Aurobindo Ghose was one of India’s prominent freedom fighters, who spearheaded several struggles for our nation to break free from the shackles of bondage from the British. He was born on August 15, 1872 and pursued his schooling in England. The writing of P.B. Shelley and his romantic idealization of the French evolution influenced his thinking early on in his life.
Subsequently he enrolled in King’s College, Cambridge, where he was drawn to lrish nationalistic beliefs, and saw their relevance to the Indian situation. He was particularly attracted to Charles Stewart Parnell’s ideology, which made him perceive India as an enslaved nation, a “mother in chains”.
On his return to India in 1893, he threw himself into the Indian struggle for Independence. He expounded on its importance for achieving the goals of universal brotherhood and equality among all beings. He was just 21 years old at the time!
As a nationalist revolutionary, he was charged with ‘conspiracy to wage war against the ‘Emperor’ for his involvement in the Alipore Bombing case in 1908. It was an offence punishable with death by hanging, and he was accused of it along with his brother Barin Ghosh. Even before this case, Aurobindo was acquitted, while his brother was found quality. During the trial, the brothers were held in police custody illegally and had to endure much torture. When he walked out of jail, he was a spiritually transformed man, he swore of violence and politics, and quietly moved to Poundicherry, to begin a new life and embark on a spiritual quest. There, he practiced Yoga in seclusion for four continuous years, and slowly developed his philosophy of ‘Integral Yoga’.
He was 75 years old when our country attained Independence. This was the dream he had envisioned for his motherland, since he was a teenager. His philosophy still lives in the hearts of millions of Indians all over the world even today.
Picture Credit : Google