Sri Aurobindo in Baroda

Chronology of Events

(1872-1908)

1872

August 15 - Birth in Calcutta.
1872-1879

At first in Rangpur, East Bengal; later sent to the Loretto Convent School, Darjeeling.
1879

Taken to England.
1879-1884

In Manchester (84, Shakespeare Street) in the charge of tile Drewett family. Tutored at home by the Drewetts.
1884

September - Admitted to St. Paul's School, London. Takes lodgings at 49, St. Stephen's Avenue, Shepherd's Bush, London.

1889

December - Passes Matriculation from St. Paul's.

1890

July - Admitted as a probationer to the Indian Civil Service.
October 11 - Admitted on a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge, joins the Indian Majlis, a student group; makes speeches advocating Indian freedom.

1892

May - Passes the first part of the Classical Tripos, in the First Class.
August - Passes the Indian Civil Service final examination.
October-Leaves Cambridge. Takes lodgings at 6, Burlington Road, London. In London, takes part in the formation of a secret society called the "Lotus and Dagger".

Has first "pre-yogic" experience, the mental experience of the Atman.
November - Disqualified for the Indian Civil Service due to his failure to take the riding examination.
December- Obtains employment in the service of the Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda.

1893
January 12-Leaves England by the S.S. Carthage. Travels via Gibraltar, Port Said and Aden.

February 6 — Arrives in India, landing at the Apollo Bunder, Bombay.
A "vast calm" descends upon him as he sets foot on Indian soil and remains for months afterwards.
February 18 - Officially joins the Baroda State Service; his pay is retroactive to February 8, probable date of his arrival in Baroda.
His first work is in the Land Settlement Department.
During the first year of his stay in Baroda, has a vision of the Godhead surging up from within him when in danger of a carriage accident.
March-April - Works at translations from the Mahabharata.

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June 26 - Contributes an article, "India and the British Parliament", to the Indu Prakash, Bombay.
August 7-March 5, 1894 - Contributes a series of articles, New Lamps for Old, to the Indu Prakash.

1894

July 16-August 27 - Contributes a series of articles on Bankim Chandra Chatterii to the Indu Prakash.

1895

Publication of Songs to Myrtilla, a collection of poems.

1896

Probable year of publication of Urvasie, a narrative poem.

1897

Begins pan-time work in the Baroda College as a lecturer in French.

1898

Appointed acting Professor of English in the College.

1899

Serves as acting Professor of English and lecturer in French.
June-July - Writes Low and Death, a narrative poem.
July 22 - Lecture at the Baroda College Social Gathering.

1900

Acting Professor of English in the College.
c. 1900

First political move: sends Jatindranath Banerji to Bengal as his lieutenant for the work of revolutionary organisation and propaganda.

1901

Chairman of the college debating society.
April 17-Transferred from the College to the Revenue. Department, Baroda State.
April 30 - Marriage to Mrinalini Bose, eldest daughter of Bhupal Chandra Bose, in Calcutta. Afterwards goes to Nainital with Mrinalini and his sister Sarojini.

1902
Works in the office of the Huzur Kamdar (aide to the Dewan, the chief  administrative officer of the State).
April 28 - On privilege leave until May 29.
Sri Aurobindo uses his leaves and vacations, especially from 1902 onwards, for the organisation of revolutionary action in Bengal.
December - Meeting with Lokmanya Tilak at the Ahmedabad session of the Indian National Congress:

1902-1903

Contacts and joins a secret society in western India.

1903

January - Recommences regular teaching at the Baroda College.
February 22 - On leave for one month.

May-August - Accompanies the Gaekwar on his tour of Kashmir as his Private Secretary.

In Kashmir on Takht-e-Suleman has an experience of the vacant infinite.

1904

Works as Huzur Kamdar, often doing secretarial work for the Gaekwar.

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September 28 — Directed to leave the Huzur Kamdar's office and join the College full time.
December - At the Bombay session of the Indian National Congress.

1904
Begins the practice of Yoga.

1905

January - Assumes the post of Vice-Principal, Baroda College.
March 3 - Becomes acting Principal of the College.
October 16 — The Partition of Bengal becomes an "accomplished fact". Sri Aurobindo writes the pamphlets "No Compromise" and "Bhawani Mandir" during the agitation that precedes the Partition.
December - At the Benares session of the Indian National Congress.

1906

February 19 - Takes privilege leave; goes to Bengal.
March 11 - Present at the formation of the National Council of Education in Calcutta.
March 12 - Declaration of the Yugantar. a Bengali weekly. Sri Aurobindo writes some articles in the early numbers of this revolutionary journal and always exercises general control over it.
April 14 — At the Barisal Conference. Afterwards, makes a political tour of East Bengal with Bepin Chandra Pal.
June - Returns to Baroda.

1906

June 19 - Takes one year's leave without pay from Baroda College. Returns to Bengal.

