Notes on the Texts

A Comment by Sri Aurobindo. This note was written by Sri Aurobindo below the observation by Nolini Kanta Gupta printed here in italics. The exchange took place sometime during the 1930s.

Two Poetic Fragments. LSS GA7c, d. These two pieces seem to have been written on 31 December 1934 — the day "Thought the Paraclete" was written — or else a day or two after or (in the case of "Konarak") before.

The Hymns of Madhuchchhandas. NB V2, 52-59. These two chapters — both called "Chapter I" by Sri Aurobindo, distinguished as [A] and [B] by the editors — are all that was written of a proposed "book". The first chapter begins with a reference to the incomplete work on the Isha Upanishad published in the last issue; like that work, the present chapters were written around 1912. They form one, perhaps the first, of a series of attempts to present the theory of the Veda that Sri Aurobindo had arrived at in Pondicherry and was formulating as he wrote. In the first chapter he writes that he intends to examine the "eleven hymns of Madhuchchhanda Vaiswamitri and his son Jeta with which the Rigveda opens" since these hymns form "a favourable ground for the testing of my theory". This same approach was taken up, but not completed, in The Secret of the Veda, Sri Aurobindo' s most considerable explication of his theory, which was published in Arya beginning in 1914.

The Gods of the Veda [First Version]. NB V3, 96-123. This text was written shortly after the chapters for a work on the Isha Upanishad published in the last issue and, in all likelihood, also after The Hymns of Madhuchchhandas (see above). After writing the three chapters of The Gods of the Veda (numbered editorially [A]-[C] for clarity) , Sri Aurobindo went on to write a second version or the piece . This was at first given the same title; but in the course of writing, Sri Aurobindo renamed the second version The Secret of the Veda — the same title eventually used for the Arya series. The second version will appear in the next issue.

Selected Hymns. LS VAla; NB GA8, 11. The manuscript of the translation of Rig Veda 1.179 was marked by A.B.Purani: "Draft taken down by Purani/final pencil corrections by Sri Aurobindo", and dated by the same hand: "done in 1924 or so". Rig Veda VII.56 was partially translated in late 1918 or early 1919; the translation was apparently intended for publication in Arya.

Citations from the Vedas, Upanishads and Gita. NB G60, 1-28 passim. These passages from Indian scriptures were translated by Sri Aurobindo in 1939. Other translations that he drafted at the same time were selected by him for use as chapter-opening "mottoes" in the revised edition of The Life Divine. The pieces collected here and arranged according to text by the editors were either not used or only partially used as mottoes.

Letter to The Hindu. Sri Aurobindo wrote this letter to the editor of the Madras daily on 7 November 1910, under circumstances discussed in the present issue's instalment of Archival Notes. The letter was published in The Hindu on 8 November.

Rees's Venom-spitting (Reeser visodgar). This brief Bengali article appeared in the issue of Dharma published on 14 Bhadra 1316 (30 August 1909). Like all other Dharma editorials, it was not signed; but there is every reason to believe it was written by Sri Aurobindo, the editor of the journal. The remarks by Mr. J. D. Rees on Aurobindo Ghose (Sri Aurobindo) referred to in the article were probably those made by the Liberal M.P. in the House of Commons on 5 August 1909. According to Manoj Das (see Sri Aurobindo in the First Decade of the Century (Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, 1972), p. 140) on that day Rees "asserted that although deporting without trial was autocratic, the Government should deport Sri Aurobindo as he commanded great sway" over the student population. "In order to make the people of the East realise that their rulers had power," Rees declared, "it was essential to use it autocratically in grave and critical situations." The following biographical data on Rees is reproduced from Martin Gilbert, Servant of India (London: Longmans, 1966), p. 163:

John Rees, 1854-1922. Private Secretary to successive Governors of Madras, 1878-88; Additional Member of the Viceroy's Council, 1895-1900; Liberal M.P., 1906-10; knighted, 1910; Conservative M.P., 1912-22; Director of the Prisoners of War Information Bureau, 1915-20; Director of a large number of tea, goldmining and trading companies; author of The Real India (1908).

Trade Report. These "General Suggestions" form the first part of a 72-page printed report on trade in the princely state of Baroda. The second part, consisting of 55 printed pages, presents "local suggestions". The report bears no signature, but there is considerable evidence to show that it was written by Sri Aurobindo, who in 1902, when the report was printed, was an officer in the Baroda State. Three contemporary state documents mention Aravind Ghose (Sri Aurobindo) as the author of what is variously referred as a "printed report", an "English book in short", and "Mr. Ghose's compilation". There is little doubt that the work referred to is the 72-page printed English compilation partly reproduced here. Sri Aurobindo "compiled" it from data contained in a four-volume manuscript report written apparently in Marathi or Gujarati, the official languages of the Baroda State. In summarising this lengthy report for the Maharaja of Baroda, Sri Aurobindo used his own language and enough of his own ideas for the report to be considered his own work. The Maharaja was certainly pleased with his efforts. After reading the report he gave Sri Aurobindo a Rs. 90 promotion and wrote the certificate reproduced on page 77 of volume 1, number 1 of Archives and Research. The documents that allude to Sri Aurobindo's authorship of the report are (1) letter Manubhai to Dewan 23 June 1902 (File 5 of "Arvind Ghose collection", pp. 141-42); (2) Huzur Mulki Department, General Branch, File No. 214/F.N.29 (File 17 of same collection) — a copy of the Report is kept in this file; (3) Huzur Mulki Department, R. No. 111. All documents in Central Record Office, Baroda.

The reader should note that most of these emendations were necessitated by the nature of the manuscript. Many words that were obviously intended to be deleted from revised sentences were not struck out. Punctuation of sentences that were altered or expanded is often defective. Significant editorial emendations have been made on the text-page within brackets, usually with an explanatory note. Bracketed emendations without notes are either (a) simple editorial interpolations, or (b) reinstatements of words cancelled without substitution. Ampersands have been spelled out silently as "and".

Page	Line	Text	Manuscript
2	25	of rescuing	of of rescuing
2	28	is a large	is definite a large
3	3	Brahmavidya,	Brahmavidya
3	25	are of	are of are
5	11	joy,	joy
5	26	was,	was
6	10	and the	and, the
6	27	inclination?	inclination.
6	33	minds,	minds
6	35	explained,	explained
7	5	just.	just?
7	30	explanation.	explanation
7	33	hymn,	hymn;
8	5	sacrifice,	sacrifice
8	8	sacrifice?	sacrifice;
8	31	materialist.	materialist
9	6	vaisvanara,	vaisvanara
9	26	theory. But	theory but
9	29	whether, relying	whether, without relying
10	11	juhuranam	jahuranam
10	12	him visvatah	him is visvatah
10	14	universe. We	universe we
10	15	adhware),	adhware)
10	16	chitrasravas,	chitrasravas
11	16	friend	friend,
11	22	thunderbolt.	thunderbolt
11	25	Rishi.	Rishi
11	30	barbarism.	barbarism
12	5	the exalted	the the exalted
12	19	Pantheism. It	Pantheism; It
12	33	Him.	Him
13	4	Henotheism,	Henotheism

13	24	fullness?	fullness.
13	20	a vague	a a vague
14	14	effected?	effected.
14	29	is also	is the also
15	9	terminology?	terminology,
16	11	clear,	clear
17	5	illuminations.	illuminations
17	26	scientific—examination	scientific—examination —
17	33	dark,	dark
19	4	Paganism,	Paganism
20	5	Beauty.	Beauty
21	12	outlines	outlines,
21	28	Vedas it	Vedas It
21	34	example,	example
25	8	suppose.	suppose
25	21	suggest, a	suggest, A
25	28	Sacchidananda	Sacchinanda
25	36	world).	world.
25	38	world).	world.
26	2	being),	being,
26	14	kshitis,	kshitis
26	30	(satyadharma),	(satyadharma)
27	9	consciousness,	consciousness
30	37	Power?	Power.
31	15	it,	it
31	22	she	She
31	37	Mahas",	Mahas,
32	13	Mahas?	Mahas.
32	30	its subjective	its their subjective
33	7	10, 11, 13	10 11 13
33	17	vyahriti?	vyahriti.
34	9	shifts,	shifts
36	7	her headlong	her its headlong
36	21	rubbish,	rubbish
36	31	it.	it
37	15	it —	it
37	24	comparison,	comparison
37	25	may,	may
37	30	being,	being

37	34	knowledge,	knowledge
37	35	manu,	manu
38	8	intellects,	intellects
38	14	follow and	follow them and
38	17	Arnas,	Arnas
38	17	Ocean,	Ocean
38	22	bhuma,	bhuma
38	29	access; it	access, it
39	1	she . . . has prepared	she . . . she has prepared
39	35	invoke.	invoke
40	25-26	mantra, dhishnya, combined	mantra combined dishnya
40	32	indication.	indication
40	35	rudravartani,	rudravartani
41	4	Helen (Sarama),	Helen, (Sarama
41	20	sense,	sense
41	19	tana,	tana
42	4	them?	them.
42	31	"O	O
44	22	third,	third
44	26	desires),	desires)
45	6	attain,	attain
45	16	direct,	direct
45	26	even,	even;
46	9	there; he	there; He
46	32	Sacchidananda	Sacchidanda
47	26	called.	called
47	27	rishadasa,	rishadasa, He
48	11	attainment).	attainment)
48	18	of all	of those all
48	27	word,	word;
49	3	tarpayetham,"	tarpayetham,
49	8	sloka. In	sloka. in
49	19	knowledge,	knowledge, &,
50	30	auspicious,	auspicious
50	32	definite,	definite
51	8	shansa,	shansa
51	11	wide,	wide