Thursday, September 23, 2010

Heehs portrays Sri Aurobindo as a man with a violent streak

Sri Aravindaya Namaha
Nadaka & Gopika offered us a special concert on the 15th of August in ARKA.
Recorded extracts of this musical moment. 
1  Gananam Tva Krishna's song 3  Vande Tvam 4 Surya Namaskar 5 Guitar meditation
The concert will be broadcast this week in the streaming channelsListen in as Nadaka and Gopika relax you with their sweet melodies, vocals and guitar abounding in beautiful synchronicity. Close your eyes and bring yourself back as you hear their live recording at Arka in Auroville. You can check the schedule time by clicking here www.aurovilleradio.org/radio-schedule
The Mother has seen it and talked about it to Sri Aurobindo, .... Study of the Rig-veda in the light of Sri Aurobindo: The Hymns to Brihaspati by Nishtha ...
One Cʘsmos: The Pneumatic Bleat By Gagdad Bob
In fact, nor did Aurobindo write any books, the 35 volumes of complete works notwithstanding. Come to think of it, this was one of the first things that intrigued me about him, in that he produced all of this material in a relatively brief period of time by merely downloading it from beyond, so to speak, with no real plan or preconceptions, and certainly no eye on the book-buying public. Rather, he just sat there in his little room and banged it out.
Her teachings are based on Sri Aurobindo's Purna Yoga and come from her inner contact with great masters and her soul, who have guided her from serious illnesses, personal tragedies, and death experiences to life, wholeness, ...
Finally, Mahayogi Sri Aurobindo in his birthday message on 15th August 1947, said- “India today became free bust she has not achieved Unity… The old communal division into Hindus and Muslims seems now to have hardened into permanent ...
Mirror of Tomorrow :: Review Article of Peter Heehs's The Lives of ... by RY Deshpande
Regarding Sri Aurobindo's early life as a revolutionary in England and Baroda, there is a deliberate attempt on the part of the author to portray Sri Aurobindo as a man with a violent streak, with a penchant for terrorist violence. ...
Read articles on the "real history" of India by Androis Gautier or read books written by Sri Aurobindo and you'll see what I mean. ... [A New History of India Francois Gautier, The Indian Mind Then and Now (Vande Mataram, 8) Michel Danino]

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

This quickly withdrew her hand is another interpretation of the scene

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Manoj duo have turned Heehs Das": 
You have revealed the ugly force behind the book in your revelatory, and by far the best critique that there exists. True, eloquent and masterful are both your comments. Posted by Anonymous to Savitri Era at 12:37 PM, September 21, 2010
drraghu has left a new comment on your post "This book has the impudence of luridly speaking ab...":
The relationship between the Gopis and Krishna was romantic, erotic, and spiritual at the same time. The relationship of Mirabai to her beloved Krishna was both romantic and spiritual.
The Indian bhakti tradition celebrates the romantic and erotic manifestations of spiritual love. It is silly and immature to set up a false opposition between the human and the divine facets of spiritual love.
Even IF there were romantic and erotic elements in the spiritual love of Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa for one another, what would this undermine or disprove other than the presence of the faculty of Buddhi in those who would see this acknowledgment, or conjecture, as "sacrilege" or "blasphemy"? Posted by drraghu to Savitri Era Open Forum at 2:04 PM, September 20, 2010
Reply by rakesh on Wed 15 Sep 2010 12:07 AM IST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
you are right sandeep. There was not need for putting that “she quickly withdrew her hand". This quickly withdrew her hand is another interpretation of the scene. Most unnecessary comment. Reply.  Home, Cardinal Slur
Bharti Broadband (122.174.103.167) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India, 14 returning visits, Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I feel a movement of integration descending": 
RY Deshpande might be of the opinion that the SA Ashram is full of Baboos and he doesn't hesitate to call Manoj Das Gupta one… they are certainly not doing any service to the SA Ashram or its founders. Posted by Anonymous to Savitri Era Open Forum at 12:35 PM, September 20, 2010
Let us first go through AB Purani's summary of this passage and the remaining part of the canto. (Sri Aurobindo's Savitri: An Approach and a Study, pp. ...
drraghu has left a new comment on your post "Peter's book faithfully reflects Sri Aurobindo's v...": 
Although Peter does acknowledge that Savitri is a "vast symbolic account" of Aurobindo's yoga and "a record of his experiences", I will add that he ought to have emphasized and discussed at some length Aurobindo's view that Savitri was an attempt to express, in the medium of poetry, occult and spiritual truths. 
It seems to me that the indubitable status of Savitri as a literary work should not occlude or eclipse its equally important status as a work of "mystic poetry" in Aurobindo's specific conception of that type of poetry. Posted by drraghu to Savitri Era Open Forum at 1:44 PM, September 21, 2010
Reading Sri Aurobindo's book The Life Divine, led by Shraddhavan ... Study of the Rig-veda in the light of Sri Aurobindo: The Hymns to the Adityas (Mitra ...
Sri Aurobindo sums up here the predicament we have if we use the mind to try to decide ultimate Reality. Either way we look at it, we cannot KNOW, using the mind as an instrument of knowing. Sri Aurobindo continues: “It ...
Personalities such as Sri Aurobindo and Rabindranath Tagore had also deeply influenced him. “A sound system would be in place in the gallery for playing ...

