I: http://www.aurobindo.ru/workings/other/phillips_stephen-book_reviews.htm
Phillips, Stephen. Book reviews—Heehs, Peter. Sri Aurobindo: A
Brief Biography. By
Peter Heehs has directed the Sri Aurobindo Archives and
Heehs begins by providing sketches of Aurobindo's parents and
grandparents, and details his education in England, his revolutionary activity
in Bengal, and political writing, as well as his early years in Pondicherry,
where he was both exile and recluse practicing yoga—in the book's first seven
or eight chapters. Then, in a second part, Heehs attempts to reflect
Aurobindo's own understanding of his yogic accomplishments. He also provides
there context concerning Aurobindo's extensive writing during the latter half
of his life, and summarizes the main themes of Aurobindo's principal works: the
philosophy of The Life Divine, the
discipline or yoga of The Synthesis of
Yoga, the futuristic social and political thought of The Human Cycle and The Ideal
of Human Unity, and the aesthetics and literary criticism of The Future Poetry. Then, in a separate
chapter toward the end of the book, Heehs uses ideas of The Future Poetry and Aurobindo's letters to gloss, explain, and
give context to Aurobindo's poetry. Aurobindo viewed poetry—and in particular
his epic Savitri—as the most
appropriate way to express his mystic life and spiritual experiences.
In a preface, Heehs quotes L. Gordon's characterization of
previous Aurobindo biographies as "hagiographies," that is, as
attempts to "read back the holy man into the earlier stages of his
career" (p. ix), and distinguishes these from his own intention to steer
clear of glorification. And indeed in Part One he succeeds in chronicling
Aurobindo's history—especially the important political events in which
Aurobindo was involved—without much speculation about the yogi-to-be's inner
life. But Aurobindo's education in London and at Cambridge University and his
work for a Maharaja and as a professor along with his role in the Bengal
political upheaval reads at such a fast pace—the entire story is told in less
than seventy pages—that little room is left for psychological interpretation,
whether adulating, "reductionist," or whatever. And few are likely to
notice the absence of it, the story is so intrinsically interesting for anyone
who loves tales of the Indian nationalist movement or of life during the
British Raj, whatever the interest in Aurobindo. Such is not the case with Part
Two. The division in Heehs's book may reflect a natural break in Aurobindo's
life—roughly, the years prior to his taking up residence in French-ruled
Pondicherry and those after—but this prompts a radical change in Heehs's
writing. In his
Heehs does not do a bad job in identifying the dominant themes of
Aurobindo's world view and mystic teaching. In fact, I know of no better
summary of comparable brevity. But brevity seems just the problem. The entire
discussion of the metaphysics in particular is far too cursory, a sketch so
merely adumbrative that it could be understood in multiple ways. There is just
not enough said to make much at all clear.
Heehs does a better, more adequate job, it seems, in presenting
Aurobindo's account of his own yoga and mystic life, although here, too, he is
too brief. His account begs for greater argument in support of his reading, for
example. (It may seem unfair to criticize faults related to brevity since Heehs
announces the brevity in his very title; however, the faults remain.) Also,
Heehs relies too heavily on writings published posthumously (in the journal he
edits). A rather cryptic, personal Record
of Yoga Aurobindo kept during the years 1912 to 1920 is cited many times—and
disproportionately, considering how numerous are Aurobindo's previously
published letters (more than a thousand) and how extensive are his statements
about himself that he had published during his lifetime. (On the other hand,
this Record is interesting in its
frank and notebook-like style, though one has to worry about the accuracy of
the interpretation and context Heehs provides.) Near the beginning of Part Two,
Heehs writes: "Together they [Aurobindo's own writings and accounts of his
spiritual experiences] may constitute the richest documentation of the
spiritual development of an advanced yogin that has ever been made
available." Here in marked contrast to the over-condensed presentation of
the metaphysics, Heehs's book has great strength, my small complaints
notwithstanding, in distilling this documentation into as easily manageable and
comprehensible story as could be imagined that Aurobindo himself would endorse.
Students of world mysticism will find much of interest in these chapters.
But one must keep in mind that the approach is that of one who is,
if not a disciple, highly sympathetic. Heehs identifies as best he can with
Aurobindo's perspective. Highly disputable points of Aurobindo's mystic
psychology, for example, are presumed, and there is no effort—or at least very
little—to achieve critical distance or leverage. Heehs sometimes even sounds as
though he is speaking himself as a yogi (for example, on p. 137). The overall effect
is not, however, didactic. Heehs makes the assumptions that it seems to him
natural to make, and I doubt that even those who are most unsympathetic to the
face value of Aurobindo's claims will find Heehs's treatment offensive. This is
an excellent introduction to Aurobindo as a nationalist, mystic, and religious
figure, and its shortcomings in sections of its interpretive part do not much
detract from its considerable merits.
II: http://www.aurobindo.ru/workings/other/zinkin_taya-book-review.htm
Zinkin, Taya. Book Review—Heehs, P. Sri Aurobindo: A Brief
Biography. O.U.P., 1990. Pp. 172. Bibliog. Index. 4.95. Pb. // Asian Affairs. V
22 n1, Feb 1991. Page: 90. Length: 2 page(s). Number: 9604010346. Publisher:
Royal Society for Asian Affairs. —ISSN: 0306-8374
Peter Heehs is an archivist at the Aurobindo Ashram in Auroville.
Presumably a devotee of that charismatic but debatable guru, he writes well and
has avoided producing a hagiography. His book, a preliminary to an extensive
study of Sri Aurobindo, is in two parts, the guru's formative years, and his
teachings.
The book makes fascinating reading because of the light it casts
not just on Sri Aurobindo but upon a generation of Bengalis who were more
British than the King. His father, a doctor, was so enamoured of everything
British that he did not allow his children to have anything to do with things
Indian. English was spoken at home; his wife, who went mad—a family illness—when
Aurobindo was five wore dresses and went riding. His three sons were sent to
While in Cambridge Aurobindo became so disenchanted with the kind
of people who were, like himself, preparing for the I.C.S. that he decided,
against his father's wishes, not to serve the Raj. He sat the examination, and
passed despite the fact that he had not taken the preparatory work seriously,
but he deliberately failed the compulsory riding test. Fortunately, since his
father had by then spent all the family money, he was offered a post in
In
From Baroda Aurobindo moved to
So much for the politician. Having fled from British justice to
The author, who devotes the last part of his book to the
philosophy and the writings of Sri Aurobindo, is more than discreet about the
part played by the Mother and presents a picture of Ashram austerity and
saintliness which is at variance with this reviewer's memory of the facts.
Thanks to Auroman for sending me the links. It will be
worthwhile to see these reviews again in the light of the latest work of the
biographer: The Lives of Sri Aurobindo.
Perhaps it is also more appropriate to discuss the issues that have been raised
by the two reviewers. Many of them rather appear to be hasty in their
statements, for instance, “from Baroda Aurobindo
moved to