CHAPTER IX   A FAR-SEEING PIONEER   THE SIGNIFICANCE of India's historic development cannot be properly grasped unless she is seen, as seers have seen her, in her own true light: India is a Sakti, a Mother-Force of the world, a power of God manifest in a material form, her geographical integrality indivisible from her soul, her history and geography inseparably bound up, her culture an age-old unity of rich diversities.         This oneness of India is confirmed by her history which all down the ages shows that when for any reason the whole country could not be reached by a new movement—and in ancient times the paucity of communications and transport was an obvious hindra

CHAPTER VI   STANDARD-BEARER   A great soul comes into the pages of history when he makes some particular contribution in any field of human activity. Rammohun had the pride of place in his country's annals for his invaluable pioneer-work. But will that be saying the whole truth about him ? Was he not far greater than his work ? And was not his outer work, stupendous though it was, only a fraction of his more important work in the inner life of his people into which he infused the fire of his soul—the fire by which he sought to chase away the medieval darkness from the mind and heart of the race and impel it to move towards the Dawn of which he himself was the herald ? It was this

CHAPTER VII   RECOVERING NATIONAL SELF         FROM THE VERY beginning Devendranath was fortunate in having as his collaborators some of the best and most gifted men of his time. Indeed he had the capacity of choosing the right type of men to help him in his work for his country. Some of these are distinguished figures in the early history of the Indian renaissance. In fact, it is they who along with their leader initiated the movement for the recovery of the national self. When Devendranath started the Tattwabodhini Patrika he appointed Akshaykumar Datta (1820-1886) its Editor, and this he did because the latter, though a rationalist, was a man of exceptional intellectual ho

INDEX   Abanindranath Tagore, 113,261, 270, 312; life, work, contributions, as founder of the New School of Indian Painting, 318-342; O.C. Gangoly on, 329, 331; E. B. Havell on, 330; Marquess of Zetland on, 332; Kakuzo Okakura on, 333; W. Rothenstein on, 333. Abhedananda, Swami, 215, 249. A.E., 38, 265. Agastya, Rishi, 4, 374"75- Aitareya Brahmana, 8. Aiyar, V.V.S., 236. Ajanta frescoes, 319-20, influences of, 320- 21. Akbar, 28. Akshayakumar Dana, 82, 85, 93-94. Akshayakumar Maitra, 268. Americans, The, 403. Amrita, how drawn t

CHAPTER IV   HOW IT BEGAN   THE first phase of the impact of the West on India, and its repercussions in the life of the people make a romantic story. Its effervescence having subsided, the new ferment calmed down to a new but needed force that shook off the inertia of the people and liberated their mind into an impassioned endeavour to rise and be their own selves again. Significantly enough, the onslaught of the West came upon India when her ancient ideals had visibly faded, and her people had moved away from dharma, lost the will and energy for any fresh effort, far less, for a new going-forth. The force that was Western culture started working in the mind of India, particularl

CHAPTER V   FORERUNNER   ALL down the ages it has been her spirituality that has kept up the lifeline of India's civilisation. Indeed every fresh endeavour, social, cultural and even political, has had at its back a renewal or a resurgence of this force. Awakened India would mean an India awakened to this inherent strength of her soul breathed into her first by the Vedic Rishis, and since then developing through vicissitudes of time and fortune towards her own self-realisation and the realisation of her mission in the world. A rebirth into that strength must therefore be the condition for a new resurgence of her national being. To that end India will have to pass through a process,

CHAPTER XI   'A SOLDIER OF LIGHT'1   A STREAK OF the New Dawn gleamed on India's horizon when along with other things her sons started on their quest of the truth and greatness of their past, on which to rebuild the present for a greater future. Here also the start was given by Rammohun and continued by Devendranath, Rajnarayan and others with what results already stated. But this past in their case did not go farther than the immortal treasures of the Upanishads. Earlier, Devendranath had leanings towards the Veda as an infallible scripture, but later under the prevailing influence of Western rationalism he restricted himself only to those of its truths that conformed to reason

Resurgent India   Contents   Pre-Content     Preface   Acknowledgements    Part One I  Ancient Dawns Sustain India's Days   II  Darkness Deepens III    A Century of World-wide Upsurge IV    How it Began V  Forerunner  VI Standard-Bearer VII   Recovering National Self VIII    Voice of Faith IX  A Far-seeing Pioneer

PART ONE     CHAPTER I   ANCIENT DAWNS SUSTAIN INDIA'S DAYS   Ever-living India   A new age is coming over mankind, a new world order. Cosmic forces are at work preparing man for this immense change in his life and consciousness. Already the higher mind of the race is opening to a broader vision, one evidence of which is the growing quest for the secret of Asia's evolution in history. Far-seeing eyes, here and there, are turning towards India, China and, in fact, the whole of Asia in search of the deeper truth of these civilisations.         India is the hoary guardian of the Asian idea and its profound spiritual secrets, says Sri Aurobindo.

GLOSSARY   Advaita philosophy—the system of Indian Monism usually associated with the great eighth-century philosopher and commentator Sankaracharya. bhakti—emotional devotion. brahmacaryāśram—student life, the first of the four stages of life in the ancient view of society. Brahmaputra—the name of a river which flows through Assam and East Bengal known for its torrential mass and impetuosity. Caṇḍt—an appendex to the Markandeya Purana in which the Divine Mother is the Supreme Deity. Dorśan of Sri Aurobindo—the rare occasions, four times in the year, when Sri Aurobindo used to come out of his room to receive the homage of his disciples and admirers. Dur