NEW PUBLICATIONS

This volume consists of short written statements of the Mother – letters, notes and messages – that, apart for a few exceptions, do not appear in her Collected Works. Many new writings have come to light since the seventeen-volume set of Collected Works of the Mother was organised and published in 1978 around the time of her birth centenary. This new material supplements other statements previously published in Volume 12, On Education, and Volumes 13, 14, and 15, Words of the Mother—I, II, and III, and has been arranged by subject, following the categories already established in the above volumes.

The Note on the Texts at the back of the book provides further details that should enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of these new words of the Mother.

This second volume of the revised and enlarged edition of the Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta comprises six books that deal primarily with mysticism and poetry. The first four are collections of essays. Their titles, along with their first year of publication, are: The Approach to Mysticism (1946), Poets and Mystics (1951), Seer Poets (1970), and Man, Human and Divine (c. 1958). The fifth book, Towards the Light (1938), is a collection of aphorisms and the sixth, To the Heights (1944), a collection of forty-seven poems. Sri Aurobindo, Rabindranath Tagore, Pascal, Blake, Goethe, T.S. Eliot, Rishi Dirghatama, Shakespeare, and Dante are among the poets, mystics, and seer poets featured in these essays. In Man, Human and Divine, essays on the democracy of tomorrow, human destiny, the language problem and India, and the philosopher as an artist represent a wide range of subjects.

In these transcriptions of his talks delivered at Savitri Bhavan in 2013–2014, the author discusses Canto 4 of Book I, “The Secret Knowledge”. The canto describes the secret knowledge that Aswapati discovers as he ascends in his spiritual journey. It deals with the present human condition, the emergence of the psychic being, the Upanishadic description of the nature of Brahman, and the world as experienced by Aswapati. The Mother’s conversations, particularly those on the psychic being, bring an invaluable clarity and richness to the book.

In Volume Four of these transcribed talks delivered at Savitri Bhavan in 2014, the author expounds on Canto 5 of Book I, “The Yoga of the King: The Yoga of the Spirit’s Freedom and Greatness”. Armed with the secret knowledge described in Canto 4, Aswapati continues his individual yoga, culminating in his psychic and spiritual transformation. He realises that the world is destined to evolve further towards a higher realisation, prompting him to undertake the next phase of his yoga as a Traveller of the Worlds in Book II.

Dr Reddy’s commentary, transcribed from his talks on The Synthesis of Yoga, continues with Chapters 6–12 of Part II: The Yoga of Integral Knowledge. In these chapters the author examines Sri Aurobindo’s stipulation that the aim of seeking knowledge must be to realise our own supreme self, to break free from any false identification with our body, mind, and life. To achieve this we must follow a systematic process, beginning with securing our release from subjection to the body, initially through the separation between Prakriti and Purusha. Next, as the satisfaction of desire is one of the primary motives that drives the ordinary human life, we must follow a discipline to release us from the desires of the heart and the mind. Chapter Nine highlights both the immense difficulty and the absolute necessity of transcending the ego. Then, moving toward the true knowledge of our supreme self, the last three chapters expound on the realisation of the cosmic Self, the modes of the Self, and the realisation of Sachchidananda.

Transcribed from Dr Reddy’s talks on The Synthesis of Yoga, Volume VII continues the examination of The Yoga of Integral Knowledge with Chapters 13–18. The first chapter examines the difficulties of the mental being in embracing not only the transcendent peace and bliss of the One, but also recognising the divine spark at the origin of creation. Likewise, the chapter on the passive and the active Brahman seeks to establish the connection between both aspects in the Integral Yoga and the effects of that connection on sadhana. Moving from the state in which Brahman alone exists to one in which we see Him everywhere and in all things, we must know what it means to identify with the cosmic consciousness. Similarly, the final chapters lay out the path to reach the Supreme Oneness, how that Oneness manifests in duality, and the true meaning of the soul’s liberation.

