various paths one could take to get into the business. (There are many!) I also made sure to tall the kids how lucky they are to have such an awesome school. I really wish I could have gone to a high school like Future School. It's more like having a team of personal tutors than a regular school. How could any even semi-motivated student go wrong in such an environment? Posted by lordtangent at 4:59 AM Friday, October 27, 2006 Labels: Auroville, India Links Auroville Auroville Earth Institute Auroville Business

Let’s try to explore and expand our musical horizons

And the good news is many different kinds of music are now available on several good websites. Raaga.com and MusicIndiaOnline.com are two excellent sources.
1. Alaap, a set of 20 CDs exploring Indian Classical Music produced by Sri Aurobindo Society
2. AIMArts.org
3. MusicIndiaOnline.com
4. Raaga.com
5. Asavari.org
6. MusicalNirvana.com
(For your comments: pankajaindia@gmail.com ) posted by pankajjain at 6:30 AM

Mythologies in a lucid and Indic way

Mythologies of the world: Aim is to present the world mythologies in a lucid way and with an emphasis on Indic way of viewing the mythologies. Mythologists like Joseph Campbell psychologists like Carl Jung, Sheldon Kopp as well as Eastern savants like Sri Aurobindo, Nitya Chaitanya Yeti scientists like Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran, Dr. Subash Kak and academics like Kosambi and archeologists like B.B. Lal, S.R. Rao - and their seminal works based on mythologies shall be discussed. I welcome you all to this blog of mine. regards. s. aravindan neelakandan posted by Hindu Mythologist 5:16 AM Thursday, October 26, 2006

Patrice Marot used to rever Mother's Agenda as the new Veda

Patrice Marot is no more

Patrice has put an end to his life on 29th June 2006. It is a bolt from the blue. A tremendous shock

Patrice hailed from France. We have worked together for nine years, though we have not seen each other ever. But we had talked over phone for long periods; we had correspondence through letters and also through e-mails. Above we were very close in our thoughts and planning. He was the Managing Director of Mira Aditi Centre at Mysore. And I was chosen by him to work as the Bengali translator of the Books published in English by Mira Aditi.

Mira Aditi Centre is an international publisher of books, mainly written and edited by Satprem, including thirteen volumes of Mother's Agenda. Satprem is a Frenchman, who was a disciple and the confidante of the Mother, when he was in Sri Aurobindo Ashram (till Her passing away in 1973).

Till 2004, I have translated into Bengali various books published by Mira Aditi, and my translations were also published by Mira Aditi. Books translated by me include Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, written by Satprem, India's Rebirth, a collection from the writings of Sri Aurobindo , and India the Mother, a collection from the writings of the Mother, and a few other books written by Satprem.

Patrice was asked to quit Mira Aditi in 2004. Prior to that and also after that some other functioaries also had to quit, including well-known Michel Danino, who has translated almost all the books of Satprem from French to English, an who is now the founder of ifih. The reason is perhaps some disturbance created in Mira Aditi. I had to quit, also.

Before departure Patrice did not inform me anything. I came to know evrything from other people working in Mira Aditi and some others involved with Mira Aditi. I have kept contact with Michel Danino after his leaving Mira Aditi. He is now the founder of ifih, of which I am also a member. But I could not find Patrice. He was so close to my heart and mind, but I could not trace him out...

On knowing about the sudden, tragic and undesirable demise of such a capable and worthy person like Patrice Marot, I am heavily shocked. Still I do not understand why he ended his life...Whatever may be the situation, suicide is never the solution and it is a failure of the Soul. It is an insult to the Soul and to the Divine. Perhaps, some part in his being was not fully open to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, open to the Divine...

May Patrice remain in Peace, wherever he is now ! May the Mother and the Lord be ever with him! I will always remember him! Barin 27-10-2006 Posted by Barin at 3:19 AM

It's a social and cultural experiment uniting people

Auroville, a universal city in the making and yes, they have a library and archives. :) It's a social and cultural experiment uniting people from many countries together to work and build a city devoted to higher consciousness and creating a sustainable environment in Tamil Nadu, India. The number of residents are just under 2000 and a form of English is the main language (but others are well represented). Auroville was based on principles of two visionaries (Mirra Alfassa, also known as the Mother, an Aegyptian/Turkish/French woman, and another an Indian guru, Aravind Ghose (Sri Aurobindo)).

Both worked for many years to bring about a higher form of consciousness, a Supermind or Supramental, and eventually a superior and transforming race that would be a high above humanity as humanity is above animals. The Mother is quoted here:
Humanity is not the last rung of the terrestrial creation. Evolution continues and man will be surpassed. It is for each individual to know whether he wants to participate in the advent of this new species.

For those who are satisfied with the world as it is, Auroville obviously has no reason to exist. The Mother, 1966

Auroville is an interesting experimental community devoted to bring together people of all backgrounds in a sustainable world with new ideas for educational, cultural, as societal harmony. Check it out. Eilir raved on 23:12

A visit to Auroville must be accompanied with an open mind

Auroville- City of the Future? You Decide
Lots of good things can happen by chance. This was one of them. I was flicking over the TV stations a few weeks back and stopped at the National Geographic channel. There was a programme on called ‘Science Safari’ in which a guy was travelling around interviewing a whole range of people involved in technological innovations across India (sound familiar?!).

Part of the programme was a two minute slot on solar innovations that are happening at a place called Auroville. Immediately I was intrigued and immediately knew I wanted to go there. I’m glad I did. It is a fascinating place, not just for it’s innovations in technology, but for what it is trying to create; an experiment in human unity and an attempt to create a city which runs on spiritual and new social principles.

A couple of days of wandering around Auroville (well cycling around Auroville) really was not enough to get a full impression, but it did raise lots of questions for me and I got to meet a wide range of individuals who each have different, alternative ways of looking at the world. A visit to Auroville must be accompanied with an open mind, but once it is open, there is a lot of scope to learn. Auroville is based on a Charter, in which the founder, Mirra Alfassa, (known as ‘The Mother’ among Aurovillians, the city’s inhabitants), and reads as follows;

• Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville one must be the willing servitor to the Divine Consciousness.
• Auroville will be the place of unending education, of constant progress and a youth that never ages.
• Auroville wants to be a bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within. Auroville will boldly spring towards future realisations.
• Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.

While there I met up with Min Ameen, who is working in a Renewable Energies Research Initiative, Uma Prajapati, who set up a clothing company, Upasana and reached out to post-tunmani communities along the Tamil Nadu coast. I also met with Gilles Guigan, who oversees the construction of the Matrimandir, the meditation centre at the heart of Auroville, and also developed a huge solar kitchen, which has the capacity to cater for 1000 people- all though the power of the sun. Interesting too. When Auroville was founded, the land was waste land. Now it is like waking into a forest. A big one. Beautiful. tags: India, Auroville, Travel, Spirituality, Conscience, Alternative posted by Clare Mulvany at 9:36 AM Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Indore hospitality

Blessed with a unique geographical location, Indore is already a regional hub for all things medical. M Y Hospital, the state’s largest government-run facility, is in fact a referral centre for the entire western Madhya Pradesh. Then there are a number of private hospitals of all sizes which either concentrate on a singular service or cater to a range of services including the latest super-speciality techniques and procedures. And all these at rates that are 3-5 times cheaper than metros.
The four big hospitals — Bombay Hospital, Indore; Choithram Hospital and Research Centre; CHL Apollo Hospitals and Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences & Bhandari Hospital and Research Centre — and a number of private clinics and medium size (100-bedded) hospitals boast of world-class facilities with the state-of-the-art equipment and trained manpower who also have international exposure.
“You name it and Indore has it. Be it the facility for advanced coronary-problems related surgery or knee replacement surgery, steriotactic surgery or even acoustic neuroma, everything is being already done at Indore,” says Dr Amit Bhat, Asst Director (Medical Services) at Choithram. HindustanTimes.com » Print Editions » Bhopal

Mother and Motherland

The problem of Janani janmabhumishca in Anand Math – Pradip Bhattacharya, IAS July 20, 2002
In Anand Math, just before the remarkable passage about in chapter 10 about “Mother as she was, Mother as she has become and Mother as she will be”, the protagonist Mohendra is astonished with the song “Bande Mataram” and asks the sanyasi Bhavananda "What Mother?...That is the country, it is not the Mother". Bhavananda replies that the only mother the Santans know is the motherland because, he quotes in Sanskrit, janani janmabhumishca svargadapi gariyasi—mother and motherland are greater by far than even heaven. Here is the passage translated by Sri Aurobindo in chapter 10: 'Bhavananda replied, "We recognize no other Mother. Mother and Motherland is more than heaven itself."'
I was intrigued by the half-shloka because I could not find it in any Sanskrit work readily to hand...

In the meantime I met Professor Julius Lipner of Cambridge University, who was completing a new translation of Ananda Math but had never seen Sri Aurobindo and Barindra Ghosh’s translation of the novel in the early decades of the 20th century. I provided him with a copy and arranged for his visit to Lalgola in Murshidabad district to see the image of Durga-Kali that had inspired Bankim's vision of the mother-as-she-has-become. I put the problem to him, but he had not a clue. On his return to England he took the trouble of getting in touch with several scholars including Prof. J.L. Brockington of Edinburgh University who has studied the epic verse-by-verse (cf. my review of his Epic Threads). Professor Lipner writes, “They all say that this verse is not in any edition of the Ramayana known to them! Folklore.” But, he added, had I noticed that the half-shloka was engraved on one of the entrances to the Dakshineshwar Kali temple? Now, that was something none of us, who visit the temple so often, have noticed.

My father and Prafulla Chaki were cousins

From: "barin chaki" barin_chaki@yahoo.co.in To: "Tusar N. Mohapatra" tusarnmohapatra@mail.com Re: Savitri Era: Dear Chaki Babu Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:02:49 +0100 (BST)
Dear Tusar, I have read the message you have written for me and published in your blog.

I was named by my parents after Barin Ghosh, the younger brother of Sri Aurobindo. As you know Barin Ghosh was a revolutionary leader against the British Government. And I am born in the same family, wherein was born the other revolutionary Prafulla Chaki, the martyr who is still remembered : he was a disciple of Sri Aurobindo and of Barin Ghosh, too. My father and Prafulla Chaki were cousins – from two branches of the same tree. Another cousin of mine, Ramesh Chaki, more than three decades older than me, was a disciple of Barin Ghosh and was imprisoned for more than a decade, for his anti-British activities. My parents were also known to Hemchandra Das, one of the 24 disciples of Sri Aurobindo who were present on 24th November 1926. He visited our house a few times in my childhood. After the Gandhi-Nehru dominance in Indian politics, public attention gradually shifted from them. The people forgot them. And the Fire gradually dwindled, as the political scenario changed both in India and in West Bengal. The Nation almost forgot what they did. Even Sri Aurobindo is not properly understood or appreciated in many corners in India, especially in West Bengal.

The Fire ignited in me by my parents and by these legendary heroes in still there within me, though it is not comparable to the Fire they had in them, because they are rare persons. And I hope it will be burning for ever, though things may remain unknown, unseen.

Whenever there is some opposition to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, to the Truth they have brought down, I try to stand up against the Opposition, within my limits, of course. And that I do in order to satisfy myself. This is my inspiration.

Speaking about myself is not my habit or practice. It is only because you raised the issue, which in the deepest depth of my mind and heart, that I spoke about it. Please do not think that I am boasting. But I was delighted and I remembered my childhood. Nobody asks these questions. You are totally different... Sincerely yours, With all the best wishes,
Barin 24-10-2006

From Barindranath Chaki The New Horizon Barin's Blog in Zaadz The New Vision All choice Astro-vision

If you are in search of inner peace then Pondi is the best place

Beauty of pondicherry By Supriya Sharda Travel Time A SPLENDID SIGHT OF BEAUTY PONDICHERRY

It is around 9.0 am and we start for Pondicherry, which is, located 162 km south of Chennai and is skirted by the Bay of Bengal to the east. With a map in hand we are keep lying on building visualizations in wits. Then, following a 5 hours journey Pondicherry materialize in facade of our eyes. Instantaneously, one undergoes the allure of a French colony, which still maintains their magic in the southern part of the India. An exclusive ambience made by the French people mesmerize the curiosity and it glimpse like chiefly it befall a vacationer delight situate. “ The best way to hang around the pondicheery is bi-cycle. It is the cheap mode to explore the small town” says guide. One can enjoy the actual world of temperament. It is also said that pondi is like a matchbox, which enclose a storehouse of magnificence, synchronization, tranquility and spirituality in it.
A great philosopher, poet Sri Aurobindo and his collaborator to whom populace deem as the Mother duo ashram append the spiritual touch to the town. A myriad disciple around the globe feels the freshness of yoga, meditation and modern science beneath solitary crown. Our mind is bombarded with messages until anyone say “You deserve a break today”! For releasing this stress Aurobindo’s ashram is the paramount seat.
The outlook of a serene place named as Auroville -The International City Of Unity, 10 km far away from pondi cherry, magnetize with its beaches, outstanding restaurants, and superior cuisines and makes everyone to spend pleasurable instance. A diversity of gems produce by natural element in Auroville...

If you are in search of inner peace then pondi is the best place for mental and physical relaxation. Pondicherry has a pleasing and asthetic layout. It seems that Pondicherry is more evocative of the south France than the south of India.

