SRI AUROBINDO

-Life sketch

Ajit Sabnis,
Sri Aurobindo society,
JP Nagar, Bangalore
 SALUTATIONS TO THEE
15th AUGUST, 1872 – 5TH DECEMBER, 1950
 What Sri Aurobindo
represents in the worlds
history is not a teaching,
not even a revelation ;
it is a decisive action direct
from the Supreme.

- The Mother
Sri Aurobindo has come to announce
to the world the beauty of the future
that will be realised. He has come to
bring not a hope but the certainty of
splendour towards which the world is
moving. The world is not an
unfortunate accident ; it is a miracle
moving towards its expression.

-The Mother
 15th August, 1872, 5.00 am
The hour of new dawn

Aurobindo Ackroyd Ghose was the

Sri Aurobindo (seated) with Benoy
Bhushan and Manmohan third child born to Dr. Krishnadhan
Ghose and Swarnalatha Devi.
His pet name Auro.

Auro, was very delicate, shy, gentle

and every one‟s favourite. His eyes
were sparkling and his speech was
silence.
 Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose never
wanted his children to study in
Indian School. Benoy, Auro and
Manmohan were sent to a school
in Darjeeling. In this school, they
learnt only English, imbibed
Sri Aurobindo- 5 years
English ways, they stayed far
away from Indian culture.
Auro was five years old then.
 After 2 years at Darjeeling these three
boys were sent to Manchester, England
for their further education.

Auro was only 7 years old and the year

was 1879. These three boys were left
with an English couple
Mr and Mrs Drewett, who were
instructed by Dr, Krishndhan Ghose, not
to expose them to anything that is
Indian.
 Mr. Drewett taught Auro English
and Latin at home.
Mrs. Drewett taught Maths,
Sri Aurobindo at age 11 History, Geography and French.

Auro started reading the Bible,

Shelly and Keats, works of
Shakesphere.
 1879 to 1892, Sri Aurobindo spent his 14
Prime youthful years in England.

1879 – 1884 - Manchester

1884 – 1890 - London
1890 – 1892 - Cambridge.

At London Auro was admitted to St. Paul

School. At St. Paul, Auro also won the
famous Butter worth prize for literature and
Bedford prize for History.
When at Cambridge, Sri Aurobindo had

passed I.C.S but felt no call for it

because he obviously did not want to

serve the British. He managed to get

himself disqualified for the same by

not appearing for Horse riding test.

 It was at this time, he met
Maharaja of Baroda,
Sayaji Rao Gaekwad who
offered Sri Aurobindo a
salary of Rs. 200/- per
month and asked him to
come to India.

Sri Aurobindo in Baroda

 Sri Aurobindo, with this offer as a
stepping stone decided to return to
India. It was in 1893, February he
got into SS Carthage, a passenger
ship.
 Dr. K.D. Ghosh, was misinformed
about the name of the ship by which
Sri Aurobindo was traveling and this
very steamer sank off the coast of
Portugal. The accident was
disastrous and no one survived.

Dr. K.D. Ghose died of a terrible

shock; repeating Sri Aurobindo‟s
name.
 However, Sri Aurobindo reached
India safely by Carthage, landed at
Appollo Bunder, Bombay in Feb,1893
and joined services of Maharaja at
Baroda. He was 21 years old.

As he stepped on the Indian soil, a

vast calm descended on him and the
auspicious beginning of his long
spiritual life.
 Sri Aurobindo passed 13 years

from 1893 to 1906 at Baroda.

These were the years of

literacy activity for him . He

mastered Sanskrit and other

modern Indian languages and

assimilated the spirit of Indian

Baroda 1906. With students
at Baroda College Civilization.
In 1901, secret preparations of
revolutionary groups were in
full swing.

Sri Aurobindo got married to

Mrinalini Devi. The marriage
was arranged according to
Hindu rituals.
 In 1904, Sri Aurobindo wrote
„Bhawani Mandir‟, a
revolutionary booklet.
Thousands of youths answered
the call.

Viceroy of India, Lord Minto,

considered him to be "the
most dangerous man we now
have to reckon with”
 1906, he left Baroda and

joined Bengal National

College, Calcutta as

Principal. He also decided

to join openly in the

political movement.
 During this period he joined

Bipin Chandra Pal in editing of

Bande Mataram which created new

spirit through out the country and he

was again prosecuted but acquitted

due to lack of evidence. He became

the leader of Nationalist Party.

 1906-1908

Behind his fiery political life,

there was always a call and an

urge from deeper spiritual life.

It was during this period he met

Yogi Vishnu Bhaskar Lele and

got his first initiation.

 30th April, 1908

There was an attempt to kill the British

magistrate and Sri Aurobindo got
arrested though he had no involvement.
He was sent to Alipore jail and the trial
went on for almost one year.
The cell was just 9‟ x 6‟.

It was here he studied Bhagwadgita, Upanishads

and practiced intensive meditation.
 30th May, 1909

He gave the historical speech at

Uttarpara.

