BIBLIOGRAPHY

This bibliography lists all of Sri Aurobindo's writings in English which have appeared in book form. It includes not only works that came out prior to the passing of Sri Aurobindo in December 1950 but also those reproduced from manuscripts or journals after that date. Books compiled from already published works have been omitted.

Although most of these titles have run into numerous editions, this bibliography gives information about the first edition only; subsequent editions are mentioned only if they included new material or if they were revised by the author.

Where necessary, cross-references are given; for example, in title-entry number 1. After the War, the cross-reference (See 28, 100) refers to title-entry numbers 28 and 100 in this bibliography.

At the end of each entry is given the number of the Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library (SABCL) volume in which the work can now be found.

A list of the journals with which Sri Aurobindo was associated is added at the end of the bibliography.

1. AFTER THE WAR

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1949

First published as an article in the Arya, August 1920.

Issued as a pamphlet in 1949. Included in War and Self-Determination since 1957 (See 28, 100).

SABCL: Social and Political Thought, Vol. 15

2. THE AGE OF KALIDASA

Tagore & Co., Madras, 1921

Written during the Baroda period (1893-1906). First appeared in the Calcutta Review. Published in book form with Kalidasa's "Seasons" since 1929 under the title Kalidasa (See 35).

SABCL: The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3

3. AHANA AND OTHER POEMS

Printed at The Modern Press, Pondicherry, 1915

Includes 25 poems: Ahana, Invitation, Who, Miracles, Reminiscence, A Vision of Science, Immortal Love, A Tree, To the Sea, Revelation, Karma, Appeal, A Child's Imagination, The Sea at Night, The Vedantin's Prayer, Rebirth, The Triumph-Song of Trishuncou, Life and Death, Evening, Parabrahman, God, The Fear of Death, Seasons, The Rishi, In the Moonlight.

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"Ahana", a poem of 172 lines, is a revised and enlarged version of     the last 160 lines of "The Descent of Ahana", an earlier draft found among Sri Aurobindo's manuscripts. This version of 172 lines, further revised and enlarged to 520 lines, was published in Collected Poems and Plays, 1942 (See 13). SABCL Volume 5 includes two versions: the first draft "The Descent of Ahana" (p. 537) and the revised and enlarged "Ahana" of 520 lines (p. 523).

"Invitation" was composed in the Alipore Jail in 1908 or 1909 and     first published in the weekly Karmayogin, November 6, 1909.

"Who" was first published in Karmayogin, November 13, 1909. In SABCL "Karma" and "Appeal" appear in Volume 8.

SABCL: Collected Poems, Vol. 5

Translations, Vol. 8

4. ANANDAMATH

Basumati Sahitya Mandir, Calcutta (no date)

A translation of Bankim Chandra Chatterji's Bengali novel. The prologue and the first thirteen chapters of Part I were translated by Sri Aurobindo, the rest by his brother Barindra. The parts translated by Sri Aurobindo first appeared in the Karmayogin, intermittently between August 7, 1909 and February 12, 1910.

In SABCL only the prologue and the chapters translated by Sri Aurobindo are given in Volume 8.

SABCL: Translations, Vol. 8

5. BAJI PRABHU

Arya Office, Pondicherry, 1922

First appeared in the Karmayogin between February 19 and March 5, 1910 (See 13).

SABCL: Collected Poems, Vol. 5

6. BANKIM CHANDRA CHATTERJI

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1954

First appeared in the Indu Prakash, Bombay between July 16 and August 27, 1894, in seven instalments.

SABCL: The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3

7. BANKIM - TILAK - DAYANANDA

Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, 1940

Contents:

1. "Bande Mataram", a translation of the national song (in verse and

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prose), first appeared as part of the translation of Chapter IX of Anandamath in the Karmayogin, November 20, 1909.

2. "Rishi Bankim Chandra", an essay, first appeared in the Bande Mataram, April 16, 1907 and was later reprinted in Rishi Bankim Chandra (See 74).

3. "Bal Gangadhar Tilak", an essay, first appeared as an introduction to Bal Gangadhar Tilak: His Writings and Speeches (Ganesh & Co., Madras, 1918).

4. "Dayananda: The Man and His Work" and "Dayananda and the Veda", essays, first appeared in The Vedic Magazine, Lahore, in 1915 and 1916 respectively (See 16).

5. "The Men that Pass", an essay on R. C. Dutt from the Karmayogin, December 4, 1909.

In SABCL "Bande Mataram" appears in Volume 8 and the rest in Volume 17.

SABCL: Translations, Vol. 8

The Hour of God, Vol. 17

8. BASES OF YOGA

Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, 1936

Extracts from letters to disciples arranged under various headings.    

In SABCL mostly incorporated into Volumes 22, 23 and 24.