Savitri will guide a true aspirant of Yoga

Sri Aurobindo on How to Do Yoga and Why he has Rewritten Savitri Ten or Twelve Times By Santhanam Nagarajan

The great Yogi Maharishi Aurobindo (Birth 15-8-1872 Samadhi: 5-12-1950) was very emphatic in stating that only he could write truly about himself. And hence we have to read his writings, letters etc to know about him.
Swami Vivekananda guided him in his yogic practice in Alipore jail. Aurobindo himself revealed:”In the Alipore jail I had the Gita and the Upanishads with me, practiced the Yoga of the Gita and meditated with the help of Upanishads; these were the only books from which I found guidance; the Veda which I first began to read long afterwards in Pondicherry rather confirmed what experience I already had than was any guide to my Sadhana. I sometimes turned to the Gita for light, when there was a question or a difficulty and usually, received help or an answer from it. It is a fact that I was hearing constantly the voice of Swami Vivekananda speaking to me for a fortnight in the jail in my solitary meditation and felt his presence. The voice spoke only on a special and limited but very important field of spiritual experience and it ceased as soon as it had finished saying all that it had to say on that subject.” He has answered the question, “How to do Yoga” himself.
He says: “One (not a disciple- I had no disciple in those days) asked me how to do Yoga. I said: Make your mind quiet first” He did and his mind became quite silent and empty. Then he rushed to me saying: “My brain is empty of thoughts, I can not think. I am becoming an idiot.” He did not pause to look and see where these thoughts he uttered were coming from! Nor did he realize that one who is already an idiot can not become one. Anyhow I was not patient in those days and I dropped him and let him lose his miraculously achieved silence.
The usual way, the easiest if one can manage it at all, is to call down the silence from above you into the brain, mind and body.”
Aurobindo’s mind became full of an eternal silence in one day. It was ever with him. The great rishi has written the classic Savitri for the sake of mankind. He had to write and rewrite it ten or twelve times!
The disciples have been wondering why he would have to write and rewrite his poetry so many times when he had all the inspiration at his command and do not have to receive it with the difficulty that faces budding Yogis like them.
Aurobindo answered:” That is very simple. I used Savitri as a means of ascension. I began with it on a certain mental level, each time I could reach a higher level I rewrote from that level. Moreover I was particular- if part seemed to me to come from any lower levels I was not satisfied to leave it because it was good poetry. All had to be as far as possible of the same mint. In fact Savitri has not been regarded by me as a poem to be written and finished, but as a field of experimentation to see how far poetry could be written from one’s own Yogic consciousness and how that could be made creative. I did not rewrite Rose of God or the sonnets except for two or three verbal alterations made at the moment.”
From this we could easily understand that in Savitri we may find his Yogic consciousness. Savitri will guide a true aspirant of Yoga.

S. Nagarajan is a vehicle body engineer by profession. He has written more than 1300 articles in 16 magazines and published 18 books. He is revealing Eastern Secret Wisdom through T.V. Programmes, magazine articles, seminars, courses. His email address is: snagarajans@gmail.com. His articles on Yoga, laughter, efficacy of mantras and sound, Hypnotism, Tele Kinesis, Power of Prayer, Vastu and Feng Shui, Auto suggestion, Success Formula, Out of Body Experience etc are regularly appearing in ezinearticles.com. So far seventy six articles have been published in ezinearticles.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Santhanam_Nagarajan HOME::Health-and-Fitness/Yoga

Repay your debt to your community

Why Do We Acquire Knowledge? Oct 24, '06 2:20 AM by Lanis for everyone nightscamp
Sri Aurobindo once told the students of [a] Calcutta University, "Students! Why do you acquire this knowledge? Is your learning only for your selfish ends? You have acquired all these skills expense of society. If you do not repay your debt to your community by using your talent for society, it is better you burn your books."

Goodness, passion and ignorance

The Katha-Upanishad refers to material manifestation as "A tree standing on the ground of material nature, bearing two types of fruit: sweet and sour, symbolic of happiness and distress. Its roots go in three direction represented by goodness, passion and ignorance. The first bird is the localized aspect of the Supreme One, referred to as Päramätmä the divine spirit, the Entity who needs neither food nor drink. The other bird representing the mortal, has to select his food from the offerings of the tree: a choice between distress and happiness. Sometimes he eats the fruits of happiness and sometimes the fruit of distress. Having eaten the fruit, he expands along the three directions of the roots, the modes of material existence, namely, goodness, passion and ignorance."

This individual growth is what makes two mortals dissimilar. Growth is strongly connected with past karma and guidance upbringing. The realities of life have different meanings for each individual. Why does a stable and rewarding professional relationship become distant? Why does the accommodating boss turn into a difficult task master? Why does the team lose spirit for no apparent reason?

About the author: Madhushri mukerjee is one of the astrologer with cyberastro.com Madhushri completed her early schooling at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. Having grown up in an environment of literature, music and spirituality she proceeded to complete her Masters in Comparative Literature from the Jadavpur University after completing graduation studies in the same course of the University. In addition, Madhushri also hold a Masters...posted by Editor @ 6:16 PM Monday, October 23, 2006

This alone is man's real business in the world

In Sri Aurobindo's Yoga, one movement is to go inward and open fully the connection between the psychic being and the outer nature, the other is to open upward to the Divine Peace, Force, Light, Bliss above, to rise up into it and bring it down into the nature and the body. This ascent to the divine Life is the human journey; this alone is man's real business in the world. kheper.net/topics/Aur...pchart1.gif Sun, October 22, 2006 - 3:15 AM - permalink back to Shiva » INSPIRATIONS « ANTARATAMAN - The PSYCHIC, ... main

Genius video

"The Genius of India" is a video based on an essay written by Sri Aurobindo. It is excelletly made. Particularly the background music and the picturisation of the video is simply superb. The subject is very spiritual and deep. It is suggested that the viewer sees it with full attention instead to appreciate it. posted by Jiger 10:52 AM Sunday, October 22, 2006

Pondicherry was delightful -- so clean and green

Pictures of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are everywhere

In Pondicherry, we stayed at a beach guesthouse run by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, which has a large commun(ity) just outside of Pondy. It was very clean and nice--the man at the desk called us the Three Musketeers--but it came with ashram rules--we had to be inside the gate by 10:30, and visitors could only come to the Visitors Room, and then only at certain hours. Oh well, it was cheap. Pondicherry is a former French colony, and we got our first taste of France when, as we were walking down Rue Dumas, a man said "au revoir" to us. Pondicherry was delightful--so clean and green. We ate crepes for brunch and had pretty reasonable pizza for dinner. Halo and Rutgers Aaina were in Pondicherry by the time we came, so they joined us at dinner.

On Monday, we woke up to someone's setting off fireworks on the beach...even though you probably can't see them in the morning. We wandered around Pondy all day, and in the evening we had a waterfront cheese and crackers picnic with Halo and Aaina. On Tuesday, Mary and I sprung for Ayurvedic massages. They were greasy and not very um modest, but they were relaxing. It would have been more relaxing, though, had it not been for the Secret Amy Berg Weakness. Mom and Dad, you may be able to figure out what I'm talking about. posted by Amy Berg @ 3:16 PM

Divyadeepa alternative school

Divyadeepa Trust , Mysore « previous entry next entry » Oct. 22nd, 2006 06:50 am

Inspired by the ideals of Sri Aurobindo & Swami Vivekananda, Divyadeepa initiated its service activities in a small village Srirampura on the outskirts of Mysore, Karnataka state during 1992. Kaliyuva Mane[A Kannada word which means "Learning Home"] alternative school which started functioning is a logical sequel to Divyadeepa's initiatives.

