Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The two female voices in the Savitri music are from Minoo-di and Ravi-Bala

The Mother reading 'Savitri'
Options for listening to "Savitri in Mother's Voice & Music"
by ronjon on Sun 14 Mar 2004 03:38 PM PST Permanent Link
Click on the names of these folders to see their included options:
Meditations (25-45 min.)
Short stanzas (1-5 min.)
Note: Click here to view Transcriptions of each of Mother's Voice quotes, organized by the Books and Cantos of Savitri. Posted to: Savitri in Mother's Voice & Music Post a comment

Re: Options for listening to "Savitri in Mother's Voice & Music"
by rakesh on Fri 26 Oct 2007 01:53 PM PDT Profile Permanent Link
I am very thankful to Ronjon for the savitri music available for everybody. I had a question from some time if anybody can answer. Who is the women that sang sanskrit verses in Savitri music? Her voice is mesmerising and sweet.
Reply by RY Deshpande on Tue 30 Oct 2007 05:35 AM PDT Profile Permanent Link
The two female voices you hear in the Savitri music are from Minoo-di, an early Ashramite, and Ravi-Bala an ex-Ashram School student who used to join the group whenever she came to the Ashram. RYD
Reply by rakesh on Tue 30 Oct 2007 05:51 PM PDT Profile Permanent Link
Thank you for answering. I also wanted to know if there are some articles written on Sunil on how he composed this music, during which time and his personal experiences on savitri music. It would be great if you can post some articles about it. I was trying to understand more about savitri and who can give a better explanation than the Mother herself. But looks like Huta's About savitri part 1 and 2 are not available at bookstores to purchase. I guess only the new part 3 is available online to purchase. Is there anyway one can get hold of these part 1 and 2? Any information about it would be appreciated.

Prof. Kireet Joshi to contribute his articles and works

Introduction to Professor Kireet Joshi
from Vedic Vision of Consciousness & Yoga by MukeshVeda

(I am happy to inform my readers that Professor Kireet Joshi one of the greatest educationists, philosophers and yoga expert has kindly given his consent to contribute his articles and works on this blog, which will not only further enrich this blog in matters of yoga, philosophy but also benefit readers.)
Kireet Joshi has written on a number of subjects connected with culture, science, spirituality, yoga and education. His works include: Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Education for Personality Development, Education for Character Development, Veda and Indian Culture, Bhagavadgita and Contemporary Crisis, Philosophy of Education for the Contemporary Youth, Philosophy of the Role of the Contemporary Teacher, Philosophy of the Evolution for the Contemporary Man, Sri Aurobindo and Integral Yoga, Education for Tomorrow, Education at Crossroads, Glimpses of Vedic Literature, Portals of Vedic Knowledge, Towards Universal Fraternity, Landmarks of Hinduism, Veda Aur Bharatiya Sanskriti, Vaidik Vangmaya ka Itihasa and Philosophy and Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and Other Essays.His edited work include: “The Aim of Life”, “The Good Teacher and The Good Pupil” and Mystery Excellence of Human Body. He continues to write on the themes connected with the Vedic literature, educational issues and Integral Yoga. He is Editorial Fellow of PHISPC and currently working on a volume entitled: Synthesis of Yoga.
He is recipient of 1989 award of the Indian Council for Child Education for outstanding contribution in this field. He is also recipient of the National Citizen’s Award for 1989. The degree of D.Litt (Honoris Causa) was conferred upon him by Rahstriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati in 1996. Kireet Joshi has studied French, Sanskrit and Hindi. Gujarati is his mother tongue. Kireet Joshi is the Founder Managing Trustee of The Mother’s Institute of Research; Vice-Chairman of Indian Philosophical Congress (IPC) and recently he played a key role in the establishment of Vedic University at Tirupathi. Posted by MukeshVeda at Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Monday, October 29, 2007

Amal, Udar, Gauri, Tehmi, Sunanda, Richard, Jhumur, Anurakta, Anu, Aster, Krishna, and Amrit

