Aurobindo and mother about parallel worlds. Sri Aurobindo and Mother short biographical notes and biography. New direction of experience

1872–1950) Indian religious philosopher and poet, leader of the Indian national movement. In the concept of "integral" Vedanta and yoga, he sought to synthesize the traditions of Indian and European thought, he interpreted the relationship between the world and the absolute (Brahman) on the basis of the concept of evolution. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was born in Calcutta on August 15, 1872. His father, Dr. Krishnadhan Ghosh, studied medicine in England and returned to India as an Anglophile Sri. Aurobindo received not only the English name Akroyd, but also an English upbringing. At the age of five, his father sent him to an Irish monastic school in Darjeeling, and two years later, together with his two brothers, sent him to England. The Ghose brothers were assigned to the Anglican priest of Manchester with instructions to keep them from any contact with the Indians. Dr. Ghose also ordered that Pastor Drewett not give his sons any religious instruction. At the age of twelve Sri Aurobindo knew Latin and French. The directors of St. Paul's school were so impressed with the student's abilities that he himself began to study Greek with him. The boy read a lot - Shelley, French poets, Homer, Aristophanes, European thinkers, and in the original he quickly mastered the German and Italian languages. From 1890 Sri Aurobindo studied at Cambridge. St. Paul's School provided him with a stipend that went almost entirely to support the brothers. He became the secretary of the Indian Majlis - the association of Indian students of Cambridge, and made revolutionary appeals. Abandoning his English name, the young Indian joined the Lotus and Dagger secret society, as a result of which he was blacklisted by Whitehall. However, this did not stop him from getting a bachelor's degree. In 1892 Sri Aurobindo returned to India. He had no position, no titles. His father died, his sick mother did not recognize him. In Bombay, he found a position as a French teacher with the Maharaja of Baroda, then taught English at a government college, where he quickly rose to the position of Deputy Principal. In addition, Sri Aurobindo was the personal secretary of the Maharaja. He traveled many times to Calcutta, followed the political situation, wrote several articles that caused a scandal, for he urged his countrymen to get rid of the British yoke and sharply criticized the political begging of the Indian Congress Party. Sri Aurobindo laid the blame not on the English, but on the Indians themselves, resigned to their servile condition. He studies Sanskrit, the sacred books of India - the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana. Finally turns to yoga "I felt that somewhere in this yoga must be a powerful truth." In 1901 he married Mrinalini Devi and tried to share his spiritual life with her. "I feel all the signs and symptoms (of the path intended for me)," he wrote to her in a letter found in the archives of the British police. "I would like to take you with me on this journey." But Mrinalini did not understand him, and the thinker went on alone. Sri Aurobindo dreamed of seeing an independent India. He drew up a program of action, the end point of which was a people's revolution. In 1906 Sri Aurobindo left Baroda and moved to Calcutta. The gross blunders of Lord Curzon, Governor of Bengal, led to student unrest. Together with Bepin Pal, Sri Aurobindo founded an English-language daily newspaper, Bande Mataram (I Bow to Mother India), which for the first time openly proclaimed the goal of complete independence and which became a powerful instrument for the awakening of India. He also founded an extremist party and instituted a program of action for the nation - a boycott of English goods, a boycott of English courts, a boycott of English schools and universities. He became director of the first National College in Calcutta. Less than a year later, a warrant was issued for his arrest. However, there was nothing illegal in Sri Aurobindo's articles and speeches - he did not preach racial hatred, did not attack Her Majesty's government, but simply proclaimed the right of nations to independence. The case brought against him was closed. Sri Aurobindo became the recognized leader of the national party. On December 30, 1907, Sri Aurobindo met a yogi named Vishnu Bhaskar Lele. They retired together to a quiet room, where they stayed for three days. Since then Sri Aurobindo's yoga has taken a different direction. Sri Aurobindo entered that state which the Buddhists call Nirvana, the Hindus call the Silent Brahman, and in the West it is called Transcendental, Absolute, Impersonal. He achieved that famous "liberation" (mukti), which is considered the "peak" of spiritual life, for what else can be beyond the Transcendent? Sri Aurobindo confirmed by his own experience the words of the great Indian mystic Sri Ramakrishna. "If we live in God, the world disappears; if we live in the world, then God no longer exists." On May 4, 1908, after a failed assassination attempt on a judge in Calcutta, Sri Aurobindo was arrested. He spent a whole year in Alipore prison awaiting sentencing, although he was not involved in the conspiracy. After leaving prison, Sri Aurobindo resumed his work, publishing a weekly in Bengali and another in English. One day in February 1910, he was warned about the impending arrest. Ten minutes later the revolutionary was already sailing down the Ganges to Shandernagor. This was the end of his political life, the end of the integral yoga and the beginning of the supramental yoga. It was in Chandernagor that Sri Airobindo discovered the great Mystery and dedicated his life to it. Sri Aurobindo's main occupation during the first years of his exile was reading the Vedas in the original. The thinker discovered the secret meaning of the Vedas - the most ancient tradition of the world - in its original, untouched form, and he began to translate an extensive fragment from the most ancient Rig Veda, in particular, the beautiful "Hymns to the Mystical Fire". In 1910, the French writer Paul Richard arrived in Pondicherry and, having met Sri Aurobindo, was so impressed by the breadth of his knowledge that in 1914 he returned to India. Thus was founded the bilingual review, Arya, or Review of the Great Synthesis, of which Richard was in charge of the French editions. But the war broke out, Richard was recalled to France. Sri Aurobindo was left alone and had to publish sixty-four pages every month on a variety of philosophical topics. For six years without interruption, until 1920, Sri Aurobindo published almost all of his writings. He wrote quite unusually - not one book after another, but four or even six books at the same time and on a variety of topics - books such as "Life Divine", his fundamental "philosophical" work, which presents his spiritual vision of evolution, "Synthesis Yoga", where he describes the various stages and experiences of integral yoga and explores all the yogic teachings of the past and present, "Studies on the Gita", with an exposition of his philosophy of action, "The Secret of the Vedas" with an investigation of the origin of language, "The ideal of human unity" and "Human cycle”, in which evolution is considered from sociological and psychological points of view and the future possibilities of human collectives and associations are explored. Day after day Sri Aurobindo calmly filled the pages of his writings. Anyone else would have been weary to the point of exhaustion, but he didn't "think" about what he was writing. “I didn’t force myself to write,” he explains to the student, “I just let the Higher Power work, and when it didn’t work, I made absolutely no effort ... I write in the silence of the mind and write only what comes to me from above ... " In 1920 Sri Aurobindo finished his work at Arya. The rest of his writings are letters - thousands and thousands of letters containing all the practical instructions regarding yogic experiences, and the brilliant epic (28,813 lines) "Savitri", which Sri Aurobindo will write and rewrite for thirty years; this epic is like the fifth Veda, it is a living message, which talks about experiences in the higher and lower worlds, about battles in the Subconscious and Unconscious, about the occult history of evolution on Earth and in the universe, and about his vision of the future. In 1920, in Pondicherry, where Sri Aurobindo settled, an assistant arrived from England, who, by tradition, was called Mother. “When I arrived in Pondicherry,” the seer told his first disciples, “the program for my sadhana of ‘discipline’ was dictated to me from within. I followed it and advanced myself, but could not be of any significant help to others. Then the Mother came and with her help I found the necessary method.” Three periods may be noted in this work, which correspond to the own progress and discoveries of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The first stage - testing, testing, research and verification of the forces of consciousness. This period was called by some disciples the "bright period" and lasted from 1920 to 1926, when Sri Aurobindo went into seclusion for twenty-four years to concentrate exclusively on his work. With the help of the new, supramental force that Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have discovered, they immediately carry out a whole series of experiments or "testing" - this is one of the key words of Sri Aurobindo's dictionary. For example, he subjected himself to long-term fasting (23 days or more) to test the power of mind control, consumes large amounts of opium. The second period began in 1926 and continued until 1940. It was a period of individual work on the body and in the subconscious. “We have all the keys, all the threads for bringing about the supramental change of consciousness ourselves; we know the fundamental principle of transformation, this is Agni - "that's who does the work," says the Rig Veda. The main conclusion of this stage is that a complete and sustainable individual transformation is impossible without a certain, even minimal, advancement of the whole world as a whole. In 1940, after fourteen years of individual concentration, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother opened the doors of their ashram (yogic community). The third period of transformation began, a period that continues to this day. In recent years it was not easy to see Sri Aurobindo - it had to be a very special occasion, an exceptional event, because he did not receive anyone. Only three or four days a year were his disciples and all who wished to pass in front of him and see him (in India such days are called "darshans"). The great Indian thinker died in 1950. Sri Aurobindo is undoubtedly an esoteric personality, both his teaching and way of life testify to this. One of the central ideas of this teaching is that man, as we