Sri Aurobindo - A Biography

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An exhaustive biography of Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950) who was an Indian nationalist and freedom fighter, poet, philosopher, and yogi. He joined the movement for India's freedom from British rule and for a duration (1905-1910), became one of its most important leaders, before turning to developing his own vision and philosophy of human progress and a spiritual path which he termed Integral Yoga. He wrote over a hundred poems, many plays and several
books.

In his famous Uttarapara speech, he proclaimed, "I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith;I say that it is the Sanatana Dharma which for us is nationalism. This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatana Dharma, with it it moves and with it it grows. When the Sanatana Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatana Dharma were capable of perishing, with the Sanatana Dharma it would perish.The Sanatana Dharma, that is nationalism. This is the message that I have to speak to you".

Of India's future Sri Aurobindo prophesied : "India of the ages is not dead nor has She spoken Her last creative word. And that which She must seek now to awake, is not an anglicised oriental people, docile pupil of the West and doomed to repeat the cycle of the Occident's success and failure, but still the ancient immemorial Shakti recovering Her deepest self, lifting Her head higher towards the supreme source of light and strength and turning to discover the complete meaning and vaster form of Her Dharma".

Sri Ramanujacharya - A biography

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Ramanuja (11th Century CE), also known as Ramanujacharya, was a theologian, philosopher, and scriptural exegete. He is seen by Sri Vaishnavas as the third and most important teacher (Acharya) of their tradition (after Nathamuni and Yamunacharya), and by Hindus in general as the leading expounder of Visishtadvaita, one of the classical interpretations of the dominant Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.

Ramanuja may have written 9 books. They are also referred to as the nine precious gems, the Navarathnas.

1. His most famous work is known as the Sri Bhasya or Brahma Sutra Bhasya. It is a commentary on the Brahma Sutras.

2-4. Gadhya Thrayam (three prose hymns). All three are: Vaikunta Gadyam describing in great detail Vaikuntha, Sriranga Gadyam, a prayer of surrender to the feet of Ranganatha, Saranagati Gadyam, an imagined dialogue between Ramanuja and Shri (Lakshmi) and Narayana where he petitions Lakshmi to recommend Narayana to give him

5. Vedartha Sangraha (a resume of Vedanta). It sets out Ramanuja’s philosophy, which is theistic (it affirms a morally perfect, omniscient and omnipotent God) and

6. Vedanta Saara (essence of Vedanta) an appendix to Sri Bhasya

7. Vedanta Deepa (the light of Vedanta), another

8. Gita Bhashya ( his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita)

9. Nithya Grantham (About the day to day activities to be performed by all SriVaishnavas)