Sri Aurobindo’s Birthday Talk on 15 August 1909

Dear Friends,

Today we have published a talk of Sri Aurobindo which he had delivered at his residence on 15 August 1909, that is, on the occasion of his thirty-seventh birthday. The text of the talk was published in the Bengali journal, “Bharat Mitra”, on 21 August. It was later translated into English and published in a police intelligence report.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation.

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“In my childhood before the full development of my faculties, I became conscious of a strong impulse in me. I did not realise what it was then, but it grew stronger and stronger as I gained in years till all the weakness of my childhood, fear, selfishness, etc., vanished from my mind. From the day of my return to the mother country, the impulse is surging forth in great force, and my set purpose and devotion are becoming more confirmed with the trials and oppressions to which I am subjected. When some divine power by the Grace of God manifests itself in a human being any efforts to develop it give a new force to the national life. You will have to sacrifice yourself at the feet of your Mother. You should, therefore, devote yourself with firm faith and whole heart to her service. Service of our motherland is our highest duty at this moment. This must be our duty in this iron age. It is now the time for us to conserve our energy. Do not be impatient, do not despair. Do not lose faith. The present fatigue and inactivity are natural; you will find instances of them in the history of every nation. Everyone must store up energy. Be prepared with fresh hope and vigour for the worship of the Mother. Divine power has infused this nation with a new power. This power will exalt the nation one day.”

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5 Replies to “Sri Aurobindo’s Birthday Talk on 15 August 1909

  1. This is a continuation of the thought expressed from time to time in the Bande Mataram articles and editorials that the individual expansion is of great importance for the collective life of the nation. ” When some divine power… to the national life.” Great power in the passage. Thank you for choosing such a lucid message to inspire us.

    Goutam Ghosal

  2. Nation is Mother & the Mother-Nation has to be worshiped by us. Our Nation is not an inanimate object, but with soul. Nation-Soul is very complicated idea made up of every Individual-Soul constinging within each individual. Sri Aurobindo first made it clear to us & for this we should be grateful to him.

  3. “In my childhood before the full development of my faculties, I became conscious of a strong impulse in me. I did not realise what it was then, but it grew stronger and stronger as I gained in years….

    Sri Aurobindo seems to have been driven by this childhood mission, because he has also referred to it in the resignation speech he gave to students of the Bengal National College on 23rd August, 1907. This is the text from that speech:

    “You all know that I have resigned my post. In the meeting you held yesterday I see that you expressed sympathy with me in what you call my present troubles. I don’t know whether I should call them troubles at all, for the experience that I am going to undergo was long foreseen as inevitable in the discharge of the mission that I have taken up from my childhood, and I am approaching it without regret….”

    (Bande Mataram, SABCL volume 1, p 515)

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