I am one of the rare students of SACAR who had no previous knowledge about Sri Aurobindo, other than about his role in the freedom struggle, as mentioned in some of the history books. Before joining this programme at SACAR, I read some articles about him on the internet but could comprehend very little. I am indebted and must congratulate the SACAR team responsible for formulating the introductory course in Sri Aurobindo Studies so thoroughly and carefully. It has not only introduced me to the vision of Sri Aurobindo but also described for the students different aspects of his multi-faceted personality. I thank my moderator Margaret Phanes for being my guide in this journey and providing all the necessary support and encouragement.

In this learning journal I present a brief summary of what I learned in the 5-week introductory course, titled Sri Aurobindo and his essential thought.

Week 1

In the first week of this course, we were introduced to a brief life sketch of Sri Aurobindo and learnt in brief about different aspects of his personality, as a freedom fighter, a yogi, a philosopher and a great poet. Personally, his legendry poem has attracted me the most and in the future, I would take out time to read the poem and understand its deeper meaning.

Week 2

In the second week of this course, the syllabus was more focused on The Mother.
We were encouraged to learn about Sri Aurobindo’s views on the Divine Mother and the avatar of The Mother as a pragmatic spiritual being. We also learnt about Sri Aurobindo’s and The Mother’s journey in discovering integral yoga, The Mother’s philosophy of integral education and the projects and organizational works that she developed. Personally, I was most impressed by The Mother’s philosophy of Integral Education.

Week 3

The third week focused on the political life of Sri Aurobindo. We read about his changing roles in the freedom struggle of India, that is, as an observer, critic, revolutionary and later as a yogi. We also read about his stance on World War II and how through his sadhana he stopped the asuric forces of Hitler from entering India. We also read about his Independence Day message of August 15, 1947, in which Sri Aurobindo urges India to wake up and rejuvenate Asia and the world with its spiritual heritage and thus regain its lost glory.

Week 4

The fourth week focused on the works that Sri Aurobindo and The Mother accomplished together. We read about them being spiritual personalities and their role in spiritual evolution, they being co-avatars and their selfless mission to reveal the inner meanings of life to humanity and the five dreams of Sri Aurobindo for India, Asia the entire world and humanity.

Personally, I am most impressed by his global vision and views that are so relevant even today.

Week 5

This was the last week of this course and we were exposed to three wonderful essays by Sugata Bose, K.R.S. Iyengar and Sushmita Bhoumik. We learnt about the relationship of ethics and politics in Sri Aurobindo’s writings, the history of socio-political organization in India as explained by Sri Aurobindo, and the philosophies and traits that contributed to the longevity of the Indian civilization. Bhoumik’s essay titled ‘Violence or Non-violence: Interpretations by Sri Aurobindo and Mahatama Gandhi’ helped us understand how through their different approaches, both these great leaders of India strived to achieve a common goal.

Final Essay Assignment

At the end of the course, we were asked to submit an essay. Our moderator Margaret suggested a variety of topics to choose from. I chose to write about the political life of
Sri Aurobindo. My essay got good remarks from Margaret even though on later reflection I regretted not including Sri Aurobindo’s political stance on some of the major world events of his time.

I am also thankful to my co-learners, Shakti and Maneka. Shakti lives in Auroville and Maneka grew up and studied at Pondicherry. Their answers to each week’s questions were full of the deepest love and appreciation for Sri Aurobindo and revealed for me the deeper meanings of the words and sentences we were reading in the assigned texts. This kind of educational experience was deeply transforming.

With deep gratitude and warm regards,

Comments on the Learning Journal from Course Facilitator, Margaret

Dear Humera,

Thank you for your learning journal. I felt the summaries and key points of the material were well illustrated. Your personal reflections on what inspired you about the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother added depth to the entries. I appreciate your honesty regarding what was new and/or challenging. The entries showed your dedication to learn the material on a deeper more meaningful level.