Greek Drama (I) IT seems that on listening to some Greek lines included in my talk the other day, many of you have expressed a desire to hear a little more about Greek poetry. This then will be my subject today. I am particularly reminded in this connection of a line from Sophocles, the dramatist – like the Latin sentence I quoted on the last occasion. Sri Aurobindo himself had read out this line to me more than once and given it an extremely beautiful interpretation. It is the opening line of Sophocles' famous play, Antigone, which happened to be the second book I studied while learning Greek. The first was Euripides' Medea, which is Media in Greek – note here the play on

Alipore Jail IN Alipore Jail we spent a whole year, from 2nd May 1908 to 6th May 1909, as undertrial prisoners. This period might be divided into four distinct phases, according to the type of quarters we were allotted and the kind of life this gave us. These phases were however not of equal length. The ward we were assigned in the first instance – this was known as the "44 Degrees" – was where we had to spend most of our time in jail, and this in two instalments, once at the beginning and again at the end. The name "44 Degrees" was given because the ward consisted of 44 rooms; these rooms were actually more like cells. You know the kennels and sheds where dogs and poultry ar

East and West THE East is spiritual by nature, while the West is inclined towards materialism. The East seeks for the world beyond. The West wants to possess this mundane world. Every rule, however, admits of exception, but that does not make it a sham. The same principle holds good here. The East is not wanting in epicures like Charvaka, nor is the West wanting in personages like Saint Francis. Nevertheless, on the whole it can be said that the life-current of the East tends towards the domain beyond the senses, while that of the West is turned to the seekings of the senses. The East is firmly rooted in the eternal Truth. The West is familiar with the transient truths of the ou

-02_Mother^s Playground.htm Mother's Playground ON the last occasion I spoke to you of a phenomenon that used to happen in the playground, a phenomenon remarkable and extraordinary. This time I am going to speak to you of the playground itself as a great phenomenon created by the Mother. You may remember, we once saw a play in our Theatre staged by our students. It was about the adventure of a few young people leaving their home and going out wandering. In the end they came to a house and one of them casually opened a side-door in the building and all entered and found themselves in a fairyland. They were surprised, astonished: they found they had left the old world and come to a new unfamiliar en

Sri Ramakrishna SRI Ramakrishna represents spirituality at its absolute, its pristine fount and power. In him we find the pure gold of spirituality at a time when duplicity, perplexity, deceit and falsehood on the one hand and atheism, disbelief and irreverence on the other reigned supreme. When spirituality had almost disappeared from the world and even in India it existed, as it were, merely in name, there was the advent of Sri Ramakrishna bringing with him spirituality in its sheer plenitude and investing it with eternal certitude and infallibility. He proclaimed the quintessence of spirituality casting aside all husk and rejecting all that was irrelevant. Sri Ramakri

Boris Pasternak PASTERNAK. His name and his novel Dr. Zhivago have leapt to the eyes of the world. This book has won him two things: high appreciation from the world, topped by the Nobel prize; and, as a paradox, stern censure from his own countrymen, those armed with political powers. I am not concerned with the resulting controversy. Something else is my topic. I understand that the word 'Zhivago' is cognate to our jiva (a living being or life itself). 'Doctor Zhivago' may be regarded as embodying and illustrating the life-principle of the author himself – the secret of life, as revealed to him. The raison d'être of his book is the significance of life and its course as disc

Pondicherry SRI Aurobindo came to Pondicherry¹ and took shelter here. We might say of course from another point of view that it was he who gave shelter to Pondicherry within his own consciousness. But why this city in particular? There is indeed the usual view that he retired into French territory to escape the wrath of the British bureaucracy. But actually, all he wanted was to find a quiet spot where he might give himself to his own work undisturbed. The place was so quiet that we can hardly imagine now what it was really like. It was not quiet, it was actually dead; they used to call it a dead city. There was hardly any traffic, particularly in the area where we lived

I Played Football (1) SOME of you have asked to hear about my performance in football. I have already told you something on an earlier occasion. Let us have a little more today. I have dabbled in football almost since my birth or, to be more exact, from the time I barely completed five. My hand was introduced to the pen or chalk and my feet touched the ball practically at one and the same time. Would you believe it, I had my formal initiation into studies, not once but twice, and on both occasions it was performed with due ceremony on a Saraswati Puja day, as has been the custom with us. The first time it took place, I was only four years old and I cannot now

Pondicherry Cyclone I HAVE once spoken to you of an earthquake and a small fire. Today I shall say something about two or three other inclement natural phenomena of which I have had direct personal experience. The first was when I was a child, it has left a clear imprint on my mind. Many of you, no doubt, are familiar with storms and hurricanes. But have you ever seen a whirlwind, what they call a tornado? This word has been rendered by a Pundit into turna-da, a thing that is swift in its flight. I have had a chance to see the thing with my own eyes. Just listen, you will see how terrible a thing it is and how well in keeping with its formidable name. We were at scho

Some Dates 7-7-77 HAVE you noted today's date? My attention has been drawn to it. It is very remarkable: 7.7.77. Four sevens together. Has it any special significance? Yes, Mother herself once gave the meaning of these four sevens – "Manifestation and Realisation". Manifestation means the appearance of the truth, the truth that is hidden behind somewhere, when it comes forward and shows itself, that is manifestation. Realisation means we express this truth that has come forward in our consciousness, make it real on the physical plane, embody it in our external activity: in other words whatever you do you do the truth, whatever you speak you speak the truth; the Truth first appears