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Jhumur and Manoj DG are hand in glove

Sri Aurobindo Society: Golden jubilee celebration, AP-514, J Block, 8th St., Anna Nagar, 6 p.m.. 
Date: 2010-09-18 Sri Aurobindo Society: Is conducting a debate on the topic ‘Which Will Make India Progress: Politics or Spiritualism’, today, 6 pm, at AP 514, J Block, 8th Street, Anna Nagar. For details, call: 26161826 Kkk
Sri Aurobindo Devotees Prayer Group: Prayers to Sri Annai, Sasi Balika Vidya Mandir, Azad Road, R.S. Puram, 9.30 a.m.; Sri Annai Meditation Centre, W-26, ...
A lover and follower of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Dr. Mangesh V.Nadkarni was a distinguished scholar and an inspiring speaker, especially on Sri ...
Sri Aurobindo reviews this: “We see that there are two applications which the mind makes of its faculty or process of memory, memory of self, memory of experience. First, radically, it applies memory to the fact of our conscious-being ...
Savitri: the Light of the Supreme :: 61: The Secret Knowledge—the ... by RY Deshpande
Sri Aurobindo then says that he could be the Master of Evolution. On one occasion the Mother speaks of the Master of Yoga. In the prayer of 9 December 1950 the Mother addresses Sri Aurobindo as “our Master”. ...
 
Comment posted by RY Deshpande:  Re: An Open Letter...The Jhumur Episode and The Registrar’s Non-Performance
This is an unfortunate episode, occurring for the first time in the entire history of the Centre of Education, I myself teaching here now for thirty years. But it seems the times have changed, thanks to the divisive Lives of Sri Aurobindo. But could it be that the whole business was rather contrived by him, thinking that he had a chance to teach me a lesson,—teach for having written an Open Letter to him. It is transparent that both, Jhumur and Manoj DG, are hand in glove as far as the controversial biography is concerned; that is its great contribution celebrated by the sciy-ites.
My purpose of making this institutional matter public is essentially to expose the non-performance of the Registrar of the Centre of Education, when all other persuasive means have been stone-walled. This is something which cannot be taken lightly, that which cannot be condoned when serious questions regarding administration of the Ashram are being raised. Pointing the finger of accusation at the administration is undoubtedly painful, but perhaps it is also necessary not to shirk from undertaking such a task. In fact, making it public is more for the sake of those who are helpless, vulnerable, unaided, who cannot voice their views for one reason or the other, rather than for those who can speak out expecting officials favours in the least.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Trustees committed a gross breach of trust by allowing a non-believer to reside in Sri Aurobindo Ashram


Mother's prayers and meditation: M.K. Ramaswamy, Sri Aurobindo Society, 5, Smith Rd., Anna Salai, 6.30 p.m.. 

Fun, frolic and shopping Calcutta Telegraph 
September 17 at Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture, 3 Regent Park; 6 pm: Dr Gobindagopal Mukhopadhyay Memorial Programme. Featuring songs of Tagore,...
The First “Auro-Ratna Award” Ceremony: A Report « Overman Foundation By overmanfoundation
The inaugural “Auro-Ratna Award” ceremony took place on Friday, 27th August 2010, at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. The first recipients of the Award were Shri K. D. Sethna alias Amal Kiran, Prof. Arabinda Basu, better known as ...
How to increase will-power « Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo & The ... By Sandeep
This article was adapted from the Question of the Month, May 2000 appearing in the NextFuture magazine published by the Sri Aurobindo Society. For the archives of the Question of the Month section, click here. ...