see him now, is only a “transitional being” on the way to a divine being, to a superman and supermind, and only a few can achieve this state. “If we admit,” writes Sri Aurobindo in The Divine Life, “that the humble meaning of our birth in Matter lies in our spiritual development on earth, if this is the evolution of consciousness that takes place in nature, then we must admit that man, what he is now cannot be the limit of this evolution, he is still too imperfect an expression of the Spirit, his mind is too limited in its functions and is only a transitional expression of consciousness, and the person himself is only a transitional being ... If we assume that such a completion of evolution is intended and that man must become a mediator, it should be noted that this will apply only to a few, especially developed people who will create a new race of people and begin to move towards a new life. As soon as this happens, the rest of humanity will depart from spiritual striving, since this will already be unnecessary for the design of Nature, and will remain in its normal state of rest and immobility. So, a new race and movement towards a new life. What is this life, what is the meaning? “The earliest formula of human life,” answers Sri Aurobindo, “promises to be its last. God, Light, Freedom, Immortality,” and explains. To know and master oneself, to become a deified being, having overcome the animal and egoistic consciousness; turn our obscured intellect into a complete supra-mental illumination, create tranquility and self-existent bliss where there is only the tension of temporary pleasures accompanied by physical and emotional suffering, establish boundless freedom in a world that (at present) appears as a series of mechanical necessities, discover and realize immortal life in a body subject to death and constant mutation - all this appears to us as a manifestation of God in Matter and as the goal of Nature in her earthly evolution. Sri Aurobindo capitalizes not only the words God and Spirit, but also Nature and Matter. “If it is true,” he notes, “that the Spirit is contained in Matter and that external Nature hides God, then His manifestation and realization within oneself and in the external world are the highest and most legitimate goals of life on earth” (“Divine Life”). But Nature for Sri Aurobindo is not another existence, not the creation of God (as in Christianity), it is either an equal member with God, or even the beginning, being itself as the highest reality. Nature and God, Matter and Spirit, Life and Consciousness - these entities, on the one hand, are independent potencies and realities, on the other hand, they are hidden in each other, reveal themselves and differentiate in the course of evolution. Sri Aurobindo believes that one of the main values ​​of European culture is reason. “Philosophy, sciences and some branches of art,” he writes, “are the results of many years of work of the critical mind in man” (“The Human Cycle”). “All the difficulties of the mind in trying to manage our life,” writes Sri Aurobindo, “consist in the fact that, due to its innate limitations, it is not able to handle the complexities of life or its integral actions; he is forced to divide life into parts, to make more or less artificial classifications, to build systems with limited and contradictory data, which must be constantly modified by other data, in order not to make a choice, which, in turn, will be destroyed by the breaking of new waves, not yet regulated forces and capabilities” (“The Human Cycle”). Moreover, although civilization has moved forward thanks to the mind, it is the mind, according to Sri Aurobindo, that is responsible for the negative consequences from which modern man suffers. However, how practically can the deification of a person take place, what efforts are required on his part? “External and internal,” answers Sri Aurobindo, “own and divine,” he elaborates further. External efforts are religion, occultism, spiritual thought, spiritual testing. “But the spiritual problem cannot be solved by external means, but only by internal rebirth” (“Divine Life”). This rebirth does not happen all at once, it is prepared and has its stages. The preparation consists in the search for goodness, truth and beauty, on the one hand, and self-denial and sacrifice of one's "I" to the Divine, the Lord (Ishvara) - on the other. At the same time, according to Shri Aurobindo, it is necessary to fulfill the general principles of the esoteric life. “A certain estrangement from mental, sensual, physical demands, concentration in the heart, a certain asceticism and self-purification, renunciation of egoistic desires, of wrong habits and needs is necessary.” Here both Buddhist and Christian ethical imperatives are uniquely combined. The same synthesis is visible in the ethical requirement to serve man: “... the spiritual man does not keep aloof from the life of mankind. On the contrary, the main task for him is the development of a sense of unity with all creation, the consciousness of universal love, compassion and the development of energy or the good of all ... his efforts are aimed at creative assistance and guidance, as did the ancient rishis and prophets. Another aspect of a person's own efforts is the consistent release and submission to Purusha of the three principles ("parts") of a person - mind, heart, will. Sri Aurobindo calls this aspect the "triple transformation" or "contact of the soul with the spirit." The first contact - "through the mind" - purifies, expands, calms, depersonalizes the personality, but it is limited. “More intense effort through the mind does not change the balance. The spiritualized mind strives to rise above and transcend itself, and thus it loses the consciousness of forms and enters into an infinite, formless and impersonal world. The second contact - "through the heart" - brings emotions and feelings into the spiritual progress of a person, making him full of being. “Then everything becomes bright and concrete, emotions, feelings and spiritualized sensations reach the highest limit, and complete self-sacrifice becomes not only possible, but also necessary.” But even this contact is limited. The third contact - "through the will" - allows you to abandon the ego of a person that prevents deification, and enlist the consent of his will. The initiation of the will in the active life develops through the gradual withdrawal of the egoistic will with its motive power of desire. The ego then submits to a higher law and, in the end, either completely disappears, or it begins to submit to a higher power and truth, and begins to act as an instrument of the Divine ... All three attitudes of the mind, will and heart taken together create the spiritual or mental state of our external nature, in which a wider and more complex perspective is opened on the psychic light within us and on the spiritual Sovereign of the Universe, Ishvara, whose reality is now felt above us, around us and within us. All these are man's own efforts, but for the final spiritual transformation, which decisively accelerates evolution, counter divine efforts are also necessary (a kind of chosenness, predestination, which, probably, is given to a few). The process of spiritual transformation itself goes through five stages (stages): Higher mind, Illuminated mind, Intuitive mind, Over-mind and the highest judge - Over-mind. “The main characteristic of the first stage (Higher Mind) is mass thinking, that is, the ability to grasp immediately directly everything as a whole. The illuminated mind is expressed not only by thinking, but also by seeing. The consciousness of the prophet, proceeding from vision, has a greater power of knowledge than the consciousness of the thinker. The perception of inner vision is deeper and more immediate than the perception of thought” (“Divine Life”). At one time, Sufi Al-Ghazali wrote: “... another step follows the mind, when a new eye opens in a person, with which he contemplates the hidden, sees what will happen in the future, and other things that are not achievable for the mind.” The intuitive mind is the next stage of spiritual transformation, using, as the name implies, intuition as the main means of development. The overmind completes the first (created primarily by the efforts of the person himself) degree of spiritual transformation. At this stage, the "ego" is completely conquered and a breakthrough into cosmic consciousness is made. When the Overmind descends, egocentrism completely submits to it. At first it is lost in the breadth of the being and, finally, it completely disappears, being replaced by cosmic perception and feeling of the boundless universal spirit and action. All that remains is cosmic Being, consciousness, delight and the play of cosmic forces. However, the remnants of the resistance of the lower nature of man and ignorance at this stage still remain. “Even when the higher forces with their energies penetrate into the very depths of the Unconscious,” writes Sri Aurobindo, “they meet blind necessity there and obey the restrictive law of the Ignorance. Resistance (to the higher forces) is based on an established and inexorable law to always meet the demands of life with the law of death, the demand for light with the necessity of shadow and darkness, sovereignty and freedom of the spirit with limitation, failure and primary inertia. The second stage of spiritual transformation, caused mainly by the intervention of the Spirit from above, is the stage of the Supermind, or Gnostic Being. At this stage, a person finally becomes spiritual and completely free, acquires a new nature (race) and extraordinary abilities, merges in harmony and love with the Divine and the Cosmos, experiences experiences and feelings that are so unusual that they practically defy description. The completed personality is the cosmic personality, for only when we become part of the entire cosmos and then transcend it can our personality be considered complete. An overintelligent being in cosmic consciousness, sensing the entire universe as itself, will act accordingly. His actions in the universal consciousness will be based on the harmony of his own personality and the universe. Sri Aurobindo not only created an esoteric teaching (knowledge, speculation), but also implemented it in his own life. He rebuilt not only his mind and consciousness, but his whole being. Using the technique of yoga and his own psychotechnical findings, Sri Aurobindo, on the one hand, eliminates (destroys in himself) those realities that do not correspond to his teaching (unnecessary desires, egoistic aspirations, interfering ideas), on the other hand, cultivates value and sensually naturally, develops, strengthens those “higher realities” that correspond to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo ends life in the corresponding higher realities dissolves and merges with the Divine and Cosmos, enjoys his Soul, experiences Infinity, Beauty, Light, Power, Love, Delight.

