Sri Aurobindo: A Contemporary Reader

The book edited by Professor Sachidananda Mohanty is indeed a distinctive contribution to the field, enhancing our understanding of the scholarship represented in the multifaceted nature of Sri Aurobindo's system of ideas and thoughts. Sri Aurobindo is mostly known for his contribution to yoga and philosophy. His theory of evolution and the details he worked out in The Life Divine are recognized as a seminal contribution to the development of contemporary Indian metaphysics. Similarly, it is felt that Sri Aurobindo's work on the synthesis of yoga which gives rise to the idea of an integral yoga – a system that he developed – and his interpretations of the Gita, the Upanishads and other Indian texts singularly point out the creative and original nature of his work. Sri Aurobindo is thus regarded as one of the foremost and creative thinkers of contemporary Indian philosophy. Accordingly, various studies and anthologies have come out covering these aspects of Sri Aurobindo's thought. But there is a strange anomaly or a bias that is noticed here. It is reflected in our approach to Sri Aurobindo where we mostly emphasize these two aspects, namely, yoga and philosophy. In the process, we tend to ignore the many-sided nature of Sri Aurobindo's thought and neglect to appreciate his contributions in other areas, thus missing the holistic, integral nature of his writings.

It is in relation to this one-sided approach that Prof. Mohanty's book assumes its significance. The book is a compilation from Sri Aurobindo's extraordinarily rich writings on issues relating to social, political and cultural matters. There are not many studies available addressing these aspects of Sri Aurobindo's thought. Prof. Mohanty projects Sri Aurobindo as a cultural critic who holds a definite position on issues which assume utmost importance in our contemporary social and cultural life, such as the "conflict between the East and the West, nationalism and internationalism, religion and secularism, merit and social justice, pacifism and militancy", etc. In relation to these issues, Sri Aurobindo takes a basic stand which emphasizes the need for accepting a schema that consists of a fourfold categorization: the individual, the community, the nation and the world. All our social and political problems must be placed within this arena of a fourfold categorization so that we can see how conflicts and diversities found at the individual level have their bearing on the other three levels. The categories involved, though historically seen as mutually conflicting, are not really so. They will not be in conflict, Sri Aurobindo observes, only if we can integrate or harmonize them. Harmony is a positive notion and it is achieved not by denying the differences but by accepting them as an essential part of communitarian living. If this is not recognized then we will inevitably fall under the tyranny of the almighty state where individuals will be seen as mere shadows. Differences and diversities are thus recognized as important components without which human society would become grossly totalitarian. But the very logic of societal growth demands the transcendence of the diversities and differences exhibited in society. The unification that will be achieved, as Sri Aurobindo puts it, should not be an outcome based on mere consensus. It is not an outcome at which we arrive through some mechanical principles. Sri Aurobindo asserts that the right kind of unification, understood in the sense of harmony, is possible only through our spiritual endeavour.

In all of his works relating to social and political matters, Sri Aurobindo unhesitatingly puts forward the idea of a spiritual goal to be the one which alone can provide a solution to the problems arising out of our disharmonious social existence and conflicting social order. In The Ideal of Human Unity he puts man at the centre of the onward march of society. While talking about the religion of humanity, he says that social ideals like liberty, equality and fraternity will turn out to be "unreal" if sought to be "achieved through the external machinery of society". As long as man is under the grip of ego, whether in the form of the individual ego or the communal ego, these goals or ideals, though political and economic in nature, cannot be achieved. According to Sri Aurobindo the notion of liberty becomes a doctrine of competitive individualism when approached purely from the standpoint of ego. Similarly, the notion of equality becomes mechanical and coercive. Equality is achieved mechanically by denying "the variations of Nature". This results in coercion. In Sri Aurobindo's analysis, unless these notions are based on brotherhood failure is inevitable. But the notion of brotherhood should not be seen as something which is externally available. It is, on the other hand, a part of the internal nature of man or as Sri Aurobindo says, "It exists only in the soul."

