The Essential Writings of Sri Aurobindo

Contents: Preface. Introduction. The spiritual revolution. I. Nationalism and beyond: 1. New lamps for old. 2. The doctrine of passive resistance. 3. The present situation. 4. Uttarpara speech. 5. The ideal of the Karmayogin. 6. Letter to Joseph Baptista. 7. Letter to Balakrishna Shivaram Munje. II. The Indian tradition and the future: 1. 'Is India civilised?'. 2. The evolution of Indian spirituality. 3. The secret of the Veda: the problem and its solution. 4. Readings in the Taittiriya Upanishad: the knowledge of Brahman. 5. Kena Upanishad: a last word. 6. The core of the Gita's meaning. 7. The renaissance in India. 8. Indian civilisation and the evolutionary future. III. The individual, society and humanity: 1. The turn towards unity: its necessity and dangers. 2. The ideal of human unity: summary and conclusion. 3. A note. 4. The cycle of society. 5. The advent and progress of the spiritual age. IV. The evolution of consciousness: 1. The teaching of Sri Aurobindo. 2. The human aspiration. 3. The two negations: the materialist denial. 4. The two negations: the refusal of the ascetic. 5. Man and the evolution. 6. Man and the supermind. 7. The involved and evolving Godhead. 8. The evolution of consciousness. 9. Rebirth. 10. Rebirth and Karma. 11. Rebirth and personality. 12. Metaphysical thought and the supreme truth. V. Yoga and life: 1. Life and Yoga. 2. The synthesis of the systems. 3. Standards of conduct and spiritual freedom. 4. The cosmic consciousness. 5. The Ananda Brahman. 6. The integral perfection. 7. Karmayoga. 8. Bhakti. 9. Meditation. 10. The central process of the Yoga. 11. The novelty of the integral Yoga. VI. Poetry of the spirit: 1. The essence of poetry. 2. Selected short poems: i. Invitation. ii. Trance. iii. Ocean oneness. iv. Descent. v. Thought the paraclete. vi. Transformation. vii. Nirvana. viii. The indwelling universal. ix. Bliss of identity. x. The pilgrim of the night. xi. Liberation. xii. Krishna. xiii. The word of the silence. 3. Savitri: the finding of the soul. Appendix: The fifteenth of August 1947. Further reading. Sources of selections. chronology. Glossary.

"Scholar, poet, political and revolutionary leader, philosopher and social theorist, yogi and spiritual leader, Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) is one of the most important figures of twentieth-century India. This is a selection from his major works as well as letters and some lesser known pieces.

"This volume includes writings covering more than fifty years (1893-1950) of Aurobindo's life, arranged in six sections according to his main areas of interest: politics, the Indian tradition, social and political theory, philosophy, yoga, poetry and poetics. There is a general introduction giving an overview of Sri Aurobindo's life and works, as well brief introductions to each section, textual notes explaining references to persons and events, a glossary of Sanskrit terms, a chronology and suggestions for further reading.

"As the only collection of Sri Aurobindo's writings which gives a balanced coverage of the different phases and aspects of Sri Aurobindo's concerns, this volume will interest students of Indian history, philosophy and literature, of social and political theory, as well as spiritual seekers." (jacket)