Sri Aurobindo once said that his life was not lived on the surface for men to see. As I understand this statement, it means only with an inner vision — a vision one may be blessed with through intense yogic sadhana and with Divine Grace, — one could begin to understand a little the true significance of his birth, life and work. The Mother called Sri Aurobindo’s birth an “Eternal Birth.”
Words fail when we try to speak of the immense and eternal significance of the life and work of Sri Aurobindo. But something in me wants to try because every attempt becomes one more opportunity for the aspiring soul to meditate on the Timeless and Eternal Presence that Sri Aurobindo is and will be for times to come. Heart feels a deep ananda as it begins to revel in love for Him. Mind too gets its fulfilment as it begins to surrender its intellectual arrogance and limitation. Such is the Power and Force of Sri Aurobindo, and such is the working of his Integral Yoga that everything when done with a right attitude can bring the soul a step closer to Him.
A modern Rishi, a Mahayogi, a sage-philosopher, a seer-poet, a political revolutionary, a visionary intellectual — all these words never suffice. He has been spoken of as an explorer and adventurer in consciousness. And an avatār. Avatar of the future, the Mother reminds.
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A Special Issue for August 2022
It is a perfect opportunity — this Hour of God — 15 August 2022 — the date that marks the 150th birthday of Sri Aurobindo, and by no coincidence, 75 years of India’s political independence, to sing glories of the Eternal Presence that Sri Aurobindo was, is and will be. We begin this special issue of Renaissance with our Guiding Light feature which includes the Words of Sri Aurobindo on Himself, and Words of the Mother on Sri Aurobindo. A message of Sri Aurobindo given on 15 August 1926 tells us of the inner significance of August 15 for yoga.
We then bring for our readers a bouquet of flowers, each with a fragrance unique and beautiful. Beginning from Amal Kiran’s ‘The Series of Avatars and Avatar of the Future‘ and moving to Nolini Kanta Gupta’s ‘The Greatness of the Great‘, from Rishabhchand’s ‘Sri Aurobindo, the Reconciler of Light and Life‘ (presented in 2 parts) to A. B. Purani’s ‘Sri Aurobindo and Indian Cultural Renaissance‘ (presented in 4 parts), our readers will go on discovering a variety of beautiful and harmonious notes strung together to give a glimpse of the eternal relevance of the life and work of Sri Aurobindo.
We have Ananda Reddy telling us of ‘The Timeless Relevance of Sri Aurobindo‘ and Suhas Mehra with a video submission titled ‘We bow to you, Sri Aurobindo, O Sun of the New Age, Bringer of the New Light!’. Readers will delight in Charan Singh’s piece ‘Sri Aurobindo: His Birth Unique, His Presence Ubiquitous‘ and also Janani Ramanathan’s ‘Understanding Sri Aurobindo and the Character of Life through Literature.’ Another enjoyable reading is the article ‘Sri Aurobindo’s Work for India’s Political Liberation‘ by Vijay Poddar of Sri Aurobindo Society, written when he was a student at Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education.
See our Digital Exhibit:
Sri Aurobindo, the Eternal Presence
In the Book of the Month feature, we highlight free e-books on ‘India and her Mission‘ published recently by Sri Aurobindo Society. These e-books are compilations of the words of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on various topics related to India. Compiled by Jamshed M. Mavalwalla, these books are available HERE.
We continue with the second part of our ongoing series – ‘Sri Aurobindo’s Interpretation of Indian Culture: The Epics‘ by Prema Nandkumar. After last month’s break, we bring again our regular feature — Insightful Conversations, this time in Hindi, featuring a conversation with an acclaimed performer of Powada, a unique poetic storytelling art-form from Maharashtra.
As always, we offer this work at the lotus feet of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
In gratitude,
Beloo Mehra (for Renaissance Editorial Team)