Children who fail to reach the desired educational standards due to illiteracy, ignorance and poverty of parents, lack of infrastructure in the village schools are given a new hope of life, by providing value based education including yoga, arts, crafts, music, drama, environmental awareness programs.

Deepavali in Puducherry

TN, Pondy celebrate Deepavali Search for More News Published: Sunday, October 22, 2006 cibs@chennaionline.com

Chennai, Oct 22: Deepavali, the festival of lights, was celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with traditional gaiety yesterday. After heralding the day with bursting of crackers at the break of dawn dressed in new clothes, people were later seen visiting temples, greeting each other and presenting boxes of sweets. In Chennai, people dressed in colourful attire, were seen thronging temples and greeting each other.

In Puducherry, thousands of people thronged temples as well as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram on the occasion. The deity of Sri Manakula Vinayakar temple was taken around the main streets of Puducherry as part of the celebrations. Lt Governor Mukut Mithi, Chief Minister N Rangasamy and a host of political leaders extended greetings to the people. (Our Correspondent)

A really complex poem by Sri Aurobindo

minored part 2 October 11th, 2006 by Dipankar Sarkar So yet again my minors start …One exam done with , 3 more to go … this is going to be fun Exam #1 : HUL 240

Q1. Talked about Sarojini Naidu’s “soul’s prayer” , a decent poem which talks about taking a balanced approach to the highs and lows of life .
Q2. Then, a really complex poem by Sri Aurobindo “Thought, the paracelete” .. wooh hoo I wrote as much as I could, and it was fun …
So all in all a very decent exam (wrote 10 sides, with words underlined ). The next exam will be a bomb , that sucks. Praying some miracle happens ha ha …. jokes apart , no idea what will happen in nets … studying for it now .. Explore posts in the same categories: General --> This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 at 10:42 pm and is filed under General.

1926 - 2006

All choice All life is Yoga. Saturday, October 21, 2006 The Day of Victory : 24th November 1926 Sri Aurobindo had a very great Realization on the 26th November 1926. It was declared as the Siddhi Divas, the Day of Victory. The Mother [Mira Alfassa] said in this regard: The 24th November is called the day of Victory in remembrance of a very important spiritual event which took place in 1926...

I read the following quotation posted on 20th October 2006 by Tusar N. Mohapatra in his Blog Aurora Mirabilis. The matter was written and originally posted by one Swami Saiexposedananda : Sri Aurobindo's taking of voluntary retirement Unsurprisingly, Sai devotees have seized on this as proof of Sai Baba's divinity and identity with God (Krishna) with no exception, given their belief that Sri Aurobindo was referring to the Baba who was supposedly born on the previous day (Nov. 23)...

I have personally heard and read about this claim made by some devotees of Satya Sai Baba for last three decades and more. I am quoting one instance below : [the descent of divine sakthis on the earth ] ...

The sense which is normally carried with the word “retirement” is of a life of total rest and ease, with no occupation, no work. If that is the meaning some persons ascribe to Sri Aurobindo’s retirement, then they are committing a foolish mistake. After 24th November 1926, Sri Aurobindo withdrew from the day-to-day contacts with the normal outside world, in order to concentrate on His Work, which He continued till His Departure. That is the most important Work to have been done by anybody on earth till His Departure, and even after His Departure, except by The Mother, as far as known record is concerned. And the Work is the Descent of the Supermind and the Supramental Manifestation and a definite Progress in the next Evolution. And This is and was the Action of the Divine, what Sri Aurobindo was. That was an Action performed by Him out of utter Love and Compassion for the humanity, for which the mankind will definitely feel more and more grateful to Him, in course of Time, as Time will advance...

He began this work virtually soon after He came to Pondicherry. That was the Divine Will. But the fullest concentration He could give to this work only after this event on the Victory Day. The Realization He had, the Consciousness that descended, inspired Him to continue this Work through the name of a Retirement.This ‘retirement’, did not mean that he kept no information of the external developments. As he told, he "kept a close watch on all that was happening in the world and in India and actively intervened whenever necessary, but solely with a spiritual force and silent spiritual action..." Twice he broke his self-imposed silence on political matters. Once He recommendinged acceptance of the Cripps Proposal, which "provided an opportunity to organize the freedom of India." And then, during the Second World War, He revealed that Hitler represented Titanic forces aiming at destruction of the human civilization, and declared himself to be on the side of the Allies, encouraging India to join the war effort.

Regarding this matter, I have collected some information from whatever my friend M Alan Kazlev, of the Kheper Home fame, has written on The Date of Sai Baba's Birthday...I fully agree with Alan on these points. And I conclude that the claim Sri Aurobindo referred to him as the Incarnation of the Overmind consciousness is totally baseless. Sri Aurobindo did never refer to the 23rd day, and never spoke of Satya Sai Baba or about his birth. The Mother, too, spoke nothing about these matters or about these possibilities – the only thing She said is that Sai Baba was a Guru ! If Sai Baba would have been the Avatar of the Cosciousness that descended on the 24th, Si Aurobindo and The Mother would have definitely told about it. It seems that the theory cropped up after Sri Aurobindo’s Departure...

It is blasphemous to suggest that Sri Aurobindo slipped into inaction and retirement, as the Divine avatar emerged! TheFuture belongs to Sri Aurobindo ! The Mother declared that Sri Aurobindo was an Avatar of the Divine.* Sri Aurobindo was a philosopher par excellence, a poet par excellence, a rare and superb visionary of evolution. But that is not the complete truth about Him. Further, He has been described as the Hope of Man. And Satprem, a disciple of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Mira Alfassa, has described Sri Aurobindo as the Adventure of Consciousness. He was not only an Adventurer of Consciousness, but Himself the Adventure. Yes, He was an Explorer of Consciousness, and further, He was also the builder of the New World, basing on the New and a Higher Consciousness, the Supramental Consciousness, a much higher level of Consciousness, which was hitherto unmanifest, and which is discovered by Him. And He has shown us the Way, the Integral Way to the New Realisation, not of realising the Divine Consciousness and merging into It, transcending and leaving the Manifestation, the World and the Universe, forgetting the mankind and its past and present and future.

He did not teach us to have Nirvana, or Moksha, or of reaching the Heaven and staying there forever hereafter. He did not ask us to return to the Source, to the Origin. He has given us a Way to discover and manifest and realise our own possibilities, our human and also our superhuman and divine possibilities, step by step. He tells us about transforming our individual existence and also the world, breaking all our personal and egoistic limits, becoming one with our earth, as vast as our earth. To divinise and supramentalise the world was ans is the Task he performed and asked us to perform.

