Can you please pass on this information

Education Innovation Fund for India - Grants upto Rs. 4 Crores

We are happy to announce that the India Council for Integral Education (ICIE), a project of Sri Aurobindo Society, has launched the Education Innovation Fund for India (EIFI), a collaborative project with Hewlett Packard, USA.

The purpose of EIFI is to identify, nurture and support the most promising and innovative ideas and projects for Education within India through the grants. These grants will be awarded to projects that show the capability to be developed, refined and scaled up so as to impact the next future of India’s education.

There is a One Crore Grant to the most promising project in educational innovation, 15 grants upto 15 lakhs and micro grants for students and children of ages 11 – 17 years. The last date for submission of the applications is 15th November 2011.

The full details are available in our website: www.eifi.aurosociety.org

Can you please pass on this information to as many schools, colleges, educational institutions, NGOs as possible who you feel will be interested, so that if they have some innovative ideas they can apply for the grants.

For any queries or information, you can contact Aishwarya Ramanujam. She will be glad to help. Her contact details are given below: Email id: aishwarya@eifi.aurosociety.org
Ph.: 94894-36397
SAS Newsletter - Sri Aurobindo Society
www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/oct11.htm

Savitri classes in Gandhinagar

Parameswaran Krishnasamy To: tusarnmohapatra@gmail.com Date: 6 September 2011, 18:54

"Dr K. Parameswaran conducts weekly classes on Sri Aurobindo's Savitri in the light of Integral Yoga-sadhana, Sunday, 9:30 - 11:00 am at Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Kendra, Sector 23, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It is followed by a collective meditation" 

Tribute to Shyam Sundar

In Memoriam Shyam Sundar  -  Memorial gathering of Shyam Sundar on August 14, 2011 at Savitri Bhavan, Auroville
On Saturday, 14th August, a memorial gathering was held in Savitri Bhavan dedicated to Syam Sundar who recently passed away. Shyam Sundar was appointed by the Mother as the secretary of Auroville affairs and was involved in the township project from the very beginning. About thirty Aurovilians and fifteen Ashramites gathered in Savitri Bhavan to pay tribute to Shyam Sundar. After a short meditation, several friends spontaneously shared their reminiscences of Shyam Sunder, who had taken significant roles in his lifetime.

Shyam Sundar played a central role in the unfolding of Auroville in the early years as Mother entrusted him with the responsibility for the project.

“I will always have goodwill for Auroville” - Shyam Sundar [Tusar N. Mohapatra  -  7:31 PM (edited) ]

Foundation Day Celebration of Sri Aurobindo's Action at Kolkata: A ...

The foundation day of Sri Aurobindo's Action (Kolkata unit) was celebrated at Maha Bodhi Society Hall at 4A, Bankim Chatterjee Street on Friday, 29 July 2011. ...

Sri Aurobindo's message has to be spread all over the country

Welcome to Sri Aurobindo's Action

(WORDS OF THE MOTHER)

"The only and unique aim of Sri Aurobindo’s Action is the country – India

India has to guard her independence

India has to defend herself

India has to reorganise herself"

“The only solution of the country’s problems is what Sri Aurobindo has given in His writings. He has replied to all questions, including capitalism, communism, political organisation. These are to be put together. He wrote in English, but as many Indians do not know English it is necessary to translate in the languages which they understand. His message has to be spread all over the country, his solutions are to be shown to all who wish to know.

"A great force is there. One has to work without personal sentiments"

To work for the attainment of the perfect man and the perfect society as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

To work for India’s Resurgence, the world and the advent of a progressive universal harmony.
To demonstrate in action the possibility of realising Sri Aurobindo’s ideals in all fields of life, education, science, literature, fine arts, economics, industry etc.
To carry out research into the problems facing man, present their solutions and work them out in practice. [9:07 PM]  

Sri Aurobindo’s Action aims at a collective change and every human being is an essential unit in the integrality. All are welcome to follow the Sunlit Path of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and work towards India’s Resurgence. Given below are a few ways of being part of this collective effort, movement and a sublime ideal. ...

At present the work is being carried on by the Management Team of Sri Aurobindo’s Action at Pondicherry. The Team consists of Kittu Reddy, Secretary; Shyam Sunder Jhunjhunwala, Treasurer; and Manju Bonke, Member.

A fighter for creative space The Hindu ARTS » THEATRE August 20, 2011 SATHYA SARAN

Actor, director, writer and producer Veenapani Chawla created Adishakti, a theatre collective, which operates in Puducherry now. After years of struggle, she is glad to have had her dreams come true. […]

“I shifted here because my Gurus, The Mother and Sri Aurobindo are here. Everyone looks for roots in language and culture, but because my roots are in their philosophy, I find myself open. My vision for Adishakti continues to grow in concentric circles, and I am constantly seeking...”. Another search, another hurdle which she will cross, giving of herself in the process, to emerge surprisingly unscathed and triumphant.

