Sri Aurobindo Ghose Criticism
Sri Aurobindo Ghose (1872-1950) was a distinguished Indian philosopher, poet, and political revolutionary whose prolific work spans poetry, prose, and critical essays. A notable theme in Aurobindo's writings is the divinization of life, as he sought to articulate a vision where earthly life becomes infused with spiritual consciousness, a concept he elaborates in his epic poem, Savitri. Born into a high-caste family in Calcutta, Aurobindo was educated in England, leading to his writing primarily in English, despite his Indian heritage.
Aurobindo's career can be divided into two distinct phases. The first phase, from 1893 to 1910, was marked by his active participation in the Indian independence movement, during which he became a prominent leader and editor of the nationalist newspaper Bande Mataram. During this period, as noted by K. D. Verma, his political activities were intertwined with a growing spiritual dimension, leading to his eventual withdrawal from politics.
The second phase began in 1910 when he moved to Pondicherry to focus on spiritual practice and writing. There, Aurobindo founded an ashram and published extensively on spiritual and philosophical ideas, most notably in his journal, Arya. His major works, such as The Life Divine and The Human Cycle, explore themes of spiritual evolution and the potential for a new, divine era of human consciousness, as explored by critics like Eliot Deutsch and K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar.
Aurobindo's poetry, described by G. H. Langley, and his philosophical texts express an integrated approach to existence, where spiritual intuition plays a crucial role. Despite varied critical reception, with some scholars questioning the objectivity of his devotees, Aurobindo's influence on modern Indian thought, both as a spiritual teacher and a literary figure, is indisputable. He remains admired for his vision of a harmonious future, supported by philosophies that unite spiritual mysticism with social and political transformation.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Sri Aurobindo as Poet
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Langley traces the development of Aurobindo's poetry.
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The Future Poetry of Sri Aurobindo
(summary)
In the following essay on The Future Poetry, Ghose discusses Aurobindo's equation of poetry with mantra.
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Sri Aurobindo's Interpretation of Spiritual Experience: A Critique
(summary)
In the following essay, Deutsch seeks to determine whether the three principle tenets of Aurobindo's theory of spiritual evolution—ascent, integration, and descent—can be verified by experience.
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Aurobindo's Conception of the Nature and Meaning of History
(summary)
In the following essay, which focuses on The Human Cycle, Cairns outlines the five stages in Aurobindo's psychological theory of the development of human civilization, citing examples from Western psychology, theology, scientific thought, and philosophical history that support Aurobindo's system.
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The Legacy of Sri Aurobindo
(summary)
In the following excerpt, McDermott compares Aurobindo's career with those of Rabindranath Tagore, Mohandes Gandhi, and others in an effort to determine his place in the modern Indian philosophical tradition.
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Sri Aurobindo: The Prose Canon
(summary)
In the following essay, Nandakumar provides a chronological survey of Aurobindo's prose works.
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Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine
(summary)
In the following essay, Iyengar summarizes Aurobindo's theory of spiritual evolution as it is presented in The Life Divine, at the same time responding to critics who charge that the work is overly long and difficult, repetitious, and written in a lackluster style.
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The Central Argument of Aurobindo's The Life Divine
(summary)
In the following essay, Phillips contests Aurobindo's theory that the incompatibility between evil and the Brahman in the present state of evolution proves that a higher level of evolution—divine life—is inevitable.
- The Argument: Brahman And Evil
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Sri Aurobindo's Savitri: A Key to Integral Perfection
(summary)
In the following essay, Deshpande interprets Savitri as a guide to transforming mortal nature into divine nature through Aurobindo's system of yoga.
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The Social and Political Vision of Sri Aurobindo
(summary)
In the following essay, Verma examines Aurobindo's views on a number of subjects that were integral to his political and social vision, including colonialism, nationalism, evil, freedom, equality, brotherhood, the unity and salvation of humankind, and the human evolutionary process.
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Sri Aurobindo as Poet
(summary)
- Further Reading