As a philosopher, we find Him to be at the topmost level of Consciousness, denying none of the philosophical truths reached by the earlier philosophers, but by accepting and transcending and integrating them all in a new synthesis into one whole Truth. As a poet, he shows us the Way to the Future Poetry, and His Poems were expressions of the Truth, which He saw and realised and lived, and which creations of highers planes of mind and Consciousness. The Mother has said : "What Sri Aurobindo represents in the world's history is not a teaching, not even a revelation ; it is a decisive action, direct from the Supreme.” *** [ Quoted from Sri Aurobindo – a book being written by me and being oublished in Zaadz : Barindranath Chaki. ] Posted by Barindranath ChakiBarin Chaki21-10-2006Deepavali posted by Barindranath Chaki @ 7:39 PM

Sri Aurobindo's taking of voluntary retirement

Unsurprisingly, Sai devotees have seized on this as proof of Sai Baba's divinity and identity with God (Krishna) with no exception, given their belief that Sri Aurobindo was referring to the Baba who was supposedly born on the previous day (Nov. 23). The main problem with this idea is that the followers of Aurobindo widely believe that he was referring to the descent of "Krishna consciousness" into himself, being that he had been in a meditative trance for a long while and had emerged out of said trance on November 24 to inform his followers of his revelation. As an interesting aside, Aurobindo largely retired from public interactions from that date onwards and preferred to spend long periods of time in seclusion while communicating with his followers via letters. Incorrigible Sai devotees seize on that too, presenting it as an example of Aurobindo's taking of voluntary retirement after handing the reins over to "God incarnate"! posted by H.H. Swami Saiexposedananda at 06:35

Ritam

Sri Aurobindo International Institute for Educational Research [SAIIER], Auroville has launched a new bi-annual journal RITAM in August 2003 on material and spiritual researches in Auroville. The objectives are given below. If you wish to receive a hard copy or to have us send it to a friend of yours, please let us know on kosha@auroville.org.in There is no subscription price as yet.
This is a journal under SAIIER connecting the various units under its umbrella with the focus on education and other related areas of research.
The purpose is to create a space where we express and share our work in Auroville and also invite others to share their perceptions with a view to look at where we stand with reference to the ideal.
It will publish articles, interviews etc. which are relevant to the Charter of Auroville, both from people in Auroville as well as those from elsewhere.
This journal is for both Aurovilians as well as others who are looking to Auroville for pioneering work in many fields.
The goal is to understand better the spirit of Auroville and in that context what we are doing and what further we can do.
Dear readers,
We look forward to your suggestions and comments. Please email us at unity@auroville.org.in with your views and for any other information. We hope you enjoy this issue! Editor

August 2006 February 2006 August 2005 February 2005 07.08.2004 20.03.2004 01.08.2003

Auroville journals & newsletters

Journals:
Auroville Today is a monthly English-language publication providing in-depth information on Auroville. Since 1988 it has regularly appeared, highlighting Auroville's development in areas such as education, spirituality, village development, afforestation, business, health care, culture, the economy and more, through articles, interviews, profiles, photographs and cartoons.
Ritam
Sri Aurobindo International Institute for Educational Research [SAIIER], Auroville has launched a new bi-annual journal RITAM in August 2003 on material and spiritual researches in Auroville.
Invocation is a quarterly magazine published by SAVITRI BHAVAN in Auroville. It gives study materials on Sri Aurobindo's revelatory epic Savitri, and news of the activities of the Bhavan. It is distributed free of charge to donors and well-wishers. Contact: savitribhavan@auroville.org.in
Matrimandir Journal quarterly publication looks at the deeper meaning of the Centre of Auroville - the area called Peace. It is around this conscious and dynamically peaceful centre that the City of Auroville must build itself. The Matrimandir Journal looks at various remarks of the Mother regarding the Matrimandir and attempts to explore the inward psychological and spiritual significance of each of the elements that compose the centre. Contact: matrimandir@auroville.org.in

La Revue d'Auroville, a quaterly review in French reporting on various ideas and developments in Auroville, while also concentrating on the essential qualities of the French and Indian cultures, as well as on activities pertaining to the emergence of the French Pavilion in Auroville's International Zone.

Newsletters:
News & Notes is a weekly news bulletin primarily meant for internal circulation. Its language is mainly English, but reports and announcements may also appear in Tamil, French or German. The paper informs the residents of Auroville regarding meetings held or to be held, current community developments, new policy decisions, work proposals and other actual or inspirational information.
Matrimandir Newsletter is a quarterly publication which updates on the continuing progress of the works inside and outside the Matrimandir, from the Inner Chamber, to the Heliostat, to thhe Disks, to the Petals, to the Gardens, to the Lake.
Auroville Outreach newsletter is a single-sheet publication, which has been issued quarterly since August 1999. The publication informs about Auroville's manifold activities and achievements in various work areas, and is sent free to embassies & consulates, government officials, NGOs, AVI Centres, donor agencies and individuals, and various friends of Auroville.
Contact: outreach@auroville.org.in
Land Fund Newsletter seeks to contribute the growing momentum to obtain the remaining lands for Auroville. We hope it will serve as a regular source of information inspiring Aurovilians, friends of Auroville and all those who are connected with Auroville's vision to support us in this urgent task.
Village Action Newsletter is the monthly report about the efforts of AVAG to bridge the gap between Auroville and the villages around it. Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG) is Auroville's village outreach wing.
Kuyil is the newsletter of the Auroville Health Centre. It contains articles on the various
activities of the Health Centre and write-ups relating to experiences of the staff working in the villages around the township. Kuyil has been published three to four times a year since 1995. From now on it will appear on this website with print-outs posted on request to those without access to the web.
Annapurna Times, an occasional newsletter reporting on genetic conservation, crop breeding, land reclamation, ecological accounting research, community life and other latest development of the Annapurna Farm in Auroville.
Farm Group Newsletter gives informations about the farms in Auroville.
Pavilion of Tibetan Culture Newsletter. The bi-annually appearing newsletter covers the latest developments in the construction of the Pavilion as well as performances and other events taking place on the site. Occasionally it also gives statements or communications from the patron of the Pavilion, H.H. the Dalai Lama.

Besides the above publications, there exists variety of brochures and small leaflets on various topics, which you can obtain via the AVI centre in your country, or in the Visitors' Centre of Auroville. Disclaimer: the web editor takes no responsibility for opinions expressed in these publications, which are not always necessarily shared by the community at large.

I am interested in the Supramental Manifestation

All life 'All life' is mostly about Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and Their Teachings, but also about other matters, seemingly unconnected. But truly nothing is unconnected, as Sri Aurobindo said: ALL LIFE IS YOGA. by: barin chaki on Oct 19 2006 4:32AM in Creative comments rss: All Life

I post my writings in my blog at Zaadz, and also in The Visionland , my Pod at Zaadz. Further, also I write in my Website The New Horizon and the three Blogs at Blogger, which I have newly started : The New Vision , All choice and Barin Chaki . However, I am still inspired to join and write in a larger and wider blogging network like Sulekha.com, wherein a great personality like Manoj Das is a member and blogger. I always admired him. And besides him, there are some other good writers and bloggers ther at Sulekha.com. Hence, I have come here, with my new Blog Viewpoints.

