Today, 15 August, we commemorate the 150th birthday anniversary of Sri Aurobindo (15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950).
15 August 2022 is also the 75th commemoration day when India gained independence in 1947 but West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) gained independence as well. The British Indian Empire was partitioned into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of an independent India based on religious pluralism was much challenged and he finally became a victim during an interfaith prayer meeting in Delhi, 1948.
On 15 August 1947, Sri Aurobindo strongly opposed the partition of India, stating that he hoped “the Nation will not accept the settled fact as for ever settled, or as anything more than a temporary expedient.”
Striving towards expressing the underlying unity, and overcoming separation is of utmost importance, also in present day situations. It starts from within.
At Leo full moon 1997, Master Kumar spoke about Aurobindo and his joining the independence fight. And during our visit with the Master in Pondicherry, January 2006, he again spoke to the group about Aurobindo, after our morning meditation at the Mahasamadhi (tomb shrine) of Sri Aurobindo.
From my notes January 2006 and from a German transcription of the 1997 seminar:
“Aurobindo felt that it was the mission of India to bring the Light to the world and therefore should be free. So he joined the freedom movement. They were planning a bomb assassination attempt on a high rang British official. Before the attempt he had a dream about a tall man which we suppose to be Master Koot Hoomi, who told him that this political fighting is not the way for him, but he did not listen to the dream.
Aurobindo and his group continued with the preparations, but the whole conspiracy was discovered and he was thrown into prison. He was praying there a lot and was reproaching the divine that he worked for a noble cause, but nevertheless was thrown into prison. Master Koot Hoomi again appeared to him telling that he was put into prison, because he did not listen to the dream. He should work for the spiritual liberation of the soul of man, not for the political liberation of India, which would come in due course of time.
On Nov. 22nd /23rd, 1926 Aurobindo felt that the super-consciousness descended onto earth and he received His enlightenment. Coincidentally, it is also the birthday of Sri Satya Sai Baba.
On that day Aurobindo had the vision and heard the voice that India will get its independence on August 15, that was in 1926. 20 years later, in 1947, on August 15, India raised its flag, and so the prophecy was fulfilled.
The great light that had appeared to Sri Aurobindo also informed him that this political independence is not independence. The true independence for India would come 50 years after the political independence (1997). And therefore, it is yet another good reason that from today, India will achieve another dimension of independence.”
You might also want to read a blogpost of Sri Kumar speaking about Sri Aurobindo’s chief work, the beautiful story of Savitri, summarising the content of the book.
P.S.: A friend just sent me the following lines:
“15 August 1947 freedom speech from Radio broadcast from Tiruchurapalli. Sri Aurobindo noted in a speech broadcast on the eve of India’s independence:
‘August 15th is my own birthday and it is naturally gratifying to me that it should have assumed this vast significance. I take this coincidence, not as a fortuitous accident, but as the sanction and seal of the Divine Force that guides my steps on the work with which I began life, the beginning of its full fruition. Indeed, on this day I can watch almost all the world movements which I hoped to see fulfilled in my lifetime, though then they looked like impracticable dreams, arriving at fruition or on their way to achievement.’
The Divine’s seal has thus been firmly placed on India’s destiny, for she has been freed not for achieving any selfish aims of becoming a world power who dominates and exploits others politically, economically or militarily; rather India has been freed for doing the spiritual work of uniting and uplifting the whole world, towards an era of peace, freedom and truth, towards a descent of Satyuga.”