'The Golden Path' by Anie Nunnally Reviewed by Mangesh Nadkarni
Anie Nunnally’s book is a set of interviews with twelve people whose lives have been transformed by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother... Anie herself has been a follower of this spiritual path and has spent some years both in Pondicherry and at Auroville. She is gentle with her subjects and has a genuine admiration for them. By using sympathetic and non-intimidating questions, she invites her subjects to open up and the result is twelve different short ‘autobiographies’ dealing primarily with their inner growth and psychic blossoming. This book also shows how even today when the two Gurus of this Yoga are no more with us in their physical bodies, they continue to respond as before and guide their disciples. Anie’s subjects are all illustrious Aurobindonians.
  • Amal is an oustanding poet and critic, and is one of the most brilliant academic minds India has produced in our time.
  • Udar had a degree in aeronautical engineering from the London University; he founded the Harpagon Atelier and was one of the personal secretaries to the Mother.
  • Gauri Pinto, his daughter, has been a teacher in the Sri Aurobindo School of International Education.
  • Tehmi Masalwalla was a poet, translator and teacher all her life.
  • Sunanda Poddar was associated for years with SABDA and is currently the caretaker of “Srismriti”, the Mother’s Museum.
  • Richard Pearson is a teacher, botanist, and editor of Flowers and Their Messages.
  • Jhumur Bhattacharya is a teacher at Knowledge and has taught for many years Savitri, Life Divine, and Mother’s Entretiens.
  • Anurakta (Anthony David Rochelle) was until recently the Manager of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Hand Made Paper Factory.
  • Anu Purani has been a teacher, writer and dancer.
  • Aster Patel received a Ph.D. from Sorbonne and has taught at Knowledge and worked for Auroville for many years.
  • Krishna Tewari is a retired two-star Major general of the Indian army and is in charge of Auroville Archives.
  • Amrit Iriyama, a Japanese American, has worked for many years at the Matrimandir Gardens and Nursery.

Each one of interviewed disciples is a like a quarry of precious stones and the author has delved deep into their yogic beings and brought out for us many a diamond of dazzling beauty... - Mangesh Nadkarni [posted by Debashish on Wed 07 Dec 2005 12:22 AM PST Permanent Link ]

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Pigmentation and painting

The report “SA Indians ‘confused about their identity’” (September 23) refers.
Some self-proclaimed “cultural leaders” and “researchers” are so confused about race, culture, pigmentation and nationality/nationhood that they are contributing to the “identity crisis”...
As for Vande Matheram, although it was the previous national anthem of India, it is also a hymn, especially to those who choose to emphasise the motherhood of God.
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh and Subbhas Chandra Bose considered it a hymn. So do millions of Hindus, especially Bengalis.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, even in “researchers”.
Thillayvel Naidoo is a knowledgeable, qualified academic who is not seeking self-advancement, political office or business deals. — B SINGH, Verulam
***
But in one important respect, Shankar’s diplomatic career has had no bearing on his painting. All of Shankar’s paintings take their subjects from his preoccupation with philosophy and spiritualism. Indeed, before he became a diplomat (at his father’s prodding), he was a professor of philosophy at the University of Allahabad. “I’d read Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, the vedas and upanishads very early in my youth and for a time, even became a sanyasi,” Shankar recalls. It’s not just the Indian mystical tradition — Shankar also draws inspiration from Western mystics like the German Eckhart and Armenian-Greek Gurdjieff...
But what’s most striking about Shankar’s paintings is their dream-like quality, reinforced by his use of rich, vibrant, sometimes lurid colours — indeed, Paul Cézanne and Salvador Dalí are two artists whom Shankar has liked. Shankar has found a name for his mode of painting — neo-expressionism, wherein, he says, depicting the idea is of prime importance, far more than shapes, lines or colours... Mild Machiavelli
Gargi Gupta / New Delhi October 28, 2007

Lecture on “Sri Aurobindo and Vedic Symbolism” by Ms. Shruti

Engagements - New Delhi
Sri Aurobindo Ashram: Lecture on “Sri Aurobindo and Vedic Symbolism” by Ms. Shruti, Aurobindo Marg, 10 to 11-15 a.m.

Engagements - Chennai
Sri Aurobindo Society: Meeting, 5, Smith Rd., Anna Salai, 10 a.m.
Sri Aurobindo Society Centre: Talk on ‘How to use subtle energy?’, AP-514, J Block, 8th St., Anna Nagar, 6 p.m.

Engagements - Coimbatore
Sri Aurobindo Devotees Prayer Group: Joint prayers, Sasi Balika Vidya Mandir, R.S. Puram, 9.30 a.m.; W 7/C, Kovaipudur, 4.30 p.m.; Sri Annai Meditation Centre, West Power House Road, Tatabad, 10 a.m.