It was in this speech,

Sri Aurobindo openly spoke
about his spiritual experiences
in the prison.
 Long after the controversy will
be hushed in silence, long after
the turmoil the agitation will
have ceased, long after he is
dead and gone, he will be looked
upon as the poet of patriotism,
the prophet of nationalism and
the lover of humanity.
- Chittaranjan Das
“Then he placed the Gita in my hands. His
strength entered into me and I was able to
do the sadhana of the Gita. He made me
realize the central truth of Sanatana
dharma. I looked at the jail that secluded
me from men and it was Vasudeva who
surrounded me. I looked at the bars of my
cell and the guards at the gate, I saw
Vasudeva. It was Sri Krishna every
where.”
 March,1910

Towards end of March, Sri Aurobindo received

another command to go to Pondicherry.

4th, April,1910

Reached Pondicherry and stayed in the

same guest house where Swami
Vivekananda stayed during
his South India Visit.
The Jetty (Look at the pillars, they
surround the Gandhi statue today)
 29th March,1914

The Mother met Sri Aurobindo for the

first time. She came from France to
see him and to work with him.

The moment I saw Sri Aurobindo, I

recognized him as the Being I used
to call Krishna.

-The Mother
But, who is “ The Mother ” we refer to ?

“ The one whom we adore as The Mother

is the divine Conscious Force that
dominates all existence, one and yet so
many-sided that to follow her movement is
impossible even for the quickest mind and
for the freest and most vast intelligence ”
- Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo reached Pondy in 1910.
Mr. Paul Richard, who visited
Pondicherry on some work met
Sri Aurobindo several times and on his
return to France told Mirra about him.
It was now, she was drawn towards
India and decided to travel.
The Mother left France on 6th March, 1914
and reached Pondicherry on
29th March,1914 via Colombo.

After reaching Pondy they met

Sri Aurobindo on the same afternoon and
everything transformed. The Mother saw
in front of her the Krishna of her vision.
 The next day she wrote in her diary :

“ It matters little that there are

thousands of beings plunged in the
densest ignorance, He whom we saw
yesterday on this earth is enough to
prove that a day will come when
darkness shall be transformed into light,
and thy reign shall be indeed
established upon earth”
 15th August, 1914

Sri Aurobindo started a philosophical

review called Arya. It made an
uninterrupted appearance for about
Six and half years.
 Nearly all the major works of Sri Aurobindo-
The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, The Human
Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, On the Veda, The
Upanishads, Essays on the Gita, The Foundations of
Indian Culture, The Future Poetry -- first came out
serially in the Arya. It was a veritable torrent
which flowed, month after month, on a variety
of subjects, words of surpassing depth and
beauty, for seven years. And none of it was
thought out; it did not even pass through his
mind, but flowed straight from the Silent
Consciousness into his pen.
Sri Aurobindo simultaneously
wrote eight books of his
profoundest experiences.
 1920 – 1926

Sri Aurobindo continued his

intense sadhana. More and
more disciples joined and
The Mother took charge of the
management and founded Sri
Aurobindo Ashram in
November, 1926
 24th November, 1926

Sri Aurobindo and The Mother

announced the descent of
Overmental consciousness and
The Mother called it as the Victory
day. It marked a great leap in
Sri Aurobindo‟s yoga.
 From 1926 onwards he continued his great
work in seclusion. He kept on answering
thousands of letters from disciples and later
these letters got published as Letters on Yoga.
His work on Savitri continued.

1933-1938
Sri Aurobindo in his correspondences with
Sri Nirodbaran put forth his experiences and from
1933 to 1938 ; 5 years were considered as
golden years of his yogic correspondence.
 15th August, 1947

His spiritual force intervened all the odds

and his dynamic spiritual power continued
to work for India‟s liberation. As sanction
and seal of the Divine force India got
liberated on 15th August,1947 –
75th Birthday of Sri Aurobindo.

In his message on this day, Sri Aurobindo

spoke about his 5 dreams.
First Dream- A revolutionary movement which
would create a free and united India.

Second Dream-The resurgence and liberation of

the people of Asia and Her return to Her great
role in the progress of human civilization.

Third Dream-A world union forming the outer

basis of a fairer, brighter and nobler life for all
mankind
 Fourth Dream-
The spiritual gift of India to the
world.

Fifth Dream- A step in evolution

which would raise Man to a higher
and larger consciousness and to
dream of individual perfection
and a perfect society.
 September, 1950

Sri Aurobindo‟s marvelous epic

„Savitri‟ – crown of all his works-
23813 lines was gifted to the
world. He poured all his spiritual
knowledge, his spiritual
experiences and intimate
knowledge of all planes of
existence in this epic.
 5th December, 1950

In the early hours of 5th December,

Master withdrew from his physical
body. It was a willed and deliberate
withdrawal –the mystery known
only to The Mother.

His body charged with supramental

light was intact for four days and
showed no sign of decomposition.
 9th December, 1950

Sri Aurobindo‟s physical body was laid to rest

in the central court yard of Ashram but his
grace, force and work continues.
 To Thee who hast been the material
envelope of our Master, to Thee our
infinite gratitude. Before Thee who hast
done so much for us, who hast worked,
struggled, suffered, hoped, endured so
much, before Thee who hast willed all,
attempted all, prepared, achieved all for
us, before Thee we bow down and
implore that we may never forget, even
for a moment, all we owe to Thee.
The Mother