Poetry is one of the three major art forms of literature, the other two being
drama and novel. It is one of the earliest forms of literature, which is still popular
and influential. The Indian concept of poetry has been a highly evolved form of
communication and it includes both the material and spiritual aspects of human life. It is to
this lofty and hoary tradition that Sri Aurobindo’s poetry belongs. Sri Aurobindo regards
poetry as something divine, the function of which is to encapsulate the spiritual truths a
poet experiences as a seer. He further says literature is an expression of spiritual experience
of a writer and a vehicle of a superior power which helps a poet to open himself to the
experience of infinite consciousness. The doctrine, “That thou art,” enunciated by the
Vedas, is upheld by Sri Aurobindo as a path to realize the true meaning of life. Sri Aurobindo,
the modern seer, tried to revive the notion of poetry as believed and practiced by
Upanishadic sages. As such it is a bit difficult to comprehend his concept of poetry.
The enormous contribution that Sri Aurobindo made to the spiritual life or Indian poetry
in English remains unparalleled even to this day. He is unique in connecting himself to the
hoary poetic tradition of the Vedic rishis and reviving it in modern times in an alien
language. Even his critical comments on the British romantic poetry are insightful and
illuminating. As Gokak (1972) has said, “Sri Aurobindo can be compared to Ved Vyasa”.
To understand and appreciate his poetry, it is imperative to have the knowledge of Indian
culture and ancient Indian theory of poetry. It is unfortunate that some of the modern
critics and poets in India have passed harsh judgments on his poetry. Very often the
predominant spiritual element of his poetry has kept many a reader at bay. The comments
made by poets like Jussawala (1968) and Parthasarthy (1976) on Sri Aurobindo and his
poetry are due to their failure to understand and appreciate the poetic tradition in which
Sri Aurobindo was working, that is, the tradition of the Vedic and Upanishadic sages.
Their sensibilities, forged in the smithies of western critical traditions, have made them
insensitive and incapable of appreciating Sri Aurobindo’s contribution to Indian poetry in
general and English poetry in particular. To estimate Sri Aurobindo’s poetic achievement
and contribution, one has to understand the philosophical framework of his mind and
ideas.
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