SABCL: Letters on Yoga, Vols. 22, 23, 24

9. THE BIRTH OF THE WAR GOD

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1952

Booklet. Reprinted from the Sri Aurobindo Circle, 1952.

Three translations of the first canto of Kalidasa's epic Kumarasambhavam.

The manuscript bears the date January 15, 1918.

SABCL includes an incomplete translation of Canto Two.

SABCL: Translations, Vol. 8

10. THE BRAIN OF INDIA

Prabartak Publishing House, Calcutta, 1921

First published in four instalments in the Karmayogin, October 9 to November 13, 1909.

SABCL: The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3

11. THE CENTURY OF LIFE

The Shama's Publishing House, Madras, 1924

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The Nitishataka of Bhartrihari freely rendered into English verse. The translation was completed by Sri Aurobindo during the early years of his stay in Pondicherry, although most of it was done earlier, a few pieces having been published in a magazine of the Baroda College in the 1890's. Some of the epigrams appeared in the Karmayogin, March 19, 1910 and in the Arya, December 1917 and November 1918.

SABCL: Translations, Vol. 8

12. CHITRANGADA

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1949

Booklet. Reprinted from Sri Aurobindo Circle, 1949.    

Fragment of a poem which had been completed by Sri Aurobindo, but of which the original manuscript was lost. Only the opening passages, which had been published in the Karmayogin, March 26 and April 2, 1910, were preserved. These passages were reprinted in the Sri Aurobindo Circle, 1949, with minor revisions by the author.

SABCL: Collected Poems, Vol. 5

13. COLLECTED POEMS AND PLAYS

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1942

Published in two volumes and arranged according to the date of composition.

Volume I, Contents:

1890-1902: Songs to Myrtilla (See 81), Urvasie (See 93), Love and Death (See 51).    

1895-1908: Poems: Ahana and Other Poems, excluding "Ahana" (See 3), Perseus the Deliverer (See 65).    

Volume II, Contents:

1895-1908: Translation: Vikramorvasie (See 97).    

1902-1915: Baji Prabhou (See 5); Nine Poems: "The Mother of Dreams", composed in Alipore Jail in 1908 or 1909 and first published in the Modern Review, July 1909; "An Image", "The Birth of Sin", "Epiphany", first published in the Karmayogin, November 20, December 11 and 18, 1909 respectively; "To R", first published in the Modern Review, April 1910; "The Rakshasas", "Kama", "The Mahatmas", first published in the Standard Bearer, November 14 and 28 and December 12, 1920; "Ahana" (revised and enlarged version of 520 lines; See 3). Translations: The Century of Life (See 11), "Hymn to the Mother" ("Bande Mataram"; See 7); "Vidula", originally appeared under the title "The Mother to Her Son" in the weekly Bande Mataram, June 9, 1907; Songs of the Sea (See 79).

1930: Six Poems (See 78); "Transformation" and other poems, first published in 1941 under the title Poems (See 67).

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Translations: "Mother India", "Mahalakshmi".

Appendix I: Essay: "On Quantitative Metre"; Poems: "Ocean Oneness", "Trance of Waiting", "Flame-Wind", "The River", "Journey's End", "The Dream Boat", "Soul in the Ignorance", "The Witness and the Wheel", "Descent", "The Lost Boat", "Renewal", "Soul's Scene", "Ascent (I): The Silence", (2): "Beyond the Silence", "The Tiger and the Deer", "Ilion" (the opening passages of the epic; See 33).

Appendix II: Bibliography.

SABCL: Collected Poems, Vol. 5

Collected Plays, Vols. 6, 7 

Translations, Vol. 8

14. CONVERSATIONS OF THE DEAD

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1951

Originally written in 1909 or 1910 for the Karmayogin; only two of the pieces were published in the journal: "Dinshah — Perizade" and "Turin—Uriu", February 12 and 19, 1910 respectively. The others were first published by the Standard Bearer: "Mazzini — Cavour — Garibaldi", November 7, 1920, "Shivaji — Jai Singh", December 26, 1920, "Littleton — Percival", May 29 and June 5, 1923.

SABCL: The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3

15. CORRESPONDENCE WITH SRI AUROBINDO

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, Series I in 1954, Series II in 1959    

Combined edition in 1969

Sri Aurobindo's replies to a disciple's questions on matters relating to Yoga, poetry, medicine etc. The disciple's questions are given. In SABCL some of Sri Aurobindo's replies appear in Volumes 9, 22, 23, 24 and 26.

SABCL: The Future Poetry, Vol. 9

Letters on Yoga, Vols. 22, 23, 24

On Himself, Vol. 26

16. DAYANANDA: THE MAN AND HIS WORK

Gurukula Vishvavidyalaya, Kangri, 1920

A reprint of two articles which first appeared in The Vedic Magazine, Lahore, in 1915 and 1916.

The second article, "Dayananda and the Veda", was reprinted 'in 1920 by the Tract Publishing Society (Arya Kumar Sabha, Calcutta).

