The Mother’s legacy is rooted in a radical, universalist future

 Hindutva intellectuals often overlook Sri Aurobindo’s pessimistic view of institutional religion because they primarily engage with his earlier "revolutionary" phase while glossing over the radical spiritual universalism of his later work. 

While his early writings (e.g., Bande Mataram) championed Sanatana Dharma as the basis of nationalism, his later major works (The Human Cycle, The Life Divine) presented a far more critical view of all "credal" religions. 

Reasons for the Oversight

• Selective Appropriation of "Spiritual Nationalism": Hindutva discourse heavily utilizes Aurobindo’s early concept of Spiritual Nationalism to provide intellectual weight to the idea that India’s identity is fundamentally Hindu. To maintain this framework, scholars often ignore his later distinction where he clarifies that "nationalism" itself is a stage of the "group-ego" that must eventually be surpassed by a "religion of humanity".
• Confusion of "Dharma" with "Religion": Many Hindutva intellectuals equate Sri Aurobindo’s praise for Sanatana Dharma with a defense of Hinduism as an organized religion. However, Aurobindo explicitly stated that Hinduism is a "civilization" rather than a credal religion and warned that rigid orthodoxy (Hindu, Muslim, or Christian) would "go under" in the future evolution of consciousness.
• Emphasis on the "First Phase": In his early political career, Aurobindo used religious symbols (like the Mother Goddess) to mobilize the masses against British rule. Modern intellectuals frequently cite this period as evidence of his support for a religious state, while overlooking his later withdrawal from politics into a philosophy that viewed institutionalized religion as a "force for retardation" and "superstition".
• The Teleological Shift: Hindutva thinkers focus on Aurobindo's vision of India as a "spiritual guide" to the world. They often miss his critical nuance: he believed India could only fulfill this role by transcending its own current religious forms to manifest a supramental consciousness that has "no place for religions" in the traditional sense. 

Aurobindo’s Actual Critique of Religion

In his later years, Aurobindo predicted that:

• Credal religion is insufficient: He argued that organized religions are "grotesque creations of human unreason" and "parents of intolerance".
• Evolutionary Obsolescence: He believed that just as man evolved from animals, a "new humanity" would emerge that would no longer need the "scaffolding" of dogmas, rites, and ceremonies.
• Spirituality vs. Religion: He defined true spirituality as a direct inner experience of the Divine, which is often stifled by the "narrow religious spirit" of churches and sects. 

I can prepare a thematic comparison between Sri Aurobindo’s "Sanatana Dharma" and the modern definition of "Hindutva" to see where they align and where they irreconcilably diverge. Would that be helpful?

- GoogleAI 

Hindutva intellectuals are not necessarily indifferent to The Mother (Mirra Alfassa), but their engagement with her is markedly different—and often more peripheral—than their engagement with Sri Aurobindo. While Sri Aurobindo and The Mother are considered spiritual equals within their own system, several historical and ideological factors lead to this perceived imbalance in Hindutva discourse. 

1. The Focus on "Spiritual Nationalism"

Hindutva intellectuals primarily value Sri Aurobindo for his early "Revolutionary" phase (roughly 1905–1910). His writings from this period on Bande Mataram, the "nation as Mother," and Sanatana Dharma as the bedrock of nationalism provide a foundational intellectual framework for modern Hindutva. 

• The Mother only joined Sri Aurobindo permanently in 1920, long after his active political involvement had ended.
• Since Hindutva scholars often focus on the "political prophet" of the independence movement, they naturally gravitate toward the man who led it rather than the spiritual collaborator who later oversaw the Ashram's inward-looking, evolutionary work. 

2. Universalism vs. Civilizational Identity

The Mother’s work, particularly in the founding of Auroville (1968), was explicitly universal and internationalist, aimed at "humanity as a whole". 

• She emphasized that "truth lies in union, rather than division" and even sought dual nationality (French and Indian) to prove that national boundaries are ultimately spiritual constructs to be surpassed.
• While she deeply loved India and called it her "true mother country," her vision was for a future that has no place for rigid religious or national identities. This post-religious, post-nationalist outlook can be difficult for Hindutva intellectuals to reconcile with a project focused on asserting a specific Hindu civilizational identity. 

3. Institutional vs. Intellectual Legacy

In many Hindutva-aligned circles, The Mother is respected more as an institutional builder than a political or philosophical theorist. 

• She is credited with organizing the Sri Aurobindo Ashram into a "many-faceted center of research" and creating the infrastructure for Sri Aurobindo’s ideas to be lived.
• Hindutva intellectuals, who are often looking for "Indian" pedigree for their theories, may struggle with the fact that The Mother was a Frenchwoman of Jewish descent. While Sri Aurobindo declared her to be the Divine Shakti, some external scholars perceive a "selective appropriation" where her contributions are minimized in favor of the more "indigenous" revolutionary figure. 

4. Direct Recognition and Respect

It is important to note that mainstream Hindutva organizations and leaders do not officially reject her.

• Major Hindu organizations often include her in lists of great spiritual figures who adopted India as their home.
• She is frequently praised for her role in helping Sri Aurobindo "re-interpret the Vedanta and Yogic traditions" for the modern world. 

In summary, the "indifference" is less about her status and more about utility. Hindutva discourse finds immediate, potent tools in Sri Aurobindo’s early political theology, whereas The Mother’s legacy is rooted in a radical, universalist future that often challenges the very concept of religious and national exceptionalism. 

I can provide a side-by-side comparison of Sri Aurobindo’s early political writings and The Mother’s "Auroville Charter" to illustrate this tension between nationalism and universalism. Should we examine those specific texts?

- GoogleAI 

Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra