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The Upanishads

Book The Upanishads by Sri Aurobindo contains his final translations of and commentaries on the Isha and Kena, his final translations of the Mundaka and Katha Upanishads, and a commentary on part of the Taittiriya Upanishad. Upanishads are the ancient treatises on spiritual truths as envisioned by the seers, sages and rishis of the civilization of India.

They are preceded by a chapter on the Upanishads from A Defence of Indian Culture. These works represent Sri Aurobindo‘s Upanishadic interpretation in its most mature and finished form. All were written after he settled in Pondicherry in 1910. Translations and commentaries written before that year, or left incomplete by the author, have not been included in this volume. They are available in other publications.

The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita, is a 700-verse scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It contains a conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide Lord Krishna on a variety of theological and philosophical issues. Faced with a fratricidal war, a despondent Arjuna turns to his charioteer Krishna for counsel on the battlefield. Krishna, through the course of the Gita, imparts to Arjuna wisdom, the path to devotion, and the doctrine of selfless action.

eBook Bhagavad Gita by Sri Aurobindo presented here was compiled mainly from Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita. It first appeared in The Message of the Gita, edited by Anilbaran Roy, in 1938. Sri Aurobindo approved this book for publication; however, he made it clear in one of his letters that the translations in the Essays were “more explanatory than textually precise or cast in a literary style”. Many of them are paraphrases rather than strict translations. Sri Aurobindo also wrote that he did not wish extracts from the Essays “to go out as my translation of the Gita“. This should be borne in mind by the reader as he mattes use of this translation, which has been provided as a bridge between the Gita and Sri Aurobindo’s Essays.

Essays on the Gita

Essays on the Gita by Sri Aurobindo – essays on the philosophy and method of self-discipline presented in the pre-eminent Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. It was after reading these essays, in particular, that in the 1930s President Wilsons daughter went to Sri Aurobindo and devoted her life – receiving the name Nishtha via his vision in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry.

Savitri : A Legend and a Symbol

Savitri

A Legend and a Symbol

Savitri by Sri Aurobindo – his major poetic work, an epic in blank verse. In Savitri, a legend from the Mahabharata becomes the symbol of the human soul’s spiritual destiny. In poetic language, Sri Aurobindo describes his vision of existence and explores the reason for ignorance, darkness, suffering and pain, the purpose of life on earth and the prospect of a glorious future for humanity. The writing of the epic extended over much of the later part of his life.

The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, War and Self-Determination

The Human Cycle,
The Ideal of Human Unity,
War and Self-Determination

Three works of social and political philosophy. In The Human Cycle, Sri Aurobindo traces the evolution of human society and suggests where it is headed. In The Ideal of Human Unity, he examines the possibility of the unification of the human race. In War and Self-Determination, he discusses the sovereignty of nations in the aftermath of the First World War. These works were first serialised in the monthly review Arya between 1915 and 1920; later Sri Aurobindo revised them for publication.

The Synthesis of Yoga

The Synthesis of Yoga is Sri Aurobindo‘s principal work on yoga. In this book Sri Aurobindo examines the traditional systems of yoga and provides an explanation of certain components of his own system of integral yoga. There is an Introduction, “The Conditions of the Synthesis”, and four parts: “The Yoga of Divine Works”, “The Yoga of Integral Knowledge”, “The Yoga of Divine Love” and “The Yoga of Self-Perfection”. The material was first published serially in the monthly review Arya between 1914 and 1921; the introduction and first two parts were later revised by Sri Aurobindo for publication.

Sri Aurobindo’s letters to his wife Mrinalini Devi

Sri Aurobindo’s letters to his wife Mrinalini Devi

The complete set of letters written by Sri Aurobindo to his wife Mrinalini Devi. These letters are significant for they reveal little known but important aspects of Sri Aurobindo’s personality.
All these letters are translated from the Bengali except the one dated 20th August 1902, which was originally in English.

Sri Aurobindo’s letters to his father-in-law

Two letters written by Sri Aurobindo to his father-in-law Bhupal Chandra Bose (1861—1937). The first letter, dated 8 June 1906, was written during the early days of Sri Aurobindo’s political career and the second letter, dated 19 February 1919, was penned shortly after the death of Sri Aurobindo’s wife Mrinalini Devi in December 1918. These letters are indeed very special for they reveal the unknown aspects of Sri Aurobindo’s personality.

Reminiscences of Bhupal Chandra Bose

A brief statement made by Bhupal Chandra Bose, Sri Aurobindo’s father-in-law on 26 August 1931 where he has recorded his reminiscences of his daughter Mrinalini Devi who was married to Sri Aurobindo in April 1901.
Bhupal Chandra Bose had visited Pondicherry in the early 1930s and had the darshan of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

The Life Divine

The Life Divine by Sri Aurobindo combines a synthesis of western thought and eastern spirituality with Sri Aurobindo’s own original insights. The Life Divine covers topics such as the human aspiration, the emergence of life in the cosmos from out of a Divine Source, the evolution of matter to spirit in the universe, the division and dualities inherent in human consciousness, the way out of man’s ignorance through an evolution of consciousness, and the spiritual destiny of life on earth.