Essays, Commentaries, Jottings, Photography, Videos – In the Light of Sri Aurobindo
Author: Beloo Mehra; Published in the Annual Issue (2016-17) of Sri Aurobindo’s Action, West Bengal, pp. 85-105. CONTINUED FROM PART 4 Imagine if we were to replace the word ‘secularism’ by the Indian ideal of sarva dharma sambhava. (Please read the previous part to see how this idea does NOT translate to mean that ‘all... Continue Reading →
Author: Beloo Mehra; Published in the Annual Issue (2016-17) of Sri Aurobindo’s Action, West Bengal, pp. 85-105. CONTINUED FROM PART 3 INTEGRATING SPIRITUAL AND SECULAR The modern Indian social-cultural mindset, for the most part, is occupied with a conception of life that emphasizes materialistic, utilitarian, mechanistic and rational view of life and universe. As... Continue Reading →
Author: Beloo Mehra; Published in the Annual Issue (2016-17) of Sri Aurobindo’s Action, West Bengal, pp. 85-105. CONTINUED FROM PART 2 BRINGING INDIAN-NESS IN THE EDUCATION Our attempt to seek and re-discover the Indian spirit must be accompanied with our zeal to make this essential Indian-ness relevant for the present times, and for the new... Continue Reading →
Author: Beloo Mehra; Published in the Annual Issue (2016-17) of Sri Aurobindo’s Action, West Bengal, pp. 85-105. CONTINUED FROM PART 1 RE-DISCOVERING INDIAN-NESS It may not be an exaggeration to say that as a result of centuries of subjugation and the continuing colonial nature of both the Indian state and the Indian educational... Continue Reading →
Author: Beloo Mehra; Published in the Annual Issue (2016-17) of Sri Aurobindo's Action, West Bengal, pp. 85-105. An important churning is taking place in India today. The contemporary Indian mind, which for the most part had until now, almost completely dismissed the possibility that the ancient Indian civilisation had anything to offer for... Continue Reading →
Many years ago at a bookstore in a small university town in the US, I came across a beautiful picture book which I had to immediately buy. The book titled Living Faith: Windows into the Sacred Life of India is a collection of photographs taken by the noted Indian photographer, Dinesh Khanna. I had seen some... Continue Reading →
This article was first published on IndiaFacts. Every year around Diwali we hear and read about all sorts of 'concerns' about environment and pleas to 'ban' firecrackers. This year we have a ban on sale of firecrackers imposed by the highest court of the country in the National Capital Territory. Similar concerns for water are heard... Continue Reading →
CONTINUED FROM PART 2 In this part 3 (the concluding part) of our special photo-feature the focus is on Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita, विश्वरूपदर्शनयोगः (viśvarūpadarśanayogaḥ), The Yoga of the Vision of the World-Spirit. Here we find one of the most powerfully poetic passages of the Gita, the vision of the Vishwaroopam, the Universal Purusha. With our... Continue Reading →
"You will often hear it said that it was the forms of Hinduism which have given us so much national vitality. I think rather it was its spirit." Sri Aurobindo wrote the above in his essay titled, "On Original Thinking" (CWSA, Vol. 12, p. 38). I am reminded of this as I get ready to... Continue Reading →
CONTINUED FROM PART 1 In this part 2 of our special photo-feature the focus is on a few selected teachings from the Bhagavad Gita that speak of the Karmayoga, the Yoga of Works. Invoking the grace of Sri Krishna and taking guidance from the relevant explanations and passages from Sri Aurobindo’s ‘Essays on the Gita’ we present here a few summary notes – based... Continue Reading →
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