-03_An Approach to Sri Aurobindos Savitri.htm

The great Epic, the Epic of epics, one of the four pillars of the stupendous structure of Sri Aurobindo's Supramental work may from a point of view be regarded and studied as an epitome of the unimaginable labour of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother for hewing out paths of Supramental realisation needed for divinising man and heaven sing Earth. Particularly it epitomises the holocaust of the Mother in her gigantic work of breaking the rocks of the inconscient world for laying the path to physical immortality.

The day will come when poets, philosophers, and neo-scientists yet to be born, the psycho-scientists, if it is permissible to use the expression, will discover immense interest in this marvel of versification which combines in it all the aspects of the Truth Absolute.

Sri Aurobindo has characterised his poem as ' a Legend and a Symbol.' It is also an Epic by being a poem recounting a great event in an elevated style. In some scholars with a literary bent of mind there happens to be a hazy idea about the purpose and subject-matter of this great piece. They feel it to be a great epic inspired only by the poetic aesthetic imagination and admire it mostly for the purpose of literary enjoyment. For this reason Sri Aurobindo himself warned one of his disciples in letters in 1933, when a manuscript of a portion of the book was being discussed, in the following words — "...it is only an attempt to render into poetry a symbol of things occult and spiritual" in a narrative which... " is supposed to have taken place in far past times when the whole thing had to be opened so as to 'hew the ways of immortality'". Again his own words are — " What I am

trying to do everywhere in the poem is to express exactly something seen, something felt or experienced ... Savitri is the record of a seeing, of an experience which is not of the common kind and is often very far from what the general human mind sees and experiences. "

Savitri is divided into 3 parts. The 1st part contains 3 books with as many as 24 cantos. The 1st book has been entitled by the author the Book of Beginnings. One who has read the Mahabharata in its entirety is apt to compare the ' Book of Beginnings' with the Adi Parba of the Mahabharata. Like the Adi Parba of the Mahabharata the subsequent elaboration of Part I at least has been put in a nutshell in this Book of Beginnings.

The background of ' Savitri' is a legend, an ancient story, narrated by the Sage Markan daya to Yudhistir (in the Mahabharata) when the Pandavas remained in exile in the forest. The story runs thus:

In days of yore, there was a virtuous king in Madra named Aswapati who had no issue to inherit his throne and kingdom. With the purpose of getting sons born to him, he propitiated the goddess Savitri - the wedded partner of Brahma - and performed Tapasya observing Brahmacharya, regulated his dietary taking the curtailed food at regular intervals - once on the 6th period of the day - for 18 long years. After this period of strict observance of the rites the Goddess Savitri having been propitiated appeared before him and granted him a boon on consultation with the Creator Brahma. The boon was to the effect that Aswapati was to get a daughter of extraordinary beauty and prowess born to him ere long and that he was to accept the boon as this had been approved by the Creator Brahma himself.

Sometime after, a daughter was indeed born to Aswapati's Malavya queen, who was the eldest of the queens and the daughter was named Savitri after the name of the Goddess.

The daughter Savitri grew in age - her attainments and prowess were so extraordinary that no king or prince dared to accept her as his spouse. The father, King Aswapati, became anxious for the marriage of the daughter, who had already passed marriageable age and finding no other way told

Savitri to go out herself in search of a husband worthy of her throughout the length and breadth of the country. Savitri, in her journey for the search, was provided with suitable cars and a party conducted by the aged ministers of the court. After touring through important places of the country they came at last on a verge of a forest, where by chance Savitri met Satyavan. The two glanced at each other and at once they were united in love as if such union was preordained. Satyavan was living in the forest as a hermit along with his parents, the father was the king of Salya, who lost his eyesight and lost his kingdom also and was living in the forest as an exile with his queen and son Satyavan. Both Satyavan and Savitri agreed to the marriage in spite of Satyavan's desolate living in the hermitage.

When Savitri with her retinue returned to her father the King, to report about the matter of her choice, it so happened that Narada, the Sage of Paradise, was present there along with the king and queen and Savitri related her choice on being asked. The king Aswapati then enquired of Narad, who was expected to know everything in heaven and earth, the antecedents and particulars about the chosen groom. Narad described the virtuousness and qualities of Satyavan in highly eulogistic terms with certain reservations, but when he was pressed further he gave out from his foreknowledge that Satyavan was to die just on the completion of a full year counting from that day. The father and mother naturally were reluctant to get the marriage happening and the mother tried to persuade Savitri to abandon the idea of this marriage and to choose a husband elsewhere. Savitri could not however be persuaded and the marriage was performed with due rites and ceremonies in the forest. After the marriage Savitri lived there in the forest with her husband Satyavan along with the blind king and the queen - the father and mother of Satyavan counting the day of the foretold dire incident known to her only in that company.