In War and Self-Determination Sri Aurobindo makes a similar claim when he says that freedom is the ultimate basis of all our existence—political, moral and spiritual. It is the way one uses freedom that becomes crucial to our life and society. No external system, be it economic or political, can ensure freedom in its real sense. It is claimed, for example, that capitalism as an economic system ensures freedom. But does it really do so? A capitalist may talk about freedom in relation to a certain market mechanism which aims at maximizing profit. A ruthless profit motive thus comes to define freedom, but only at the cost of suppressing labour. Sri Aurobindo thus argues that freedom cannot be ensured externally because the locus of freedom lies in the agent itself. Freedom has to be internally realized. It is this internal notion of freedom that Sri Aurobindo characterizes as the idea of self-determination, an idea he uses to analyze the causes that lead to the outbreak of war. It is a wrong understanding of liberty or the principle of self-determination that is ultimately responsible for war.

His book The Human Cycle argues for the attainment of the same goal involving the autonomy of man—the unfolding of the real self. In this light, Sri Aurobindo examines the various theories such as individualism, social democracy, proletariat totalitarianism, fascism, communism, etc. The common denominator of all these otherwise different doctrines is the belief in the supremacy of Reason. Modern civilization, based on the triumph of Reason, can therefore be termed a mental civilization. But identifying such a mental civilization as the final stage of human progress is a mistake as it is only one stage in the continuing evolution of man. Humanity's ultimate destiny lies in a spiritual transformation where man is seen, to put it in Sri Aurobindo's words, as "a social being incarnated for a divine fulfillment upon earth".

Prof. Mohanty's work gives an excellent account of all these aspects of Sri Aurobindo's social and political thought. But at the same time he very rightly holds that there is an underlying principle which defines the very core of all of Sri Aurobindo's works, be they social, political, metaphysical or literary. His compilation helps to give us a total picture of Sri Aurobindo by drawing our attention to his deep involvement in the social and cultural history of mankind.

In the introduction to the book the author, after giving a short biographical sketch of Sri Aurobindo, goes into the details of the thematic background that constitutes his thought. A substantial part of the introduction thus deals with issues which are of utmost contemporary relevance. These issues are essentially concerned with Sri Aurobindo's response to the crisis of contemporary culture. The issues Prof. Mohanty identifies for discussion are the tyranny of the state idea, religion versus secular modernity, the problem of self-determination, and identity politics in a multicultural society. These are not mere theoretical or conceptual issues. They indicate the four dominant areas of our social and political life which, in Prof. Mohanty's reading, contribute to defining culture. He very effectively brings out the significance of Sri Aurobindo's stand on each of these issues and the solutions that he offered. This account shows that Sri Aurobindo's deep concern for the spiritual upliftment of mankind is not other-worldly. It is, on the other hand, encompassing in nature, going into the minute details of our cultural existence. Sri Aurobindo's solution to overcome the tyranny of the state cannot be brushed aside as merely spiritual. True, at the ultimate level it is spiritual, but Sri Aurobindo arrives at this on the basis of an analysis that involves the relationship between the state and individual. The tyranny of the state exists due to the lack of a harmonious relationship between the state and individual. This is an issue which has been addressed by such political thinkers as Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill. Marx resolves this issue by suggesting the withering away of the state, whereas Mill, in spite of his best efforts, could not find a resolution; the relationship between the state and the individual remains problematic in his treatise On Liberty. Sri Aurobindo perceives this relationship from a completely different perspective. It has been so far seen from a purely practical point of view, suggesting various adjustments through the introduction of rules and regulations. But such measures do not have any lasting value because they do not rest on any foundation. The only way this relationship can work, Sri Aurobindo asserts, is if it is based on deeper psychological and spiritual understanding.