This Blog will be about the Aurobindonian viewpoints, about the New Light, the New Horizon, about the New World that is now being formed in a subtle but sure way, especially after the First Supramental Manifestation on the 29th day of February 1956, about which The Mother [Mira Alfassa] had declared. This creation and formation of the New World, this fulfilmemt of the Vision thereof, is the most important thing that inspires me. Obviously, I am interested in the Supramental Manifestation and the Integral Transformation as visioned and foreseen and foretold by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

According to Sri Aurobindo, Man has to evolve into a Higher Consciousness. But it is not an indefinite consciousness, not any consciousness that we encounter and that seem higher to us, but the Consciousness which is defined and termed by Sri Aurobindo as the Supramental Consciousness, the Supermind. For the Advent of the Supramental Consciousness, Sri Aurobindo says that Man has to ascend from the ordinary plane ot our Mind to various higher levels of Mind, of the universal principle of Mind, and then to the Supermind. Man has to go through the ways of Transformation. And when the human aspiration rises to a forceful height, then only Supermind can be approached.

The Mother [Mira Alfassa] was the Person who caused the Descent of the Supramental Consciousness on earth on the 29th February 1956. The purpose of this Supramental Descent was to make possible the ascending journey of the human being to the Supramental Plane and the further Descent of the Supramental Consciousness on earth to begin and complete the next evolution...This event is the background now, for all the human activities on earth, for the human progress, for the next evolution, whether one is aware of it or not. That was, and is, the turning point of the human journey.

This was, and is, the purpose of the coming of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on earth : the Manifestation of the Supramental Consciousness here, so that Man can change and transform himself into the Supramental Being. By the half-lit and diminished principle of Mind, Man can rise from the present state of a half-prepared mental animal to a great extent, but cannot attain Perfection, cannot rise to the height of becoming a Supramental Being and cause an end to his miseries, his ignorance, his inconscience, incapacities and death. This transformation has to be integral and involve the physical, mental, emotional and vital aspects of Man, and will have three stages, psychic, spiritual, and supramental. Transformation has to concern both the individual and collective.

This Blog will be concerned with discussions and presentations relating to the Supramental Manifestation and the Integral Way and connected ideas and thoughts and matters. Though the writings here will be mostly around Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and Their Teaching, there will often be references to other thinkers and philosophers and spiritual people also. This Blog may be concerned about other matters also, which may seem to be unconnected, but really nothing is unconnected. Sri Aurobindo has told : All life is Yoga. Everything in the world is related to our endeavours in an integral yoga. Barin 19-10-2006 posted by Barindranath Chaki

Consecration and Progress

sabda newsletter sabda journals

sri aurobindo society whats new next future

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Unparalleled synthesis

Life and Teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother
by Karmayogi Contents & Chapters
Discover the Spirit in Life
Sri Aurobindo and The Mother offer an unparalleled synthesis of the highest spiritual realization and the greatest power for practical action to uplift and transform human life. Their extensive writings cover the entire range of yogic knowledge and experience.
This book highlights their lives, yoga and work in the world. It is filled with practical methods and true accounts of how ordinary people have applied their spiritual force to solve intractable problems, create fresh opportunities, and tap some of the infinite potentials latent in every human being.

Your Voice in Next Future

Enthusiasm is quite possibly the most important ingredient of any new venture. Without it, there is nothing exceptional, spontaneous or living about what one is trying to create. Your Voice is a section where we invite opinions and view points from our readers and where we showcase letters with suggestions, ideas, support and criticism. We entreat you to feel free and write to us about anything that may strike you regarding Next Future in its concrete form as well as from a larger perspective. There is a possibility that we may not have enough space to feature all letters coming in, but we will try our utmost to do so.

Sri Aurobindo Society Oct 2006
Editorial Eternally Yours O Thou, whom I cannot... Living Words Always circumstancescome to reveal... Flowers - their Messages Nobility Question of the Month Accidents and the Moment of Choice Commentaries on Dhammapada The life of the disciples of the Blessed One The Mother
Integral Health An End to the Endless SearchDr. Alok Pandey
Integral Education Sadhana and Sports Sri Aurobindo Hymn to the Mother Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Bande MataramA Song Divine Shonar Joshi
Resurgent India Sculpting the Pastwith the Present
A Mystic Symbolism...M.S. Srinivasan
The Wonder that is Sanskrit To Speak or Not to Speak Shonar Joshi
The Upanishad Kena Upanishad Sri Aurobindo
Art of Life The Meaning of Success Creative Corner Two Beings of Light Anahita Sanjana
Tales Told by Mystics The Hand that Thrashed... Manoj Das
Savitri Instalment-38 Mangesh Nadkarni
Reflections Spontaneity in Aspiration The Mother
Spotlight A Huge Chariot Elizabeth Beck
Your Voice Write to Us About Us Archives/Downloads
(C) Sri Aurobindo Society All rights reservesd worldwide.

Grace Divine

Subject: Newsletter - October, 2006 Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:31:06 +0530
Life is meant for seeking the Divine. Life is realised when finding the Divine.

The Mother (Words of the Mother, Vol. 14 Page:3)

Respected Sir/Madam
This is October, 2006. Time to celebrate the festival of light i.e. Deepavali. Time for 'Mahakali' and 'Mahalaxmi' Puja. Agomoni Das (Mitra) has continued her writing "Reminiscences Of My Childhood In The Ashram" and is presenting "GRACE DIVINE" in this month. We would like to inform you that "GRACE DIVINE" section is not available in some Browsers like Opera, Mozilla etc. But most compatible browser is Internet Explorer 6. More over our webpages are best viewed in 800X600 resolution. Otherwise some graphics settings will create some obstacles. So please check the sections and give us much needed guidance. Please stay with us, support us and guide us. Your suggestion will lead us in our future progress. We are waiting for your kind and valuable visit at our website. With regards Pushkar ‘VEDPRAKASH’ Mitra C.E.O. www.matrimandir-habra.org P.O.-Habra Prafullanagar Dist: 24 Pgs(N) West Bengal Pin-743268 India E-mail: ma_sriaurobindo@rediffmail.com Phone- 91-3216-237198, 91-94340-39926

So many have violated his suggestions against writing his biography

GLIMPSES OF SRI AUROBINDO’S LIFE: Although Sri Aurobindo’s first biography in English was published, obviously without his knowledge in 1910, the year Sri Aurobindo came over to Pondicherry in his late thirties. Later when a scholar proposed to write a biography with his knowledge, Sri Aurobindo discouraged him, saying that no one could write about his life because it had not been on the surface for man to see. Sri Aurobindo’s reluctance would surprise many, for his life, even the first thirtyseven years of it, which, he mostly spent in England, Baroda (Vadodara) and Calcutta, had been marked by tumultuous events and most significant ones in relation to the recent history of the nation. How does he belittle them ?

The fact is, Sri Aurobindo considered his most worthwhile actions as those which were not on the surface, but deep in the ocean of consciousness—actions which were too profound for any factual narration. Whatever we know of them, we know through the persistent queries of his disciples and, of course, much can be surmised from his writings. However, so many have violated his suggestions against writing his biography and we too, following the academic traditions, give below a chronological account of his life—a bare outline of it.

