In these hard days, the whole country is like a dependent at our doors, I have thirty crores of brothers and sisters in this country many of them die of starvation, most of them are weakened by suffering and troubles and are somehow dragging on their existence. They must be helped. What do you say, will you be my wife sharing this Dharma with me? — Sri Aurobindo Personal and Family Life Sri Aurobindo's most intimate friend at Baroda was Lieutenant Madhavrao Jadhav, who was associated with him in his political ideas and helped him in later years, whenever possible, in his political work. Among his other friends were Khasirao Jadhav and Keshava Rao G. Des

Chronology of Events (1872-1908) 1872 August 15 - Birth in Calcutta. 1872-1879 At first in Rangpur, East Bengal; later sent to the Loretto Convent School, Darjeeling. 1879 Taken to England. 1879-1884 In Manchester (84, Shakespeare Street) in the charge of tile Drewett family. Tutored at home by the Drewetts. 1884 September - Admitted to St. Paul's School, London. Takes lodgings at 49, St. Stephen's Avenue, Shepherd's Bush, London. 1889 December - Passes Matriculation from St. Paul's. 1890 July - Admitted as a probationer to the Indian Civil Service. October 11 - Admitted on a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge. While at

A morn that seemed a new creation's front, Bringing a greater sunlight, happier skies, Came, burdened with a beauty moved and strange Out of the changeless origin of things. An ancient longing struck again new roots. — Sri Aurobindo, Savitri Arrival in India Sri Aurobindo returned to India in early February, 1893. Unfortunately his arrival in India was preceded by his father Dr. Krishnadhan's death in peculiarly tragic circumstances. Even as late as 2 December 1892, as may be inferred from his letter of that date to his brother-in-law Jogendra, Dr. Krishnadhan was feeling almost certain that his son Aurobindo would be entering the In

V   Yogic Visions -- Experiences -- Realisations   Realisations and Experiences   I DON'T say that these experiences are always of no value, but they are so mixed and confused that if one runs after them without any discrimination at all they end by either leading astray, sometimes tragically -astray, or by bringing one into a confused nowhere. That does, not mean that all such experiences are useless or without value. There are those that are sound as well those that are unsound; those that are helpful, in the true line, sometimes sign-posts, sometimes  stages on the way to realisation, sometimes stuff and material of the realisation. These naturally and rightly on

Yoga-Force   I   ALL the world, according to Science, is nothing but a play of Energy—a material Energy it used to be called, but it is now doubted whether Matter scientifically speaking, exists except as a phenomenon of Energy. All the world, according to Vedanta, is a play of a power of a spiritual entity, the power of an original consciousness, whether it be Maya or Shakti, and the result an illusion or real. In the world so far as man is concerned we are aware only of mind energy, life energy, energy in matter; but it is supposed that there is a spiritual energy or force also behind them from which they originate. All things, in either case, are the results of a Shakti, energ

VII   Difficulties of the Path   Difficulties and Ordeals   ALL who enter the spiritual path have to face the difficulties and ordeals of the path, those which rise from their own nature and those which come in from outside. The difficulties in the nature always rise again and again till you overcome them; they must be faced with both strength and patience. But the vital part is prone to depression when ordeals and difficulties rise. This is not peculiar to you, but comes to all sadhakas—it does not imply an unfitness for the sadhana or justify a sense of helplessness. But you must train yourself to overcome this reaction of depression calling in the Mother's Force to

11   Approaches to the Divine. Partial — Integral   Different Approaches' to the Divine   IT seems to me that these differences of valuations come from the mind laying stress on one side or another of the approach to the Divine or exalting one aspect of realisation over another. When there is the approach through the heart, through Love and Bhakti, the highest culmination is in a transcendent Ananda, an unspeakable Bliss or Beatitude of union with the Divine through Love. The school of Chaitanya laid especial and indeed sole emphasis on this way and made this the whole reality of Krishna consciousness.  But the transcendent Ananda is there at the origin and end

The Central Being and the Soul   THE soul, representative of the central being, is a spark of the Divine supporting all individual existence in Nature; the psychic being is a conscious form of that soul growing in the evolution—in the persistent process that develops first life in matter, mind in life, until finally mind can develop into overmind and overmind into the Supramental Truth. The soul supports the nature in its evolution through these grades, but is itself not any of these things. The lower Nature, Apara Prakriti, is this external objective and superficial subjective apparent Nature which manifests all these minds, lives and bodies. The supreme Nature, Para Prakri

FOREWORD   The letters of Sri Aurobindo included in the present volume deal with a subject different from that of his letters already published in the first two volumes in this Series. These earlier volumes contained letters relating to the philosophy, psychology and practice of his system of Integral Toga; the present volume is confined only to letters dealing with literary topics, especially those connected with the creation and critical appreciation of poetry. Sri Aurobindo is now well known as a Master-mystic and philosopher and a great poet but very few know that he is also a literary critic of exceptionally fine discernment and unfailing judgment. The faculty of

SECTION FOUR TRANSLATION OF POETRY Two Ways of Translating Poetry THERE is no question of defective poetry or lines. There are two ways of rendering a poem from one language into another—one is to keep strictly to the manner and turn of the original, the other to take its spirit, sense and imagery and reproduce them freely so as to suit the new language. A's poem is exceedingly succinct, simply-direct and compact in word, form, rhythm, yet full of suggestion—it. would perhaps not be possible to do the same thing in Bengali; it is necessary to use an ampler form, and this is what you have done. Your translation is very beautiful; only, side by side with the original, one looks lik