Friday, October 26, 2007

The Ontology of Self-Perfection

Top - Ellwood - Banerji - de Quincey
UNIVERSITY OF PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM
OCTOBER 2007 to MARCH 2008
THE YOGA OF INTEGRAL TRANSFORMATION
Debashish Banerji Ph.D.
Sundays Once Monthly 11:00am to 1:00pm
October 2007 to March 2008 Admission: $10 per lecture

In his magnum opus, The Life Divine, the modern Indian seer and yogi, Sri Aurobindo has diagnosed the human condition as one of sevenfold Ignorance. In his own life and teaching, he developed the goals and techniques of experience and power by which this condition can be overcome. Adapting his own terminology, this can be called a sevenfold perfection.
Sri Aurobindo spelled out this psychology of integral transformation in a number of texts, principally his work on yoga, The Synthesis of Yoga and his diaries, published recently under the title Record of Yoga.
This course will draw out the feature of the seven limbs of self-perfection, including the phenomenology of paranormal powers relating to a transformed humanity and disciplines and attitudes necessary to their development. In this exploration, following Sri Aurobindo, a cross-cultural approach will be taken, introducing Sanskrit terminology in context with explanations and implications in terms of modern psychological theory and practice.
This lecture series will be recorded live for UPR's distance learning program. It is open to the public, as well as students of UPR.
SCHEDULE IN 2007
Sunday, October 28 - 11:00am-12noon. $10
Introduction - The Yoga of Integral Transformation & the Psychology of Self-Perfection

Sunday, October 28 - 12:30pm-1:30pm. $10
The Perfection of Equality
An unshakeable equality is the foundation of the yoga of self-perfection.
Sunday, November 11 - 11:00am-12noon. $10
The Perfection of Power
The expressive powers of the soul; their relationship with Conscious Force; their development in terms of attitudes, qualities and faculties.

Sunday, November 11 - 12:30pm-1:30pm. $10
The Perfection of Knowledge
The limbs ok knowledge along with their degrees: knowledge of outer sensory contact; knowledge of inner contact; and knowledge of identity.
Sunday, December 9 - 11:00am-12noon. $10
The Perfection of the Body
The human body carries in itself the potential for the expression of conscious Matter thereby presenting a divine basis for a divine life.

Sunday, December 9 - 12:30pm-1:30pm. $10
The Perfection of Being
The identity of Being and its manifold Oneness.
SCHEDULE IN 2008
Sunday, February 10 - 11:00am-12noon. $10
The Perfection of Action
The perfect identification with Conscious Force and Conscious Being

Sunday, February 10 - 12:30pm-1:30pm. $10
Attitudes of Self-Perfection
The prerequisite attitudes of self-perfection, the primacy of those attitudes; their place in the development and possession of paranormal consciousness.
Sunday, March 9 - 11:00am-12noon. $10
The Ontology of Self-Perfection
The integral identity of Being and its realization, along with the powers and techniques of knowledge it implies.

Sunday, March 9 - 12:30pm-1:30pm. $10
The Power and Enjoyment of Self-Perfection
What is the potential of post-human dynamics and enjoyment? The promise of human fulfillment; the horizon of further progress and perfection.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Need for a broad-based mature and competent team of ‘editors’

Re: Look and Feel of the SCIY Ning Forum Main Page
by RY Deshpande on Mon 22 Oct 2007 10:29 PM PDT Profile Permanent Link
The integration of academic and cultural, of BlogHarbor and Ning, could be on the agenda. But to implement the agenda the need is of a broad-based mature and competent team. We have to have lots of ‘editors’ and unless they are coming forth, nothing much would happen. So, the question is: How do we ‘recruit’, or as you would say ‘hire’, editors? I think, that is the crux of the matter. RYD

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Barbarism, Civilisation and Culture

Engagements - Chennai Sri Aurobindo Society: Talk by M.K. Ramaswamy, 5, Smith Rd., Anna Salai, 10 a.m.
Engagements - Coimbatore Sri Aurobindo Society: Audio Talk on “Barbarism, Civilisation and Culture”, Trichy Road, 6 p.m.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Why Sri Aurobindo remains so unknown in the world

One often wonders about why Sri Aurobindo remains so unknown in the world. Even in India those who have heard of him only know him as a yogi and when people speak of the Freedom Movement he is rarely mentioned. Outside Pondicherry and Kolkata if you mention his name to anyone who was alive before the independence of India you will get a response that sounds like “Yes, but he left the scene, he abandoned the cause…” The idea of holding an exhibition on Sri Aurobindo in London was born from this desire to acquaint the world with the true role he played in Indian history.
The Nehru Centre, which is the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission, accepted the proposal and work started in right earnest when the Golden Chain Fraternity Trustees agreed to financially support the project. Although it seemed like a fairly simple job at first it turned out eventually to be quite a complicated affair. One thing however was perfect - the timing. We had the week of the August Darshan which was also the week of the Independence Day. It suited everyone fine; those connected with the Ashram were happy and so were those connected with the Indian High Commission. sunayana.com Sunayana Panda’s blog This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 12:46 pm and is filed under London, Photography, Sri Aurobindo. Matri Karuna Vidyalaya

