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VOLUME 4
SRI AUROBINDO BIRTH CENTENARY LIBRARY DE LUXE EDITION
Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1972. Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Pondicherry. Printed at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press Pondicherry India
PRINTED IN INDIA

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Sri Aurobindo and his wife Mrinalini Devi 1905

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NOTE
Volume 4 in the SRI AUROBINDO BIRTH CENTENARY
LIBRARY contains Sri Aurobindo's original Bengali
writings.
Sri Aurobindo started learning Bengali, his mother
tongue, in England, as a probationer for the Indian Civil
Service. After his return to India he began a serious study
of the language with a view to acquiring proficiency in
reading, writing and speaking. During his stay at Baroda he
wrote some poetry in Bengali, attempting even a long poem
called "Usha-Haran Kabya". A few lines from this work are
reproduced here for the first time.
It is to this poem that his brother, Manmohan, himself a
poet, refers in his letter to Rabindranath Tagore, dated
October 24, 1894. We quote from it the following extract:
"Aurobinda is anxious to know what you think of his
book of verses1, but I have explained to him how busy you
are just now; and that you will write later when you have a
little more leisure to do justice to his book. I myself think
that he is possessed of considerable powers of language and
a real literary gift, but is lacking in stuff and matter,
perhaps in warmth of temperament. But those pieces on
Parnell2, consisting of fine philosophic reflection, show, I
think, that he might do great things. Unfortunately he has
directed (or rather misdirected) all his energies to writing
Bengali poetry. He is at present engaged on an epic
(inspired I believe by Michael Madhusudan) on the subject
of Usha and Aniruddha."
He wrote several articles for the earlier issues of
Yugantar, a Bengali revolutionary weekly started by his
brother Barin and others under his guidance in March 1906.
But not a single copy of this journal has so far been traced.
The earliest available Bengali writings of Sri Aurobindo
besides "Usha-Haran Kabya" are the three letters to his wife
Mrinalini Devi written between 1905 and 1907. These were
produced as exhibits in the Alipore Conspiracy Case in
1908, and having attracted public notice were reproduced in
various journals and in book-form soon afterwards.
After his acquittal in 1909 Sri Aurobindo started a
Bengali weekly called Dharma, and wrote most of the
editorial comments and leading
1
!

SONGS TO MYRTILLA published a year later, in 1895.

Charles Stewart Parnell (1891) and Hie Jaeet (Centenary Volume 5, pp. 15, 11).

articles for it until his withdrawal to Chandernagore

in February 1910. Most of these leading articles were
published in book-form in 1920 under the title Dharma O
Jatiyata by Prabartak Publishing House, Chandernagore. In
the present volume these articles are arranged under two
sections, "Dharma" and "Jatiyata" (Religion and
Nationalism). The editorial comments from Dharma are
published here in a separate section for the first time.
Some of the articles on the Gita from Dharma were
separately brought out in book-form in 1920 by the
Prabartak Sangha under the title Gitar Bhumika.
Karakahini (Tales of Prison Life) was first serialised in
nine parts in the Bengali monthly, Suprabhat in 1909-1910.
This series remained incomplete as Sri Aurobindo left
Bengal in 1910. The essay, "Karagriha O Swadhinata"
(Prison and Freedom), was published in Bharati, a Bengali
journal, about the same time. Karakahini came out in bookform in 1920 from Chandernagore.
In 1918 Sri Aurobindo wrote "Jagannather Rath" (the
Chariot of Jagannath) fox Prabartak, a journal published
from Chandernagore. The article was published in bookform in 1921 along with some others under the same title
by the Prabartak Publishing House.
His letter to Barin, also known as "Letter from
Pondicherry", written in 1920 was first published in
Narayana, a journal edited by C. R. Das. It was also issued
as a booklet in the same year and later along with "Letters
to Mrinalini" under the title Sri Aurobinder Patra (Letters of
Sri Aurobindo) by the Prabartak Publishing House.
A number of articles on the Vedas, Upanishads and
other subjects found in Sri Aurobindo's manuscripts were
first put together in book-form in 1955 under the title
Vividha Rachana. In this volume they have been distributed
in various sections.
The letters Sri Aurobindo wrote to some women
disciples who did not know English were published as
Patrawali in two parts, the first in 1951 and the second in
1959.
The original sources of all articles are indicated in the
Table of Contents.