Sri Aurobindo’s father, Dr. K. D. Ghose, who had received a post-graduate medical degree from the West, was totally Westernized in his life-style and sense of values. On the other hand Sri Aurobindo’s mother, Swarnalata Devi was the daughter of Rajnarayan Bose, known as "the grandfather of Indian Nationalism", a great patriot and visionary. Sri Aurobindo, the third son in the family, was born on August 15, 1872.

Discourse on "The Life Divine"

Engagements - New Delhi The Hindu Sunday, Oct 15, 2006 ePaper In the Capital Today RELIGION Sri Aurobindo Ashram: Discourse on "The Life Divine" by Prashant Khanna, Sri Aurobindo Marg, 10 a.m. to 11-15 a.m.

The Divine Musician to reveal Herself

The Calm, Beauty, Passion and Power of the Divine Mother

« Ray Anthony & His All Star Band:Club A Live Record » Intimations of the Goddess

Intimations of the Goddess Album Description: A set of three meditations by Ustad Shahid Parvez, invoking the Calm, Beauty, Passion and Power of the Divine Mother. Played from a state of deep inwardness, these pieces are an attempt to manifest glimpses of the dazzling perfection of the Divine Creative Consciousness, Shakti, reaveling Herself through the receptive and perfect instrumentation of the artist. Dedicated to the higher evolution envisages by the modern world-teachers, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, they are examples of the work perfectly done, where the instrument steps aside, and allows the Divine Musician to reveal Herself. More Information… This entry was posted on Saturday, October 14th, 2006 at 12:47 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. #

Sri Lanka and Puducherry

Lanka-Puducherry tie-up for tourism Search for More News Published: Friday, October 13, 2006 Puducherry, Oct 13: Collaborative efforts could be taken up by Sri Lanka and the Union Territory of Puducherry for promotion of tourism related projects and cultural related promotional activities, Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in South India P M Amza today said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Chief Minister N Rangasamy and addressing a meeting of office-bearers of the Pondicherry Chamber de Commerce here, he described the union territory as a very good place and there could be exchange of traders between Sri Lanka and Puducherry as part of the bilateral arrangement his country had with India.
Earlier, Amza accompanied by his First Secretary M H Anver held discussions with Rangasamy at his chamber. He said he conveyed the greetings of the President of Sri Lanka to the Chief Minister. Amza will visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram here tomorrow before wrapping up his two-day visit to Puducherry. (Agencies) India - The Destination

The Pondicherry turn

The veteran actor Om Prakash worked with him in Parwaana and was astounded. He went all over, meeting filmmakers and other actors and telling them how he had worked with some of the best actors but had never had worked with an actor like this “lamba sa aadmi” with a very “bhaari” voice and “with a rare fire in his eyes”. His word spread and one of them who took greater interest was producer Prakash Mehra but did not take any decision then.

It was around this time that the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry had a special screening of Anand. It was a coincidence that Amitabh was to shoot in Pondicherry for S. Raamanathan’s Bombay To Goa. And Amitabh saw something strange happening around him. First, just three people kept staring at him, then some more and finally he was surrounded by a crowd and some one asked him if he was the same man who had acted in Anand. He humbly said yes and it was the first time that he was mobbed. posted by akshay shah, and filed under General

The Ultimate and the Other

The Antinomy of the Ultimate and the Other Sri Aurobindo deals with this antinomy when speaking of the One or God or Being that when one talks about creation, that is the creator and the thing created, or when one talks about the One or God or Being and the seeming multiplicity of the world or when one talks about karma and the void as in Buddhism or when one talks about karma and the One or God or Being, one only needs to think of a candle and its flame and its effluence of heat and warmth. Permalink Posted in Metaphysics at 5:05 am by Administrator

A worldwide following

On the subject of rambling, I finally managed to visit Pondycherry last weekend. It was a gruelling 5 hour journey and I left Vellore at 6am. On arrival, first impressions were those of yet another south indian city, however a walk across a canal that divided the old colonial town into a Hindu Ville Noire and a White Ville Blanche, quickly and dramatically revealed that that ancient boundary had not yet evaporated. The 'Ville blanche' closer to the sea was cleaner, less crowded and had beautiful colonial whitewashed building dotted about the well marked streets carrying famililar names of old french governors and political figures (familiar because the same names took an active part in the story of Mauritius e.g Mahe de Labourdonnais, whose statue is on the waterfront, Dupleix, etc).

The other dominating feature of the town is the omnipresence of the Aurobindo movement. Sri Aurbindo Ghose (b.1872-1950, a King's college, Cambridge graduate) fled Calcutta under British Raj, against which he had actively fought before turning into a philosopher/sage/spiritualist, and settled in Pondy. He seems to have a worldwide following and there is an Ashram set up by him in Pondy which receives visitors and followers from the word over. I stayed at one of the Ashram guesthouses, which had a beautiful location right in from of the sea. The food in some of the French-Indian restaurants was excellent. Overall, Pondy was very atmospheric, but one could sense the tentacles of a certain laissez-allez gradually overtaking the place and leaving some of the colonial architectural relics in dire state. posted by sajir at 10:34 AM Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The world is not interested in us adoring something