Sri Aurobindo, childhood, youth, political activity, spiritual experiences, yoga, integral yoga, supramental consciousness.

Annotation:

Through a set of ideas and concepts related to understanding the nature of the world and man, the article attempts to make a biographical analysis of the life and work of Sri Aurobindo, to consider his spiritual experiences.

Article text:

Throughout his life, Sri Aurobindo was engaged in the practical realization of the Conscious Evolution, capable of bringing humanity from the world of ignorance into the world of Divine Truth. Aurobindo is one of the great founders of integral spirituality and practice. The material for Sri Aurobindo's Yoga and his spiritual philosophy was yogic experiences received through personal spiritual practice.

Childhood and youth

Sri Aurobindo - an outstanding thinker, public and political figure, poet-seer, yogi - was born in Calcutta on August 15, 1872 in the family of Dr. Krishnadhan Ghosh, who came from a noble family of Kshatriya warriors. Sri Aurobindo's father studied medicine in England and returned to India as a complete English lover. He did not want his sons - he had three of them, Sri Aurobindo was the youngest - to somehow fall under the pernicious influence of the "futile and backward" mysticism, in which his country seemed to be rolling to ruin. He did not even want them to know anything about the traditions and languages ​​of India. Sri Aurobindo therefore received not only the English name Akroyd, but also an English governess, and then, on reaching the age of five, was sent to an Irish monastic school in Darjeeling, along with the sons of English officials. After two years, all three Ghose boys left for England.

Sri Aurobindo and his two brothers were entrusted to the Anglican priest of Manchester with strict instructions which forbade them to make any acquaintance among Indians or be subjected to any Indian influence. In addition, the father also ordered that Pastor Drewweth not give his sons any religious instruction, so that they could choose their own religion, if they wished, upon reaching the age of majority. Then he left them to his fate for thirteen years. It should be noted that Dr. Ghose was not a hard-hearted person, he simply believed that his children should have the character of men.

In Sri Aurobindo, from childhood, abilities for the humanities were manifested. At the beginning of his life in London, a poet began to awaken in him, at the age of twelve, he already knew Latin and French (English was his native language). The principals of St. Paul's School, where Sri Aurobindo studied, were so impressed by the student's abilities that he himself began to study Greek with him. Within three years, Sri Aurobindo was able to skip half the school course, which allowed him to spend most of his time reading. He soon mastered German and Italian to such an extent that he could read Dante and Goethe in the original. However, there was no strictness in it. Sri Aurobindo had a healthy sense of humor and humor was the essence of his existence. He never looked for connections, friends, he was simply “somewhere in other spheres” and his world was full.

In 1890, with a higher classical education, Sri Aurobindo entered King's College, Cambridge, where he studied for two years. At this time, in addition to Western culture, he became interested in everything connected with the revolution: he thought about the liberation of his homeland. He became secretary of the Indian Majlis, an association of Indian students at Cambridge, gave many revolutionary speeches, and then, abandoning his English name, joined the Lotus and Dagger secret society. However, he completed his bachelor's degree but did not attend the graduation ceremony.

For the past two years he has lived a hard and restless life. Help from home had almost ceased, and he had to support his two brothers and himself.

He passes an open competition for the right to enter the Indian Civil Service, but at the end of two years of training, he did not appear for the riding examination and was denied the right to serve. That day he preferred to go for a walk. Notwithstanding the eccentricity of Sri Aurobindo's actions, a senior lecturer at Cambridge wrote to the authorities: "That a man of such stature should be lost to the Indian government simply because he refused to mount a horse or did not appear on time for an examination, seems to me to be the unsurpassed myopia of officials ". But the petition did not help, as his name was blacklisted by the government due to his revolutionary views.

At this time, the Gekvar of Baroda was in London. Sri Aurobindo met with him, was assigned to Baroda and left England for India, where he arrived in February 1893.

So, Sri Aurobindo is a child who grew up completely independent of the influence of family, country and traditions. Until the age of twenty, he does not learn his native language, Bengali; neither will he see his father, who will die just before his son returns to India, and he will only catch a glimpse of his mother, who will be ill and not recognize him.

Fulfilling the will of his father, he learns Western culture, studies European languages. In addition, quite unexpectedly, he feels a political vocation that was difficult to foresee. It would have owned him for nearly twenty years, and owned him even when he didn't even know what an Indian was, let alone Indians.

Upon his return to India, he had neither position nor titles. There was only the desire to put into practice what theory had taught him.

Political activity

In 1893, at the age of 21, Sri Aurobindo returned to India. Over the next 13 years, he held various positions in the administration of the city of Baroda, teaching English and French literature at the local university. This period was spent in quiet political activity, as his position in Baroda forbade him from public activity. The outbreak of unrest against the partition of Bengal in 1905 gave him the opportunity to leave his service in Baroda and join openly in the political movement. In 1906 he moved to Calcutta, where he became rector of the National College. During these years, he is included in the active political struggle for the independence of India. The journal Bande Mataram, which he published, became a powerful voice for the liberation movement, for the first time putting forward the ideal of the country's complete independence, as well as formulating specific methods for achieving it.

At the same time, he continues his poetic work, and also immerses himself in the study of the cultural and spiritual heritage of India, masters Sanskrit and its other languages, and begins to comprehend its ancient scriptures. Realizing the true power and value of spiritual discoveries that gave life to all of its richest centuries-old culture, in 1904 he decided to set foot on the path of yoga, seeking to use spiritual power to liberate his homeland.

In 1908, Sri Aurobindo was arrested on suspicion of organizing an assassination attempt on one of the officials of the British colonial government and ended up in prison on charges that threatened him with the death penalty, but at the end of the investigation, which lasted a whole year, he was fully acquitted and released. This year became for him a “university of yoga”: he achieved fundamental spiritual realizations and realized that his goal is not limited to the liberation of India from foreign domination, but consists in the revolutionary transformation of the entire nature of the universe, in victory over ignorance, lies, suffering and death. But he was forced to admit that the nation was not yet sufficiently prepared to carry out his policies and programs. For a while he thought that the necessary preparation should first be given through the less progressive Home Rule movement or passive resistance propaganda of the type created by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa. But he saw that the hour of these movements had not struck, and that he himself was not destined to be their leader. Moreover, since the twelve-month stay in Alipore prison was devoted entirely to the practice of Yoga, his inner spiritual life demanded exceptional concentration from him. He decided, therefore, to withdraw from the political sphere, at least for the time being.

In February 1910 he goes into secret retirement at Chandernagore, and sails for Pondicherry in French India early in April. Sri Aurobindo left Bengal with some intention of returning to political activity under more favorable circumstances; but very soon the magnitude of the spiritual work he undertook appeared before him, and he saw that an exceptional concentration of all his energy would be required of him. Ultimately, he cut ties with politics, repeatedly refused to accept the presidency of the National Congress, and resigned completely. During his entire stay in Pondicherry from 1910. he devoted himself more and more exclusively to spiritual work and sadhana. .