Lawsuit filed by Sraddhalu Ranade, Raman Reddy, and others against Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trustees. 
Posted by ADMIN | Published: SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

I am told that a scheme suit u/s 92 CPC has been filed in the court of Principal Civil Judge, Pondicherry by six “persons having interest in the trust” on ...
92. Public charities. 1[Public charities.
(1) In the case of any alleged breach of any express or constructive trust created for public purposes of a charitable or religious nature, or where the direction of the Court is deemed necessary for the administration of any such trust, the Advocate-General, or two or more persons having an interest in the trust and having obtained the2[leave of the Court] may institute a suit, whether contentious or not, in the principal Civil Court of original jurisdiction or in any other Court empowered in that behalf by the State Government within the local limits of whose jurisdiction the whole or any part of the subject-matter of the trust is situate to obtain a Aectee,-
(a) removing any trustee;

(b) appointing a new trustee;

(c) vesting any property in a trustee;
3[(cc) directing a trustee who has been removed or a person who has ceased to be a trustee, to deliver possession of any trust property in his possession to the person entitled to the possession of such property];

(d) directing accounts and inquires;

(e) declaring what proportion of the trust property or of the interest therein shall be allocated to any particular object of the trust;

(f) authorizing the whole or any part of the trust property to be let, sold, mortgaged or exchanged;

(g) settling a scheme; or

(h) granting such further or other relief as the nature of the case may require.
(2) Save as provided by the Religious Endowments Act, 1863 (20 of 1863) 4[or by any corresponding law in force in 5[the territories which, immediately before the 1st November, 1956, were comprised in Part B States]], no suit claiming any of the reliefs specified in sub-section (1) shall be instituted in respect of any such trust as is therein referred to except in conformity with provisions of that sub-section.
6[(3) The Court may alter the original purposes of an express or constructive trust created for public purposes of a charitable or religious nature and allow the property or income of such trust or any portion thereof to be applied cy pres in one or more the following circumstances, namely :-
(a) where the original purposes of the trust, in whole or in part,-
(i) have been, as far as may be, fulfilled; or

(ii) cannot be carried out at all, or cannot be carried out according to the directions given in the instrument creating the trust or, where there is no such instrument, according to the spirit of the trust;
(b) where the original purposes of the trust provide a use for a part only of the property available by virtue of the trust; or

(c) where the property available by virtue of the trust and other property applicable for similar purposes can be more effectively used in conjunction with, and to that end can suitably be made applicable to any other purpose, regard being had to the spirit of the trust and its applicability to common purposes; or

(d) where the original purposes, in whole or in part, were laid down by reference to an area which then was, but has since ceased to be, a unit for such purposes; or

(e) where the original purposes, in whole or in part, have, since they were laid down,-
(i) been adequately provided for by other means, or

(ii) ceased, as being useless or harmful to the community, or

(iii) ceased to be, in law, charitable, or

(iv) ceased in any other way to provide a suitable and effective method of using the property available by virtue of the trust, regard being had to the spirit of the trust.]]
STATE AMENDMENT
Uttar Pradesh-After clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 92 insert the following:
"(bb) for delivery of possession of any trust property against a person who has ceased to be trustee or has been removed."

[Vide U.P. Act No. 24 of 1954, sec. 2 and Sch., Item 5, Entry 5 (w.e.f. 30-11-1954).]

1. Section 92 shall not apply to any religious trust in
Bihar.

2. Subs. by Act No. 104 of 1976 for "consent in writing of the Advocate-General" (w.e.f. 1-2-1977).

3. Ins. by Act 66 of 1956, sec. 9 (w.e.f. 1-1-1957).

4. Ins. by Act 2 of 1951, sec. 13 (1-4-1951).

5. Subs. by the Adaptation of Laws (No. 2) Order, 1956, for "a Part B State".

6. Ins. by Act No. 104 of 1976, sec. 31 (w.e.f. 1-2-1977).
                                                                                           

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Peter's choice of words arouses suspicion