On the dawn of that fateful day Savitri with permission went along with her husband in his usual daily round in the forest in search of fruits and fuels. At about noon when Satyavan was cutting wood for fuel he fell ill and immediately

after succumbed in the lap of Savitri. Yama, the King of Death, came to take Satyavan's life and there was verbal duel between Yama and Savitri. The result in the end was that with the boons granted by Yama, Satyavan's life was revived and his father got back his lost eye-sight and the lost Kingdom too. Savitri did not however forget her own father's side and through another boon from the Lord of Death there had to be born hundreds of elites, and descendants through her Mother, the Malavya queen, to be the heirs of her father's kingdom.

The 1st canto of Book I is of the Symbol Dawn. Dawn has come every day since creation, but the particular Dawn of the day when Savitri conquered Death has been depicted, together with the preceding Night, in this Canto. The last line of the Canto is : " This was the day when Satyavan must die. "

In the 2nd Canto two issues were raised in the mind of Savitri as she woke and lay reviewing her life. One was to yield to the Cosmic Laws, to bear with Ignorance and Death, the other was to hew the ways of Immortality by conquering Death and Ignorance. Savitri chose the latter.

As I have noted above, Savitri has been stated by Sri Aurobindo to be a Legend and a Symbol. Legend one can understand,- but what is Symbol ? "A Symbol is a form in one plane that represents a truth of another " —Sri Aurobindo's own definition. Several characters of this Epic are symbolic. The main purpose of writing this epic is to show us the mission of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on this earth.

A Soul made ready through a thousand years Is the living mould of a supreme Descent...

The details of Sadhana have been given in the 22 cantos from the 3rd canto of Book I to the end of Book 3. The Sadhana of the Traveller (Aswapati) was over with the boon obtained from the Supreme Divine Mother.

The Sadhana of the Traveller has been briefly described by Sri Aurobindo himself in a letter thus :

First, he is achieving his own spiritual self-fulfilment as the Individual in the Yoga of the King (cantos 3,4 & 5 of book I).

Next, he makes an ascent as a Typical representative of the race to win the possibility of discovery and possession of all the planes of consciousness and this is described in the 2nd book (consisting of 15 cantos).

Finally, he aspires no longer for himself but for all, for Universal realisation and new Creation. This is described in the book of the Divine Mother (Book 3, comprising 4 cantos).

As an individual, as he was passing through all the stages in his Sadhana, "a many-miracled consciousness unrolled in him."

Now, he makes the ascent as a Typical representative of the race. He broke into another Space and Time adventuring across enormous realms, alone he moved watched by the Infinity around him and the Unknowable above. He found a lone immense high curved world-pile erect like a mountain chariot of the gods motionless under an inscrutable sky. This world-pile connects the earth with the screened eternities. In

this region the universe of the unknown arises, where self-creation reveals the grandeurs of the Infinite in a deep oneness.

In his ascent to this region, being in deep oneness with the Infinite, he could see all that the mortal eye cannot see and mind cannot grasp. From the Kingdom of Subtle Matter he could see the earth-nature's shining origins; the source of life; the Descent of Life on earth; human life on earth working through the double-faced contraries and contradictories in the Inconscience; this life fallen from the higher region on earth; how it acted with her attendants of little mind and little self — the ego which is a finite movement of the Infinite, an instrument personality. He could however see the potentiality in man appearing with the prospect of our life being transformed into Divine Life. This he could find as if in the glimmerings of a dying torch in the darkness — in the Kingdom of the Little Life working in the grey anarchy.

The Traveller challenging the darkness with his luminous Soul then came into a fierce and dolorous realm peopled by souls who never tasted bliss. On his journey onward he arrived at the Paradise of the Life-Gods where " giant drops of the Bliss unknowable overwhelmed his limbs and round his soul became a fiercy ocean of felicity ".

This Paradise of the Life-Gods he is to overpass and leave until the Highest is gained.

