Savitri Era Devotees oviate Sri Aurobindo

The most interesting aspect about the forthcoming Situating Sri Aurobindo: A Reader (Edited by Peter Heehs, OUP India, 376 pages) is that “This book looks beyond Aurobindo's textual sources to his vision of the future.” There is no denying that only a panoptic view right from 1893 to 2013 can give a faithful picture of the Master’s legacy. His Ontology is too complex and deriving a composite view covering his plural texts is not an easy task. Further, neither his Yoga practice nor Political praxis appeals to the common man. But what has expanded is the regular religious celebrations and periodical pilgrimages. Even then, faithfuls are unwilling to designate it as a Religion.

The Mother & Sri Aurobindo stand outside their own texts. How the Savitri Era Devotees accommodate Their memory and inspiration within their own subjective continents is far more contingent and significant than what is buried in the cold print. This itself transforms the whole Ontology so diligently crafted by Sri Aurobindo. Thus, the truth is that unless we assign the Savitri Era Religion the central place, the Ontological confusion will continue. When the twin divinity of Mother & Sri Aurobindo is accorded its rightful place, then the rest of the architecture falls into place, automatically. Even, the current controversy surrounding the Ashram is not devoid of its philosophical dimensions. [TNM55]