Aurobindo Ghosh, known as Sri Aurobindo was an eminent poet, writer, philosopher, educationist, along with an Indian freedom fighter and a Yogi. He was born in Kolkata on 15th August, 1872. His unprecedented contributions to the field of Indian philosophy lead us to an understanding of life as Yoga, where Yoga meant nothing but transformation and growth of the consciousness. According to him consciousness is a fundamental thing, the fundamental thing in existence – it is the ENERGY, the motion, the MOVEMENT of consciousness that creates the universe and all that is in it – not only the macrocosm but the microcosm is nothing but consciousness arranging itself.
Letters open up the heart. Letters as a medium of communication are still close to many of our hearts. Letters help to go within the depths of our consciousness, not only for the writer but also for the reader. It is not just sharing; it is bridge between two consciousnesses. It is for this reason that I decided to pen down a letter to Sri Aurobindo on his 150th birth anniversary.
When a person like Sri Aurobindo is no longer physically present and his work and dreams are throttled by acts of misquoting from his body of woks by various political groups, I feel that addressing him directly in an act of communion would make it easier to sync in with his higher aspiration of establishing love, peace, unity and harmony on this earth.
Dear Sri Aurobindo,
This is very first time I am writing you a letter. I am neither your disciple nor your follower. I am a very simple human being who believes in unity, love, harmony and freedom. You said, ‘All life is Yoga’. And you very clearly emphasized that yoga is nothing but change and growth of consciousness. That is why I feel much closer to your consciousness. I find many times that your writing is not only a text, it is something higher with immense capacity to communicate with other’s consciousness, if one is open enough to receive it without any interruption of pre-occupied political perceptions, judgments, personal preferences and attachments.
You don’t know me; or may be you do more than anybody else in this world. You might have seen me singing with cuckoo on a mango tree or on the Gulmohar; you might have seen me blooming with flowers, you might have seen me in the lights of the eyes of the children of this world, you might have seen me in the compassion of mothers of this world, you might have felt me in the beauty of the forests and valleys, you might have seen me manifesting in the flame of the Agani lighting at the heart of each atom of this world…. I am the laugh, I am the love, I am the blessings, I am anger, I am greed, I am jealousy, I am ego, I am everywhere…although I am no one because I could not connect myself with the man made identities, like religion, caste, class, race, nation, etc.…
It is your 150th birth anniversary and 75th Independence year of India. On this occasion I am sharing with you how our collective consciousness is going down.
Sri Aurobindo, It was a beautiful early morning, around 3.30 am. The birds were singing. Their love for sun and morning was so intense that I too started participating in the welcome ceremony of a new day, a new life, a new beginning. I was meditating on this extraordinary relationship of love; was praying for the higher consciousness to descend and pour on us infinite love. It was a very deep intense moment of meditation. All of the sudden mobile message ring tone started ringing. One by one messages were coming. It was my father’s mobile phone. I thought it might be something urgent from any family member or friend. I stood up immediately and checked the phone. No, it was not from the family members or friends. Nothing happened to them. They are absolutely fine. The forwarded messages were a part of the anti-Muslims campaigning. This phenomena has become common in our everyday life. At the time of bombardment of feck messages and news, I do not see news, neither I am following any political or religious groups on internet and social media.
At everyday level I am deeply engrossed in domestic and intellectual work, usually that is the meditation time for me. I do not get sphere time to sit and meditate. Whether it is domestic work or intellectual work, they all are meditative form to connect with the higher consciousness; unless people around me are not too talkative and complaining and trying to interrupt the work every minute. In that meditative form… the forwarded hate messages; no matter where it is coming from, the religious political groups or anti-religious groups, basically, the both sides try to load fake man made religion, caste, etc. based identities.
