A dizzy height of lyrical magnificence is reached in the ‘Rose of God’, the crest-jewel of Sri Aurobindo’s shorter mystical poems, the iridescent Mantra of supra-mental transformation. His love of man and earth attains here a depth and concentrated intensity of expression which makes the poem at once an invocation and a revelation, a prayer, a prophecy and a promise.
Sri Aurobindo’s Love for Man and Earth – 3 Read More »
Sri Aurobindo’s love for man and earth is not humanism, idealistic or realistic; it is not an outcome of an emotional or imaginative idealism, nor an overflow from the widened heart of Spirit-touched sainthood. It is more than compassion and more than even the spiritual emotion born of inner identity. It is a beatific blossom of a complete and constant identification with the Divine who is everywhere, in Matter and Life as much as in the silent Spirit; and it is this union and identification that makes Sri Aurobindo declare in the inspired strain of the Vedic Rishis, “Matter is Brahman”
Sri Aurobindo’s Love for Man and Earth – 4 Read More »
This issue is dedicated to invoking several of the names and forms of Shakti – from Aditi, the Divine Mother to Mother India, the Bharat Shakti; from Mahashakti and Her Four Great Powers to Woman as Shakti, Nāri Shakti. It is an expression of our adoration of the Divine Mother because Hers indeed is the force that moves all and acts in all, the universal Energy, the Conscious-Power.
Adoration of the Divine Mother Read More »
Two selections from Sri Aurobindo’s writings. About the Mahashakti and Her powers; and about the Shakti that governs and guides the destiny of India.
The Mahashakti and Her Powers Read More »
The author highlights a few verses to suggest how Savitri, Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem seems like a proclamation of the inexhaustible female powers and gives magical formulae of true women empowerment.
Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri and True Women Empowerment Read More »
We feature a reflective look at selected insights from Nolini Kanta Gupta’s book with a focus on the issues of equality, freedom and education for girls and women. The timeless truths that a yogi reveals in a deep examination of a social phenomenon must be kept in consideration when addressing contemporary issues.
Equality, Freedom, and Education: A Look at the Book ‘About Woman’ Read More »
The author gives examples of women characters from various Indian literary creations which continue to show women the path to truly becoming strong and powerful making their choices.
Epic Heroines Who Live Amongst Us Read More »
India needs Shakti alone, said Sri Aurobindo once. What can help Indians, and especially the youth of India grow in Shakti? What factors hold us back? What is necessary to infuse our knowledge with courage? What needs to be done to strengthen our society from within? These and other related questions were explored in this conversation with Sandeep Balakrishna, presented here in three parts.
“Solid Grounding in Fundamentals” – A Conversation with Sandeep Balakrishna (Part 1) Read More »
In this second part, Sandeep Balakrishna speaks of the devastating impact of bad educational policy especially concerning Indian languages, and the role of ideologically-biased textbooks and cinema in progressive indoctrination of the students’ minds.
“A Cohesive National Education” – A Conversation with Sandeep Balakrishna (Part 2) Read More »
In this concluding part, Sandeep Balakrishna shares some general advice for the youth of India so that they can rise up in their being, grow and expand their imagination and intellect, and be a positive force for India’s cultural renaissance.
“Try and Be Old-fashioned for a Day” – A Conversation with Sandeep Balakrishna (Part 3) Read More »
In this part, the author emphasises that only a decisive turn to spiritualise all life can be the true basis of a spiritual nationalism. He reminds that this decisive and all-encompassing turn of spiritual evolution is India’s true mission and role for the future of humanity.
The Psychology of Indian Nationalism -13 Read More »
The author highlights the triple basis of a spiritual turn of the society if that is the future destiny of humanity and nations. This is – Divine, Freedom and Unity. The significance of individual freedom is brought to light because individual indeed is the basis of evolution of consciousness.
The Psychology of Indian Nationalism -14 Read More »
In this concluding part of the 15-part series, the author summarises the inner evolution of Indian national consciousness of which the political idea of nationalism is only a small part. He reminds us that the future course of Indian nationhood lies in spiritualising all the outer aims and activities including science, art, literature, politics and socio-economic organisation.
The Psychology of Indian Nationalism – 15 Read More »
This issue is all about Space, or should we say, Spaces. Spaces within and without, inner and outer and in between. Spaces in their stillness and immensity, in their emptiness and richness. Spaces that are sacred and that are made sacred. Spaces that are infinitely vast and intimately personal. Along with spaces come in memories and experiences – historical, cultural, personal, psychological, spiritual. These and other related themes are explored in the diversity of pieces selected for this issue.
The Immensity and Intimacy of Space Read More »
In this month’s Guiding Light section we highlight three poems of Sri Aurobindo which speak of Silence, Space and Spirit.
“A stillness of God building his earthly abode” Read More »
“When a memory is made tangible through an architectural symbolism, we are dealing with a defining moment in the life of a community.” An educationist from Auroville writes about a special memory behind a special door at the Matrimandir.
A Special Door at Matrimandir Read More »
Have you ever wondered what makes one space feel harmoniously beautiful and another space, sometimes even the most well-designed space, feel jarring, out of order almost? And how is all this related to the inner spaces in which we dwell – spaces where practicing harmony is both an art and a science of life and living.
Peace, Harmony and the Art of Spaces Read More »
An artist – sculptor and painter, muses on the inner dimensions of space, consciousness, art and experience. The piece has a meditative quality to it, and takes the reader to a space within where the inner gradually begins to merge with the outer infinite which is not different from the infinity within.
An Artist’s Meditation: On Space, Art and Experience Read More »