The magnet of our difficult ascent

In Sri Aurobindo's 'Savitri' she is “The magnet of our difficult ascent. The sun from which we kindle all our suns”. The Mother Goddess is primarily the embodiment of Shakti, power or energy, of growth, fertility and prosperity, or death, destruction and disease. She is the universal mother, the epitome of female power overriding all other powers and primal energy.
Celebrating Shakti As The Mother Goddess 18 Oct 2007, M N CHATTERJEE http://spirituality.indiatimes.com 12:45 PM

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The Language Lab at Auroville helps in learning around ten languages

There is a Language Lab at Auroville, Pondicherry, which uses modern technology and the various other devices to help adults and youngsters in language learning. around ten languages are being given training here. It is the one and only Language Lab in Pondicherry, situated about six from the heart of Pondicherry, towards Kuilapalayam. It would be nice if youngsters visit this place. Posted by ebinz at 5:20 AM 0 comments

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Visit to the Samadhi and Collective Meditations

You can go to the samadhi for pranam and meditation any time during the day. The Ashram gate opens at 4.30 in the morning and closes at 11.00 at night. There is also a meditation hall inside the main Ashram building where you can sit.
On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday there is a collective meditation around the samadhi from 7.25 pm to 7.50 pm. This is open to everyone. No pass is required. On Thursdays and Sundays, a collective meditation is held in the Ashram Playground between 7.45 pm and 8.15 pm. This is open only to the Ashramites and the visitors staying in the Ashram guest houses who have been given Playground passes. These must be shown at the gate.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Sri Chinmoy died at the age of 76

Thursday, October 11, 2007 The Passing of Sri Chinmoy
This morning the spiritual inspiration of my life, Guru Sri Chinmoy, died at the age of 76. In the coming days there will be many tributes to his remarkable life. I wanted to post some words in tribute. I will offer more in the days to come. Note the official press release... Posted by S. Neil Vineberg at 5:16 PM
Early Years In India (1931-1964) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
He was the youngest of seven children, born in Shakpura village in the
Chittagong District of East Bengal (now Bangladesh).[5] His parents were Shashi Kumar Ghosh, a railway inspector turned banker,[6] and Yogamaya Ghosh, an Indian homemaker of devout temperament.[7] He lost his father to illness in 1943, and his mother a few months later. Orphaned, in 1944 the 12-year-old Chinmoy joined his brothers and sisters at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, South India, where elder brothers Hriday and Chitta had already established a presence.[8] There he spent the next twenty years in spiritual practice, including meditation, study in Bengali and English literature,[9] and work in the ashram's cottage industries.[10]
In his teens and twenties he was a sprinter and decathlete.[11] In 1955 he became secretary to Nolini Kanta Gupta[12] - the third in charge at the ashram - translating many of the latter's articles from Bengali to English.[13] He also published articles of his own about India's spiritual leaders,[14] and continued filling notebooks with poems, songs, and reflections on ashram life.[15]...
His early writings were published by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram,[41] and after 1964, by his Western students. He gained wider recognition in 1970–71 with Yoga and the Spiritual Life (Tower Publications), Meditations: Food for the Soul (Harper & Row), and Songs of the Soul (Herder & Herder). In the spring of 1971, The Philosophical Society of England published his 1969 Harvard lecture "The Vedanta Philosophy."[42] In July 1972, the Princeton Seminary Bulletin published his lecture "The Upanishads: India's Soul-Offering" delivered there the previous October.[43] Since then his poems, essays, stories and aphorisms have been published widely.[44]
He penned commentaries on the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita[45] - and a book of plays on the life of the Buddha[46] which were produced off-Broadway in New York in 1995,[47] and at London's Union Theatre in 2005.[48] His longest play, The Descent of the Blue,[49] recounts important incidents in the life of Sri Aurobindo. It was first published serially in Mother India: A Monthly Review of Culture.[50] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Chinmoy

Friday, October 12, 2007

Religion was the helper; religion is the bar

Whatever is true of Auroville, in The Mother’s view, is true with relation to the whole world. The same Truth of ‘No Religions’ is applicable to all sincere followers of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Whatever may be the Religions theoretically, we the human beings have made them means of difference and hatred and violent conflicts and battles, instaed of being the means of reaching the Truth. [Continued]
Barin
11-10-2007

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Shyam Sunder Jhunjhunwala

From the Editor's Desk: Some Socio-Spiritual Perspectives
by Shyam Sunder Jhunjhunwala $5.99 $3.59 Quantity:
Here is a compilation of selected editorials from the monthly journal Sri Aurobindo's Action published from Pondicherry. The editorials touch upon a number of topics - Culture, Ecology, Social Development, Evolution, Yoga - seen with Aurobindonean perspectives and special reference to India's rebirth.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Lectures on "The Synthesis of Yoga"

