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Sri Aurobindo:        

Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta on 15th August 1872. At the age of seven he was taken to England for education alongwith his brothers. The fourteen years stay and education in England gave him a wide introduction to the culture of ancient, of medieval and of modern Europe. He was a brilliant scholar in Greek, Latin, French and learnt himself German and Italian. In 1892 May, he passed the first part of the most difficult classical tripos in first class and in August of the same year passed I.C.S. final examination with high marks but was disqualified as he did not present himself at the horse riding examination. Meantime he met Gaekwar of Baroda in London and returned to India and landed at the Appolo Bunder, Bombay on February 6th 1893 and experienced a “Vast Calm” on touching the soil of his ancient Motherland Bharat. Then he joined Baroda service. For thirteen years he served in different capacities, and finally he took the post of Vice Principal of Baroda College. During these years he acquainted himself with the culture of India and the East, learnt Sanskrit and several modern Indian Languages, assimilated the spirit of Indian culture and civilization He began the practice of yoga in 1904. The partition of Bengal in 1905 gave him the opportunity to give up Baroda service and join openly in the political movements including “Bande Matharam” movement.
In 1906 Sri Aurobindo went to Calcutta and become the first Principal of Bengal National College. Then he was acknowledged as the greatest leader of nationalist movement. As the editor of the newspaper ’Bande Mataram’ he boldly put forward the idea of a complete independent India. He sacrified a lucrative career in order to devote himself to politics. During twelve months of detention in the Alipore jail as an under trial prisoner in 1908-09, he did intense sadhana which resulted in profound spiritual experiences. On 4th April, 1910 he came over to Pondicherry to discover and establish the principles of the Integral yoga for the transformation of Man.
In 1914 Sri Aurobindo began the publication of the philosophical monthly, the Arya with the managerial support of the Mother and her husband. The Life divine, the Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on Gita, The Isha Upanishad embodied much of inner knowledge. The other great writings are the Foundations of Indian Culture, The Secret of Veda, The Human Cycle, The Future Poetry, The Ideal of Human Unity and the great epic, Savitri.

On 24th April 1920 The Mother returned to Pondicherry and joined Sri Aurobindo in his work and sadhana. 24th November 1926, the Mother called it the day of victory as Sri Aurobindo achieved the descent of the “Godhead of the over mind”. From this day he retired into complete solitude and yet he kept a close watch on all that was happening in the world and in India and actively intervened whenever necessary. He wrote thousands of letters to the disciples packed with inner help and also power, directing them, giving them knowledge and guiding them in the sadhana of the Integral yoga evolved by himself and Mother through their Tapasya for the establishment of divine life on earth. He gave ‘Darshan’ to the public four times in a year.
Sri Aurobindo had to wage a great spiritual war secretly and use his force in a constant action upon the world forces. It was not a coincidence or a chance accident but “The sanction and seal of the Divine Force” upon his work, that India declared herself free on 15th August’ 1947. It was Sri Aurobindo’s 75th Birthday.
Sri Aurobindo left his physical body on 5th December, 1950 at 1.26 AM. But there were no signs of decomposition for more than 100 hours since the body was surcharged with supramental light. As per Mother’s directions, it could be interred only after this golden light from the Hiranmaya Purusha subsided by 9th December evening, in the Ashram compound below the service tree. The Mother once said that Sri Aurobindo who was the Supramental Avatar left his body to expedite the descent of supramental truth consciousness in the earth consciousness and create a new supramental race far above present Man. She has also declared that what Sri Aurobindo represents in the World’s history is not a teaching, not even a revelation. It is a decisive action direct from the Supreme.