NOTE of compiller of this e-document:

Pages 11, 192-193, 238-239, 352-353, 368-369 were not included because of their absence

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Contents
HYMN TO DURGA (Dharma, No. 9, October, 1909) ................................................ 1
POETRY................................................................................................................................. 5
FROM USHA-HARAN KABYA ......................................................................................... 7
A DREAM (Suprabhat, 1909-1910) ............................................................................. 11
THE IDEAL OF FORGIVENESS (Dharma, No. 26, February, 1910)................................ 17
THE VEDA .......................................................................................................................... 19
THE SECRET OF THE VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955).................................................. 21
AGNI THE DIVINE ENERGY (Vividha Rachana, 1955) ............................................ 26
THE RIG-VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955) .................................................................... 30
THE UPANISHADS ............................................................................................................ 41
THE UPANISHADS (Dharma, No. 15, December, 1909) .............................................. 43
THE INTEGRAL YOGA IN THE UPANISHADS (Vividha Rachana, 1955).......................... 45
THE ISHA UPANISHAD (1) (Vividha Rachana, 1955) ................................................... 47
THE ISHA UPANISHAD (2) (Vividha Rachana, 1955) ................................................... 49
THE PURANAS................................................................................................................... 51
THE PURANAS (Dharma, No. 17, December, 1909).................................................... 53
THE GITA............................................................................................................................ 55
THE DHARMA OF THE GITA (Dharma, No. 2, August, 1909)....................................... 57
SANNYASA AND TYAGA (Dharma, No. 3, September, 1909) ...................................... 60
THE VISION OF THE WORLD-SPIRIT (Dharma, No. 23, February,
1910) ........................................................................................................................... 63
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GITA (Dharma, Nos. 7-24, 1909-1910)............................ 66
DHARMA .......................................................................................................................... 110
THE CHARIOT OF JAGANNATHA (Prabartak, 1918) ................................................... 113
THE THREE STAGES OF HUMAN SOCIETY (Vividha Rachana, 1955) .......................... 116
AHANKARA (Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909) ....................................................... 118
INTEGRALITY (Vividha Rachana, 1955) .................................................................... 120
HYMNS AND PRAYERS (Dharma, No. 24, February, 1910) ....................................... 121
OUR RELIGION {Dharma, No. 1, August, 1909)........................................................ 124
MAYA (Dharma, No. 3, August, 1909)..................................................................... 127
NIVRITTI (Dharma, No. 12, November, 1909).......................................................... 131
PRAKAMYA (Dharma, Nos, 17 and 18, 1909-1910).................................................. 133
NATIONALISM ................................................................................................................ 137
THE OLD AND THE NEW (Vividha Rachana, 1955).................................................... 139
THE PROBLEM OF THE PAST (Dharma, No. 6, September, 1909) .............................. 140
THE COUNTRY AND NATIONALISM (Dharma, No. 14, December,
1909) ......................................................................................................................... 146
THE TRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM (Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909) ........................ 148
A WORD ABOUT SOCIETY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)................................................. 150

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FRATERNITY (Dharma,

No. 23, February, 1910)

151

INDIAN PAINTING (Dharma, No. 25, February, 1910)............................................... 154