Spiritual experiences of Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo began to practice yoga in 1904. Before that, he had several spontaneous experiences "which came of their own accord." Among these was the mental experience of the atman or true Supreme Consciousness which he had while reading the Upanishads in London in 1892. The following year, "boundless peace" descended on him the moment he set foot on Indian soil after his long sojourn in England. This peace surrounded him for a long time after that. Also in 1893 Sri Aurobindo had a vision of the Divine that gushed from within when he was in danger in a road accident. In 1903, while walking on the ridge of Mount Takt-i-Suleman in Kashmir, he had a "realization of the emptiness of Infinity", and about two years later he experienced the "living presence of Kali" in a temple on the banks of the Narmada.

Sri Aurobindo began yoga with the "relentless practice of pranayama". Around this time he met the yogi Brahmananda and thereafter "was greatly impressed by the meeting", but he did not have a mentor or guru until January 1908, when he met the yogi Vishnu Baskar Lele of Maharashtra. Lele showed Sri Aurobindo how to achieve perfect stillness of mind and stillness of consciousness. Within three days Sri Aurobindo achieved this state, which sometimes takes a lifetime of yoga to achieve. As a result of this experience, Sri Aurobindo experienced a series of "prolonged and grandiose realizations which opened to him wider paths in yoga." Lele concluded by telling Sri Aurobindo to place himself completely in the hands of the Divine within him and be moved by Him alone. In the future, this position became the foundation and principle of Sri Aurobindo's sadhana.

In 1908 and 1909, while on remand in the Alipore prison, Sri Aurobindo had a constant vision of the Divine in everything: “I looked at the prison that separated me from people, but it was not the high walls of this prison that surrounded me; it was Vasudeva who surrounded me. I walked under the branches of the tree that was growing in front of my prison door, but it was not a tree, it was Vasudeva, it was Shri Krishna who stood in the place of the tree and clothed me with his shadow. I looked at the bars of my cell window and saw Vasudeva again. It was Narayana who guarded me and stood guard. As I lay down on the rough blankets that covered my bed, I felt Shri Krishna wrap his arms around me, the arms of my Comrade. I looked at the prisoners in the prison, who were swindlers, murderers and thieves, and in them I saw Vasudeva, this was Narayana, whom I found in these dark souls and perverted bodies.

Sri Aurobindo spent much time in prison reading the Gita and the Upanishads, meditating and practicing yoga. Even in the courtroom, he remained immersed in meditation, not delving into the proceedings and barely listening to the evidence. During this period, his attitude towards life changed radically; he initially took up yoga with the idea of ​​gaining spiritual power and energy and divine protection for his political work. But now his inner spiritual life and realizations, which were constantly growing in their scope and universality, captured him completely. His work inevitably became their result, far exceeding in its scale the service to the fatherland and its liberation; his activity rushed towards a goal that had previously only appeared to him in dreams, and was vast and encompassing the fate of the whole world and its future.

During his entire stay in Pondicherry, from 1910 until the last moment, he remained more and more immersed in his spiritual activities until 1926, when he devoted himself exclusively to his spiritual work and sadhana. In 1914, after four years of silent yoga, he begins publishing a monthly philosophy journal which he calls Aria. Most of his most significant works, those that were published later in book form such as the Isha Upanishad, Essay on the Gita, and others that were still unpublished such as Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, appeared regularly as separate chapters. in issues of Aria magazine. These works embodied the bulk of the inner knowledge that came to him as a result of the practice of Yoga. In the works of Sri Aurobindo, the soul being of man is initially present in the form of a divine spark. The spark of God is universal, one and the same, everywhere and in everything, limitless and similar to itself. While the soul being is individual, it is a personal being with its experiences, its own development, growth, organization, only this organization is the product of the action of the central spark of God. According to Sri Aurobindo, this harmonization and organization of the being around the holy center can only be done in the physical body and on Earth. Only human beings have at their center the Supreme Presence in the soul being. This is the work of self-development, perfection, self-organization and awareness of all the elements of the being is not possible for the beings of the vital world. .

We also find lines about the spark of God in the poem "Savitri":

So, we have a spark of the Divine hidden in us;
And this human particle
Given from the Mother the growing greatness of the Soul,
So that, seeking light and gaining power,
Ascend as a king to the heavenly chamber.
Irresistible power lurks in a weak body, in the heart,
It inexorably rushes up, receiving invisible support -
The accomplishment of the Spirit in a mortal shell..

The soul is the divine spark at the center of every being; it is identical to the Divine Beginning; it is the divine in man.
The psychic being gradually forms around this divine center, the soul, over the course of countless lifetimes of earth evolution, until the time comes when the psychic being, fully formed and fully awakened, becomes the conscious sheath of the soul around which it was formed.
Having reached this degree of identification with the Divine, the psychic being becomes His perfect instrument in the world.

The appearance itself means nothing;
The form deceives, the personality is only a mask:
The divine forces in man are hidden deep.
Waves of fleeting years, his ship is fragile
Carries a mysterious Stranger.
This spirit is the Divine fire itself,
Splendor sparkling spark,
Skillful master of beauty and happiness,
Immortal, hidden by mortal poverty;
The wise sculptor of the forms of the Infinite,
Witness unknown and invisible,
Mysteries of the undeclared creator,
Carrying in its tiny embryo the great plan of the universe.
And driven by the silent power of the secret Thought,
Determining the size and action of it,
From life to life he goes, towering,
Constantly changing its shape,
Which blooms like an icon
Under the master hand of the creator
And portends in the despicable person the birth and kingdom of the Divine.

(Savitri).

His other writings dealt with the spirit and meaning of Indian civilization and culture, the true meaning of the Vedas, the progress of human society, the nature and development of poetry, and the idea of ​​the unity of the human race. At the same time he begins to publish his poems written in England and in Baroda, as well as those few that appeared during his political activity and the first years of his stay in Pondicherry. The journal Aria ceased publication in 1921 after six and a half years of continuous publication.

At first Sri Aurobindo lived in seclusion in Pondicherry with a few disciples. Subsequently, more and more people began to come to him to follow his spiritual path, and soon, their number increased to such an extent that it became necessary to organize a community of sadhaks in order to establish living conditions and collective guidance for those who left their past life for the sake of higher existence. These people became the core of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, which grew around it until it became a sizable community.

Sri Aurobindo's yoga and his spiritual philosophy is based on the experience of the four great realizations. Two of them he fully realized before his arrival in Pondicherry in 1910. The first is the realization of the silent, boundless and eternal Brahman, which he obtained while meditating with Lele in 1908. The feeling and sensation of the complete unreality of the world, gained during this realization, disappeared after the experience of the second realization, which he gained in the Alipore prison in 1908 and 1909, the realization of cosmic consciousness and the vision of the Divine in all living things and in all things. In his meditations in prison, Sri Aurobindo was already on the way to two subsequent realizations - the realization of the supreme Reality and its two aspects of static and dynamic Brahman and the experience of realizing the higher planes of consciousness leading to the Supramental.

In 1912 Sri Aurobindo had the experience of a third realization in which he gained "permanent realization and abiding in Parabrahman" (the supreme Reality). The process of ascent to the higher planes of consciousness and bringing down the power of these planes into the physical consciousness continued. On November 24, 1926, this work was crowned with success: the descent of the "Deity of the Overmental Plane", the highest of the worlds between the Mind and the Supramental, into the physical consciousness took place. This descent was a preparatory stage for the subsequent descent of the Supramental Consciousness itself, whereby "the perfection that all the highest in humanity dreamed of could finally come." From 1926 Sri Aurobindo's spiritual task was to bring about the supramental descent, and in 1950 he left his physical body to hasten its coming.

His literary heritage includes 35 volumes, including ideological works: "Divine Life", "Integral Yoga", "Psychic Being", "Synthesis of Yoga", extensive correspondence with students, many poems, plays and a grandiose epic poem "Savitri", which he created in during the last thirty-five years of his life and which was the effective embodiment of his many-sided spiritual experience.

Having scientifically substantiated and proclaimed the Path of Conscious Evolution as the only possible direction of inner work capable of leading humanity from the world of Ignorance to the world of Divine Truth, Sri Aurobindo throughout his life was engaged in its practical implementation. For forty years Sri Aurobindo has been preparing the field for Evolution, which is to overturn the laws of our human and earthly condition, and all the laws that have existed for four billion years - scientific, religious or zoological. Man, being the crown of the unconscious (in the sense of personal participation in evolution) natural creation, is called upon to become a kind of evolutionary bridge between the animal world and the new (supramental, as Sri Aurobindo calls it) world, having consciously taken an evolutionary step towards the Ideal (Divine) Nature .

