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VOLUME 4SRI AUROBINDO BIRTH CENTENARY LIBRARY DE LUXE EDITION

S r i A u r o b i n d o A s h r a m T r u s t 1 9 7 2 . P u b l i s h e d b y S r i A u r o b i n d o A s h r a m

Pondicherry . Pr inted a t the Sr i Aurobindo Ashram Pres s Pondicherry Ind ia

P R I N T E D I N I N D I A


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Sri Aurobindo and his wife Mrinalini Devi 1905


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N O T E

Volume 4 in the SRI AUROBINDO BIRTH CENTENARY

LIBRARY contains Sri Aurobindo's original Bengaliwritings.

Sri Aurobindo started learning Bengali, his mother

tongue, in England, as a probationer for the Indian Civil

Service. After his return to India he began a serious study

of the language with a view to acquiring proficiency in

reading, writing and speaking. During his stay at Baroda he

wrote some poetry in Bengali, attempting even a long poem

called "Usha-Haran Kabya". A few lines from this work are

reproduced here for the first time.It is to this poem that his brother, Manmohan, himself a

poet, refers in his letter to Rabindranath Tagore, dated

October 24, 1894. We quote from it the following extract:

"Aurobinda is anxious to know what you think of his

book of verses1, but I have explained to him how busy you

are just now; and that you will write later when you have a

little more leisure to do justice to his book. I myself think

that he is possessed of considerable powers of language and

a real literary gift, but is lacking in stuff and matter,

perhaps in warmth of temperament. But those pieces on

Parnell2, consisting of fine philosophic reflection, show, I

think, that he might do great things. Unfortunately he has

directed (or rather misdirected) all his energies to writingBengali poetry. He is at present engaged on an epic

(inspired I believe by Michael Madhusudan) on the subject

of Usha and Aniruddha."

He wrote several articles for the earlier issues ofYugantar, a Bengali revolutionary weekly started by his

brother Barin and others under his guidance in March 1906.But not a single copy of this journal has so far been traced.

The earliest available Bengali writings of Sri Aurobindobesides "Usha-Haran Kabya" are the three letters to his wife

Mrinalini Devi written between 1905 and 1907. These were

produced as exhibits in the Alipore Conspiracy Case in

1908, and having attracted public notice were reproduced in

various journals and in book-form soon afterwards.

After his acquittal in 1909 Sri Aurobindo started a

Bengali weekly called Dharma, and wrote most of theeditorial comments and leading1 SONGS TO MYRTILLApublished a year later, in 1895.!Charles Stewart Parnell (1891) andHie Jaeet(Centenary Volume 5, pp. 15, 11).


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articles for it until his withdrawal to Chandernagore

in February 1910. Most of these leading articles were

published in book-form in 1920 under the title Dharma O

Jatiyata by Prabartak Publishing House, Chandernagore. In

the present volume these articles are arranged under two

sections, "Dharma" and "Jatiyata" (Religion and

Nationalism). The editorial comments from Dharma are

published here in a separate section for the first time.

Some of the articles on the Gita from Dharma were

separately brought out in book-form in 1920 by the

Prabartak Sangha under the title Gitar Bhumika.

Karakahini (Tales of Prison Life) was first serialised in

nine parts in the Bengali monthly, Suprabhat in 1909-1910.

This series remained incomplete as Sri Aurobindo left

Bengal in 1910. The essay, "Karagriha O Swadhinata"

(Prison and Freedom), was published in Bharati, a Bengalijournal, about the same time. Karakahini came out in book-

form in 1920 from Chandernagore.

In 1918 Sri Aurobindo wrote "Jagannather Rath" (the

Chariot of Jagannath) fox Prabartak, a journal publishedfrom Chandernagore. The article was published in book-

form in 1921 along with some others under the same title

by the Prabartak Publishing House.

His letter to Barin, also known as "Letter from

Pondicherry", written in 1920 was first published inNarayana, a journal edited by C. R. Das. It was also issued

as a booklet in the same year and later along with "Letters

to Mrinalini" under the title Sri Aurobinder Patra (Letters of

Sri Aurobindo) by the Prabartak Publishing House.

