Sri Aurobindo His Life Unique by Rishabhchand

Sri Aurobindo His Life Unique

A unique biography of Sri Aurobindo, which was written by Rishabhchand Samsukha in response to a request from The Mother, reviewed chapter by chapter by Nolini da, and translated by Andre Morisset for its bilingual publication at the Bulletin over the period of 10 years starting in 1960. The book focuses on early and political life leading up to the formation of the Ashram.

Regarding the works of Rishabhchand, the publisher’s note states: “One cannot fail to perceive in them an unusual harmony of the intellect’s clear thinking, intuition’s deep penetration and the spirit’s permeating suffusion. They stand out impressively against the background of innate humility and colour gracefully the flow of his style and language.”

Book Details

Author: Rishabhchand
Print Length: 454
Publisher: Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Original source: http://auromaa.org/category/sri-aurobindo-his-life-unique/
Book format: Pdf, ePub, Mobi
Language: English

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Introduction
Sri Aurobindo in Baroda
Sri Aurobindo in Bengal
Sri Aurobindo at Chandernagore
Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry
OURSELVES

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Sri Aurobindo His Life Unique

Sri Aurobindo was born on the 15th August, 1872. The world was then in the melting pot. Science had just begun losing its long-held ground. The Promised Land to which it had boasted of leading humanity was receding into the mist of the future, for Matter itself was ceasing to be real and concrete. The supremacy of human reason was being challenged by the development of psychology and the new philosophies of Kierkegaard, Bergson and others. It was an age of problems, paradoxes and growing perplexities, a welter of idea-forces never known before in the whole history of the human race. The ideals of unity, freedom and individualism had emerged into the active thought of mankind and were pressing for recognition and realisation. But a phenomenal advance of technology, geared to industrialism and commercial greed, was posing a menace to the higher values of human culture. Clouds were gathering in the sky foreboding a disruption of the very bases of materialistic civilisation. Deep down in the heart of suffering humanity, there was a prayer for a change, for the birth of a new age, a new world-order.
Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta. His father’s name was Krishna Dhan Ghosh, who came of noble parents belonging to the distinguished Ghosh family of Konnagar, a small village in the district of Hoogly, which had already produced remarkable leaders of religious and social movements. Krishna Dhan passed the Entrance Examination of the Calcutta University from the local school and was admitted into the Calcutta Medical College. When he was nineteen years old and still studying in the Medical College, he married Srimati Swamalata Devi, the eldest daughter of Rishi Rajnarayan Bose who, to quote the Karmayogin, “represented the high water-mark of the composite culture of the country — Vedantic, Islamic and European.” He was a saintly man of high attainments, synthesising in himself the cultures of both the East and the West, and widely known in Bengal as a leader of the Adi Brahmo Samaj and as “the grandfather of Indian nationalism”. The marriage was performed according to the rites of the Brahmo Samaj to which Krishna Dhan then belonged.

About Author: Rishabhchand

Rishabhchand Samsukha was born on 3 December 1900 at Jiaganj in West Bengal. He came from a Jain family, and his father was known for his writings on the Jain religion. As he grew up he developed a love for reading, especially English poetry. He studied at the Presidency College at Kolkata, but as it was a British institution, he left to finish his studies at Krishnanath College in Berhampur, before joining the non-cooperation movement.

Although he was from a family in which Jainism was not only practised but also the philosophy behind this path was known thoroughly, somehow Rishabhchand felt dissatisfied by what it had to offer and was inwardly seeking a more comprehensive philosophy of life. At some point in his search he came across the book The Mother by Sri Aurobindo. That was the turning point, and he was drawn more and more towards his ultimate Guru. For seven years he worked untiringly to develop the business and to look after his wife and children, leading the life of a householder. Then he decided to leave everything and settle down at the Ashram in 1931. Once he joined the Ashram he never went back. His sense of organisation and his skill in dealing with workers were put to good use when the Mother gave him the responsibility of looking after the House Maintenance Service and later of the Furniture Department also.

Over a span of ten years, from 1960 to 1970, Rishabhchand wrote chapter by chapter the story of Sri Aurobindo’s life. He was a dedicated sadhak and an erudite author.