The people and the Hindu fundamentalists who are misquoting you, need to remind themselves a very simple fact that for reading any text one has to know the context before. To know the context one has to go very deep, not only the present of that time but also its past, its history; not only the writer of the text, but also his place, state, nation and the entire world’s. And above all we need to know what the writer had aspired for his whole life to. I think that is the most important thing, before quoting any person we should at least try to know why, how and what purpose that person has dedicated his whole life. The Hindu fundamentalists and the blind followers of the political parties are trying to ruin the great purpose of your life and your dreams. Those who are promoting nationalism and Hinduism in a very wrong way for them, let me remind something very important through your writings only,
‘India must be Reborn, because her Rebirth is Demanded by the Future of the World’
“ India cannot perish, our race cannot become extinct, because among all the divisions of mankind it is to India that is reserved the highest and the most splendid destiny, the most essential to the future of the human race. It is she who must send forth from herself the future religion of the entire world, the Eternal Religion which is to harmonise all religions, science and philosophies and make mankind one soul.”(Sri Aurobindo, On Nationalism, pp.70)
It is very clear that you were aspiring for an India who harmonises all religions and philosophies and makes mankind one soul and that was your dream of Eternal Religion.
Dear Sri Aurobindo, what kind of hatred madness we are living in. The forwarded messages is not just an example, at everyday level we are witnessing such hatred madness which shows how poor our collective consciousness is. I do feel that you have left some invaluable insights for us. And with the help of your invaluable insights we can understand religious issues in better way. However, you and Vivekananda are deliberately misquoted by political parties for the benefit of their own selfish religious political agenda, meant to divide India on the basis of religion, caste and class.
How beautifully you place the solution of the problem of unity between Hindus and Muslims.
“Of one thing we may be certain, that Hindu-Mahomedan unity cannot be effected by political adjustments or congress flatteries. It must be sought deeper down, in the heart and in the mind, for where the causes of disunion are, there the remedies must be sought. … We must strive to remove the causes of misunderstanding by a better mutual knowledge and sympathy; we must extend the unflattering love of the patriot to our Musulman brother, remembering always that in him too Narayana dwells and to him too our Mother has given a permanent place in her bosom; … We shall make it a main part of our work to place Mahomed and Islam in a new light before our readers, to spread juster views of Mahomedan history and civilization, to appreciate the Musulman’s place in our national development and the means of harmonizing his communal life with our own, not ignoring the difficulties that stand in our way for making the most of the possibilities of brotherhood and mutual understanding.” (Sri Aurobindo, On Nationalism, pp.390)
Even your followers and disciples who now have become blind followers of the fundamentalist political leaders, very humbly I just want to remind them that your whole life was an adventure of consciousness, you take a long flight of human consciousness to love, unity, harmony and beauty; above all narrowness, divisions and falsehood. How can we forget that you are the one who said, ‘All life is Yoga’,
“Our Yoga is a Yoga of transformation, but a transformation of the whole consciousness and the whole nature from the top to the bottom, from its hidden inward parts to the bottom to its most tangible external movements. It is neither an ethical change nor a religious conversion, neither sainthood nor ascetic control, neither sublimation nor a suppression of the life and vital movements that we envisage, nor is it a glorification or a coercive control or rejection of the physical existence. What is envisaged is a change from a lesser to a greater, from a lower to a higher, from a surface to a deeper consciousness – indeed to the largest, highest, deepest possible and a total change and revolution of the whole being in its stuff and mass and every detail into that yet unrealized diviner nature of existence.’ (Sri Aurobindo, CWSA, Vol. 12, page 371).
You talked about liberty. That is by choice. One should have liberty to decide which religion and caste she or he wants to opt, and if someone sees her identities beyond any man made identities, then she should have the right to see her identity beyond these. If she identifies herself with sky, let her feel as vast as sky she is; if she identifies herself with trees, let her feel she is as deep and vast as the roots of hundred years old trees; and if she identifies with the entire universe, let her feel as vast as entire universe.
I have so much to share with you. Who knows while writing to you I might connect with the higher consciousness and find the bliss of this common pain and this bliss might change our attitude towards this hatred politics… we might get real freedom…freedom from domination, freedom from hierarchies, freedom from ego, freedom from hatred politics, freedom from our own barriers.
With Gratitude & Prayers
Shephali
Shephali is an independent researcher, writer, storyteller and loves working with children.
