‘Sri Aurobindo: The Life and Teachings of a Revolutionary Philosopher’ by Roshen Dalal
The book attempts to explore the visionary’s journey from Mind to Supermind
Friday, 03 November 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Sri Aurobindo himself wrote: “No one can write about my life because it has not been on the surface for man to see.” Further, when a disciple prayed for his permission to help a writer write his biography, Sri Aurobindo wrote wittily: “I do not want to be murdered by my own disciples in cold print.”
Those who have studied Sri Aurobindo deeply would agree that his life can hardly be comprehended if we choose to focus on his surface life. It is true though that his surface life was filled with dramatic elements since the formative period he spent in England. His participation in India’s anti-colonial struggle during the tumultuous time of Bengal’s partition and the launch of the Swadeshi Movement, his arrest, imprisonment and trial in connection with the Alipore Bomb Case, his overwhelming spiritual experience of the omnipresent Divine in his solitary cell in Alipore jail about which he spoke in some details at his historic Uttarpara Speech-his last public speech- his final acquittal and his landing in Puducherry under a Divine command (adesh) -all these are materials for constructing his biography. But then his surface life almost ceased to exist as he got into an apparently secluded life in Puducherry to involve himself fully in his spiritual sadhana for the complete transformation of nature-driven life into the divine-steered life.
According to A B Purani, one of Sri Aurobindo’s early disciples, writing his biography is difficult principally for two reasons-his astounding versatility and the inscrutability of his inner life. Purani wrote in the preface of Sri Aurobindo’s biography penned by him: “He was a professor, a scholar, a poet, a political leader, a journalist, a philosopher, a dramatist, an indologist, a psychologist, a literary critic, a translator and an original interpreter of the Veda, Upanishads and Gita… Even from the external point of view, the writing of Sri Aurobindo’s life presents a very great difficulty due to his versatility.” Besides, Sri Aurobindo was a Yogi and “a Yogi’s life is his inner life and in fact, that is only real life.”
Viewed in this context, the book ‘Sri Aurobindo: The Life and Teachings of a Revolutionary Philosopher’ written by the eminent writer of India’s history Roshen Dalal and published by Pan Macmillan India in August 2023 offers an insightful portrait of the revolutionary-turned mystic sage, the prophet of the Life Divine on earth. Roshen says that this book is based on her research into the life of the Mahayogi for three decades. The writer says that the book includes myriad aspects of the mystic’s life. At the same time, the writer has sought to unravel the events and relationships that shaped his thinking and contributed to his ascent to the supramental plane of consciousness, particularly his collaboration with his spiritual partner revered as the Mother.
As she specialises in the Indian history, Roshen deciphers Sri Aurobindo’s writings on the hoary sacred texts like the Vedas, Upanishads and Gita. Besides, she says she tries to elucidate his monumental spiritual/philosophical works like The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga and his 24,000-line epic poem Savitri. Roshen says that the book aims to offer an understanding of his vision of the divine destiny of humans and the advent of a new life on earth.
