46 Tilak In times of revolution everything is unsettled. It was an immense revolution that had begun in India. "Revolutions are incalculable in their goings and absolutely uncontrollable. The sea flows and who shall tell it how it is to flow ? The wind blows and what human wisdom can regulate its motions?" wrote Sri Aurobindo in the Bande Mataram, on 6 February 1908. "The will of Divine Wisdom is the sole law of revolutions and we have no right to consider ourselves as anything but mere agents chosen by that Wisdom. When our work is done, we should realise it and feel glad that we have been permitted to do so much. Is it not enough reward for the greatest services that we c

29 "They Laugh. at Death" "Barin was preparing bombs at my place at Baroda," Sri Aurobindo said with a reminiscent smile, "but I didn't know it. He got the formula from Ullaskar Dutt who was a very good chemist. He, Upen and Debabrata were very good writers too. They wrote in the Yugantar." Upen, or Upendranath Banerji (1879-1950), came from Chandernagore, then in French India. Throughout his life he was associated with a number of newspapers, including the Bande Mataram. He wrote profusely, except when he was put in prison by the British government. Upen Banerji and Debabrata Bose "were masters of Bengali prose," Sri Aurobindo declared, "and it was

36 Bande Mataram Sri Aurobindo did not wield a gun. He wielded a pen. In August 1906, when the National College began its work, Bepin Pal "who had been long expounding a policy of self-help and non-cooperation in his weekly journal [New India], now started a daily with the name Bande Mataram," wrote Sri Aurobindo. On 6 August 1906 the declaration of Bande Mataram was filed. S. K. Ratcliffe, a previous editor of The Statesman, in a letter to the Manchester Guardian of 28 December 1950 just after the passing away of Sri Aurobindo, wrote: "We knew Aurobindo Ghose only as a revolutionary nationalist and editor of a flaming newspaper which struck a ringing new note

28 Bhawani Mandir Needless to say that Bhawani Mandir was sure to be adjudged seditious matter by the British Government of India. The revolutionaries' chief means of propaganda was the publication of books and periodicals. The pamphlet Bhawani Mandir provided them with a golden opportunity. "The pamphlet opened with an invocation of Bhawani," Barin stated, "and in most stirring and appealing language called for initiates to this cult in the new spirit of Nationalism. But the appeal was more in the nature of a spiritual than a political one, as the failure of the first attempt (1902-1904) at the formation of a secret society clearly proved that without spiritu

9 Dinendra Kumar Roy Often enough we have taken recourse to Dinendra Kumar Roy's Aurobindo Prasanga ('Topic Aurobindo'). So now let us take a fuller look at it and at him. Dinendra Kumar Roy (1869-1943) was a rising Bengali man of letters. His articles in Bharati, a magazine edited by the Tagores, had aroused appreciation in Bengal's literary circles. When Sri Aurobindo felt the need to speak Bengali fluently with the right pronunciation and to correct and perfect his knowledge of the language, his Boromama engaged this young litterateur to help his nephew. It was Rabi Babu who had recommended this name. It was towards the end of 1898, a few weeks after the pu

15 Why a Body ? When he was practising pranayama, Sri Aurobindo noticed with curiosity that he was not bitten by mosquitoes. Yogis who practise pranayama are, as a rule, not attacked with illness. "When I practised pranayama at Baroda," said Sri Aurobindo, "I had excellent health and powers. But when I came to Calcutta, and political work did not leave me any time for regular practice of pranayama, I was attacked with malarial fever which almost carried me off. These are," he explained, "the consequences of pranayama or control— whenever these protections are withdrawn, the forces of illness rush up in a sort of revenge." He told the story of Sakharia Swami. "S

3 New Lamps for Old "Of course," said Sri Aurobindo, "I wrote many memoranda for the Maharaja. Generally he used to indicate the lines and I used to follow them. But I myself was not much interested in administrative work, and soon I got the Maharaja to transfer me to the College. My interest lay outside, in Sanskrit, in literature, in the national movement." Sri Aurobindo had already in England decided to devote his life to the service of his country and its liberation. He even began soon after coming to India to write on political matters — without giving his name —in the press, trying to awaken the nation to the ideas of the future. "When I came to B

5 The Godhead Strange things had happened to the Western-educated rationalist since his return from England. From the moment he set foot on her soil India began to prepare the ground for the full blossoming of her Lotus. She began giving him spiritual experiences. They were as ununderstandable to the agnostic's mind as they were unexpected. "I can't help that. It happened," Sri Aurobindo was to reply simply to Nirod's query years later. "The mind's canons of the rational and the possible do not give spiritual life and experience." At London A.G. had thought that the Self, Atman, was the true thing to be realized in life. But, naturally, he had no notion of how

47 Lele "As one who gazes at futurity." Henry Nevinson had perception. On 31 December Sri Aurobindo left Surat for Baroda. Barin and Sakharia Baba were with him in the reserved compartment of the train. In that biting cold of Gujarat, Sri Aurobindo was going about with one shirt, and cheap canvas shoes. The Principal of Baroda College had issued orders to students that they were not to meet Sri Aurobindo nor even go to hear his lectures. But students are students, and who can restrain the impetuosity of youth? As soon as the carriage came in front of the College gates, out rushed the students, who unyoked the horses and pulled the carriage themselves, says Barin

56 Divorce From the Past Sri Aurobindo determined to continue the struggle. Through his articles in the Karmayogin and Dharma he tried to dispel the confusion and show a path which the nation could tread. He toured the country, especially East Bengal, and he spoke in many towns and districts — Jhalakati (Barisal), Bakergunj, Khulna.... "Out on tour," reminisced Nolini, "Sri Aurobindo used to address meetings, meet people when he was free and give them instructions and advice. Most of those who came to his meetings did not understand English, they were common village folk. But they came in crowds all the same, men, women and children, just to hear him