A number of articles on the Vedas, Upanishads and

other subjects found in Sri Aurobindo's manuscripts were

first put together in book-form in 1955 under the title

Vividha Rachana. In this volume they have been distributed

in various sections.The letters Sri Aurobindo wrote to some women

disciples who did not know English were published as

Patrawali in two parts, the first in 1951 and the second in

1959.

The original sources of all articles are indicated in the

Table of Contents.

NOTE of compiller of this e-document:

Pages 11, 192-193, 238-239, 352-353, 368-369 were not included because of their absence


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Contents

HYMN TO DURGA (Dharma,No. 9, October, 1909)................................................ 1

POETRY.................................................................................................................................5

FROM USHA-HARAN KABYA .........................................................................................7

A DREAM (Suprabhat, 1909-1910) ............................................................................. 11

THE IDEAL OF FORGIVENESS (Dharma,No. 26, February, 1910)................................ 17

THE VEDA .......................................................................................................................... 19

THE SECRET OF THE VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955).................................................. 21

AGNI THE DIVINE ENERGY (Vividha Rachana, 1955) ............................................26

THE RIG-VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955)....................................................................30

THE UPANISHADS............................................................................................................ 41

THE UPANISHADS (Dharma,No. 15, December, 1909) .............................................. 43

THE INTEGRAL YOGA IN THE UPANISHADS(Vividha Rachana, 1955).......................... 45THE ISHA UPANISHAD (1) (Vividha Rachana, 1955) ................................................... 47

THE ISHA UPANISHAD (2) (Vividha Rachana, 1955) ................................................... 49

THE PURANAS...................................................................................................................51

THE PURANAS (Dharma,No. 17, December, 1909)....................................................53

THE GITA............................................................................................................................ 55

THE DHARMA OF THE GITA (Dharma,No. 2, August, 1909)....................................... 57

SANNYASA AND TYAGA (Dharma,No. 3, September, 1909)...................................... 60

THE VISION OF THE WORLD-SPIRIT (Dharma,No. 23, February,1910) ........................................................................................................................... 63

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GITA (Dharma,Nos. 7-24, 1909-1910)............................ 66

DHARMA .......................................................................................................................... 110

THE CHARIOT OF JAGANNATHA(Prabartak, 1918) ................................................... 113

THE THREE STAGES OF HUMAN SOCIETY(Vividha Rachana, 1955) .......................... 116

AHANKARA (Dharma,No. 5, September, 1909) ....................................................... 118

INTEGRALITY (Vividha Rachana, 1955) ....................................................................120

HYMNS AND PRAYERS (Dharma,No. 24, February, 1910) ....................................... 121

OURRELIGION {Dharma,No. 1, August, 1909)........................................................ 124

MAYA(Dharma,No. 3, August, 1909).....................................................................127

NIVRITTI (Dharma,No. 12, November, 1909).......................................................... 131

PRAKAMYA (Dharma,Nos, 17 and 18, 1909-1910)..................................................133

NATIONALISM ................................................................................................................137

THE OLD AND THENEW (Vividha Rachana, 1955).................................................... 139

THE PROBLEM OF THE PAST (Dharma,No. 6, September, 1909) .............................. 140

THE COUNTRY ANDNATIONALISM (Dharma,No. 14, December,1909) ......................................................................................................................... 146

THE TRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM (Dharma,No. 8, October, 1909) ........................ 148

A WORD ABOUT SOCIETY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)................................................. 150


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FRATERNITY (Dharma, No. 23, February, 1910) 151

INDIAN PAINTING (Dharma,No. 25, February, 1910)............................................... 154

HIROBUMI ITO (Dharma,No. 10, November, 1909) ................................................. 156

NATIONAL RESURGENCE (Dharma,No. 5, September, 1909)................................... 158

OURHOPE (Dharma,No. 20, January, 1910)............................................................ 162