Glimpses of changing times Calcutta Telegraph - September 14
September 14 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, 8 Shakespeare Sarani; 6.30 pm: Sudhendu Saha will speak on Sri Aurobindo on 'Sadhana'. September 14 at Ramakrishna ...
Sri Aurobindo was one of her friend as well. This deep relation with the independence movement compelled her to take the decision to break up the "official" ...
Surendranath Banerjee , Sri Aurobindo, andother famous freedom fighters and forced the British, the Indian capital from Calcutta to New Delhi to change. ...
The teachings of Sri Aurobindo left an indelible impression on his mind leading to philosophical poems. His major works include Chinti, Chidambara and Veena ...
Subhas Chandra Bose was inspired by spiritualism, deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Aurobindo and the Bhagavad Gita. ...
Religious leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand Saraswati, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Sri Aurobindo and political leaders like Gandhi called for reform and ...
This question had me in its grip when someone sent me a video clip of The Mother (Mirra Alfassa, a spiritual partner and supporter of Sri Aurobindo and ...
This was Mirra Richard, also called Mirra Alfassa (1878-1973), who became known as “the Mother.” She was a Parisian of Turkish and Egyptian parentage. ...
Sri Aurobindo received a different kind of i it M h 1914 Mi Alf visitor on 29 March 1914: Mirra Alfassa, a French lady who had followed a spiritual path of ...
AurovilleRadio is a reliable web service providing daily information about the life in the international community of Auroville.
Pondicherry Baby!!! Posted by CHILLIBREEZE on SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 in TRAVEL WRITING Author: Rasika Wakankar
We visited Auroville – a beautiful must see ashram which is a civilization in itself!!! The ashram houses the 'Maitri Mandir'- a big golden dome structure ...
Auroville was an amazing experience where even if you don’t want to or you don’t believe in it, you get in touch with your inner self and sooner or later you have that conversation with yourself about the purpose of your life… Sounds clichéd right? All I can say is, experience it for yourself…
by rakesh on Tue 14 Sep 2010 07:28 PM IST |  Profile |  Permanent Link Re: Peter Heehs’s The Lives of Sri Aurobindo—by Raman Reddy
There are problems in the book but if one wants to know about the Master's outer life, there is more information given in his Lives then in any other. That is the good thing about this book. I wish other biographies would have included more of those ordinary things, so that normal people like us can try to understand that a Yogi can be ordinary in outer life but have really amazing inner life. 
Peter has omitted the fact that the Mother had seen Sri Aurobindo in a vision ten years before.  He has also omitted the discussions on Yoga they had when they in 1914 and again in 1920.  These are significant episodes which provide context to a person unfamiliar with their lives. 
When other authors like Nirod and Purani write about the Mother coming to comb Sri Aurobindo's hair, it conveys a sense of the pure and sublime but when Peter narrates the same incidents, it arouses suspicion.  Choice of words make a big difference; they convey a good sense of the author's intent.
The problem with the book is not humanizing which I have no objection to; the problem is lying and distortion (out-of-context remarks) at various places.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Sri Aurobindo is one of the rarest beings that adorn the spiritual horizon

Sri Aurobindo Society: Meeting, 5, Smith Rd., Anna Salai, 10.30 a.m.
Sri Aurobindo Devotees: pushpanjali offerings and prayers to Annai, Sri Annai Meditation Centre, Kovaipudur, 4 p.m.; Sasi Balika Vidya Mandir, 9.30 a.m.
Auroville itself is a unique development and is a universal township in the making for a population of up to 50000 people from around the world. The concept of Auroville – an ideal township devoted to an experiment in human unity – was ...

Sri Aurobindo is one of the rarest beings that adorn the spiritual horizon. Though born in India he belongs to the entire cosmos. ...
As to Savitri's content, the Mother says that Sri Aurobindo “has crammed the whole universe in a single book [. . .]. Everything is there: mysticism, ...
Savitri—the supreme revelation of Sri Aurobindo's vision ... In Sri Aurobindo's Gayatri Mantra we have a phrase “Savitŗ, the Light of the Supreme, ...
[Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother.] Director, Savitri Era Learning Forum. ... Safeguarding the sanctity of Sri Aurobindo Ashram ...

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Bagha Jatin was in contact with Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo Society: Meeting, 5, Smith Rd., Anna Salai, 10.30 a.m.. 
Sri Aurobindo Devotees: pushpanjali offerings and prayers to Annai, Sri Annai Meditation Centre, Kovaipudur, 4 p.m.; Sasi Balika Vidya Mandir, 9.30 a.m.
He had also come in contact with Sri Aurobindo Ghosh and his Anushilan Samiti. During the freedom struggle, Bagha Jatin and four of his aides were one day ...
Currently he is attached to Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch, where he gives talks and conducts programs on yoga. View my complete profile.
Sri Aurobindo describes this as follows: “Since the knowledge of the One is Knowledge and the knowledge of the Many is Ignorance, there can be, in a rigidly ...
Auroville is a city in the make in south-India, dedicated to human unity, and based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. … This week you are invited to read: Decision making in Auroville
Recitation and the hearings of Sri Aurpbindo's Savitri benefits the person, because they are Mantric Verses.
This compilation brings forth Sri Aurobindo's social vision and his role as a ...
Lawsuit filed by Sraddhalu Ranade, Raman Reddy, and others against ...
Lawsuit filed by Sraddhalu Ranade, Raman Reddy, and others against Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trustees … Posted by ADMIN | Published: SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Much agony and much energy, and much consciousness would have been saved

The Hindu: Engagements: In Chennai Today
Sri Aurobindo Society: Meeting, AP-514, J Block, 8th St., Anna Nagar, 6 p.m..