Now, the Sadhana of the Traveller in the vital and mental plane ceases and the Soul's seeing commences. In this spirit's realm the soul finds its source. Here one can feel himself as a citizen of the Mother-state and not as a colonist in the darkness (Night) where one's rights are barred, one's passport becomes void and one lives self-exiled from the heavenlier

home. This unfallen plane of the spirit has a triple realm. His soul, a single conscious power, alone between tremendous presences passed on to the source of all things human and Divine.

On the break of his trance he knocked at the doors of the unknowable. He moved through regions of transcendent Truth above Space and Time.

Thus the Traveller won the full victory of his ascent as a typical representative of humanity and discovered and possessed all the planes of consciousness and power but this too was an individual victory.

The power and knowledge he possessed did not fill his spirit's sacred thirst. His spirit now faced the adventure of the Inane and pursued the unknowable.

A stark companionless Reality, a being intimate and un-nameable, answered at last to his Soul's passionate search; and it faced him with its tremendous calm.

The Traveller's spirit in the utmost ascent of the journey met face to face the Absolute, a Being formless, featureless and mute, One and Unique, unutterably sole — " the One by whom all live, who lives by none."

Sri Aurobindo has described elsewhere the five stages of Brahman; (in his philosophy of the Upanishads) :

The fourth and the fifth stages can hardly be described by words and can hardly be understandable in the human consciousness but with Sri Aurobindo it is different.

He had to pass through all these stages, and finally reach the culmination of this phase as described in Book 3.

His Soul now reached the boundless silence of the Self and has leaped into a glad divine abyss. It is yet too early for the Soul to rejoice. An absolute Power sleeps in absolute silence that waking can make this world a vessel of Spirit's Force, and can fashion in the clay (in matter) God's perfect Shape.

When the Traveller was thus standing on Being's naked edge and all the passion and seeking of his soul faced their extinction in the featureless Vast, the Presence he yearned for suddenly drew close. A Being of Wisdom, Power and Delight took to her breast Nature and world and Soul as a mother draws her child into her arms.

Now the Traveller's aspiration grew wide and immense. He was no longer- satisfied with knowledge and bliss for his own self. He wanted to enjoy this with earth and humanity.

He now sought for a Power too great for mortal will and sat motionless on a pedestal of prayer, intense, one-pointed, monumental, lone. Here also he felt something of kinship

with the Inconscient lurking to give resistance. He now stripped himself fully of mind's desire and offered to the Gods the vacant place so that he could bear the immaculate touch. Now to him a last and mightiest transformation came.

From the Spirit's house he could feel the prospect of New Creation in the material field where exactly the parallel or rather the opposite was of what he could feel reigning in the pure Spirit's region.

In this absolute trance-condition the Traveller's heart alone was conscious and could know that there was some deliberate Power which tolerated the world's error and grief and who was waiting to come down. This conscious heart seeing no relief in merging into the unknowable Mystery sent a voiceless prayer to the Absolute Power.

This voice, the Mother of Might, now tells him to desist from further aspiration of raising humanity to the God-state immediately by calling down the immeasurable descent as time was not yet ripe and to leave the all-seeing Power to hew its way. Time has not yet reached its fullness to change the cosmic dream of man and will be hostile to the untimely descent of Truth.

The Lord of Life, the Traveller Aswapati, was equal to the occasion and replied in a prayer in a high strain also. In that high-pitched prayer the following lines appear:

The Yogin who is unified with the Divine, when he finds within him the face of the Supreme Divine Mother responding to him, whatever he wills must be fulfilled. He now raised his voice in prayer, praying that the Supreme Divine Mother might incarnate the white passion of her Force and Bliss in one body to unlock the doors of Fate. Even this last effort of his soul's will met with so much resistance from the thousand forces of the Inconscience that it had hardly the strength to climb to the Supreme, but the Supreme Mother responded and offered him the boon he was yearning for. He now achieved the victory of his toil.

We come to the 2nd part of the Book, describing the birth of Savitri in the spring of the year. (It is on the 21st February?) Sri Aurobindo, the author, has depicted with grandeur and in the most beautiful language the six seasons of the year— Summer, Rain-tide, Autumn, Winter, Dew-time and Spring. Compare this with Kalidasa's description of the seasons of the year. I cannot resist the temptation of quoting a few lines here of Sri Aurobindo's description of Spring when Savitri was born.

