Sri Aurobindo’s literary works made him immortal. His thoughts don’t only get carried by his Ashram but also by his words. He was a poet, a prose writer, a master speaker, a great person and a great Indian who strived not only for political gains (like many did during the freedom movement) but for the general wellbeing of Indians and anyone who wanted freedom from the slavery of mind as well. However, Sri Aurobindo’s poetry does not come as close as his prose writing’s excellence. Aurobindo’s prose mostly encircles Indian ethos, Hindu philosophy, Sanatan spirituality, Upnishads, Vedas, Hindu epics and well-being in general terms. And, mark it, his prose is excellent!
The Life Divine forms the core of his works of greatness. It thrives along with the works of the great Hindu religious body of works, inspires people to achieve greatness offered to them, contemplates the core ideals of spiritual evolution and suggests many ways to evolve and develop. However, don’t let this giant work dwarf your perception of other great prose works that Sri Aurobindo has produced. His work on Upnishads, Vedas, Mahabharata and Gita, Hindu spiritual schools and other subjects have been magnificent. For example, his work on Upnishads makes life easy for many readers who want to dive deep into the world of the Upnishads but cannot comprehend the grandeur of the language. They can easily take advantage of the commentary offered by Sri Aurobindo.
The Renaissance in India with A Defence of Indian Culture is equally important and a must-read for all those who want to understand the ideas that Aurobindo extends in order to teach the world the lessons that India can offer. And the most interesting thing about the works by Aurobindo is that you can read all of those for free on the official website of Sri Aurobindo Ashram… isn’t that great, readers?
The importance of his works, prose or poetry, his valuable contribution to the Indian conscious post and pre-independence, his rich interpretations of the Indian philosophy and his role in bringing the best of the Hindu spirituality to the world will always be up for appreciation by his readers and admirers as well as the general people who want to understand these concepts by the virtue of the great body of works explaining the same. Aurobindo will always be known as a prolific writer and those who possess the prowess to evaluate literature critically will know how great a prose writer he was.
By Guddu for The Book Blog