1907

December 21 - Leaves Calcutta for Surat, the venue of the 1907 session of the Indian National Congress.

1908

January - In Baroda.

Meets Vishnu Bhaskar Lele, a Maharashtrian yogi. Following Lele's instructions, establishes complete silence of the mind, attaining to the experience of the Silent Brahman or Nirvana.
Gives three public speeches.

Periodicals with which Sri Aurobindo was associated while in Baroda

Indu Prakash (English-Marathi Weekly, Bombay)

Sri Aurobindo contributed two series of articles to this newspaper, which was edited by his Cambridge friend K.G. Deshpande. New Lamps for Old appeared in nine instalments from August 7, 1893 to March 5, 1894. This series was preceded by another political article, "India and the British Parliament" (June 26, 1893).The second series, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, written after the passing of the Bengali writer, appeared in seven instalments from July 16 to August 27, 1894.

Yugantar (Bengali Weekly, Calcutta)

A revolutionary journal started by Sri Aurobindo's brother Barindra and others in March 1906. Sri Aurobindo wrote articles for some of the earlier issues of the paper, and always exercised general control over it. It ceased publication in May 1908.

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REFERENCES

Foreword

Sri Aurobindo: Archives and Research, April 1985, Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 66.
Rishabhchand, Sri Aurobindo - His Life Unique (1981), pp. 14, 27, 28, 46, 49, 171.

Arrival in India

Sri Aurobindo: Archives and Research, April 1978, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 77, 107.

A.B. Purani, The Life of Sri Aurobindo (1987), pp. 36, 37, 38, 39.

K.R. Srinivasa lyengar, Sri Aurobindo—a biography and a history (1985), pp. 44. 46.

Nirodbaran, Talks with Sri Aurobindo (1966), p. 191.

Rishabhchand, Sri Aurobindo - His Life Unique (1981), pp. 12, -15.

Personal and Family Life

Sri Aurobindo: Archives and Research, April 1981, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 85,86.

A.B. Purani, The Life of Sri Aurobindo (1987), pp. 38,43,44,45,46,47,50,61,62.

K.R. Srinivasa lyengar, Sri Aurobindo - a biography and a history (1985), pp. 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 54, 64, 65.

Nirodbaran, Mrinalini Devi (1988), pp. 2, 8, 9, 11-21, 24-29.

Rishabhchand, Sri Aurobindo - His Life Unique (1981), pp. 26, 27, 45.

As a Teacher

Sri Aurobindo: Archives and Research, December 1978, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 217-20.

A.B. Purani, The Life of Sri Aurobindo (1987), pp. 45, 47, 48, 57, 58.

K.R. Srinivasa lyengar, Sri Aurobindo - a biography and a history (1985), pp. 49-57.

Rishabhchand, Sri Aurobindo - His Life Unique (1981), pp. 5, 28, 29.

SABCL, Vol. 8, pp. 359, 362, 371, 378, 382; Vol. 26, pp. 9, 252-3.

Political Life

Sri Aurobindo: Archives and Research April 1979, Vol. 3, No. 1, p. 114.

A.B. Purani, The Life of Sri Aurobindo (1987). pp. 48, 49, 50-56, 60, 64-79, 85, 86.

K.R. Srinivasa lyengar, Sri Aurobindo - a biography and a history (1985), pp. 59- 60.

Nirodbaran, Talks with Sri Aurobindo (1966), p. 58.

Rishabhchand, Sri Aurobindo - His Life Unique (1981), pp. 46. 47, 49, 107-8.

SABCL, Vol. 26, pp. 14, 16, 23, 43.

Spiritual Life - Experiences

Sri Aurobindo: Archives and Research, December 1978, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 209- 210; December 1980, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 220-21.

A.B. Purani, The Life of Sri Aurobindo (1987), pp. 51, 52, 57-60, 87, 97-104.

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K.R. Srinivasa lyengar, Sri Aurobindo - a biography and a history (1985), pp. 45, 47, 60, 63, 64.

Rishabhchand, Sri Aurobindo - His Life Unique (1981), pp. 32, 33.

SABCL, Vol. 26, pp. 79. 82, 84, 116, 163; Vol. 5, pp. 139, 161; Vol. 22, p. 121; Vol. 26, p. 50.

Postscript

Sri Aurobindo: Archives and Research, April 1985, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 70-71; April 1986, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 99-102.

Sri Aurobindo - A Life Sketch and His Teaching, Sri Aurobindo's Action, No. 19 (1971), p. 29.

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Sri Aurobindo came to tell us: "One need not leave
the earth to find the Truth, one need not leave the
life to find his soul, one need not abandon the world
or have only limited beliefs to enter into relation
with the Divine. The Divine is everywhere, in
everything and if He is hidden, it is because we do
not take the trouble to discover Him.”

— The Mother