There are few who can compare with Sri Aurobindo

Reviews Written by John Pellicci (Palm Beach Gardens, United States)

The Upanishads, 1st US Edition by Aurobindo Ghose Edition: Paperback Price: $12.26 Words of a Master, October 14, 2010 Amazon This review is from: The Upanishads, 1st US Edition (Paperback)

There are few who can compare with Sri Aurobindo Ghose. His erudition is only surpassed by his realization. A wordsmith of the highest order, who can bring to light and clarity the often confusing and veiled jargon of the ancient Rishis. His commentaries on the Upanishads opens vistas of thought that allow the earnest and informed seeker the opportunity to sit at the feet of a modern master-sage. Comment | Permalink

Essays on the Gita, New U.S. Paperback Ed. by Aurobindo Ghose Edition: Paperback Price: $14.96 Availability: In Stock 30 used & new from $3.59 Doing the Gita Justice, October 14, 2010 Amazon This review is from: Essays on the Gita, New U.S. Paperback Ed. (Paperback)

You can't ask for a more robust and accurate discourse on the profound truths of the Gita. Unlike the envious who seek to dethrone the Supreme Personality with their misreadings of the Gita's message, Sri Aurobindo maintains and magnifies the spirit of devotion throughout his writing. In his unique style, the Master-Sage brings the Gita to life for the modern, critical-thinking God-seeker; who blushes at sectarian stupidity and obtuse scholarship. If you are looking to understand the "Song of the Lord" in a way that brings you to the oceanic depths of Godhead, then click "add to cart." Comment | Permalink

The Life Divine - U.S. edition by Aurobindo Ghose Edition: Hardcover Price: $30.36 Availability: In Stock 38 used & new from $14.63 Our Future Self, July 26, 2011 Amazon This review is from: The Life Divine - U.S. edition (Hardcover)

Aurobindo is a golden Vessel. His words convey thoughts of the most sublime and supreme that a human is given to think and become. His depth of realization and breadth of learning continues to leave me aghast. This magnum opus dethrones and perfects the intellect, opens the being to higher ranges and transmissions to the effect of developing the necessary mental architecture for the radical uplift and trans-human amplification. Comment | Permalink

Narad worked personally with the Mother on the significances of flowers

Notes on Authors - S´raddha - April 2011

Dalal, Dr. A S   A Moslem by birth, Dr. Dalal was born in Tanzania, moved to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram for seven years, then worked in the U.S. as a psychologist for over two decades before returning to the Ashram where he now lives. He has compiled about a dozen books based on the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and has written two books integrating Sri Aurobindo’s psychological thought with modern psychology. Various books of his, published in India and abroad, have been translated into French, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Korean and several Indian languages.

Deshpande, RY (born 17 Apr. 1931) obtained his M.Sc in Physics from Osmania University, Hyderabad. Thereafter he worked as a Research Physicist successively at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, 1955-57, BARC, Bombay, 1957-80, and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA. Headed several Atomic Energy & Space Projects in Advanced technology. Prof. of Physics at SAICE, Pondicherry since 1981 where he also teaches Astrophysics,  Savitri,  The Future Poetry and Science & Society. Editor of Mother India, 1996-2004; Sr Editor of Science-Culture-Integral Yoga (SCIY) web magazine, founded in Los Angeles, 2007-8. A prolific writer, he has to his credit some 50 scientific research papers in professional journals, over 20 books of prose and poetry and nearly a dozen publications ready for publication or are under preparation.

Narad (Richard Eggenberger), is a longtime member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. Landscaper, plumerian, gardener, musician and poet, Narad was born on 29th July 1938 at New Jersey, U.S.A. He studied the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner including his bio-dynamic practices and studied Raja Yoga from a Pandit, at the same time prepared for an operatic career for the Metropolitan Opera on a scholarship from one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of the day, Regina Resnick and took voice lessons from her teacher, Rosalie Miller. He arrived in Pondicherry on November 23^rd 1961, when he had just turned 23. He began the OM Choirs in the Ashram,  Auroville and many places around the world. Narad  was asked by Mother in 1969 to design and build the Matrimandir Gardens. He was responsible for preparing the first slides of Huta’s Meditations on Savitri paintings, which the Mother arranged to be shown in the Ashram theatre, and later in Auroville, in 1972 as part of the celebrations of Sri Aurobindo’s  Birth Centenary. Narad worked personally with the Mother on the significances of flowers and on the Matrimandir Gardens in Auroville. He is past President of the Plumaria Society of America and author of numerous books and articles on tropical plants. He is the editor of the book “Flowers and their messages”, the first book published by the Ashram on spiritual significance of flowers.

Sethna, K D renamed Amal Kiran by Sri Aurobindo, was born in 1904. He joined the Ashram in 1927 and is one of the foremost disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother fortunately still amongst us today. He is a distinguished poet, a literary critic, an artist and a seer (kavi). Apart from his own poems, he is a great prose writer on a wide variety of subjects – poetry, literature, history, Christianity, philosophy and of course Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He was founder and editor of  Mother India: monthly review of culture for 50 years and is acknowledged to be one of the greatest authorities on Sri Aurobindo’s revelatory epic poem Savitri – a legend and a symbol.