March 29, April 19 2007
Sri Aurobindo Complex Trust, J.P.Nagar, Bangalore
Lectures on "The Synthesis of Yoga"
Dr R. K has agreed to a request from Sri Aurobindo society and is giving a series of lectures on "The Synthesis of Yoga" by Sri Aurobindo
April - 22, May -1st
Shrirama Hamsa Sahyadri Ashram, Odarevu
Navayuga Avatarana Sadhana Shibir
An attempt is being made for the manifestation of new era or what Sri Aurobindo termed as "Supramental Descent". This will be achieved through the medium of Gayatri Purascharanas and practices for awakening Kundalini. A group of 80 Sadhaks will do the sadhana under the direct guidance of Samartha Sadguru Sri Sriramakrishna from April 22 to May 1. There is also an opportunity for 240 more people to participate in this trendsetting event from their places.

Weekly special train between Bhubaneswar and Pondicherry

KalingaTimes Correspondent Bhubaneswar, Oct 6: For the convenience of travelling public and to avoid rush during Durga Puja season, East Coast Railway has decided to run special trains towards Hatia and Pondicherry. One pair of weekly Durga Puja Special train will run between Puri and Hatia from October 9 to November 21...
Similarly, one pair of weekly special train will run between Bhubaneswar and Pondicherry from October 12 to November 24. 0898 Bhubaneswar-Pondicherry Special train will leave Bhubaneswar at 11.45 a.m. on every Fridays during this period and will arrive at Pondicherry at 01.35 p.m. on the following days. In the return direction, 0897 Pondicherry-Bhubaneswar special train will leave Pondicherry at 4.10 p.m. on every Saturdays during this period and will arrive at Bhubaneswar at 5.30 p.m. on the next days.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Remembrance meeting on Prof. M.V. Nadkarni

October 6 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani; 6 pm: A remembrance meeting on Prof. M.V. Nadkarni. Speakers: Angshuman Bandopadhaya, Biswanath Roy, Supriyo Bhattacharya and Jajati Bhattacharya. telegraph india.com Front Page > Calcutta > Timeout Saturday, October 06, 2007
Fly a kite Kite-flying programme by NGO Mass Education, at the base of Aurobindo’s statue opposite Victoria Memorial, 10.30am. telegraph india.com Front Page > Calcutta > Good Morning Monday, September 17, 2007

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Navajata, whom she called 'My faithful'

To carry out her work the Mother chose Navajata, whom she called 'My faithful'. His name appears in various documents both as Keshav Dev Poddar, his earlier name, and as Navajata, a name given to him by the Mother, meaning the 'New Born'. He was the Society's first General Secretary and Treasurer and later, after the Mother left her body in 1973, became its first Chairman.
Along with the Mother, the two other persons who sat on the first Executive Committee of the Society were Navajata and Arunendranath Tagore of Calcutta, an advocate and Notary Public. Significantly, the first few meetings of the Executive committee were held in the Mother's room in the Ashram.
Following the usual procedure, the Minutes noted the names of the persons who were present, including that of the Mother, and she signed the Minutes as the Chairperson of the meetings. Even the Balance Sheets and the Annual Reports of the Society were signed by her - a rare privilege.
A tiny seed holds the blueprint of a mighty tree. It was the divine Mother who planted the seed of the Society's destiny and nurtured it. She provided the force and the inspiration and encouraged each individual and each group to grow in complete freedom, to progress and work in a spirit of service and sadhana. But simultaneously she was always ready to come forward to help and guide, whenever the need or the call was there.
Whether it was a question of purchase of land and building, of starting schools and guest houses, of organising conferences, of opening centres and branches in India and abroad, of enrolling new members, of publishing books and journals, the issues were referred to the Mother for guidance and decision. She gave the names to the journals, chose the editors and sometimes gave directions about the layout.
One of the projects the Mother started through the society was the constructions of her dream city of Auroville. It was a dream the Mother had since the 1930s, of a model city which would reflect the outward reality of the descent of the Supramental and go on to become the centre of a perfect world. She named it after Sri Aurobindo, calling it Auroville, The City of Dawn.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