The title of this booklet is taken from one of Sri Aurobindo’s poems of the same name. The first section is on a few “autobiographical” poems and statements of Sri Aurobindo which are arranged chronologically, giving us a timeline of his development as a poet and a yogi. In the second section, the author elaborates on poetry as mantra.

With the exception of a few, poets in Sri Aurobindo’s time were abandoning metre and rhyme for freer self-expression. Sri Aurobindo sympathised with them, but insisted that “metre…is not only the traditional, but also surely the right physical basis” for great poetry. In his own poetry he explored ways of adding quantity to stress and accent for creating new rhythms in English poetry. In the final section of the book, Shraddhavan examines an 8-line metrical fragment by Sri Aurobindo as an example of his experiment with quantitative metre.

In this paper presented at a 2005 conference, the author traces the theme of transformation through the course of Aswapati’s sadhana. At every stage Aswapati has to make an effort of sadhana to be able to receive the transforming grace of the Mother. When at last a glimpse of the New Creation is revealed to him he then prays for the descent of a human embodiment of the Supreme Mother to come on earth to save and transform mankind. The supramental transformation, which only has the power to make earth the field of divine life, is shown as being prepared by Aswapati, embodying the steadfast aspiration of the earth, and Savitri, embodying the grace of the Supreme Mother.

This storybook, a parable for children, is written by Noel Parent and illustrated by Marina Minina, both of whom live and work in Auroville. The book tells the journey of a young boy who makes a flute out of a wooden stick and masters the art of flute-playing by learning first from all the different sounds of nature and after from long years spent in meditation listening to the silence of his soul. Unaffected by praise or criticism, the young boy relentlessly perfects his music—until at last his playing is pure enough to bring joy to the hearts of all who listen.

Ce livre est basé sur les transcriptions des cours donnés par l'auteur à Savitri Bhavan à Auroville d'août 2009 à octobre 2010, éditées pour plus de concision et de clarté tout en préservant l'atmosphère informelle du cours. Il couvre le Livre Un, Le Livre des Commencements, de l'épopée de Sri Aurobindo, Savitri - une legend et un symbole. Chaque phrase est examinée de près et des explications sont données sur le vocabulaire, la structure des phrases et l'imagerie. L'objectif est d'aider à une compréhension et une appréciation plus profondes du poème que la Mère a caractérisé comme "la révélation suprême de la vision de Sri Aurobindo".

Bengali translation of The Ideal of Human Unity

        Sri Aurobindo discusses the inevitability of the unification of the human race as a result of imperative evolutionary forces, presents the principles which could be followed in the process of such unification, describes the need for fulfilling the principle of individual and group freedom within the human unity, and argues that it is the growth of the "religion of humanity" which alone will ensure a world union that advances the spiritual evolution of the race. Originally written and published in monthly instalments in the journal Arya between September 1915 and July 1918, the book in its current form was revised by Sri Aurobindo during the late 1930s, and again in 1949 when he brought it up to date mainly by the addition of a Postscript Chapter.

Tamil translation of Twelve Years with Sri Aurobindo

        Sri Aurobindo's personal attendant Nirodbaran was privileged to serve his spiritual master for twelve years. In this memoir Nirod-da tells us what this time was like, drawing an absorbing account of the life he observed within Sri Aurobindo’s room. We read about the Master’s daily routine, his relation with the Mother and those who attended him, and some striking features of his personality—his natural reserve, his profound calm, his unshakeable equanimity and his delightful sense of humour. The author has managed to bring out Sri Aurobindo's human side and at the same time his majesty and greatness.

Thanks to Nirod, we have a revelation of an altogether unknown side of what Sri Aurobindo was.
—The Mother

Telugu translation of A Call to the Youth of India

        Compiled from his speeches and writings, these passages show how Sri Aurobindo not only inspired those who fought for India's freedom from the British in the first half of the 20th century but also outline his vision of India's future after independence. The spirit of nationalism evoked here calls upon the youth of India, whose hands will shape and determine her destiny, to gather and "organise her scattered strengths into a single and irresistible whole". A few relevant quotations of the Mother have been added.