HIROBUMI ITO (Dharma, No. 10, November, 1909) ................................................. 156
NATIONAL RESURGENCE (Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909)................................... 158
OUR HOPE (Dharma, No. 20, January, 1910)............................................................ 162
EAST AND WEST (Dharma, No. 22, January, 1910) .................................................. 165
GURU GOVINDSINGH.................................................................................................... 169
GURU GOVINDSINGH (Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909) ............................................. 171
EDITORIAL COMMENTS ............................................................................................... 173
EDITORIAL COMMENTS (Dharma, 1909-1910).......................................................... 175
TALES OF PRISON LIFE................................................................................................. 255
TALES OF PRISON LIFE (Suprabhat, 1909-1910) ....................................................... 257
PRISON AND FREEDOM (Bharati) ............................................................................... 298
THE ARYAN IDEAL AND THE THREE GUNAS (Suprabhat, 1909-1910)....................... 305
NEW BIRTH (Dharma, No, 2, August, 1909)............................................................. 312
LETTERS ........................................................................................................................... 315
LETTERS TO MRINALINI (1905-1907) ........................................................................ 317
LETTER TO BARIN (1920) .......................................................................................... 327
LETTERS TO N. AND S. (Published, 1951 & 1959) .................................................... 337

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1
HYMN TO DURGA (Dharma, No. 9, October, 1909)

POETRY

7
FROM USHA-HARAN KABYA

STORIES

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A DREAM (Suprabhat, 1909-1910)

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14

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THE IDEAL OF FORGIVENESS (Dharma, No. 26, February, 1910)

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THE VEDA

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THE SECRET OF THE VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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AGNI THE DIVINE ENERGY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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THE RIG-VEDA (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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THE UPANISHADS

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THE UPANISHADS (Dharma, No. 15, December, 1909)

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THE INTEGRAL YOGA IN THE UPANISHADS (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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THE ISHA UPANISHAD (1) (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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THE ISHA UPANISHAD (2) (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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THE PURANAS

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THE PURANAS (Dharma, No. 17, December, 1909)

THE PURANAS (Dharma, No. 17, December, 1909)

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THE GITA

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THE DHARMA OF THE GITA (Dharma, No. 2, August, 1909)

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SANNYASA AND TYAGA (Dharma, No. 3, September, 1909)

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THE VISION OF THE WORLD-SPIRIT (Dharma, No. 23, February, 1910)

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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GITA (Dharma, Nos. 7-24, 1909-1910)

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DHARMA

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THE CHARIOT OF JAGANNATHA (Prabartak, 1918)

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THE THREE STAGES OF HUMAN SOCIETY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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AHANKARA (Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909)

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INTEGRALITY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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HYMNS AND PRAYERS (Dharma, No. 24, February, 1910)

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OUR RELIGION {Dharma, No. 1, August, 1909)

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MAYA (Dharma, No. 3, August, 1909)

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NIVRITTI (Dharma, No. 12, November, 1909)

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PRAKAMYA (Dharma, Nos, 17 and 18, 1909-1910)

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NATIONALISM

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THE OLD AND THE NEW (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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THE PROBLEM OF THE PAST (Dharma, No. 6, September, 1909)

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THE COUNTRY AND NATIONALISM (Dharma, No. 14, December, 1909)

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THE TRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM (Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909)

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A WORD ABOUT SOCIETY (Vividha Rachana, 1955)

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FRATERNITY (Dharma, No. 23, February, 1910)

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INDIAN PAINTING (Dharma, No. 25, February, 1910)

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HIROBUMI ITO (Dharma, No. 10, November, 1909)

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NATIONAL RESURGENCE (Dharma, No. 5, September, 1909)

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OUR HOPE (Dharma, No. 20, January, 1910)

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EAST AND WEST (Dharma, No. 22, January, 1910)

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GURU GOVINDSINGH

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GURU GOVINDSINGH (Dharma, No. 8, October, 1909)

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EDITORIAL COMMENTS

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EDITORIAL COMMENTS (Dharma, 1909-1910)

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TALES OF PRISON LIFE

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TALES OF PRISON LIFE (Suprabhat, 1909-1910)

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PRISON AND FREEDOM (Bharati)

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THE ARYAN IDEAL AND THE THREE GUNAS (Suprabhat, 1909-1910)

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NEW BIRTH (Dharma, No, 2, August, 1909)

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LETTERS

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LETTERS TO MRINALINI (1905-1907)

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LETTER TO BARIN (1920)

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LETTERS TO N. AND S. (Published, 1951 & 1959)

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