"It is a dream come true for me and my wife," said Singhvi

Former RS MP and eminent jurist L M Singhvi dead
ibnlive.com Published on Saturday , October 06, 2007 at 15:56 in Nation section
New Delhi: Former RS MP and eminent jurist LM Singhvi died in Delhi on Saturday. Singhvi, a constitutional expert, was born in Jodhpur in 1931. He was a member of the Third Lok Sabha from 1962-67. A scholar of Jain history and culture, Singhvi has also served as High Commissioner for India in UK. He was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1998 as was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1999. Seventy six-year-old Singhvi, who was ailing for the past few weeks, is survived by his wife, son Abhishek Singhvi and a daughter. Tags: LM Singhvi, Rajya Sabha, New Delhi
New Delhi, 23 August 2006: Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Vice-President of India and Shri Somnath Chatterjee, Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha unveiled the statues of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo, respectively in Parliament House today...
Shri Aravind Ghose, popularly known as Sri Aurobindo was the first of the national leaders to insist on full independence for India as the goal of the nationalist movement besides lending all his energies to the freedom struggle. The 82-inch bronze statue of Sri Aurobindo has been carved by a team of sculptors from Sri Aurodhan, Pondicherry and donated by Dr. L. M. Singhvi, former Member of Parliament. speakerloksabha.gov.in
NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 25, 2006: Two beautifully sculpted three-meter statues of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo now reside in the Indian Parliament, donated by Dr. L. M. Singhvi, a former member of the Lok and Rajya Sabhas. The sculpture of Aurobindo was done by a team from Bengal in Pondicherry led by Lalit Verma. The statue of Swami Vivekananda was sculpted by C. Dakshinamoorthy of Chennai. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh thanked Dr. Singhvi and hoped the presence of the two statues will bring greater equanimity and spiritual energy to Parliament.
After the unveiling, Dr. Singhvi said it was a golden moment in the platinum years of his life. He said he was indebted to the two presiding officers, the Prime Minister, the sculptors and particularly to Dr. Karan Singh, his comrade in arms, and other members of his committee, Shri Kantilal Dalal, Shri Kireet Joshi and Professor Indra Nath Choudhuri. "It is a dream come true for me and my wife," said Singhvi. Dr. Singhvi also has installed bronze busts of Mahatma Gandhi in the United Kingdom, the Supreme Court of Ontario, Canada, Parliament Houses in the Caribbean and the Peace Palace in Seoul, South Korea. HPI hpi@hindu.org 2:46 PM

P. Lal, L.K. Advani, Rama, and Shyam Chand

Home page > 2007 > September 29, 2007 > Mainstream, Vol XLV, No 41
Ram Setu: Myth or Reality? by Shyam Chand Friday 5 October 2007
Blessed are these who have no history. Condemned are those who forget their history. Damned are those who treat mythology as their history. The instinct for survival precedes any notion of morality. The priestly class, which denigrated Rama, Krishna, Hanuman and the Hindu Triumvirate, had suddenly tried to apotheosise them for its survival....
INTELLECTUAL dishonesty is worse than crime. In his furious interview given to an English TV Channel L.K. Advani inter alia mentioned the name of Aurobindo who upheld the Rama heritage. The RSS adopted Aurobindo Ghosh as its hero and the icon of saffron culture whom Advani, during his Rathyatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, buried somewhere on the way as, according to Aurobindo Ghosh, Rama was not a historical figure. He was the figment of Valmiki’s imagination. Can anybody imagine monkeys invading a kingdom? (P. Lal in the introduction of Valmiki’s Ramayana translated into English)...
MANY Hindus like me, without accepting the Ram Setu as man-made, consider Rama a historical figure and worship him, empathise with him that he was the victim of Brahmanic revenge and denigration. Rama was accused of milling Sambuka. Laxman, son of a Shudra woman, Sumitra, was dear to Rama. Guha, a Shudra King, was the family friend of Rama, who offered him hospitality during the entire exile. Rama ate the tasted plums of a Shudra woman in whose presence he felt honoured. In his battle against Ravana, tribals (Shudras) provided him with manpower and logistic support. The killing of Sambuka was an interpolation to dissuade Shudras from siding with Kshtriyas in their wars against Brahmins.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Swami Vivekananda’s favourite Tagore songs at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani

October 5 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani; 5.30 pm: A programme of Swami Vivekananda’s favourite Tagore songs. Participants: Arghya Sen, Chandrabali Rudra, Sudeshna Sanyal, Sumita Das, Suchhanda Ghosh, Rahul Mitra, Biswarup Rudra, Malabika Sur, Supriya Chakraborty and Urabi Bhattacharya.
telegraphindia.com Front Page > Calcutta > Timeout Thursday, October 04, 2007

Abani Mohan Ghose, J.N. Mohanty, and Kangali Charan Pati (Prapatti) at Cuttack, Odisha

My high school friend, Aboni Ghose introduced me to the writings of Sri Aurobindo. Aboni (who had begun to spell his name ‘Aubony’) had already grown a full beard and wore his hair long at the back; we all took for granted that he was practising Yoga. He had already published an Oriya translation of a small booklet by Sri Aurobindo on Yoga, had a large collection in his home of Sri Aurobindo’s books, and knew many of his disciples. He made me read Sri Aurobindo’s magnum opus, The Life Divine. I read perhaps the first six chapters, which impressed me a great deal by their profundity and large scope. I even made plans to write a book on metaphysics myself, with chapters on ‘matter’, ‘life’, ‘mind’, and so forth.