Sri Aurobindo devoted his whole life to the establishment of this supramental consciousness in our world, the realization of which should lead to the creation on earth of a world of truth, harmony and justice, foretold by the prophets of all times and peoples. .

Bibliography:

1. Brodov, V.V. The origins of the philosophical thought of India: Yoga: methodology of practical exercises. - M .: Publishing House of Moscow. un-ta, 1990.-292p.
2. Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism. Dictionary / Under. general, ed. M.F. Albedil and A.M. Dubyansky. -M.: Respublika, 1996.-576s.
3. Lemyakin, B.A. Commentary on Sri Aurobindo's Yogic Sadhana / B.A. Lemyakin; ed. UTTAR YOGA Arya Publishing House - 1933.-3rd ed. stereotype., 1999.
4. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh Divine life [Electronic resource] /electronic.dan.- Access mode: http://www.aurobindo.ru
5. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. Savitri: symbol and legend [Electronic resource] /electronic data.- Access mode: http:// www.aurobindo.ru
6. Sri Aurobindo. Collected works. T. 1. Biography. Glossary. Per. from English SPb.: Aditi, 1998.-436s.
7. Kostyuchenko V.S. Sri Aurobindo. Diversity of heritage and unity of thought. SPb.: Aditi, 1998.-355p.
8. Satprem Sri Aurobindo, or the Journey of Consciousness / transl. from French A.A. Shevchenko, V.G. Baranova. - L.: Mirra, 1989.- 328s.
9. Encyclopedia of Esotericism. –M.: AVERS, 1992.-T.1,-208s.; Vol.2, -208s.

Nikita/ 12.02.2019 Of course, the works of Sri Aurobindo are very interesting and informative. But even here everything is not so clear. Because, for example, Agni Yoga seriously warns about the harm and danger of the methods of spiritual development used in India. Agni Yoga says that these methods not only do not contribute to spiritual development, but also harm the energy of a person, create the danger of mental illness and obsession.
Usually Europeans consider hatha yoga to be useful and safe physical education. But in Agni Yoga it is said that in India each hatha yoga asana is performed with an increased concentration of energy on one or another chakra. And such violent activation of the chakras is extremely harmful! This is a powerful Agni energy, and pushing it too hard towards the chakra can be dangerous.
It also talks about the dangers of pranayama.
In Agni Yoga, it is said about Indian yogis who demonstrate their abilities to passersby on the street, collecting money for it - that this has nothing to do with true spiritual development, which is never done for the sake of money or for the amusement of the crowd.
I would compare Indian teachers of spiritual development with bodybuilders. Bodybuilders exorbitantly pump muscles, to the point of ugliness, using doping and hormones - and destroy their physical health. And the Indian gurus in the same way try to pump up spiritual “muscles” at any cost and destroy their spiritual health.
Of course now, yoga has become very popular and widespread in the West. In many countries of Europe, North and South America, and here in Russia, a huge number of halls, fitness centers for yoga classes have appeared.
But popularity and prevalence does not mean that this method is the best and most effective.
I thought about this question: WHAT YOGA AS A METHOD OF SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL. IS DEVELOPMENT SUITABLE FOR A WESTERN MAN? Specifically an American? Specifically an Englishman? Specifically French? Specifically, a Russian person ?! Etc.
After all, yoga was developed as a way of spiritual and physical development entirely for the Eastern person. Exceptionally so. Of course, some yoga exercises are suitable for Western people, but in everything else, how true and correct is this?! And how suitable is this for people of a different culture, a different mentality, a different climate?
Moreover. Science has proven long ago that the Hindus have a completely different skeletal structure, completely different from the skeleton and body structure of Western people. And such cases have been repeatedly recorded when Europeans, doing yoga, stretched tendons, damaged ligaments and even broke joints and other bones of the skeleton. Thus remaining disabled for the rest of his life. And this is another reason why yoga is very harmful.
If you think further. Then again, you can think about how suitable Hindu religious and esoteric teachings (Advaita Vedanta, Dvaita Vedanta, Vishishta - Dvaita, Mimansa, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, etc.) are for Western people, Europeans and Russians as well. After all, these teachings were tuned and imprisoned for a completely different culture, mentality and way of life. Of course, they are very interesting, it is informative to study them for the general development and broadening of one's horizons. But to what extent are they acceptable and appropriate for a Westerner? Can he live by them?! Maybe, and maybe, but what will it result in?! This is an interesting question.
I strongly doubt that the methods of the physical and spiritual development of the East can be fully and successfully adopted by the people of the West. Moreover, it is interesting that the gurus of the East themselves hold the same opinion.))))))) What they show to tourists who come from the West for "spiritual enlightenment" is precisely an attraction that aims to collect more money from foreigners. Indeed, in the East it is believed that only one who was born in the East in the corresponding family can comprehend all this.
In this sense, our Hare Krishnas look very naive, who ignore the fact that the Hindus themselves do not consider them to be their brothers in faith.
There are a lot of different national and ethnic groups on Earth. They are all very different from each other. And even religion does not always affect this! For example, in the Caucasus there are Muslim and there are Christian peoples - but in fact, this does not change anything: they have similar traditions, character, attitude towards women, etc.
There are also Christian Arabs. However, they are still Arabs! And they behave accordingly - this is noticeable when the Easter holiday in Jerusalem is shown on TV.
Hindus have a special look and behavior. And it is unlikely that Europeans and Americans will be able to truly understand and feel this.
It is clear that the physical structure of the body also has its own characteristics. I think we can adopt something from oriental gymnastics - but not everything, and only in an adapted form.

Rabindranath Tagore called him "The voice in which the soul of India was embodied", Romain Rolland proclaimed him "the greatest thinker of our time". In India, he is known as a revolutionary and organizer of the national liberation movement, as well as a great guru and founder of integral yoga. He was also the greatest poet, the author of many poems, verses and the poetic epic "Savitri", which in India is called the fifth Veda.

The Hierarchy highly appreciated his work - during one of the telepathic contacts with H.I. leaving life, approach the higher paths." Sri Aurobindo understood this like no one else - it was on this foundation that he built his entire system. But, as he himself said: “As long as we have fresh knowledge, it is invincible, but as it grows old, it loses its dignity. This is because God always moves forward ...”

He was born in Bengal, in Calcutta, on August 15, 1872. He received a European education, knowing nothing about the traditions and languages ​​​​of India, practically not even knowing his parents. He grew up completely independent of the influence of family, country and traditions. It was a free spirit. And perhaps the first lesson that Sri Aurobindo gives us is the lesson of freedom. He studied brilliantly, knew perfectly the main European languages, read many books in the original, while eking out an almost beggarly existence, but did not care in the least about his future or career. He returned to India at the age of twenty after spending 14 years in the West.

At first he read a lot - for the first time he got acquainted with the sacred books of India - the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana.

The path of initiation into Aurobindo yoga was not under the guidance of the Teacher, but completely independently. He studied Sanskrit on his own and was able to comprehend the lost meaning of the Vedas.

There came a period when he realized that one could endlessly accumulate knowledge by reading books and learning languages, and still not move one step forward. “Yoga that requires renunciation of the world is not for me, I felt almost disgusted with the salvation of my own soul.” And he turned to God with a prayer: “If you exist, You know my heart, You know that I do not ask liberation, I don't ask for anything that others ask for. I only ask you to give me the strength to lift this nation and let me live and work for this people that I love."

The starting point of Sri Aurobindo's search was real life, not philosophical abstractions. The struggle for the liberation of India was the beginning of his journey. Few people know that the tactics of passive resistance and non-cooperation with the British, which Gandhi later adhered to, were developed by Sri Aurobindo. However, the main theme of Sri Aurobindo's political program was "the preparation of an armed uprising and public propaganda aimed at turning the whole nation to independence ...". In order to raise a huge nation to fight, it was necessary to breathe strength into it. It was in search of this power that Sri Aurobindo first turned to yoga. Yoga has become a means of effective action, not an escape from the world. "I want to practice yoga for work, for action, and not for the sake of sannyas (renunciation of the world) and Nirvana."

