Alipore Bomb Case 1908

Meanwhile, Sri Aurobindo’s younger brother Barin continues his revolutionary activities and makes plans to assassin Douglass Kingsford, a sadistic magistrate of Calcutta known for his extreme cruelty. Two revolutionaries from Barin’s group attempt to kill the judge by throwing a bomb into his carriage. But, instead, two British ladies and not Kingsford occupied the carriage. Both ladies were killed.

In the early morning hours of May 2, 1908, and suspecting Sri Aurobindo’s involvement, the police arrests Sri Aurobindo and takes him to Alipore Jai where he will remain for one year. During this one-year period, Sri Aurobindo studies the Bhagavat Gita and the Upanishads: he meditates with the help of the Upanishads and practices the yoga of the Gita.

Sri Aurobindo observes, philosophically: “I did not know that that day would mean the end of a chapter of my life, and that there stretched before me a year’s imprisonment during which period all my human relations would cease, that for a whole year I would have to live, beyond the pale of society, like an animal in a cage. And when I would re-enter the world of activity it would not be the old familiar Aurobindo Ghose. Rather it would be a new being, a new character, intellect, life, mind, embarking upon a new course of action that would come out of the ashram at Alipore. I have spoken of a year’s imprisonment. It would have been more appropriate to speak of a year’s living in a forest, in an ashram, hermitage. For long I had made great efforts for a direct vision of the Lord of my Heart; had entertained the immense hope of knowing the Preserver of the world, the Supreme Person (Purushottam) as friend and master. But due to the pull of a thousand worldly desires, attachment towards numerous activities, the deep darkness of ignorance I did not succeed in that effort. At long last the most merciful all-good Lord (Shiv Hari) destroyed all these enemies at one stroke and helped me in my path, pointed to the yogashram, Himself staying as guru and companion in my little abode of retirement and spiritual discipline. The British prison was that ashram. I have also watched this strange contradiction in my life that however much good my well-intentioned friends might do for me, it is those who have harmed me—whom shall I call an enemy, since enemy I have none?—my opponents have helped me even more. They wanted to do me an ill turn, the result was I got what I wanted. The only result of the wrath of the British Government was that I found God.”

Another important development was the sudden opening of the capacity for appreciating painting. Sri Aurobindo notes: “I knew something about sculpture, but (was) blind to painting. Suddenly on day in the Alipore jail while meditation, I saw some pictures on the walls of the cell and lo and behold! The artistic eye in me opened and I knew all about painting except of course the more material side of the technique.”