In this Part (Part 2) of Savitri, the Master has dealt with (I) the birth and growth of Savitri, (2) the quest for her divine collaborator to fulfil her mission, (3) Narad's intervention foretelling the future but encouraging the destined Union of betrothal and explaining also the cause of Pain and Death and Fate, (4) the Development of Divine Love in both Satyavan and Savitri during the one year of their close companionship in the forest Ashram, (5) Savitri getting in a trance-condition a Divine Command to fight and conquer Death and to find her Soul for strengthening this fight, (6) how in the search for her soul (in a trance-condition) the Triple Soul-Forces (not the real soul) from her inner consciousness appeared one by one each claiming to be her Soul and how along with these soul-forces the darker forces in action also appeared to resist her. She however solaced them all saying she would come back after finding her Soul for giving a fight to Death which the goddesses appearing as her Soul-Forces were not yet capable of doing. Then,

(7) Death of Satyavan in the forest in the presence of Savitri and one unknown chapter not yet written. I mean two cantos (1 &2) of the Book of Death just preceding Satyavan's death in the forest (C. 3).

Here we have Savitri's encounter with Death in its own den or sphere, long discourse of Savitri with Yama—the mighty incarnate Power of Darkness and Ignorance and the Keeper of Cosmic Laws. In the last encounter Death Incarnate, Yama, addressed Savitri:

Then the Power and Presence came down and held the Centre of her brow opening the third mysterious eye and the eternal Will stirred in the lotus Centre of her throat and in her speech throbbed the immortal Word.

In Book XI, there is one canto only consisting of about 1500 lines "dictated by Sri Aurobindo three months before his passing. And not a single word or punctuation mark was changed after the first draft was dictated".—This we learn from The Liberator of Sisir Kumar Mitra.

When Death—Yama—the dire universal shadow vanished in the Void and Satyavan and Savitri were left alone, the whole atmosphere around was completely changed. A marvellous sun looked down from ecstasy's skies on words of Deathless Bliss. Magical un folding of the Eternal's smile captured Satyavan's secret heartbeats of delight. God's everlasting day surrounded Savitri. Domains of sempiternal light invaded all Nature with the Absolute's Joy.

In him the fourfold Being bore its crown. And he was identified with the four aspects of the Brahman—1. Virat, 2. Hiranya Garbha, 3. Avyakta and 4. Para Brahman.

With a still blissful cry all that Savitri yearned for was granted, beginning with these words:

And all the manifold changes that would happen on the earth after this Descent were also communicated.

The Epilogue portion is the return to earth and the joining with the father and the mother. The blind king Dyumatsen, the father of Satyavan, had in the meantime got back his eyesight and his lost kingdom with the boons from Yama.

An indication of what the transformed Earth shall be, is only hinted here in the Epilogue. The eye of divine vision shall be restored to man. His lost kingdom with the riches of spiritual realms shall be re-established. The suffering humanity shall gain heavenly delight and taste the joys of immortal bliss. But before all this transformation can arise, Savitri, prefiguring the Mother,

The birth of Sri Aurobindo is the birth of a new consciousness.
15th August,	The birth of Sri Aurobindo at Calcutta (the 1872third son of their parents) at the house of Barrister Monmohan Ghosh.
1877-79	At the Darjeeling Convent School and Boarding, in a dream he had an attack by a certain type of Asuric Forces of a severe king (Ref. The gods of the light and titans of the dark battled for his soul for a costly prize-Savitri) vide also 1893.
1879-1884	At Manchester - England - with the Drewett family along with his two elder brothers, Monmohan and Benoy Bhusan.
1884-1890	At St. Paul's School, London, won the Butter-worth Prize in Literature and the Bred ford Prize in History. Obtained a senior scholarship available for King's College, Cambridge.
1890-1892	At King's College obtained First Class in Classical Tripos. Passed I. C. S. Examination but did not appear in the horse ride test thus disqualifying himself for entering the Indian Civil Service.