EAST AND WEST (Dharma,No. 22, January, 1910) .................................................. 165

GURU GOVINDSINGH....................................................................................................169

GURU GOVINDSINGH (Dharma,No. 8, October, 1909)............................................. 171

EDITORIAL COMMENTS............................................................................................... 173

EDITORIAL COMMENTS(Dharma, 1909-1910).......................................................... 175

TALES OF PRISON LIFE................................................................................................. 255

TALES OF PRISON LIFE (Suprabhat, 1909-1910) ....................................................... 257

PRISON AND FREEDOM(Bharati) ............................................................................... 298

THE ARYAN IDEAL AND THE THREE GUNAS(Suprabhat, 1909-1910).......................305

NEW BIRTH (Dharma,No, 2, August, 1909).............................................................312

LETTERS........................................................................................................................... 315

LETTERS TO MRINALINI (1905-1907) ........................................................................ 317

LETTER TO BARIN (1920) ..........................................................................................327

LETTERS TON. AND S. (Published, 1951 & 1959) .................................................... 337


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1HYMN TO DURGA (Dharma, No. 9, October, 1909)


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POETRY


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7FROM USHA-HARAN KABYA


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STORIES


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11A DREAM (Suprabhat, 1909-1910)


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17THE IDEAL OF FORGIVENESS (Dharma, No. 26, February, 1910)


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THE VEDA


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21THE SECRET OF THE VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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26AGNI THE DIVINE ENERGY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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30THE RIG-VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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THE UPANISHADS


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43THE UPANISHADS (Dharma, No. 15, December, 1909)


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45THE INTEGRALYOGA IN THE UPANISHADS(Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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47THE ISHA UPANISHAD (1) (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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49THE ISHA UPANISHAD (2) (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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THE PURANAS


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53THE PURANAS (Dharma, No. 17, December, 1909)

THEPURANAS(Dharma,No.17,December,1909)


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THE GITA


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57THE DHARMA OF THE GITA (Dharma, No. 2, August, 1909)


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60SANNYASA AND TYAGA (Dharma, No. 3, September, 1909)


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63THE VISION OF THE WORLD-SPIRIT (Dharma, No. 23, February, 1910)


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66AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GITA (Dharma, Nos. 7-24, 1909-1910)


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DHARMA


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113THE CHARIOT OF JAGANNATHA(Prabartak, 1918)


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116THE THREE STAGES OF HUMAN SOCIETY(Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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118AHANKARA (Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909)


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120INTEGRALITY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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121HYMNS AND PRAYERS (Dharma, No. 24, February, 1910)


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124OUR RELIGION {Dharma, No. 1, August, 1909)


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127MAYA(Dharma, No. 3, August, 1909)


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131NIVRITTI (Dharma, No. 12, November, 1909)


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133PRAKAMYA (Dharma, Nos, 17 and 18, 1909-1910)


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NATIONALISM


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139THE OLD AND THE NEW (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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146THE COUNTRY AND NATIONALISM (Dharma, No. 14, December, 1909)


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148THE TRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM (Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909)


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150A WORD ABOUT SOCIETY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)


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151FRATERNITY (Dharma, No. 23, February, 1910)


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154INDIAN PAINTING (Dharma, No. 25, February, 1910)


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156HIROBUMI ITO (Dharma, No. 10, November, 1909)


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158NATIONAL RESURGENCE (Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909)


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162OUR HOPE (Dharma, No. 20, January, 1910)


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GURU GOVINDSINGH


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171GURU GOVINDSINGH (Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909)


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EDITORIAL COMMENTS


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175EDITORIAL COMMENTS(Dharma, 1909-1910)


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TALES OF PRISON LIFE


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257TALES OF PRISON LIFE (Suprabhat, 1909-1910)


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298PRISON AND FREEDOM(Bharat i)


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312NEW BIRTH (Dharma, No, 2, August, 1909)


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LETTERS


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317LETTERS TO MRINALINI (1905-1907)


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327LETTER TO BARIN (1920)


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