Author: Dr. Shyamal Das
Abstract: Sri Aurobindo occupies a distinctive position within modern Indian political thought, integrating revolutionary nationalism with a comprehensive spiritual philosophy. While existing scholarship often treats his early political activism and later metaphysical writings as separate phases, this paper argues that Aurobindo developed a coherent political philosophy in which spirituality constituted the epistemological foundation of nationalism. Drawing upon his political journalism in Bande Mataram and Karmayogin, alongside later philosophical works such as The Ideal of Human Unity and The Life Divine, this study reconstructs Aurobindo’s conception of nationhood, sovereignty, and freedom. Employing an intellectual history approach combined with qualitative content analysis, the paper situates Aurobindo within broader debates on anticolonial nationalism and cultural revivalism. It demonstrates that Aurobindo redefined Swaraj not merely as political independence but as integral liberation encompassing individual consciousness and collective evolution. His vision of the nation as a living spiritual entity challenged Western secular models of nationalism and proposed an alternative framework grounded in Vedantic universalism and ethical idealism. The study further contends that Aurobindo’s concept of integral nationalism anticipates later discussions on postcolonial governance, civilizational identity, and moral statehood. By synthesizing Aurobindo’s revolutionary writings with his spiritual philosophy, this paper contributes to Indian political theory by highlighting spirituality as a legitimate analytical category in nationalist discourse and reassessing Aurobindo’s enduring relevance in contemporary political thought.
Keywords: Sri Aurobindo; Spiritual Nationalism; Indian Political Thought; Swaraj; Integral Humanism; Anti-Colonial Philosophy.
Page No: 156-160