In 1901 at the age of 29 he married Mrinalini Devi and tried to share his spiritual life with her. "Everything is wrong with me, everything is unusual," he wrote in a letter to Mrinalini. "Everything is full of depth and wonderful for those eyes that are able to see. ... I would like to take you with me on this journey." She did not understand him - Sri Aurobindo was left alone.

By this time, he had already reached the highest state of Nirvana, which became for him not the end of evolution, but the starting point for higher evolution. In this state, he was able to daily publish a newspaper, attend secret meetings, and make political speeches. He came into contact with the Superconscient, and "since then everything—speech, my handwriting, my thought, and outward activity—come to me from that source above the head," he wrote.

At dawn on May 4, 1908, he was woken up by armed British policemen. So, he had to spend a whole year in Alipore prison awaiting the verdict. “My faith was shaken for a while,” he recalled, “for I could not see the essence of His intention. I hesitated and cried to Him in my heart: “I believed that my mission was to work for the people of my country and until then until this work is completed, I am under Your protection. Why then am I here? A day passed, then a second and a third, when I heard a voice from within: "Wait and see." Then I calmed down and waited. ... Then I remembered that about a month before my arrest, I heard a call that insisted that I leave everything, retire and look within myself in order to enter into closer fellowship with Him. I was weak and did not heed the call. My work was very dear to me, and in the pride of my heart I believed that without me it would suffer or cease, or even fail altogether, so I did not leave it. It seemed to me that He spoke to me again and said: “I tore the fetters for you, which you were not able to break, for this is not my will and it has never been my business to continue this business. you are different, and that is why I brought you here - to teach you what you could not learn yourself, and to prepare you for my work."

So, in the Alipore prison, work began on the realization of cosmic consciousness and the study of the plans of the Superconscious - the planes of consciousness that lie above the ordinary mind. "Day after day He unfolded His miracles before me. ... Day after day, during the twelve months of my imprisonment, He gave me this knowledge ... I looked at the prisoners - thieves, murderers, swindlers - and saw God in these darkened souls and misused bodies... When the process began, the same inner voice told me: "When you were thrown into prison, did your heart despair...? Now look at the judge, now look at the prosecutor..." I looked at the judge - it was Narayana, who was sitting in the court. I looked at the prosecutor - it was Shri Krishna who was sitting smiling. "Are you afraid now? - he said, - I am in all people and direct their deeds and words.

Truly, God is not outside His world, He did not create the world, but became this world, as the Upanishads say: "He became knowledge and ignorance, He became truth and falsehood ... He became everything, whatever it was." This is the basic postulate on which the Yoga of Aurobindo is based. Vedanta says: "Man, you are one in nature and substance with God, you are one in spirit with your human brothers. Wake up then and aspire to your full divinity, live for God in yourself and others." "This gospel, given to a few," wrote Sri Aurobindo, "must now be revealed to all mankind for their liberation." "There is God in every person and to manifest Him is the purpose of life. It is something we can all do."

The purpose of yoga is to make a spiritual transformation of a person, to transform human existence. For Sri Aurobindo, the key is to understand that Spirit is not the opposite of life, but the fullness of life, that inner transformation is the key to outer transformation. The main reason why Sri Aurobindo came into the world is to prove that there is no need to fly to heaven in order to become a spiritual being.

Less than a year after his release from Alipore prison, Sri Aurobindo was warned of his impending arrest. An inner voice said distinctly, "Go to Chandernagor." This was the end of his political life, the end of the integral yoga and the beginning of the supramental yoga.

In Shandernagor, he went through a terrible experience of exploring the subconscious: "No one can reach the heavenly spheres, bypassing the depths of hell." The goal of supramental yoga is not to close our eyes to what surrounds us below. This is the first condition for achieving control. On the day he reached the bottom, crossed all layers of mud, he was pushed into the higher Light with a sharp push - without falling into a trance, without losing individuality, without dissolving into space - completely maintaining a clear vision.

So, he discovered the lost Secret of the Vedas - battles with the forces of the subconscious, giants - cannibals, gnomes and snakes, the descent of Orpheus into Hell, the transmutation of the Serpent devouring his own tail. Darkness and Light, Good and Evil prepared the divine birth in Matter. Nothing is cursed, nothing is in vain. After descent and ascent, the seeker becomes the "son of two Mothers" - the White Mother of the superconscious infinite and the earthly Mother of the "dark infinite". He has two origins - human and divine.

After two months in Chandernagore, Sri Aurobindo again heard the voice: "Go to Pondicherry." "I made it a rule ... to move from a place only when the Divine moved me," said Aurobindo. He immediately obeyed - a new arrest was thwarted.

In 1914 in Pondicherry there was the first meeting with the one whom he considered the incarnation of Our Lady. He gave her the name Mother - since then everyone called her only that. Mirra Richard was born in 1878. in Paris. Like Aurobindo, she had a supramental vision, so she knew of Sri Aurobindo's existence long before she met him on the physical plane. In 1920 Mother came to Pondicherry to devote the rest of her life (she died in 1973) to Sri Aurobindo and the titanic work that lay ahead of them. "Mother's consciousness and my consciousness are one and the same," said Aurobindo.

Aurobindo devoted the last 40 years of his life to turning individual realization into earthly realization. They worked together with Mother. "We want to bring down the supermind here as a new quality and property. As the mind is currently a permanent property of consciousness in humanity, in the same way we want to create a race in which the supermind will become a permanent property of consciousness."

The transformation has begun. Together with Aurobindo and the Mother, the disciples were involved in this colossal work (in the beginning there were about fifteen of them). They carried out the most amazing experiments with extraordinary ease, experiences, divine manifestations became commonplace, and it seemed that the laws of nature receded a little. But Aurobindo and the Mother understood that "ordered miracles" would not help to reach the highest essence of things. From the point of view of changing the world, they are useless.

In November 1926 Sri Aurobindo unexpectedly announced that he was withdrawing into complete solitude. Officially the ashram was founded under the direction of the Mother. Thus began the second period of transformation work. It continued until 1940. This was the second period of work on the body and work in the subconscious. He needed to adapt the body that resisted to the supramental mind: "This struggle is like a tug of war ... Spiritual force pushes against the resistance of the physical world, and it clings to every inch and launches counterattacks." But what is the use of individual success if it cannot be passed on to the world?

In 1940, after 14 years of individual concentration, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother opened the doors of their ashram. The third period of transformation has begun. "This Ashram was created ... not for renunciation of the world, but as a center and field of practice for the evolution of another species and another form of life."

Sri Aurobindo said: "The spiritual life finds its most powerful expression in a person who lives an ordinary human life, pouring into it the power of yoga. ... It is through such a union of inner and outer life that humanity will eventually rise and become powerful and divine." So he wanted his ashram to be fully in daily life. It was here, and not on the peaks of the Himalayas, that the transformation was to take place. More than 1,200 students of all social strata, belonging to different religions, with families, with children, were scattered throughout the city. Some were engaged in art, others worked at the factory, others taught. No one was paid, no one was considered higher than the other.

Now "man is a transitional being," wrote Sri Aurobindo, "his formation is not finished... The step from man to superman will be a new accomplishment in earthly evolution. This is inevitable, since this is the logic of the natural process." Evolution has nothing to do with becoming "holier" or "more intelligent", its point is to become more conscious."

"In order for destruction to disappear from this world, it is not enough that our hands remain clean and our souls unstained, it is necessary that the root of evil be removed from humanity. In order to heal the world of evil, it is necessary to heal its basis in man" . "There is only one way out," wrote Sri Aurobindo, "it is a change of consciousness." When our eyes, now blinded by the idea of ​​matter, open to the Light, we will find that there is nothing inanimate, but in everything there is - manifested or unmanifested - both life, and intelligence, and bliss, and divine power and being.