Soon after joining college, Aubony and I started a study circle at the residence of a friend, Kangali Pati (who later joined the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, changed his name to ‘Prapatti’, and succeeded, in the sixties and seventies, in spreading Sri Aurobindo’s message throughout Orissa). Kangali lived in a thatched one-room mud hut. Besides the three of us, was an economist, an Oriya poet, and some others, whose names I do not now recall, met in his room once a week to read and discuss the writings of Aurobindo, Vivekananda and Gandhi. I am not sure if I also tried Yoga, although I may have at times sat down with eyes closed and tried to think of ‘nothing’…

At last, the two years of college in Cuttack were over, I took the ‘Intermediate Arts’ examinations and stood first in the University. The boy who stood third, Janaki Patnaik, went on to become the Chief Minister of Orissa for quite some time, and the boy who stood tenth, Ranganath Misra, recently retired as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India... -- J.N. Mohanty, Between Two Worlds, East and West: An Autobiography, Oxford, 2002
[Prapatti came in contact with Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1949 through his friend Sri Abani Mohan Ghose, son of well known educationist Sri Lalit Mohan Ghose. Sri Lalit Mohan Ghose was the founder member of Sri Aurobindo Study Circle in Orissa... The Mother’s work in Orissa started in 1949 when two Study Circles were formed with Sri Aurobindo’s permission (One at Rairangpur in 1949 another at Cuttack in 1950).]
[Cuttack (derived from the Sanskrit word 'Kataka', which signifies a military camp or a fort or a Government seat protected by an army) is one of the oldest cities in India and the Business Capital of Orissa. It is situated in a tongue of land formed by the Mahanadi River and its main branch the Kathajodi River at their points of bifurcation in 20.28° N 85.52° E. Its actual pronunciation is 'Katak'.Cuttack is also the headquarters of Cuttack District. It lies near Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark. It is more than a thousand years old, and was the capital of Orissa for almost nine centuries, before Bhubaneswar was made the capital city. With its world famous unique filigree works in silver, ivory and brass works and textiles of woven silk and cotton, Cuttack is perhaps the grandest showroom of Orissa...
By 1750, Cuttack came under
Maratha rules and it grew fast as a business center being the convenient point of contact between the Marathas of Nagpur and the English Merchants of Bengal. It was occupied by the British in 1803 and later became the capital of Orissa division in 1816. From 1948 onwards, when the capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar, the city remained the administrative headquarters of Orissa... Cuttack Coordinates: 20°16′N 85°31′E / 20.27, 85.52 Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) AreaElevation 59.57 km² (23 sq mi)• 14.62 m (48 ft) District(s) Cuttack PopulationDensity580,000 (2001)• ?/km²From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia OrissaIndia]

Auroville has residents from over forty countries, engaged in cross-cultural exchange, social experimentation and innovation

Now we may rightfully claim to have a rich cross-cultural bilingual data of English and Hindi expressions, linking Indian and principal world cultures. We can also claim to have developed a unique easy-to-use database system, adaptable to the growing requirements of a lexicographic group.
The initial programming and first entries to the data on the English–Hindi/Hindi–English thesaurus and dictionary were made in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) where Sumeet was getting his hospital management system installed. Since then the work has moved from country to country and within India from town to town. For two years, we worked on it in Dallas (Texas) and Tulsa (Oklahoma). In India, we worked on it in Ghaziabad and Chennai. The last four years saw us work in Pondicherry (renamed Pudducherry) and Auroville, founded in 1968 as an international township that aspires to realize human unity. As a consequence of the growing worldwide influence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Auroville has residents from over forty countries, engaged in cross-cultural exchange, social experimentation and innovation.
The Penguin English–Hindi/Hindi–English Thesaurus and Dictionary द पेंगुइन इंग्लिश–हिंदी/हिंदी–इंग्लिश थिसारस ऐंड डिक्शनरी is in three parts. The first part is The English–Hindi/Hindi–English Thesaurus द इंग्लिश–हिंदी/हिंदी–इंग्लिश थिसारस, the second is The English–Hindi Dictionary and Index द इंग्लिश–हिंदी डिक्शनरी ऐंड इंडैक्स and the third is The Hindi–English Dictionary and Index द हिंदी–इंग्लिश डिक्शनरी ऐंड इंडैक्स... Arvind Kumar, Kusum Kumar 5 May 2007 Posted by Arvind Kumar's Thesaurus/Dictionary Blog at 9:59 PM Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