Similarly, Sri Aurobindo's stand on religion versus secular modernity is highly revealing. There is a belief in some quarters that Sri Aurobindo was a religious Hindu nationalist. Leftist intellectuals used it against Sri Aurobindo in order to reject him whereas rightists used it in order to consolidate their position on communalism. Prof. Mohanty has admirably shown how both are profoundly wrong by dispelling the myth that Sri Aurobindo was a religious Hindu nationalist. The textual evidence gives a completely different picture. Sri Aurobindo's writing rules out the possibility of Hindu nationalism being established in the present time (On Nationalism, pp.483–84). But questions invariably come up: "Where does the fault lie? How does this myth arise?" The fault lies in our misunderstanding of Sri Aurobindo's use of the terms religion and spirituality. Sri Aurobindo rejects institutional religion because of its dogma and narrow sectarian attitude. Hence, it is not religion but spirituality that he talks about. Spirituality is universal in man and thus it is beyond any dogma or creed. It expresses human essence. It is an alternative stand—an alternative to both religion and secular modernity.

Prof. Mohanty's compilation is based on four principal texts of Sri Aurobindo: The Ideal of Human Unity, The Human Cycle, War and Self-Determination and The Foundations of Indian Culture. His careful selections from these books bring out the essential core of Sri Aurobindo's thought as expressed in each. Further, each text forms a separate chapter introduced by the editor's brief but scholarly commentary. These commentaries are helpful because they provide direction to readers on how to approach the excerpts. I would like to specially mention Prof. Mohanty's idea of including selections from Sri Aurobindo's The Foundations of Indian Culture. It is a book which shows that for Sri Aurobindo an essential point of reference is India, since India ideally represents a culture that celebrates harmony, a culture which expresses "a natural harmony, of spirit, mind and body". In his Independence Day message, Sri Aurobindo says that among his five "dreams" one is that India will be the centre presiding over the spiritual upliftment of humanity. Thus Prof. Mohanty's inclusion of Sri Aurobindo's The Foundations of Indian Culture is significant and very thoughtful. As he characteristically puts it in his editorial comment, "If there was one concept central to Sri Aurobindo, it would, undoubtedly, be ‘India'."

The last chapter deals with Sri Aurobindo's stand on various political issues, such as urging the Congress leadership to accept the Cripps Mission and avoid partition, the Wavell Plan, making a contribution to the Allied War Fund to symbolically register protest against Nazism, predicting Chinese aggression against India in the year 1962, etc. These materials have been selected from Autobiographical Notes and Other Writings of Historical Interest and reveal a new dimension of Sri Aurobindo's life and thought. It is amazing to see that, sitting in a remote corner of India and living in total seclusion from the rest of the world, Sri Aurobindo was preoccupied with the pressing political problems of the day. The subject that came to the forefront of his concern was, of course, India—the future of India. Here also is another example of Sri Aurobindo's uniqueness. He approached these political problems not as a strategist but as a visionary. As many people are unaware of the documents in the Autobiographical Notes book and their immense historical value, Prof. Mohanty did a great service by including these selections.

To sum up, there are three dominant features that may be mentioned as the chief characteristics of this study. Firstly, the study undertaken in this work expresses the holistic nature of Sri Aurobindo's thought. Sri Aurobindo's metaphysical thought and social and cultural thought cannot be viewed as forming two different strands. Sri Aurobindo's idea of the evolutionary growth of man becomes the guiding principle of Sri Aurobindo's engagement with social and cultural matters. That is why we find that for Sri Aurobindo no social change is possible unless there is a radical transformation of human nature, expressing what he calls the true subjectivity. Prof. Mohanty's book is notable attempt as it seeks to uphold this holistic perspective at the centre of Sri Aurobindo's thought.

Secondly, the book dispels the myth of a widespread belief among historians and social scientists that Sri Aurobindo was a religious Hindu nationalist. One will find from Sri Aurobindo's writing itself the non-Hindu character of his nationalism, which cannot be confined to a sectarian goal. His nationalism, on the other hand, merges with internationalism or universalism. This is possible only on the basis of spirituality which is distinct from religion in any form.

Thirdly, the book seeks to overcome the barrier – the barrier of indifference – shown by the academic community towards Sri Aurobindo's thought. This indifference arises from gross misconceptions that people have about Sri Aurobindo. Prof. Mohanty's book succeeds in removing these misconceptions by showing how Sri Aurobindo's analysis of society and culture can be enormously significant to the contemporary mind.

— Amitabha Das Gupta

Amitabha Das Gupta is a professor of philosophy at the University of Hyderabad.
May 2008