He tried to create a universal religious and philosophical system, reconciling the West and the East. In it, he tried to "avoid their shortcomings: the materialism of the West and the spiritualism and detachment from the materiality of the East." He understood that "any philosophy, being one-sided, always expresses the truth only partially. The world as God created it is not a cruel exercise in logic, but, like a musical symphony, an endless harmony of the most diverse manifestations ... As well as the best a religion is one that recognizes the truth of all religions, the best philosophy is one that recognizes the truth of all philosophies and gives each of them its proper place," said Aurobindo.

He believed that churches, orders, theologies, philosophies have not succeeded in saving mankind, because they have delved into the development of creeds, dogmas, rituals and institutions, as if this could save mankind, and neglected the only necessary thing - the purification of the soul. We must turn again to Christ's proclamation of the purity and perfection of the human race, to Mahomet's proclamation of perfect submission, self-denial and service to God, to Chaitanya's proclamation of God's perfect love and joy in man, to Ramakrishna's proclamation of the unity of all religions. And, having collected all these streams into a single mighty cleansing and saving river, pour it on the dead life of materialistic humanity.

Sri Aurobindo

early years

Over the next 13 years, Sri Aurobindo held various posts in the administration of the city of Baroda (Baroda) (now Vadodara), taught English and French literature at the local university, and in 1906 moved to Calcutta, where he became the rector of the National College. From the first days of his stay in India, Sri Aurobindo constantly followed the political situation in the country. After an outbreak of unrest against the division of Bengal in 1905, Sri Aurobindo openly joins the national liberation movement. For eight years (-) has been actively involved in the political life of the country, which twice leads him to arrests with subsequent acquittal.

New direction of experience

In 1907, Barindranath Ghosh, Aurobindo's younger brother, introduced him to the Maharashtrian yogi Vishnu Bhaskara Lele in Baroda. For several years Aurobindo had already practiced yoga, and this meeting, receiving appropriate instructions from Lele, and the subsequent three days of seclusion, contributed to his first significant spiritual experience, called nirvana - a state of complete mental silence, without any thought or mental activity. During his second arrest and stay in the Alipore Central Jail in Calcutta (1908-1909), Sri Aurobindo experienced a spiritual insight that marked the beginning of a new stage in his life. In prison, Aurobindo had a number of mystical experiences. In his letters, he mentions that while he was awaiting trial in prison, the spirit of Swami Vivekananda visited him for two weeks and spoke of higher levels of consciousness leading to supermind. Sri Aurobindo later related that during his imprisonment he saw everything - the prisoners, the jailers, the policemen, the bars, the trees, the judge, the lawyers - as different forms of the one divinity, Krishna. In 1910, Aurobindo retired from active political and social life and concentrated his energies on spiritual work. This activity was the exploration of levels of consciousness beyond the ordinary human mind and the preparation of a conscious evolutionary change in human nature. He moves to Pondicherry, a French colony in southern India, to begin an intensive yoga class.

Main dates

Years and events

- 15 August Sri Aurobindo's birthday. - Moving to England. - Return to India. - The beginning of the national liberation revolutionary activity. - Turning to yoga to use spiritual power to implement political ideas. - Meeting with Vishnu Bhaskar Lele. The first fundamental spiritual experience is the experience of the Silent Brahman (Nirvana). - Arrest in the "Mataram Gang" Case. - Acquittal and release from Alipor prison. - Transfer to Pondicherry. - March 29. First meeting of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother: Mirra and Paul Richard came to Pondicherry. - August 15. First issue of Arya. - January 15. Latest issue of Arya. - The mother takes over the responsibilities of running Sri Aurobindo's house. - 24 November. The fourth fundamental realization. The descent of Krishna, the Deity of the Overmind, into the physical. - February, 15. Meeting with Rabindranath Tagore. - Sri Aurobindo Ashram has 150 disciples. - Sri Aurobindo Ashram has 350 disciples. - December 2nd. Opening of a school in the Ashram, which would later become the International Center for Education. - August 15 . Liberation of India. Sri Aurobindo's message on All India Radio. - Medal "For Peace and Culture of the Asian Society". - December 5, 01:26. Death.

Companions and followers

Mirra Alfassa (Mother)

After the death of Sri Aurobindo in 1950, his work was continued by his associate Mirra Alfassa (-), also known by the cult name Mother ( La Mere (French), The Mother (English)).

Mirra Alfassa(subsequently Mirra Richard, and after the formation of the Ashram - Mother listen)) was born in Paris on February 21, 1878. Like Sri Aurobindo, she possessed powerful supramental faculties and, long before meeting him, had experienced several strong psychic experiences which marked the beginning of her individual transformation. On March 29, 1914, she meets with Sri Aurobindo and decides to come to Pondicherry in order to dedicate her life to joint spiritual work. For seven years (-) Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have been preparing and publishing the Arya magazine together. In 1922, the Mother took over the responsibility of managing Sri Aurobindo's house, and in 1926, when Sri Aurobindo went into complete seclusion, the Mother took over all the concerns related to the activities of the Ashram.

Sri Aurobindo wrote: "The Mother's consciousness and my consciousness are one and the same." Symbolically, as a result of this meeting between Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, a living synthesis between East and West was achieved, which is one of the goals of Sri Aurobindo's teaching.

Gupta, Nolini Kanta

Gupta, Nolini Kanta - Indian revolutionary, philologist, scientist, literary critic, poet, philosopher and mystic. One of the most prominent followers of Sri Aurobindo.

Satprem

Satprem is a French writer, traveler, yogi, known primarily as a follower of the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother (Mirra Alfassa), and also as a writer who most fully (after Sri Aurobindo and the Mother themselves) revealed in his books the essence of the work and teachings of Sri Aurobindo and Mother.

Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy - religious and public figure, founder and leader of the religious organization "Church Center Sri Chinmoy"

Sri Aurobindo in Indian Philosophy

Contribution to Vedanta

In his concept "Integral Vedanta" Sri Aurobindo sought to synthesize the traditions of Indian and European thought. This was expressed in his controversy with two polar positions - the philosophy of "ascetic" spiritualism of Advaita Vedanta and the materialism of Western philosophy. Sri Aurobindo worked to create a new integral philosophy, which would absorb the best of the first and second, while getting rid of their weaknesses. At the basis of this new philosophy there must be a principle from which everything can be deduced. qualitative diversity of the world. This philosophy must show the connection Spirit and Matter without attempting to deny the reality of both, nor should she be spared dualism in explaining the universe. It should explain the progressive process of the world evolution, its laws, the place and purpose of man in this process.

Solving the problem of dualism in explaining the universe

• Arguing with the theory of Adi Shankara, Sri Aurobindo notes that Advaita Vedanta failed to achieve the main goal of its philosophy - to give a monistic understanding of the world ("advaita" - "non-duality"). Inevitably trying to overcome the gap entities from phenomena, Advaita was forced to recognize the existence of two entities: the eternal, the really existing Brahman(Absolute), and illusory, creating the universe, Mayan.
• Overcoming the dualism of Advaita Vedanta (Brahman - Maya), Sri Aurobindo endows Maya real power. This the power of Brahman, which makes possible His self-manifestation, self-limitation and self-absorption, which manifest themselves at different stages of the creation of the universe.
• He overcomes the metaphysical separation of the phenomenon from the essence, characteristic of Advaita philosophy, through the doctrine of coincidence of opposites in the Absolute: definite and indefinite, one and many, motionless and changeable, formless and having a form, qualityless and qualitative, finite and infinite being. As sources, he refers to the ideas of Heraclitus, as well as the Isha Upanishad and the Bhagavad Gita. Such a coincidence of opposites makes the new philosophy of Sri Aurobindo free from the opposition of essence and phenomenon in explaining the world.
• The synthesis of idealism and materialism in the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo gives a coincidence spiritual and material started in the Absolute. However, the spiritual principle is nevertheless “stronger”, since it is capable of independent existence, while the material can exist only as an opposite to the spiritual as its manifestation.

Solving the problem of unity and diversity

• Sri Aurobindo criticizes the idea maya vada Advaita Vedanta, and solves the problem of connection between the inexpressible single Brahman and the world of plurality, placing between them a transitional hypostasis - Overmind. The Supermind in Sri Aurobindo's philosophy is an active principle, it is the One Mind in which our individual consciousnesses and bodies appear as manifestation of plurality- are many small particles.