A divine life free from physical death

Sri Aurobindo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Date of birth: August 15, 1872(1872-08-15), Place of birth: Kolkata (Calcutta), India, Birth name: Aurobindo Akroyd Ghosh, Date of death: December 5, 1950 (aged 78)
Sri Aurobindo (Bengali: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo, Sanskrit: श्री अरविन्द Srī Aravinda) (August 15, 1872December 5, 1950) was an Indian/Hindu nationalist, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru [1]. After a short political career in which he became one of the leaders of the early movement for the freedom of India from British rule, Sri Aurobindo turned to the development and practice of a new spiritual path which he called the "integral yoga," the aim of which was to further the evolution of life on earth by establishing a high level of spiritual consciousness which he called the Supermind that would represent a divine life free from physical death. Sri Aurobindo wrote prolifically in English on his spiritual philosophy and practice, on social and political development, on Indian culture including extensive commentaries and translations of ancient Indian scriptures, on literature and poetry including the writing of much spiritual poetry. Sri Aurobindo is regarded as one of the greatest Yogis of all time in Hindu history...
Sri Aurobindo's close spiritual collaborator, Mirra Richard (b. Alfassa), was known as The Mother. She was born in Paris on February 21, 1878, to Turkish and Egyptian parents. Involved in the cultural and spiritual life of Paris, she counted among her friends Alexandra David-Neel. She went to Pondicherry on March 29, 1914, finally settling there in 1920. Sri Aurobindo considered her his spiritual equal and collaborator. After November 24, 1926, when Sri Aurobindo retired into seclusion, he left it to her to plan, run and build the growing Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the community of disciples that had gathered around them.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Savitri Bhavan Programme for October 2007

Guest Speaker Professor Arabinda Basu will give a talk on Savitri entitled The Future God. Thursday October 4 th at 5.30 pm
Arindam-da is one of the senior sadhaks of the Ashram. For more than 50 years he has been speaking authoritatively on Sri Aurobindo's vision. A close friend of Nirod-da, he has often visited Savitri Bhavan, and each of his talks has marked a milestone in our understanding of the poem.
EXHIBITION Meditations on Savitri Book Eight : The Book of Death Book Nine : The Book of Eternal NightReproductions by Giorgio M. of Huta's paintings Daily except Sundays, 9.00-12, 2-6
Activities Savitri Bhavan is open to the public from 9 am to noon and from 2 - 5 pm every day, including Sundays. In addition, evening classes or presentations take place on several evenings each week. A library of books, non-book and audio-visual study materials is being built up to assist students and researchers, and the staff are responding to queries from around the world. Other activities include lectures by guest-speakers; regular study-circles and courses; collection and preparation of study-materials; special events such as study-camps, exhibitions or presentations; and publication of a quarterly journal which is being sent out to addresses all over India and in 35 other countries around the world.
REGULAR COURSES

Sunday morning, 10.30 –12 : Savitri Study Circle Sunday evening, 5pm –6 pm : Foundations of Indian Culture , led by Kittu Reddy

Mondays and Tuesdays, 4–5pm : “Cultivating Concentration”, led by Jai Singh

Tuesdays, 5-6pm : Savitri study in Tamil, led by Bhuvana and Sudarshan

Wednesdays 4-5.30pm : “The Upanishads in the light of Sri Aurobindo”, led by Vladimir

Thursdays 4–5pm : The English of Savitri, led by Shraddhavan

Fridays 5–6.30pm : The Synthesis of Yoga, led by Sraddhalu
PUBLICATIONS

In addition to our regular journals Invocation (English) and Prarthana (Tamil), the following publications are now available free on request at the Reception Desk :
Auroville, Integral Yoga, and the Future of Mankind, by Sraddhalu Ranade
(based on a talk at Savitri Bhavan on 27.08.2006)

Hymn to Anumati, the Divine Grace, by Nishtha
(Original text of Arthava Veda VII.20
with transliteration, English and German translations, and Notes)

Towards a Bibliography of Sri Aurobindo's Savitri
(Interim publication no. 2, April 2007)

The following book is available against a contribution of Rs. 125:
Savitri, The Mother : essays on The Book of Yoga, by Professor M.V. Seetaraman

A full list of learning materials available from Savitri Bhavan can be seen at the Reception Desk
Reception desk and office : Monday to Saturday, 9 – 12, 2 – 5
Reading Room : Monday to Saturday, 9 – 12, 3 – 6
Everyone is welcome
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