Sunayana Panda grew up in the Ashram as a student of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education and is in the editorial team of its alumni journal,  The Golden Chain. She holds a M.A. in English Literature and has been in the field of education for over 25 years. Sunayana has brought to the stage several of Sri Aurobindo’s poetical works and contributes regularly to various Ashram-related journals.

Vladimir Iatsenko, after graduating from St. Petersburg University of Russia in Sanskrit Language and Literature, General and Theoretical Linguistics, studied in Poona University 1991-92 Sanskrit Grammar: Panini Ashtadhyayi. From 1992 he is a member of Auroville community, working in Savitri Bhavan as Sanskrit teacher and researcher in the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. He is also having courses in Indian Scriptures at ICIS in Delhi, SACAR and IPI in Pondicherry and University of Human Unity in Auroville.

Amal Kiran was the foremost mystic poet of our generation, next only to Sri Aurobindo

A colossus passes on MANOJ DAS The Hindu August 6, 2011

To many of us, K.D. Sethna was the foremost mystic poet of our generation, next only to Sri Aurobindo. He has left behind nearly a thousand splendid poems and several volumes of prose.

Future will decide whether Amal-kiran (K.D. Sethna) who died completing 106 years of age was the last of a great tradition or the forerunner of a future poetry.

“I have nothing to declare except my genius,” said Oscar Wilde on his arrival at the New York Customs House in 1882. Amal-kiran (K.D. Sethna) could have made the same statement, but for his modesty, had his identity been demanded at any literary event, for he had no award or decoration to declare.

Probably it is an irony as well a glory that a man who, along with Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Nirodbaran and Dilip Kumar Roy had the rare privilege of blossoming as a poet under inspiration and guidance directly from Sri Aurobindo, one who as a historian produced highly original works of research, The Harappan Culture and the Rig Veda and The Problem of Aryan Origin, one who as a critic shed new light on Shakespeare's mysterious Dark Lady, who engaged Einstein in a discussion on Relativity and the poet Kathleen Raine on mystic poetry, should be primarily referred to in some of the obituaries as the oldest living poet in the world to have passed away, while running 107, on June 29.

Unparalleled

Kekoo D. Sethna was born in an aristocratic Parsi family of Mumbai on November 25, 1904. Educated at St. Xavier's College, he, according to his earliest editor, Prof. V.N. Bhushan (1945), “took both the Selby scholarship for logic and the Hughling Prize for English, a combination not achieved by anyone else yet. Passing the B.A. examination of the Bombay University with honours in philosophy, he again put up a performance not paralleled so far – namely, that he, a philosophy student, won the much-coveted Ellis Prize for English. And before he left college he made his literary debut with a bunch of poems marked by a piercing psychical and intellectual passion. Published about the same time his volume of critical essays entitled Parnassians (1923) elicited from H.G. Wells the prophetic remark, ‘This young man will go far'. And he has gone far — farther than the celebrated English writer could have meant or expected. He has gone far on the path of spiritual quest — with vision in his eyes and song on his lips.”

Song on his lips indeed. He has left nearly a thousand splendid poems behind, apart from several volumes of prose.

Is chance a pseudonym of God which He uses when He does not wish to put down His signature? It seems so in Sethna's case. As he unwrapped a pair of newly bought shoes, the piece of newspaper wrapping his newly bought shoes carried an article on Sri Aurobindo. He read it and that changed the course of his life. Instead of appearing for his Master's, he came over to Pondicherry in 1930. Rechristened Amal-kiran (Clear Ray) by Sri Aurobindo, he lived in the Ashram, with one break, till his end, editing the Ashram's monthly journalMother India, and taking classes at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education.

Sri Aurobindo, in the process of writing his poetic magnum opus, Savitri, would send cantos of his epic and answer his queries on the mystic significance of allusions and symbols used in the poem. Amal-kiran's correspondence with the Master is an indispensable help for readers in general and scholars doing research on Sri Aurobindo's works in particular.

A polymath of the first order, the originality of his outlook — often an uncanny insight — was manifest in his evaluation of any subject, literary, historical or even scientific. He interpreted Blake's Tyger as an allusion for Christ. No wonder that his thesis should surprise many and disturb the noted authority on Blake, the poet Kathleen Raine (1908 – 2003). The exchange of arguments between the two, compiled in a volume — is an exemplary document in creative criticism and dignified humility — concluding with Raine's statement, “I concede you the victory”.

Raine became an ardent lover of Amal-kiran's poetry. Praising lines from one of his poems, The Errant Life, she wrote to him (31-12-1993), that she wished she had written them! The lines are:

Speak to me heart to heart words intimate

And all thy formless glory turn to love

And mould Thy love into a human face.

