Understanding the Concept of Spiritualism as a Keynote of Indian Nationalism under the Lens of Sri Aurobindo

Abstract

Sri Aurobindo, a dynamic visionary of the twentieth century mostly known as a ‘Spiritual Yogi’ and a philosopher has also been the proponent of ‘Spiritual Nationalism’ during his active political career of 1906-1910. His brief tenure of political days remains as one of the most influential in the Indian history of Resistance Movement. The idea of nationalism he propounded is very unique in the Indian history, where he identified the nation as his own ‘Mother.’ Sri Aurobindo drew his inspiration from Rishi Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in regarding the nation as ‘Mother.’ He considered the nation as a ‘living Goddess.’ During his revolutionary days, he wrote a pamphlet ‘Bhawani Mandir’ which was published in the journal ‘Bande Mataram’ under his own editorship. Bhawani Mandir is the blueprint of the concept of spirituality as a bedrock of the Indian Nationalism propagated by Sri Aurobindo. In the study of his ‘Spiritual Nationalism’ we also come across the ‘Nation-soul’ theory in which, India as a nation has been emphasized by Sri Aurobindo as a living being, the mighty ‘Shakti’- the power or consciousness of the evolving spirit. The concept of ‘Shakti’ has been the base of his ‘Spiritual Nationalism’ and all the political measures he undertook in order to free his nation from the clutches of the British rule. The present paper thus aims to highlight the spiritualism as a keynote of the Indian Nationalism as propounded by Sri Aurobindo.