Religion events Times Herald-Record 

Matagiri Sri Aurobindo Center — 1218 Wittenberg Road, holds weekly reading and meditation, 9 am Sat. Call 679-8322 or e-mail info@matagiri.org , ...
Sri Aurobindo, commenting on this issue, states: “If this view of things had a complete validity, then only the absolute idealist, sent perhaps out of some higher existence, unable to forget his mission, stung into indomitable ...
The Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo said, “In order to see, you have to stop being in the middle of the picture.” This means we have to step outside of ...
Interview Tips - Psychological preparation for facing with Confidence by Srikant Mohanty
Long back, Sri Aurobindo, the famous saint of India said- “A prepared mind can face most of the challenge”. One has to perceive that an interview is a challenge. One selection for a good job can transform the lives in an entire family. ...
Learning Saanskrit by fresh approach – Lesson 45 ... 23 Aug 2010 by slabhyankar अभ्यंकरकुलोत्पन्नः श्रीपादः
Dr. K.C. Varadachari in his article “KALIDASA AND MYSTICISM AND SRI AUROBINDO” 
Sri Aurobindo discovered, for example, that there are several realms of ...According to Sri Aurobindo these other worlds are stacked in a spiral of lower ...
Human beings are creatures of habit. We seek refuge in an uncertain world by indulging in all kinds of humdrum routines - big and small. We impart stability and coherence to our life by staying plugged into some social network, eating at regular hours, engaging in small-talk with loved ones or even strangers, meticulously scheduling daily chores - all in the desperate desire to fill that void within. One of the object lessons that we gain from Castaneda's books is the necessity of giving up attachment to such routines. That doesn't necessarily imply that one must become erratic in conduct; it's just that one must stop being an automaton.
Manoj Das and the history of kidney trouble by RY Deshpande on Wed 01 Sep 2010 12:11 PM IST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
He had a golden opportunity to reach a world-wide audience, smart and intelligent, the eager if not ‘hungry’ academics and the brilliant but bone-dry neo-enlightened ones, he should have told it that, “please read the book with caution, that its argument of primary sources is a façade, that they should not go by it as there is so much of misrepresentation in it, misrepresentation if not falsification.” Its one most persuasive and disarming example is, as pointed out by Sandeep in yesterday’s comment above, “the history of kidney trouble and Sri Aurobindo’s ‘death’
Re: Sraddhalu Ranade ... I reject the biography, says Manoj Das by RY Deshpande on Sun 29 Aug 2010 04:40 PM IST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
I honestly wish it had come out so categorically two years ago. I wish also its wisdom had been accepted by the Ashram authorities, which they should do at least now. But Manoj Das’s presenting it at this stage of developments gives one also the impression of him adjusting his sails to the strong winds that are blowing today. He is a politician at the core, and this is perfectly understandable. Much agony and much energy, and much consciousness, would have been saved had he asserted it earlier, had he prevailed on the Ashram authorities who look upon him as their wise-influential-respectable advisor-mentor. 
Anonymous, I suppose it must involve things like publicizing someone else's profession and location while concealing even one's real name, indulging in personal attacks and calumny while resenting them when they recoil on oneself, making allegations without evidence, and last, but not least, a refusal to look at the mirror! (I am being ironical!) LOL
Any allegation of misconduct unsupported by evidence probably springs from malice and jealousy rather than truth.
Let us have simple confidence in the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Let us live humbly, simply, beautifully, peacefully for Them. Then we have stepped into what Sri Aurobindo says, the ever-lasting day, the Divine Life where the golden Sun ...
Niranjan Guha Roy was born in East-Bengal, the 30 May 1920. He was a Pilot in the Royal Air Force during the war. In 1945 after the war he joined the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo in Pondichery where he remained upto 1984. Then he went to France, Britany where he created a place called Motherland in honor of the Mother. He left his body in August 2005.
Niranjan Guha Roy has tried to express through his writings, paintings, music, photos and films his deepest spiritual experiences and aspiration and to give a body to his vision of the New World of beauty and harmony coming on earth. But above all his work and life are an offering to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.