She wrote further, “A life of aspiration to the divine vision cannot but bring its reward, not in the poems only, but in other ways — all ways — and setting your heart and mind on ‘whatsoever things are lovely' (in St. Paul's words) you must have experienced many times a great joy…Those friends who share that ‘divine vision' or seek it are very precious, in this dark world…”

Polio had badly affected one of his legs when he was a child. Treatment in Britain and elsewhere did not secure for him the freedom to move without a stick — before a fall in 1991 confined him to a wheelchair. But as his friend for more than 60 years, the doctor-turned poet and yet another centenarian in the Ashram, Nirodbaran wrote, “He had no regrets. Rather, he considers this God's blessing to him, for it has enabled him to plunge into the oceans of the mind, and thus acquire a vast body of knowledge at an early age — so much so that Sri Aurobindo jokingly remarked: ‘He has learnt too much. He must start unlearning now.' ” What is remarkable, whoever came in contact with him went back imbibing a ray of his ever-shining wit and humour.

According to many he was the foremost mystic poet of our generation, next only to Sri Aurobindo. Future will say whether he was the last of a great tradition or the forerunner of “those who shall be the creators of the poetry of the future”, as Sri Aurobindo anticipates in his Future Poetry.

Peter Heehs is without appropriate legal permits

Peter Heehs has never been in charge of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Archives as you wrongly claim, and has multiple cases pending against him in various courts for impersonating as the "founder of the Ashram Archives" when in fact he was only one of 40 proof-readers/ researchers there. …

For the record, Mr. Peter Heehs is currently in India without appropriate legal permits. - Prof Kamal Das (Date: Mon, Aug 1, 2011 at 1:04 PM Subject: RAMACHANDRA GUHA: RIGHT SPIRIT - WRONG FACTS!)

Auroville and Matri Mandir, Pondicherry | Travel Stories Priyanka Dalal 

This is also where the Matri Mandir – an intriguing meditation complex made by the Mother and Aurobindo is located. My first view of this center was a sense of lot of ‘disjoint’ communities working together. It probably felt disjoint because the different building complexes are some distance from each other, and surrounded by the forest. …

The Aurobindo ashram in Pondicherry is surprisingly distinct from this settlement, considering that Auroville was Aurobindo’s movement as much as the ashram was! In fact a few questions can uncover some hostilities towards the other establishment. For a visitor however these things may not matter much but for anyone planning to involve themselves further in the movement these signs could point towards deeper problems.

Radical realists Times of India Baskaran Pillai | Jul 25, 2011

The physical immortality of the body is a key concept among the Siddhas. According to them, enlightenment is simply not psychological. Liberation is not just psychological liberation from thought forms. Nirvana, according to Swami Ramalingam who turned his body into light in 1874, is a stage in the evolutionary process. He maintained that one should attain evolution of body, mind, and soul. You cannot simply evolve your psychology or your soul, and say that it is everything. Sri Aurobindo, although he was not a Siddha, upheld the Siddha ideal that unless the body is turned into light, the evolution of the human is not complete. Aurobindo admitted not reaching that stage, but praised Swami Ramalingam and the Siddhas for holding the highest ideal of enlightenment.   

One must not cling to the memories of past experiences

Mark O Conghalaigh 4:16pm Jul 21 Original Post         

According to Sri Aurobindo, when one dies do we retain memories in a certain way, so that it is integrated into something finer and grander or is there a certain relapse, forgetting 'human experiences' as other world views would suggest? Ive read a couple of books about this great man by Chaudhuri etc. but don't know his interpretation on this clearly. If anyone can make a suggestion I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Jerome van der Linden        9:38pm Jul 22

Memories of that part of your life that involves your soul, or psychic being as it is nuanced in the integral yoga, are retained. That is essentials.

Jerome van der Linden 9:41pm Jul 22

Also there is the common knowledge that the mother constructed a bridge - a tunnel of light - in the first part of the last century, that allows that psychic being to pass directly to the psychic world without the perilous s-and sometimes long- journey through the 'lower' regions.

Why do we forget our vivid dreams? « Integral Yoga of Sri ... 14 Jul 2011 by Sandeep

Before delving into the question at hand, it would be helpful to briefly summarize the general theory outlined by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The physical world is not the only world that we live in; the Universe consists of layer upon layer of occult worlds differentiated by the ... When you return to a place on Earth where you had lived many years ago, your senses are stimulated and you spontaneously recall memories of past interactions at that place. ...

Savitri Era Devotees: Why spiritual experiences do not repeat? 13 Jun 2011 by aurofrance

Intermittently, one may encounter an oasis of water in the form of a replenishing soul moment, but the rest of the time one has to trudge through the scorching heat of the hardships of daily life. It is in this context that the ... As the Mother says above, one must not cling to the memories of past experiences and the case of the Satprem, a disciple of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, is particularly apposite in this discussion. In the early stages of the ...

Guru's action is fluid

Comment posted by: RY Deshpande

We hope that all the Savitri drafts, particularly in Sri Aurobindo’s hand, are absolutely safe. We also hope that there is no tampering done with them. ~ RYD

Comment posted by: Sandeep Re: Integral Leadership by Anurag Banerjee

The answer would be that the Coaching Style was followed by Sri Aurobindo while the Mother followed the Authoritative Style.

