1st November 2012
Sri Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of socialism
Most people think of Sri Aurobindo as a great spiritual and literary master. Few realise that he was, in line with Vivekananda and most Indian philosophers, a great proponent of liberty and – in Sri Aurobindo's case – a direct opponent of socialism.
Had Sri Aurobindo lived, Nehru's plans of socialism would have been still-born and India might have escaped from its (ongoing) misery of the past 65 years.
The more I think about it, it becomes clear that I am speaking from the ANCIENT INDIAN TRADITION. It is an instinctive expression of critical thinking, tolerance, and liberty that ancient India so deeply understood.
Till Nehru came in and confused everybody, including Team Anna/ Arvind Kejriwal and even Baba Ramdev. And of course, RSS/BJP are DIRECT godchildren of Nehru. There is no distinction I can make between BJP and Congress. (Btw, Modi is the same.)
NONE of these people are attuned to what Gandhi, Vivekananda, Aurobindo, and Tagore were attuned to: a deep instinctive tolerance and insistence on liberty. It was an instinctive expression of Indian-ness, the true Hindutva.
But Nehru the Westerner came in with half-baked German (Hegelian) ideas and destroyed India. It is time to reclaim Hindu Capitalism (also known as Hindu Dharma) and bring tolerance and liberty back to India. This includes economic freedom and incentive-based governance outlined in Arthashastra.
Some quotations from Aurobindo:
On liberty
Indian religion has always felt that since the minds, the temperaments and the intellectual affinities of men are unlimited in their variety, a perfect liberty of thought and of worship must be allowed to the individual in his approach to the Infinite. [Source]
Against socialism
Sri Aurobindo: The Bombay Ministry seems to be working efficiently. They have escaped the socialists trap. These socialists do not know what is socialism. [Evening Talks with Sri Aurobindo, The Third Series, 26th January, 1939]
"As a spiritualist, Aurobindo is intensely attracted by the social and economic egalitarianism of socialism while at the same time he has a great horror of socialist authoritarianism. Organised socialism, even it be a democratic socialism, signifies to him the absence of liberty. He thinks that "state control and direction [are] the essence of socialism". The full development of socialism would mean the obliteration of the distinction between social and political activities, a distinction which is so vital in the liberal outlook. Under socialist control even social activities would become spheres of state interference. It means the thorough extension of the administrative activities of the state. "Nothing great or small escapes its purview. Birth and marriage, labour and amusement and rest, education, culture, training of physique and character, the socialist state leaves nothing outside its scope and its busy intolerant control." It signifies the full proliferation of the omnipotent state leviathan. Socialism represents the omnicompetence of the all-jealous state and therefore, according to Aurobindo, totalitarianism is the natural, almost inevitable destiny of socialism." [From Political Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, V.P. Verma, p.334, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2nd edition, 1976]
Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/PmXxbBuu #badideas #india
Sri Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of socialism http://t.co/KrXr5c09
Ironic that Auroville is socialist. RT @sabhlok: Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/4tpP3LaO #badideas #india
http://t.co/kT1MP25F @hguptapolicy @orsoraggiante @krishnarjun108 @SangeetaRG @m_vijayakumar
Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/PmXxbBuu #badideas #india
Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/PmXxbBuu #badideas #india
Sri Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of socialism – Sanjeev Sabhlok's revolutionary blog http://t.co/FhkeMzYA
http://t.co/kT1MP25F @hguptapolicy @orsoraggiante @krishnarjun108 @SangeetaRG @m_vijayakumar
http://t.co/kT1MP25F @hguptapolicy @orsoraggiante @krishnarjun108 @SangeetaRG @m_vijayakumar
Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/PmXxbBuu #badideas #india
Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/PmXxbBuu #badideas #india
Sri Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of socialism – Sanjeev Sabhlok's revolutionary blog http://t.co/FhkeMzYA
You have understood nothing of Sri Aurobindo’s views on Socialism. While he was against State Socialism, he was equally against crony capitalism. He believed much more in what he called Democratic Socialism.
Sanjeev ji,
Request you to watch below videos. Sadguru jaggi expressed his views on market economy, liberty etc. ,
Dr. jayaprakash narayan ( loksatta party ) with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
– 7 parts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CYCFzcddBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPZBROIdsPQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGk5AB_W7-M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2DtV8wDJx8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFheVNKo66A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmuqIjNzvos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYIII9Rss_c
In Conversation with the Mystic – K. V. Kamath with Sadhguru
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZR0SuUwdbc
Leadership – From Ambition to Vision – Sadhguru speaks at IMD business school, Lausanne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1rJDNWZLdU
Leadership in Business- A Chat with Sadhguru and K. V. Kamath at Forbes India Awards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpz5Oj0UDuY
Regds,
SriRam
Sanjeev ji,
Two more videos. Watched below presentations , it helped to understand world’s present economy situation. Hope it will be useful to you also.
Prof. R.Vaidhyanathan Speaks on Global Conflicts & Indian Response
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AEypBUk5_g
Prof. Vaidyanathan’s Speech in Tweeple Conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqGgx2Z7j40&feature=fvsr
His blog
http://prof-vaidyanathan.com/2012/10/18/india-growth-the-untold-story-caste-as-social-capital/
Regds,
SriRam
You’ve understood nothing about me as well, young man.
I too oppose crony capitalism.
There is no such thing as “democratic socialism”. Either you oppose state control or you want it. Aurobindo opposed state control over our lives. Period.
s
A must read RT "@sabhlok: Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/kT1MP25F"
A must read RT "@sabhlok: Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/kT1MP25F"
A must read RT "@sabhlok: Sri #Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of #socialism http://t.co/kT1MP25F"
Sri Aurobindo – the vocal opponent of socialism http://t.co/FC3VfECq
@iac007 @MovementIAC Time to bring Sri Aurobindo to the front & be guided by his 1947 Five-Dreams broadcast. @sabhlok http://t.co/kT1MP25F
Arvind Kejriwal’s New Party on Sri Aurobindo’s Siddhi Day http://selforum.blogspot.in/2012/11/arvind-kejriwals-new-party-on-sri.html
Best Wishes to Kejriwal by Tusar N. Mohapatra http://savitriera.blogspot.in/2012/11/best-wishes-to-kejriwal.html
But Arvind is anti-Aurobindo and wants socialism – something Aurobindo vigorously opposed!
Swamy Dayananda @krishnarjun108 http://t.co/8ujBBR3I Ananda Coomaraswamy @sandeepWeb http://t.co/aXLTChcZ Sri Aurobindo http://t.co/QDQJgmsp
Swamy Dayananda @krishnarjun108 http://t.co/8ujBBR3I Ananda Coomaraswamy @sandeepWeb http://t.co/aXLTChcZ Sri Aurobindo http://t.co/QDQJgmsp
[As a spiritualist, Aurobindo… has a great horror of socialist authoritarianism… & absence of liberty. V.P. Verma] http://t.co/QDQJgmsp
The choice before the country is clear now: Nehru & Gandhi or Sri Aurobindo ? http://t.co/QDQJgmsp
There is one mistake, and as I quote ,
“NONE of these people are attuned to what Gandhi, Vivekananda, Aurobindo, and …”
Sir, it is wrong to put Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo in one line, in one page and in one side. Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy was tottaly different from Gandhi. You could probably read more on this.
Do note that Sri Aurobindo had repeatedly denied Gandhi’s request to visit the ashram. I can not say any further, however it shall be great if you may find my message between the lines.