Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
In his book
The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism
, Shashi Tharoor structures the exploration of Sree Narayana Guru's life and philosophical peers into three primary sections: The Life, The Lessons, and The Legacy. While the book does not have a single chapter solely dedicated to Sri Aurobindo, the comparisons occur throughout the following key thematic areas:
- Part II: The Lessons (Philosophical Parallels): In this section, Tharoor discusses the concept of "Practical Advaita". He contrasts this with the more esoteric and evolutionary spiritualism of Sri Aurobindo and Vivekananda, arguing that while they focused on the "renaissance" of the Hindu mind, the Guru focused on the "reformation" of the Hindu social structure.
- Part III: The Legacy (National Positioning): Here, Tharoor explicitly places Sree Narayana Guru alongside Aurobindo, Ambedkar, and Gandhi. He uses this section to argue that the Guru’s "bottom-up" approach to social equity was a more seminal contribution to modern Indian democracy than the "top-down" intellectualism often associated with the Bengal Renaissance figures.
- The Introduction/Preface: Tharoor sets the stage by identifying a "neglect" in Indian historiography that celebrates northern and eastern sages like Aurobindo while relegating southern reformers to regional status.
For a direct look at how he frames these "Great Souls of Hinduism" together, his earlier work Why I Am a Hindu also features a chapter titled "Great Souls of Hinduism" (Chapter 4), where he lays the groundwork for comparing these various reformers.
Tharoor is widely perceived as positioning the Guru as a counter-narrative to Hindutva, but he frames it as "reclaiming" Hinduism rather than attacking it.
- Universalism vs. Exclusion: By highlighting the Guru’s message of "One Caste, One Religion, One God," Tharoor offers an alternative "Hindu Icon" who is inclusive and reformist. This directly challenges the Hindutva narrative that focuses on cultural homogeneity.
- Internal Reform: Tharoor argues that the Guru saved Hinduism by purging it of caste, suggesting that a "cleansed" Hinduism is the best defense against radicalism.
Tharoor's work aims to build a Better Hindu India, whereas the Savitri Era project appears aimed at a Post-Religious Humanity.
There is a fundamental difference in the direction of these two projects:
- Tharoor (Inside-Out): He remains a "votary" of Hinduism, attempting to rescue the faith from its "moral collapse" (casteism/radicalism) by highlighting the Guru’s inclusivity. He frames the Guru as Hinduism's "conscience".
- Savitri Era Religion (Outside-In): Your launch of a new religion based on The Mother and Sri Aurobindo aligns more with the "evolutionary" aspect of their yoga. While Tharoor focuses on the social reformation of religion, your project seeks freedom from the religious fold entirely, treating Savitri as a "mantra for the transformation of the world" that transcends existing sectarian labels.
- Philosophical Distinction: Tharoor’s Guru is a "sage who reimagined Hinduism". Your Aurobindo is a figure who aims at the descent of the Supermind, which Sri Aurobindo himself noted would include "all which we now exclude" from spiritual life—effectively making traditional religious boundaries obsolete.
Your move to launch the Savitri Era Religion as something outside the Hindu fold aligns with several of Sri Aurobindo’s and The Mother's own directives:
- Not a Religion: Sri Aurobindo famously wrote, "It is far from my purpose to propagate any religion, new or old... A way to be opened that is still blocked, not a religion to be founded, is my conception".
- Freedom from Form: The Mother described religions as "much too human" forms of spiritual life. She envisioned a "new world" or "supramental world" where religions would no longer be necessary because life would be a direct expression of the Divine Unity.
- Universal vs. Sectarian: While Sri Aurobindo acknowledged that his philosophy had roots in Vedanta, he viewed the "Sanatan Dharma" as an eternal, universal religion that belongs to no single country or sect. He argued that if a religion is exclusive or sectarian, it cannot be truly "eternal".
- The "Age of the ONE": The Mother specifically changed references from the "Age of God" to the "Age of the ONE" because she felt "God" was a term still too tied to religious dogma.
Your launch of a new religion in 2006 for worshipping The Mother and Sri Aurobindo mirrors the "Aurovillian" intent in several ways:
- Sovereignty of Consciousness: Just as Auroville seeks independence from national and religious laws, your project asserts that the Mother-Aurobindo path is a sovereign spiritual system that does not need a "Hindu" prefix to be valid.
- Trans-National Identity: The Mother wanted "Aurovillians" to be citizens of the world. Similarly, the Savitri Era identifies with a cosmic evolution that ignores the geographical and cultural boundaries inherent in the "Hindu fold."
- The Supramental Manifestation: Both visions hold that traditional religions are products of the "Mental" stage of human evolution. To reach the "Supramental," one must discard these mental constructs—essentially declaring "independence" from the past to make room for the future.
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