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Philosophy has a set of beliefs and ideas that explain the meaning of life and provide insight. It means “love of wisdom.” Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was one of the great thinkers in the history of Indian philosophy. He was a multifaceted kind of person. Moreover, he was a freedom fighter, great yogi, seer, thinker, philosopher, poet, and Indian nationalist. He also provided insights into the spiritual world and life on the earth. He worked and put effort into the freedom fight of India.
Early Life
Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872, in Calcutta (Kolkata), India. His original name was Aurobindo Ghose, and he also spelt Aravinda. He died on December 5, 1950, in Pondicherry (Puducherry). Also, he was known for his work. He was a great yogi, seer, thinker, philosopher, poet, and Indian nationalist. He also provided insights into the spiritual world and life on the earth.
He did his schooling at Christian Convent school in Darjeeling (Darjiling). He also went to England for further education. After that, he joined the University of Cambridge, where he learned and became proficient in many European languages. He returned to India in 1892 and joined various administrative and professional positions in Baroda (Vadodara) and Calcutta (Kolkata). After some years, he grew interested in yoga and Indian dialects, including Sanskrit.
From 1902 to 1910, he also participated in the movements to make India free from British Raj (rule). He was also imprisoned in 1908 because of some political issues. After two years, he ran away to British India and found refugee in the French colony of Pondicherry (Puducherry) in southeastern India. There, he developed an in-depth understanding of yoga and meditation. He devoted his whole life to integral yoga that tends to holistic development.
He established a community of spiritual seekers in Pondicherry, which was named Sri Aurobindo Ashram, in 1926. Then, he became the consultant for many spiritual thinkers and also collaborated with Mirra Alfassa (1878-1973), also known as the ‘mother’ in the ashram. Many philosophers and thinkers from different countries worldwide came to the ashram throughout the years.
Metaphysics and Philosophy
In philosophy, Aurobindo Ghosh stated and accepted the diversified culture between the Indian subcontinent and western culture. According to him, Indian seekers found the real meaning of existence from intellectual and political activities. They mentioned the teachings and Vedas pattern provided by various great philosophers such as Buddha.
He proclaimed that both the Indian and the European philosophical understanding and outcomes are present on the extremes. He had an optimistic view of the combination of Indian and western spiritualism and secularism in the future. He expected a philosophy as an outcome that has both spirituality and materialism equally. He tried this by his writings and words. Thus, he believed in diversity and considered it as unity.
As per his thought process, philosophical concepts by Aristotle, Leibniz, and Hegel were intellectual, and they also represented the spiritual world of human beings. He created metaphysics as a subject that is a fusion of Indian and western ideals. The concept of spirituality was taken from the Upanishads, and conscience was from the Rigveda.
On the contrary, the inter-relationship between matter, life, and thought process was traced by Aurobindo and Ramakrishna, which were developed in western philosophy also.
He also has believed in spiritual determinism. According to him, history is a way of manifestation and progressive self-revelation of brahman. He stated that Goddess Kali has divine energy, which acts as a driving force, specifically during Bengal nationalism and the French revolution. He believed that the freedom of India was associated with the will of God.
He had written many books and articles related to divine nature and spirituality. Some of them were Gita (1922), Collected Poems and Plays (1942), The Synthesis of Yoga (1948), The Human Cycle (1949), The Ideal of Human Unity (1949), Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol (1950), and On the Veda (1956).
Conclusion
In the area of spirituality and philosophy, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was a believer and great thinker who created many writings and articles in the history of India. Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872, in Calcutta (Kolkata), India. His original name was Aurobindo Ghose, and he also spelt Aravinda. He died on December 5, 1950, in Pondicherry (Puducherry). He was known for his work. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was one of the great thinkers in the history of Indian philosophy. He was a great yogi, seer, thinker, philosopher, poet, and Indian nationalist. He also provided insights into the spiritual world and life on the earth.