Any attempt to situate a Guru in some matrix of leadership styles, based on their external behaviour, is fraught with error… Rich Carlson commits this same error time and again.

The Guru's action is fluid.  He or she guides more from within than without, subliminally sensing the needs of every disciple and sending out waves of influence that resolve subconscious blocks.  The external organization of the Ashram, or Auroville for that matter, is based on whatever Sankalpa comes through during spontaneous visions.

Note the following words—“presumably”, “does not seem”, “seems to have”, “may have”, “would have”. Is this history or guesswork?

Govind's Reply to Ajit & Co ref Partition of India from A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs 

There may still be those left in some doubt as to the stupidity, the arrogance and the naked disloyalty that is at the heart of this enterprise. 

Sri Aurobindo's Writings - The Mother's Collected Works

The Mother followed the Authoritative Style

Integral Leadership by Anurag Banerjee Thu 14 Jul 2011  Permanent Link  

A question might arise: which style of leadership did Sri Aurobindo and the Mother follow? The answer would be that the Coaching Style was followed by Sri Aurobindo while the Mother followed the Authoritative Style. …

But neither Sri Aurobindo nor the Mother delegated absolute authority to any of the department-heads. The leaders following the “Coaching Style” provide regular feedback and encourage interaction between him and the employees; he conveys to them what he expects from them. And that is what Sri Aurobindo did. He always gave directions and advice whereas the leader following ‘laissez-faire’ would not do so. 

The Mother, as mentioned earlier, followed the Authoritative Style. As a visionary, she knew what she was doing and her followers/disciples also knew what and why they were doing and how their tasks would fit into the organizational goal. [India's Contribution to Management, The Flowering of Management, The need for a many-sided progress.: An article from: International Journal of Humanities and Peace, Sri Aurobindo and the New Millennium. (Book Reviews). (book review): An article from: International Journal of Humanities and Peace]

SRI AUROBINDO'S THEORY OF POETRY: SEARCHING FOR A COMPLETE MANIFESTO Goutam Ghosal NEW RACE Vol. XII – II April2011

Sri Aurobindo became a relaxed guru after 1926. Apart from that, the Mother’s influence might have been a significant force behind the clarity of his post-1926 letters. One suspects he learnt a lot about expressive skill from the Mother’s writings. There is an obvious change in his prose style in the 30s and the progressive clarity reached a supreme height in The Supramental Manifestation on Earth. [Sri Aurobindo's prose style (with a foreword by V.K. Gokak), Rainbow Bridge: A Comparative Study of Tagore and Sri Aurobindo, Sri Aurobindo and world literature]

Kaikhosru Dadhaboy Sethna (1904 - 2011)

India: morto KD Sethna, discepolo prediletto di Sri Aurobindo swissinfo.ch – 30 giugno 2011

Il filosofo indiano K.D. Sethna, uno dei primi e più famosi discepoli di Sri Aurobindo, teorico dello yoga integrale di fama mondiale, è morto in un villaggio dell'India all'età di 106 anni. Nato il 26 novembre 1904 come Kaikhosru Dadhaboy Sethna, il poeta e scrittore ha pubblicato oltre 40 libri, tra saggi, raccolte di racconti e di poesie, alcuni dei quali con lo pseudonimo Amal Kiran.
Sethna studiò filosofia all'Università di Bombay e all'età di 23 anni, nel 1927, fu ammesso all'ashram di Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), uno tra i più importanti filosofi e maestri spirituali dell'India moderna, fautore dello studio e della pratica dello Yoga integrale.
Come il suo maestro, Sethna, che ne divenne il discepolo prediletto, ha vissuto per oltre 80 anni nello ashram praticando lo Yoga integrale e interrompendo la meditazione solo per scrivere libri, articoli e poesie e tenere conferenze. K.D. Sethna pubblicò il suo primo libro di poesie nel 1933 con il titolo "Inmost Beauty". Nel 1949 fondò "Mother India", la rivista dello Sri Aurobindo Ashram, che diresse poi per 50 anni. sda-ats

Seeing every work as the Mother’s work

Socrates Departs From Orissa from ANTIDOTE by naturalorder@gmail.com (Sauvik)

I am leaving Orissa in a few hours, and by the evening expect to be in Pondicherry, where Aurobindo - who started off as a "terrorist" - took refuge and spent the rest of his life in metaphysical speculations. I have some lectures scheduled in the Roshni Nilaya School of Social Work, Mangalore, a Christian institution where I have taught many times before, and I guess I will make my way across to the West Coast again.

Im angry at god: D Sivakarthikeyan IBNLive.com
Also, I visit Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry occasionally. I love that place for its serenity and peacefulness. My life has never been a bed of roses. Whatever I’m today is because of my hard work. When I lost my dad I thought of ending my life, ...