1893	He booked his passage of returning to India in a ship but somehow - by luck or accident - at the last moment he boarded another ship and returned to India safely. The ship in which he had booked his passage earlier got wrecked in the voyage and had sunk with all the passengers on board. The information of the ship-wreck was given to his father Dr. K. D. Ghosh who did not survive the shock.
8th February 1893	Returning to India entered Baroda State Service. 1893As he set foot on Indian Soil he experienced a vast calm descending upon him and that state continued for some time.
1893-1895	Wrote several anonymous articles in the Indu Prakash condemning the mendicant policy of the Congress causing great flutter in the higher circles. Thereafter on the request of his friend, the Editor, he continued writing some articles mainly of literary value. Translated in verse some portions from the original Mahabharata.
1893-94	His poems on "Songs to Myrtilla " and some other poems were published
1899	Leaving State Service he became a lecturer of French in the Baroda Maharaja's College and then accepted professorship of English in the same college.
April 1901,	Marriage with Mrinalini, daughter of Rai Bahadur Bhupal Chandra Bose—a staunch Brahmo, at the instance of Girishchandra Bose the founder of Bangabashi College. Hindu rite was observed at the instance of Sri Aurobindo.
1902	Connection with the revolutionary work in Bengal.

September 1905	Appointed Vice Principal of the Baroda College. ' Bhabani Mandir ' was written and published but was proscribed by the Government. Took leave without pay and moved for doing political works in Bengal.
April 1906	Went to join the Political conference at Barisal, broken by the police and there was heavy and serious lathi charge on the procession in which Sri Aurobindo joined. Thereafter he plunged into active politics.
August 1906	Leaving Baroda service assumed charge of Principal on a small pittance at the National Council of Education newly started with the munificence of Raja Subodh Mullick - the 'Raja' title given by the public for this munificence for such a cause against the policy of the existing Government.
December 1906	Attended the Calcutta Congress presided by Dada bhai Naoroji when " Swaraj " was accepted by the moderates also through his influence.
July 1907	Was prosecuted by the Bengal Government for an article supposed to be written by him as Editor of " Bande Mataram " but was acquitted for want of proper evidence in September 1907. On his acquittal the seer poet Rabindranath perceiving Divinity in him wrote his famous poem " Hail to thee O Aurobindo " - in Bengali Aurobindo Rabindrer Laha Namaskar.
December 1907	Attended Surat Congress along with Tilak and the National Party to meet the challenge of the moderate congress stalwarts and its aftermath.
2nd May 1908	Was arrested and searches in his residence at Grey Street before the day break in connection

	with the Muzaffar pur Bomb outrage occurred on the 30th April. He was prosecuted as chief of the Revolutionary Party and of the Bomb Cult in the famous Alipor Bomb Case but was acquitted on the 6th May 190 after one year's jail custody.
	During this period of his jail custody he could perceive Vasudeb—Sri Krishna— all around him protecting him. He heard the voice of Vivekananda for 15 consecutive days speaking to him. In this jail custody Sri Krishna Himself hinted to him that he would be released and need not bother about instructing the advocate about the case.
30th May 1909	His famous Uttarpara Speech—the first public speech after his release.
27th June 1909	Launching of the weekly "Karmayogin" in English and " Dharma " in Bengali. He wrote a signed article in "Karmayogin" as his last Will and testament to his countrymen as a prelude to his probable deportation by the British Government.
1910	The project of the Government failed; but he got an inner command and immediately on 21st February 1910 started for Chandannagar to lead a secluded life and about a month after on another such command he left for Pondicherry where he arrived on 4th April 1910.
1911	" Vikram Urvasi " although written at Baroda was published now.
29th March1914	Mother met Sri Aurobindo in person for the first time. In her earlier years occasionally in her dreams some saint/3 appeared before her. One of them was Indian and the Mother took

	Him as Sri Krishna. On the first sight of Sri Aurobindo the Mother found in him the same Indian Saint.
30th March 1914	In Mother's Dairy —Prayers and Meditations — the Mother's mention of Sri Aurobindo is a revelation to everybody.
15th August 1914	Starting of the monthly "Arya" with the 1914Mother's financial assistance and editing of the French version by Paul Richard, the Mother's husband who came to Pondicherry along with the Mother.
1914	The first world war broke out and Paul Richard was called by the French Government for joining the army.
22nd February 1915	The Mother had to leave Pondicherry for France owing to the war requirements on a call from the French Government
1915	The Poem "Ahana" was published.
December 1918	Mrinalini Deby, being permitted to come and stay at Pondicherry, died at Calcutta on her way to Pondicherry with an attack of influenza.
24th April 1920	The Mother's final arrival to Pondicherry.
January 1922	Starting of Sri Aurobindo Ashram with the Mother being in charge of the partial management.
1922	'Superman', 'Baji Prabhu', 'Essays on the Gita', ' Speeches', published in book form (Essays on the Gita, 1st part was issued in ' Arya' from August 1914 to July 1918 and the 2nd and 3rd