Current issue Archive copies Auroville Adventure May 01 Supporting spiritual search - by Alan
How much support does the community provide to those who want to understand the spiritual foundations of Auroville and the nature of the integral yoga?
Mother stressed that it was important that the Aurovilians have a good knowledge of the writings of Sri Aurobindo. Consequently, in the early years certain Ashramites - including M.P.Pandit, Amal Kiran, Nirodbaran, Aravinda Basu and Udar Pinto - came regularly to Auroville to speak about Sri Aurobindo and Mother. The talks, which were held in venues like Last School amphitheatre and the Matrimandir Camp, were well-attended and lively. However, in 1979 they stopped. Why?
Most obviously it was because of increasing difficulties with the Sri Aurobindo Society (S.A.S.) and the Ashram. Some of the Aurovilians wanted to break links with the Ashram because they felt it had 'betrayed' Auroville by not supporting it in its struggles against the S.A.S., and because it was believed to be victimising Satprem for his efforts to publish The Agenda. As more and more of The Agenda was published, some of Mother's comments also appeared to support Satprem's assertion that the Ashram was "finished", and that Aurovilians had henceforth to walk their own spiritual path. Underlying this was the sense that the age of gurus and religions was over, that Mother had announced the birth of a new world which superceded all that went before, and that now one only needed to open oneself to and work with the force in order to progress.
This fitted well with the spirit of that time, for in Auroville it was a time of spontaneous action and of the rejection of established modes of thinking and authority ("too mental" was one of the devastating put-downs of that period). The Auroville schools remained shut (although a few small-scale educational experiments continued) and some of the books in the Auroville library were burned.
By the early 1980s, however, it was clear that there was a cost to this radical clearing of the decks. Many children were receiving no education and, as the political situation stabilized and energy turned again towards building the township, it became evident that very few Aurovilians really understood what Mother had intended for the detailed organization of the community. There was also growing concern that not only Newcomers but also many Aurovilians lacked a basic understanding of the Integral Yoga and of the significance of Mother's intentions for Auroville.
Consequently, along with the re-establishment of formal education in 1984, there was a new movement of research and documentation. For example, one of the first tasks of the newly-established Laboratory of Evolution (LoE) was to make compilations of the texts of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on topics like Integral Yoga, the psychic being and the 'Avatar's Model Town'. It also built up a library which includes not only works of Sri Aurobindo, Mother and their followers, but also texts on related fields like the new physics and alternative approaches in health and healing. "In this way," explains Bhaga who coordinates activities at the Laboratory of Evolution, "the LoE has become a bridge between the yoga as practised in Auroville and what is happening regarding evolution in the larger world, about which we still know far too little." It's an approach which has had its critics, notably those who believe that the yoga of Sri Aurobindo and Mother is unique and cannot be explained by or compared to any other path. There also remains a deep suspicion among some Aurovilians of what is perceived to be 'New Age' homogenization and superficiality. However Bhaga has seen a definite change in the past two years, with far more people coming to borrow books not only on the yoga but also on allied movements.
A turning point
By the early 1990s the somewhat strained relationship between Auroville and the Ashram was beginning to ease. Crucially, the completion of the inner chamber of Matrimandir drew Ashramites to the structure which many had worked on in the early years. At the same time, the reintegration of the so-called 'neutrals' (Aurovilians who had favoured dialogue with the SAS without being of that party) back into the community also facilitated a greater interaction with Ashramites, for many of these Aurovilians had retained strong links with individual Ashramites.
The interactions, however, remained informal, and while senior Ashramites like Champaklal and Nirodbaran visited Matrimandir and Aurovilian friends, they did not give talks. The turning-point came in 1994 when Nirodbaran was invited to Pitanga Hall to speak about his recollections of Sri Aurobindo. The deeply-felt and enthusiastic response of the Aurovilians to his talk made it obvious that there was a tremendous thirst not only for more knowledge, but also for increased contact with those who, like Nirodbaran, had had direct experience of Sri Aurobindo and Mother. 1994 was also the year the Savitri Study group began meeting regularly, and this was to become the seed of the Savitri Bhavan project.
Today there are regular well-attended classes and talks at Savitri Bhavan on 'Savitri', 'The Life Divine' and other works by Sri Aurobindo and Mother, given by both Aurovilians and Ashramites like Dr. Ananda Reddy, Dr. Nadkarni and Sraddhalu. The Welcoming Group, which organizes introduction weeks for Newcomers, always includes a session on the spiritual foundations of Auroville, while the Auroville Library, the Laboratory of Evolution and the House of Mother's Agenda continue to loan out books and tapes and mount mini-exhibitions on topics related to the yoga. There is even a new service which offers to make compilations on demand of any aspect of Auroville and the yoga.
In this sense one can say that the community is, once again, taking up the responsibility of disseminating knowledge about the yoga to all who are interested. However, important lacunae remain. Many of the local villagers who join Auroville are illiterate or semi-literate and have little or no knowledge of the yoga or the purpose of Auroville. This is not easily remedied as there are very few easy-to-read books in Tamil on the yoga (and the ones that do exist are not widely distributed) and there are no regular presentations on the yoga in the Tamil language.
Then, again, the larger question of how far one needs to study the yoga in order to become an effective instrument remains unresolved. One reason why there is not more widespread study in the community of Sri Aurobindo and Mother is that some Aurovilians seem to assume that merely to live in Auroville is to be on the royal road to transformation.

Bhaga, who makes presentations to newcomers on the spiritual foundations of Auroville, sounds an additional note of caution. "We must beware of turning Sri Aurobindo and Mother into a religion. The world is not interested in us adoring something, but in our demonstrating that we are evolving. We need knowledge but, above all, we need to make it living." Home > Journals & Media > Journals > Auroville Today > Supporting spiritual search Current issue Archive copies Auroville Adventure

We are responsible to the Mother and to Sri Aurobindo

Inauguration of the First Phase building 08.08.1999
Nirodbaran's talk at the inauguration of Savitri Bhavan on August 8, 1999
Dear Friends, Savitri Bhavan team-members particularly..
We were very happy to receive your invitation, and share your happiness at the completion of the first section of the complex, your successful endeavour. It reminds me of the year when you invited me to lay the Foundation Stone of the Savitri Bhavan. This time the Bhavan has become a building, and once again I have the honour of inaugurating it ... because I was 'the scribe of Savitri' - as it says here on the invitation. But I'm not sure what a scribe has to do with the inauguration. The answer may follow, if I have found the right one.
Some of you may be curious to know - here on the invitation it mentions Dr. Nirodbaran. So what has Dr. Nirodbaran got to do with the scribe? I remember when I first came to meet Sri Aurobindo as a doctor, after his accident: he said, "Nirod is no doctor to me. He has come to serve me." Those were his very words. How I have served, well or ill, I don't know who will judge. But I have done my best, in spite of many pitfalls and errors.
Now we come to the next step, when I became a scribe. It happened because, as you know, after all his voluminous writing Sri Aurobindo's eyesight was failing. He could not see properly, he could not see even the big clock on the wall. So then Mother came to the rescue as she always does and said, "Nirod will help you. You will dictate and Nirod will write now." I don't think she used the word scribe. So from then on, Sri Aurobindo used to dictate, I would write down his words, copy them, and then the mater would go to Nolinida, to make a fair copy or to type. This was the procedure. I have written about all this [in Twelve Years with Sri Aurobindo], but still quite a number of you may not know all these interesting details.) And then when it was almost finished, Sri Aurobindo asked me, if I remember correctly, "Is there anything more to be done?" I answered, "Yes - the Book of Death." He said, "That we shall see later." That is the way in which, avoiding the straight answer, he kept us in suspense. But he knew that he would not see it again: whatever remained, remained.
This is what he has done. And this are the two things he has said about me: first "He has come to serve me"; and second "Nirod is no doctor to me."
So doctoring I did, scribe I have also been, in the best way I could. I have the satisfaction, whatever anyone may say, that I have done the scribing to the best of my capacity. Today you know, there is a big storm going on in India: people are saying that the sanctity of Savitri has been lost, because we have interfered here and there. You know what is happening, but we don't care for it. We have done our work, and we are responsible to the Mother and to Sri Aurobindo. This is the way the thing has been done. That is all I have to say.
I am very happy to see that a large number of people have responded to the invitation from these wonderful workers, very sincere people, who have done their best, so that as we can see in a very short time the Savitri Bhavan is coming up. And there is no doubt about it that the Savitri Bhavan will go on growing, and soon we shall all be very happy to receive again another invitation in four or five years time. But I'm sorry, by that time my soul will be, I hope, with the Lord. That is all I have to say. Home > Education > Educational centres > Savitri Bhavan > Inauguration of the first phase