Re: SECOND INDEPENDENCE -- IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS RELEASED BY DR. LEO Joy Roy Choudhury

Sometimes the most important work is done silently in the background by some and all these are highly interconnected forces that bring about the "golden change" (From Savitri). Such is the power of consciousness. We reap the harvest of the work done for the creation. Divine chooses each one in his own way to do the work, a simple doodle or a quibble can also have an immense power or it can release right positive energy if it has the right aspiration to connect with the source of an all-ascending prayer of transcendence: […]

Re: The Death of Democracy and Human Rights in India Joy Roy Choudhury Jun 15, 2011 Dear All, Again the key to all these issues I think is Evolution of Consciousness. India is evolving at her own pace and to eventually eradicate corruption and poverty, it will take time. But one can be hopeful that all this will be done by the grace of the Divine Mother.

Its the same Divine Will that created this wonderful land will take its wheel forward to the next level. We humans can play a big part to make it happen by bringing about the change and transformation first within ourselves. We must admit here that there are faceless hidden
forces that sought to govern the earth, these forces which we don't see or apprehend are there as mechanisms that fail, they are the present system of politics, democracy, judiciary, financial institutions etc. They fail at their present renderings because they are bereft of the Truth Consciousness. Man in his present state is still very much a mental human being so he can be easily governed by these nameless, faceless forces of falsehood or ignorance and death.

Often, it was said during the Jacobean period that Man in Trying to be Something More than Man Ends up in Becoming Less than Man, this can happen and looking back at history or even today we know this is true because then his evolutionary forces are not directed towards the Existence, Consciousness and Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda) but towards the satisfaction of the Lower Nature.

Man has to understand first his position in the Great Chain of Beings and then rightly assess the situation and proceed towards the Summit of the Forces, towards the Light and towards Love Consciousness and Knowledge. All these better said than done. Avatars have come, and so His Bibhutis and also Maha Rishis and Gurus - we have moved on from one-celled organism to a super ape using android and iphones and what nots. But if we are conscious, then we can make a difference to this whole process of evolution.

Jai Ma: Srimanka Seva — Pashupati Bhattacharya
Publisher: Madanlal Poddar, Pondicherry - Oriya translation of Jai Ma: On the Mother's Service

Reproduced from a chapter in On the Mother Divine by Pashupati, this small booklet addresses the right attitude to be taken towards work as part of one’s sadhana. It urges the reader to begin seeing every work as the Mother’s work, to be carried out with a constant remembrance of her, and to abandon the notion of personal gain and egocentric success. Work done in the right spirit, in whatever field of endeavour, can bring about a change of consciousness and draw one nearer to the Divine. 

rainbOwther: Integrating Wisdom, Strength, Harmony, & Service

The caste systems as we find today is of course of a deviated and deformed version of the original Caturvarna system. Sri Aurobindo examines the problem ...

Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo's examples are worth emulating for nation building

Train of thoughts halts at Cantonment IBNLive.com Indian Express Posted on Jun 20, 2011

While the first concentrates on the earlier and formative years, the latter represents his teachings and morals along with his decision on attending the Parliament of Religion in Chicago, in 1893. His address at the Parliament of Religion is also framed.

The board at the far end of the second coach summons the exhibition with Swami Vivekananda’s signature and one-liners from personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sri Aurobindo.

The Life Divine, in status, is a veritable Veda

The Life Divine, the magnum opus of Sri Aurobindo is the agenda of the New Age, ... The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo's magnum opus and His blue-print for the ...

Bharat Rakshak • View topic - Islamic Sectarianism

In any case, I will end this with a quote from the Revolutionary-Saint Sri Aurobindo, it would augur well as a "strategy" for resolving ...

Bharat Rakshak • View topic - The Jan Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare ...

Rajeev Srinivasan on how Ramdev, Hazare, and Husain are all representative of ... The most prominent, of course, were Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo, ...
AV's politics

It is obvious that Hazare pops out every once in a while with an anti-political .... So what is the guarantee that a Lok Pal (who is again a person) will be immune …. Ramdev wanted an honourable way out and that was provided by Sri Sri ..... 

I would anyway say Vivekananda and Aurobindo are the greatest Indians of the last century and certainly en example worth emulating in nation building.. Suman Kalyan

Day 2 at Auroville « The glass half full 20 Jun 2011

There's books on the Mother and Sri Aurobindo about the vision for Auroville, there's all sorts of spiritual and psychological readings, ...

churumuri

Still, on both counts, Baba Ramdev has come up woefully short and has plenty of .....  The Hazare gang says it will go ahead with the protest despite the ban, setting the ...  Ramana and Aurobindo did not leave their ashrams for decades on end. ...

Who Is Undermining Parliament? Civil Society or Government?

We may not agree with everything that Anna Hazare proposes – but his ideas are out there in ... (The author teaches Economics at Sri Aurobindo College (Eve. 

Ramdev - Wikipedia, de free encycwopedia

He is popuwarwy known as Baba Ramdev, and has gained popuwarity for his teachings of Yoga, ... This incwuded a rare book of Aurobindo Ghosh, Yogik Sadhan, .....Many pepowe wike sri sri ravi shankar awso forced him to end his fast. ...

Auronet

A Weekly meditation with Sri Aurobindo's epic and initiatic poem at the very center of Auroville. Every THURSDAY at sunset 6 to 6.30 p.m. ...