New Understanding of Evolution

• One of the most outstanding innovations brought by Sri Aurobindo to the philosophical thought of Vedanta is a new exposition of the concept of cosmic and human evolution. The Sanhya philosophy set forth its theory of evolution several centuries earlier, but Aurobindo rejected the materialistic ideas about evolution in the philosophy of Sanhya and Darwin and developed the concept integral evolution spirit and matter, based on the descent of the Divine force into Matter and the subsequent transformation of Matter.
• According to the evolutionary theory of Sri Aurobindo humanity as a form of existence is not the end point of the evolutionary hierarchy, but, through integration with the Divine, can be involved in the subsequent spiritual existence, overcoming the existing material limitations, going beyond ignorance of the state Supramental existence. This state, according to Sri Aurobindo, will become Divine life on earth, which will be accompanied by knowledge, truth, and the substance and energy of the Supramental consciousness.

Fundamentals of Integral Yoga

Integral yoga as a way to transform consciousness

Integral Yoga

Origins: Founders: Sri Aurobindo, Mother (Mirra Alfassa) Books: Yoga Synthesis , Life Divine , human cycle , Savitri , Key concepts: Active meditation, Silence of the mind, Unity, Integral Yoga, Integral Personality, Superconscious, Supramental Consciousness, Transformation Religious buildings: matrimandir Communities: Followers: A.B. Purani, Nirodbaran, Pavitra, Satprem, Nolini Kanta Gupta, Amal Kiran, M.P. Pandit, Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya. Journals and electronic publications: "Arya"

Sri Aurobindo's spiritual experience is synthesized in his multifaceted philosophical system Integral Yoga, the purpose of which is not only the liberation of human consciousness, but also a deep transformation of the very nature of man.

Sri Aurobindo began his yoga practice in 1904. Having collected the main elements of spiritual experience obtained in different ways, which are still followed in India, he continued to search for more integral path that unites and harmonizes the two poles of existence - Spirit and Matter. Most of the traditional systems of yoga offer a way to realize the Spiritual existence through the withdrawal from the material physical life; Sri Aurobindo's ascent to Spirit aims at the transformation of human nature itself by bringing light and consciousness into Matter. According to Integral Yoga, the real existence of a person in the material world is a life in ignorance and unconsciousness, but even in its darkness and ignorance there is the presence of the Divine. The created material world is not a mistake that must be rejected by a soul aspiring to heaven or Nirvana, but the most important evolutionary level that makes possible the subsequent development of the spirit. Spiritual work in the material world is the key by which the growing Divine Consciousness in Matter must be opened.

It is common to perceive human mind as the highest level achieved at the present evolutionary stage of the development of nature. According to Integral Yoga, the mind is not the end point of the development of consciousness. There are planes of consciousness above and below the human level - these are supramental and submental plans. However, the human mind has no contact with them and cannot cover all possible ranges of consciousness, just as human vision cannot cover all color shades, and human hearing cannot cover all levels of sound. The subsequent evolution of man consists precisely in becoming a conscious being at all levels and planes of existence. The realization of this evolution is the main goal of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga.

Integral yoga emphasizes the individuality of each human consciousness and does not limit practitioners to any particular set of rules for realizing the yogic experience, giving only the main directions and clarifying the main difficulties of the path. Yogic aspiration through work, meditation, love, devotion and openness to the Divine consciousness, according to the experience of Sri Aurobindo, is the driving force for the transformation of consciousness and the transformation of human nature.

Bibliography

Since 1914, Sri Aurobindo began publishing his works in the monthly philosophical review "Arya" (-). His literary heritage includes 35 volumes, including philosophical works, extensive correspondence with students, many poems, plays and a grandiose epic poem. "Savitri", which he created during the last thirty-five years of his life and which was an effective embodiment of his many-sided spiritual experience.

The main philosophical works of Sri Aurobindo:

1. Yoga Synthesis. - M.: Aleteyya, 1992. - ISBN 5-88596-003-8 (Aleteyya). - ISBN 978-5-8291-1254-7 (Academic Project).
2. Savitri. Publisher: Chernyshev Publishing House, 1993 ISBN 5-85555-012-5
3. Fundamentals of Indian Culture. Publisher: Aditi, 1998 ISBN 5-7938-0007-7
4. Human Cycle. Publisher: Roza Mira, 1999.
5. Essay on Gita. Revelations of ancient wisdom. Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita. Publisher: Aditi, 2001 ISBN 5-7938-0020-4 Future poetry.
6. Upanishads. Publisher: Aditi, 2002 Collection. cit., vol. 5. ISBN 5-7938-0013-1
7. Secret of the Veda. Publisher: Aditi, 2004 ISBN 5-7938-0034-4
8. Yoga Letters Volume 1.2. . Publisher: Amrita-Rus, 2004, 2005. ISBN 5-94355-090-9, ISBN 5-94355-303-7. M.: Sofia, 2011. ISBN 978-5-399-00212-5 (book 1)

Literature

• Sri Aurobindo Thoughts and Aphorisms. 2003.
• Sri Aurobindo Thoughts and Aphorisms. M.: TsNIITEIlegprom, 1993. - 79 p. per. from English. Volamur. ISBN 5-85310-015-7
• Sri Aurobindo Yoga Letters. 2004.
• Sri Aurobindo, On Himself. 1972.
• Velichenko A. The Secret of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga. Reconstruction of silent knowledge. SPb.: Ed. St. Petersburg. un-ta, 2005.
• Velichenko A. The evolution of the religious and philosophical views of Aurobindo Ghose
• Satprem Sri Aurobindo or the Journey of Consciousness. MP "Globus", 1992.
• Fedorenko G. The integral approach of Aurobindo Ghosh as an attempt to synthesize Western materialism and Eastern spiritualism. St. Petersburg State University, 2003.
• Chelyshev P. V., Muravyov V. K. Social Philosophy of Neo-Vedantism (According to the work of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh "The Human Cycle") // Philosophical heritage and modernity. Textbook (for students of all specialties) - M.: MGGU, 1999. - S. 4-17.
• Chelyshev P.V. Theory and Practice of Integral Yoga by Aurobindo Ghosha in the Light of Christianity // Rationalism and Culture on the Threshold of the Third Millennium: Proceedings of the Third Russian Philosophical Congress (September 16 - 20, 2002) In 4 vols. Vol. 4. Rostov-on-Don, 2002. - P.436 - 438. ISBN 5-87872-172-4.
• Chelyshev P. V. Klimov A. L. Neo-Vedantism and Christianity. M.: MGGU, 2004. - 94 p.
• Chelyshev P.V. Philosophy of history: neo-Vedantism about the cycles of the historical development of society // Philosophy and the future of civilization: Abstracts of reports and speeches of the IV Russian Philosophical Congress (Moscow, May 24 - 28, 2005): In 5 vols. V.3. - M.: Modern notebooks, 2005. - p. 234-235.ISBN 5-88289-282-1 (v.3)
• Chelyshev P.V. Philosophy of neo-Vedantism: Aurobindo Ghose on the human cycle of historical development. M., 2008. - 264 p.
• Chelyshev P.V. Philosophy of neo-Vedantism in the light of Christianity: Aurobindo Ghose on the human cycle of historical development. M., 2009. - 117 p. [Book review] // Bulletin of the Russian Philosophical Society. - 2009. - No. 3. - S. 146-147.
• Chelyshev P.V. Aurobindo Ghose on the stages of the historical development of human society // Science. Philosophy. Society. Materials of the V Russian Philosophical Congress. T. II. - Novosibirsk: Parallel, 2009. - S. 106-107. ISBN 978-5-98901-056-1.
• Chelyshev P.V. Reader. A book for reading on the history of philosophy. - M.: MGGU, 2011. - Aurobindo - P. 315-327. (The human cycle. Translation from English of selected chapters of The Human Cycle, chapters I and XXIV. Translated by: P. V Chelyshev and V. K. Muravyov.
• Chelyshev P.V. Aurobindo: the ideal society is the kingdom of the Spirit.//Chelyshev P.V., Chelysheva P.V., Koteneva A.V. Essays on social philosophy: utopian thought from antiquity to the present day. - M.: MGGU, 2012. - 132-163.