A Brief Biography of Sri Aurobindo.

 










Sri Aurobindo (15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950)

 

Sri Aurobindo was an Indian thinker, yoga master, maharishi, author, and nationalist. He was also an editor for the Newspaper, Bande Mataram. Several persons who rose to prominence in a variety of disciplines were born in India during the second part of the 19th century. Among these, the name of Sri Aurovindo shines out. He was born on August 15, 1872 in Calcutta. After getting a western-style education in India, he spent 14 years studying in England.

He was a talented student who had mastered multiple European languages, including Greek and Latin, received first-class honours in Classical Tripos from Cambridge University, and had won all of the Classical Awards. He later achieved success in the Indian Civil Service Examination.

Sri Aurobindo the poet's most significant contributions to Indian English literature include his introduction of Indian symbolism into English - more powerfully than others such as Rabindranath Tagore -, his attempt at writing in novel metres, and, of course, Sri Aurobindo's gift of the first Indian epic originally written in English while retaining a mantric quality and achieving "something new," a "new kind of word music." 

The chronology of his views has since been published in various volumes, including The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, and The Ideal of Human Unity. The Foundation of Indian Culture, Future Poetry, Upanishads, etc. His most spiritual achievement in poetry is Savitri, a vast epic with 23,813 lines of verse. He forced the entire cosmos into a single book.

For Sri Aurobindo, poetry is the Mantra of the Real. It is the breath of greater life. Sri Aurobindo's early poems, beginning with the Songs of Myrtilla, are extremely lyrical, with philosophical and mystical undertones, and full of promise for his future poetry. He never loses sight of the spiritual reality underneath the surface occurrences.

The Tiger and the Deer, one of the first free quantitative verse poems, is notable for drawing to our attention the terrible, scary beauty of the forest, crouching, slouching, jumping, and slaughtering its stunning beauty. The action depicted with suitable phrases and pilferages shows the poet's grasp of the language. The sonnet "A Dream of Surreal Science" is humorous, sharp, and accurate.

It shows Sri Aurobindo's familiarity with all advances in psychology, as well as modern scientists' explorations of the unconscious. The Rishi, an early poem by Sri Aurobindo, is a philosophical poetry that represents a spiritual philosophy, the development of a revelatory and intuitive mind, and its enlightening experience.

Though the Paraclete, Rose of God, and The Bird of Fire were all written on the same day, December 31, 1934, they are visions cast in words that need a high level of quality and depth of feeling, as well as visionary potential, which is unusual among the general reader. The enormous epic, the symphony of a superman, Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, is Sri Aurobindo's crowning achievement in lyrical composition. The achievement's uniqueness stems from Sri Aurobindo's ability to bridge a gap in the human consciousness that has existed for generations.

Shri Aurobindo has written on the symbolic meaning of Savitri. The Mahabharata recounts the story of "Satyavan and Savitri" as an example of marital love winning over death.

Aurobindo made great contributions to Indian English drama. Perseus the Deliverer, his first blank verse drama, dates from this early era. He dramatises Perseus, an old Greek legend. The heroic myth has been moved in this series of romances.

Rodogune, Eric and Vasavadatta, The Vizier of Bassora, and Eric are plays in which the playwright enables each character to maintain his own identity. Rodogune is an example of romantic tragedy. Eric, the first of the two Pondicherry plays, is set in ancient Scandinavia and depicts the Viking civilization of the Nordic race. 

Vasavadatta is constructed round the love tale of Prince Udayan and Princess Vasavadatta. It's based on the Sanskrit classic Kathasaritsagara.

Sri Aurobindo offered his final darshan to his students and devotees on November 24, the day he entered into total spiritual retirement.Thousands of Pondicherry residents, both young and elderly, as well as ashramites, have lined up in front of the Ashram to see the guru for the last time.His remains is lying in state on a cot in the same room on the first floor of the Ashram where he died and has been retired since 1927.

All Ashram operations have been halted for 12 days, and Pondicherry's educational institutions have shuttered for the day in his memory.


Important Literary Works :

The Life Divine

Essays on the Gita (1922)

Collected Poems and Plays (1942)

The Synthesis of Yoga (1948)

The Human Cycle (1949)

The Ideal of Human Unity (1949) 

Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol (1950) 

On the Veda (1956)


 

Sri Aurobindo's contribution to Indian Writing in English.


Sri Aurobindo made major contributions to Indian Writing in English (IWE) with his literary and philosophical writings, which showed a profound blend of Eastern and Western philosophy as well as a deep knowledge of spirituality and human awareness. His contributions to IWE are understood in the following ways:


Aurobindo's literary works include epic poetry, philosophical articles, and comments published initially in English. His epic poem 'Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol' is a significant contribution to IWE, delving deeply into spiritual issues and the human desire for transcendence. Aurobindo's lyrical language and symbolic imagery communicated forever spiritual truths to English-speaking readers, increasing the landscape of Indian literature in English.

 

Philosophical Writings: Aurobindo's philosophical writings, including 'The Life Divine' and 'Essays on the Gita,' were published in English and gave a complete picture of spiritual progression, metaphysical notions, and the synthesis of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions. These texts not only contributed to the philosophical conversation in English, but also offered a global audience with a more in-depth grasp of Indian spiritual philosophy.

 

Synthesis of Eastern and Western Thought: Aurobindo's remarkable ability to combine Eastern spiritual wisdom with Western intellectual notions in his English works helped to enrich IWE. His works acted as a bridge between many cultural and intellectual traditions, providing a thorough and understandable explanation of Indian spirituality and metaphysics in English.
Influence on Later authors: Aurobindo's literary and intellectual impact continues to inspire generations of Indian and international authors and thinkers. His contributions to IWE inspired the subjects, techniques, and viewpoints of succeeding Indian writers who choose to express their spiritual and intellectual thoughts via English.

 

Sri Aurobindo's contributions to IWE were set apart by his profound literary and philosophical writings, which brought the depth of Indian spiritual thinking and philosophy to a worldwide audience. His ability to convey complicated spiritual and metaphysical notions in English made a lasting effect on the landscape of Indian writing in English, generating a legacy of literary expression that is still relevant today.

 

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