The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are prominent persons of the 20th century but are not very well known. The vast amount of work that they have left behind should be a fertile field for scholars and researchers. They took up strands of knowledge from various sources and synthesised them into an Integral whole. Besides, they enunciated the path of Integral Yoga from which ensues Integral Education. Sri Aurobindo's Ontology has also been described as Integral Advaita apart from the overall spirit of Integralism that suffuses his socio-political thought.
The basis of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy is evolution. He is confident that man is capable of taking a leap into the next level of consciousness. Rather, he describes it as an evolutionary inevitability. His assertions on the next human species and divinisation of the body are drawn from the Vedic notion of immortality. These claims may sound improbable but there's a lot of merit in believing in them in view of the present conditions of the world.
Sri Aurobindo's neat classification of different stages of human civilisation may or may not be correct in terms of actual happenings, but his vision of the future is a message of hope. He has foreseen that current forms of political or economic framework are insufficient to tackle the problems of humanity. So, a lot many things have to change including a World Union at the apex level. He is also sensitive to the needs of individual freedom and booting out all sorts of discrimination. Thus, the utopian nature of his predictions for the future has many practical aspects which the present society can adopt as normatives.
Sri Aurobindo wrote poetry profusely. He even announced that one can reach higher levels of consciousness through poetry. Thankfully, he has written in English which is accessible to the modern generation. He has also written a lot of literary criticism and a vast number of letters on poetry and art. His prescription for revamping education, of course, has found more generous reception from diverse quarters. Although colonialism was a factor when he wrote, the universalist element in his thought makes it relevant even today. Understanding them can endow one with the global citizen identity.
Aspiration for a better world also involves adventure of consciousness. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo are emphatic that each person become aware of the real aim of life and listen to the inner voice. Day to day life has hardly any space for this but being aware and being conscious turns all life to yoga. The target is to be released from narrowness and ghettoism and become one with the universal human spirit, instead. The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have shown in their own lives that it's possible.
Their writings are so vast that it's not easy for anyone to go through them. Many quote them out of context leading to widespread misunderstanding. Some highlight only one or two of their many facets thus stereotyping in a misleading manner. Thus, understanding the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo in its integrality as well as essence is essential. It takes years to be acquainted, oriented, or attuned to their ever present invitation for a sublime destiny of humanity.
Tusar Nath Mohapatra, August 31, 2021