A person may grow spiritually more during the last few years of life

Until next time Times of India Ramesh Bijlani | Jun 13, 2011, 03.02pm IST

The spiritual explanation provided by the Mother (Aurobindo Ashram) is that a person does not die till he gives his consent, may be only for "the hundredth part of a second". As she says, there is always something in the person which, out of fatigue or disgust, says: "Well, let it be finished, so much the better". …

The body is subject to ageing and decay. Like any machine, it cannot go on working forever. Therefore, death is a physical necessity. Death is also a spiritual necessity. The goal of life is spiritual growth, and most of us are unable to complete the journey of spiritual growth in a lifetime. Beyond a point, our body is too worn out to continue with this journey. We should be happy that death provides us a mechanism by which we are sure to get rid of this body, and get a brand new body to continue the journey further. 

How can we be reborn unless we are ready to die? Death not only clears the way for another opportunity to take a few steps in our spiritual journey, it also helps us grow in this life. If we were assured of physical immortality, few of us would be motivated to grow spiritually. A sinful life can be so engaging, absorbing, and entertaining, that it would not leave us any time, incentive or energy to live a better life. The certainty of death is a powerful force that restrains evil and encourages good deeds. That is why a person may grow spiritually more during the last few years of life than in the preceding several decades. 

Auromira Yoga: OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE SPIRITUALITY By Dr. Ramesh Bijlani The misplaced curiosity trap

Drifting into spirituality with the relatively simple aims of pursuing something of lasting value, something useful to others, or something better than joining the rat race, some young people get distracted by the futile search for answers to irrelevant questions. They want to know more and more about life after death, rebirth, past life regression, or forecasting the future. They start resolving the apparent discrepancies in the karma theory. 

Thoughts and Aporisms 29 from All choice by Barindranath Chaki

We should understand properly what "will" is. The human will is a thought, supported by a 'force' for execution and also supported by an 'impulse'. Often, it is supported by a lesser knowledge and/or understanding, lesser force and lesser and baser impulses and instincts. We find on earth and among humans clash of wills. Whenever the thought and the force and the impulse backing the will is limited, more or less, conditioned by unconsciousness or half-consciousness, by grossness, by lack of enlightenment, there comes the question of clash or the question of virtue and vice. Barindranath Chaki 12-06-2011 [Simultaneously published by me in All choice and Sulekha.]   

The Guru, the Gandhian, the Organisation Man Rediff Rajeev Srinivasan

Baba Ramdev does identify with the hoary spiritual traditions of India, although he does bring in his own idiosyncrasies. For instance, the traditional Guru has been a mild, philosophical, spiritual person emphasising the syncretic, tolerant strain of meditative Indic tradition. A good example would be the other-worldly and kindly Ramana Maharshi of Tiruvannamalai, or Sri Ramakrishna of Calcutta. Ramdev is not so mellow.

That is not to say that there have not been assertive Gurus. The most prominent, of course, were Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo, who did much to rekindle the spirit of Indian civilization, under withering attack by malign forces. And let us not forget the youthful Adi Sankara, he who traversed the length and breadth of the subcontinent, defeating the Buddhists in intellectual battles.

Baba Ramdev is perhaps in the mould of these robust Gurus. 

Savitri Era: Sri Aurobindo is a victim of disinformation

The name of Sri Aurobindo has adorned the media in diverse contexts in the wake of the current Hazare-Ramdev mobilization, but no one cares to point out the ...

How does Heehs conclude that Sri Aurobindo was a stoic?

Comment on Kundalini in ancient Greek and other non-Indian cultures by Sandeep from Comments for Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo & The Mother by Sandeep

Jason,

McEvilley is definitely worth reading. He devotes a chapter to some peculiar parallels between the Greek Stoic school and Hinduism. Many of the Stoic scriptures were lost, but based on the extant manuscripts, it seems the Stoic averred the cyclic creation and destruction of the cosmos, the pneuma (i.e. conscious-force) which dwells in plants, animals and man, the interpenetration of the soul with the body, our existence after death, etc.

I plan to write a post on the Stoic-Hinduism parallels someday soon.

A critique of the book "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" by Peter Heehs ... JUN 9, 2011 Is This History or Speculation? -- by Krish Patwardhan

Finally, Sri Aurobindo’s “own stoicism, partly innate and partly learned from philosophers such as Epictetus, would have helped him to keep his sexual tendencies in check.” I reproduce below the document which Heehs has based himself upon to show the reader how he decontextualises his sources:

Sri Aurobindo’s intellect was influenced by Greek philosophy.

Very little. I read more than once Plato’s Republic and Symposium, but only extracts from his other writings. It is true that under his impress I rashly started writing at the age of 18 an explanation of the cosmos on the foundation of the principle of Beauty and Harmony, but I never got beyond the first three or four chapters. I read Epictetus and was interested in the ideas of the Stoics and the Epicureans; but I made no study of Greek philosophy or of any of the [? ]. (Sri Aurobindo, CWSA, Autobiographical Notes, p 112)

Sri Aurobindo’s note begins with “Very little” in answer to the biographer’s statement on him being influenced by Greek philosophy. If Sri Aurobindo goes on to say that he read Epictetus and was interested in the ideas of the Stoics, it certainly does not mean a denial of his opening answer or that he was indeed influenced by Epictetus and the Stoics. How does Heehs then conclude that Sri Aurobindo’s stoicism was “partly learned from philosophers such as Epictetus”? How does he at all conclude that Sri Aurobindo was a stoic? By the fact that he took up Yoga which requires self-control? If that is the case, then we can conclude that only stoics take up Yoga!

Meaning of the term ‘Integral’

Program Listing - Cultural Integration Fellowship - June 2011 CIF Home - About CIF  

June 12 The Pilgrimage to Pandharpur: Bhakti on the Road 

with John M. Stanley, PhD, professor of Religions and Anthropology

Dr. Stanley made many trips to India to study the popular devotional sects and the religious practices of the devoted worshippers of Vitthoba whose yearly pilgrimage to the village of Pandharpur demonstrates the devotional intensity of the bhakti traditions. Dr. Stanley’s power point presentation includes exciting photos of the pilgrimage and underscore his vast knowledge of the bhakti traditions of India.

John M. Stanley is the recipient of an M Div degree, summa cum laude from Pacific School of Religion and a PhD from Columbia University in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. A professor of History of Religions and Anthropology of Religion at Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin from 1961 to 2000, he was five times the director of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest India Study Program and twice received year long grants to conduct research in India. Professor Stanley has been the recipient of a Rockefeller Brothers Theological Fellowship and has received grants from the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is the author of several published articles on Bhakti practices in Maharashtra.

June 26 Haridas and Bina Chaudhuri Memorial concert offering

with Sri Karunamayee, Sur Laya Sangam and Arshad Syed on tabla

Sri Karunamayee is renowned for her soul-empowering music. She refined her rendering of North Indian Classical vocal music under the revered tutelege of Pandit Pran Nath ji and holds Masters degrees in both philosophy and music, having served as an innovative educator in academic settings. Sri Karunamayee is a vital member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Delhi.

Jul 10: Mother Sees that the Psychic Being Materializes into the Supramental Being with Loretta Shartsis, long-time practitioner of integral yoga and resident of Auroville

Friday, July 8, 2011, 11:00 - 3:00 The Integral Way...as we move ahead

Please join us for an interactive workshop with Aster Patel, PhD. Aster is a long time resident of Auroville and member of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation. We will explore the meaning of the term ‘Integral’ and explore its significance as it reveals itself in discoveries made by the natural sciences and our potential for human growth and evolution.

Dr. Aster Patel is a long time resident and member of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation. For over three decades, she has been engaged in the experiment of Auroville where she is in charge of the Centre for Research in Indian Culture and Centre of Indian Studies in Bharat Nivas, in the International Zone of Auroville. Aster has taught for many years at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry and has participated in seminars and conferences at various centers and universities in India and internationally—including UNESCO, Paris and the United Nations— as well as other institutes in the U.S. Aster has written and published papers in philosophy, integral psychology, education and yoga. As a child, she lived with her parents at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry and studied at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. Aster received her doctorate from the University of Paris (Sorbonne), where she wrote her doctoral dissertation titled: A Comparative Study of the Philosophies of Sri Aurobindo and Henri Bergson. Among numerous other accomplishments, Aster received the ‘Sri Aurobindo Puraskar’ in 2005 for a collection of papers and graphics that was published in 2006 under the title – The Presence of Time.

Foundations of Indian Psychology (in two volumes) edited by: Matthijs Cornelissen, Girishwar Misra, & Suneet Varma, published by: Pearson Education, New Delhi 

Dalal, Ajit K. (2010). A journey back to the roots: Psychology in India

This chapter traces the history of pychology in India and discusses how it can be enriched by drawing from the classical Indian texts.

Dalal, Ajit K. & Cornelissen, M. (2010). Sri Aurobindo: A Yogi and a Poet

The chapter discusses the biography of an eminent Indian yogi and a poet, Sri Aurobindo. It also throws light on his creative genius as evident in his writings, particularly in his classic work, Savitri.

Cornelissen, R. M. Matthijs (2009). Sri Aurobindo, A short biography

Cornelissen, R. M. Matthijs (2007). In Defence of Rigorous Subjectivity

This article gives the basic argument why rigorous, yoga-based, research of first person experience is necessary to take Psychology further. It is based on a keynote given at the Annual Conference of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the BPS in 2007.

Cornelissen, R. M. Matthijs (2006). What is knowledge? A reflection based on the work of Sri Aurobindo

This article looks from an experiential angle at the different types of knowledge that are involved in yoga-based research. A slightly shorter version has been included in Matthijs Cornelissen, Girishwar Mishra and Suneet Varma (eds.) (2011), Foundations of Indian Psychology (Vol. 1), New-Delhi: Pearson.