	parts were issued in Arya from August 1918 to the last issue of Arya 15th January 1921).
1923	' Evolution ' published.
1924	'Isha Upanishad ' published
24th November 1926	' Siddhi Day' with a boon from the Supreme Divine Mother as we find in Savitri in " the Vision and the Boon" where the Traveller of the world got the victory in his Sadhana.
1926 to 1938	Complete retirement putting the Mother in charge of the whole Ashram.
1926	The book on 'Kalidas' published.
1928	The book 'The Mother" published.
1931	Yoga and its objects ' in book form.
1932	'Thoughts and Aphorisms' published.
1933	' The Riddle of the world ' in book form.
1936	'The National Value of Art' published. ' Bases of Yoga ' compiled in book form from the replies of Sadhak's letters to Sri Aurobindo from his replies.
1940	' Bankim Tilak and Dayanand ' published.
1942	'Views and Reviews' in book form.
1939	' The Life Divine' Part I in book form.

1940	'The Life Divine' revised and recast (Life-Divine issues started in Arya from August 1914 to October 1916 chapter by chapter —the 1st part, 2nd part and 3rd part from November 1916 to January 1918).
1942'	Collected Poems ' in book form in 2 volumes were printed in Hyderabad. Volume II, consists of Dramas only (vide 1952).
1946	'The Synthesis of Yoga' part I published.
1946 to 1948	'Savitri' 1st part consisting of 24 cantos published in 10 Booklets. (The dating of such publication were not serial. The order of publication of these booklets would be of interest to the devoted students of research. The order and dates of such publications are given below)

1947	India's Independence coincides with the 75th birth day of Sri Aurobindo. His message on that occasion.
1948 December	Awarded National Prize by the Andhra University.
1949	'The Human Cycle' published in book form.
1950	' Ideal of Human Unity' published in book form.
5 th December 1950	Passing away at the early hour (1-20 a. m.) in the morning with the body supramentalised. The glow of Light stayed up to the 9th December when the body was put in the Samadhi within the Ashram Compound,
After His passing 1951	'Savitri' parts II & III, consisting of Book IV to Book XI and epilogue except I & II cantos of Book VIII just before Satyavan's death, published.
1952	'Eight Upanishads' in book form
	Hymns to the Mystic Fire ' — 2nd edition revised and enlarged — 1st edition, published 1946.
	On the Vedas — University Edition. Articles were published in Arya with different titles.
1952	In 1952 'Last Poems' (48 poems) 1944-47 were published. These poems cannot be written unless one is fully identified with the Supreme Brahman.
	Collected Poems' in 2 Volumes printed and published from Hyderabad. (In 1942, on

	Sri Aurobindo's birth day (70th), some collected poems and dramas were printed at Hyderabad).
1953	Future Poetry in book form published. (In Essay From this was issued in " Arya " from 15-12-1917 to 15-7-1920. 'The Future Poetry' will be of the nature of Man that rhythmic speech which as the Veda puts it, " rises at once from the heart of the seer and from the distant home of Truth " - Wadyayar.)
1953	"The Foundation of Indian Culture" published in America. (This book comprises the series of essays appeared in "Arya" from 15th December 1918 in the following sequence: " Is India Civilized ?", " Rational Critic on Indian Culture", and ' Defence of Indian Culture' ' External Influence', appeared in Arya has also been incorporated in this book book of American Edition.)
1957	'' War and Self Determination' - revised and enlarged. (The original issued in ' Arya' as articles with different titles from 1916 to 1920)
1958	Rodogune drama published.
1959	" The Vaziers of Bassora " - a romantic drama written while in Baroda.
1960	Eric' - Also a romantic drama written in Pondicherry between 1912 and 1913. note : During the period of his retirement (from 1926 to 1938) for about 10 years he was replying to the Ashram Sadhaka, and many outside seekers as well, to their queries daily and these replies were compiled and published in book form categorically. Afterwards also

the books Sri Aurobindo on Himself and the Mother, " On Yoga " (tome 1 and 2 ) have been published on these series. The replies were based on the questions. The questions are not there and the reader should be cautious. What is in reply is Truth but not the whole truth because the replies were based on questions particularly.

Compiled by:

Rakhaldas Bose

Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1972