The two were reissued together in 1939 as Swami Dayanand Saraswati (See 87) and later included in Bankim — Tilak — Dayananda (See 7).

SABCL: The Hour of God, Vol. 17

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17. THE DOCTRINE OF PASSIVE RESISTANCE

Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, 1948

A series of articles from the daily Bande Mataram, April 11 to 23, 1907, and an article "The Morality of Boycott" written for the Bande Mataram but not published in that journal; it was produced as an exhibit in the Alipore Bomb Case (May 1908).

SABCL: Bande Mataram, Vol. 1

18. EIGHT UPANISHADS

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1953

Translations of the Isha, Kena, Katha, Mundaka, Mandukya, Prashna, Taittiriya and Aitareya Upanishads, with texts, and an essay "On Translating the Upanishads" as an introduction.

Isha. A translation was published in the Karmayogin, June 19,1909; another translation with notes appeared in the Arya, August 15, 1914, followed by an analysis in subsequent issues. This later translation and analysis was published separately as Isha Upanishad in 1921, a Second Edition, revised and enlarged, appeared in 1924 (See 34).

Kena: A translation was published in the Karmayogin, June 26, 1909; another translation with notes in the Arya, June 1916, followed by a commentary in subsequent issues. This later translation and commentary were published as Kena Upanishad in 1952 (See 39). A revised version was issued in 1970.

Katha: Translation in the Karmayogin, July 3, 1909 and July 31 to August 28, 1909. Later came out as Katha Upanishad (See 38). Subsequently received partial revision.

Mundaka: Translation in the Karmayogin, February 5, 12 and 26, 1910. A revised translation appeared in the Arya, November-December 1920.

Mandukya and Prashna: from manuscripts.

Taittiriya and Aitareya: from early Baroda manuscripts.

On Translating the Upanishads: from a Baroda manuscript.

The Karmayogin translations of the Isha, Kena and Mundaka were reprinted in Seven Upanishads by Ashtekar & Co., Poona in 1920.

SABCL: The Upanishads, Vol. 12

19. ELEMENTS OF YOGA

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1953

Brief answers to elementary questions about Yoga, written between 1933 and 1936.

In SABCL only some of these answers have been included.

SABCL: Letters on Yoga, Vols. 22, 23, 24 

The Mother, Vol. 25

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20. ERIC: A Dramatic Romance

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1960

Written in Pondicherry in 1912 or 1913.

SABCL: Collected Plays, Vol. 6

21. ESSAYS ON THE GITA

V. Ramaswamy Sastrulu & Sons, Madras, First Series, 1922

Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, First Series in 1926, Second Series in 1928

Combined Edition:

Sri Aurobindo Library, New York, 1950    

Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry, 1959

First published in the Arya in two series: First Series from August 1916 to July 1918, and Second Series from August 1918 to July 1920.

SABCL: Essays on the Gita, Vol. 13

22. EVOLUTION

Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Calcutta, 1921

Three essays from the Arya: "Evolution", August 1915; "The Inconscient", September 1915; "Materialism", October 1918.

SABCL: The Supramental Manifestation, Vol. 16

23. THE FOUNDATIONS OF INDIAN CULTURE

Sri Aurobindo Library, New York, 1953

First appeared serially in the Arya under the titles: "Is India Civilised?", December 1918 to February 1919, "A Rationalistic Critic on Indian Culture", February 1919 to July 1919 and "A Defence of Indian Culture", which was left incomplete, August 1919 to January 1921.

The Appendix, "Indian Culture and External Influence", is an essay from the Arya, March 1919.

The original text was revised slightly by the author.

The sections on Indian art and Indian polity were published separately as The Significance of Indian Art (See 77) and The Spirit and Form of Indian Polity (See 83).

SABCL: The Foundations of Indian Culture, Vol. 14

24. THE FUTURE POETRY

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1953

First appeared serially in the Arya between December 1917 and July 1920. Practically a reprint of the text of the Arya, although a few new paragraphs

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were added by the author.

SABCL: The Future Poetry, Vol. 9

25. HERACLITUS

Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, 1941

First published serially in the Arya, December 1916 to June 1917.

SABCL: The Supramental Manifestation, Vol. 16

26. THE HOUR OF GOD

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1959

Essays and notes from Sri Aurobindo's manuscripts.    

SABCL Volume 17 includes only the first three sections of this book.

SABCL: The Hour of God, Vol. 17

27. THE HUMAN CYCLE

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1949    

Sri Aurobindo Library, New York, 1950

First appeared serially in the Arya under the title The Psychology of Social Development from August 1916 to July 1918. These articles were revised by the author for their publication in book form under the title The Human Cycle.

Subsequently published together with The Ideal of Human Unity and War and Self-Determination (See 28).

SABCL: Social and Political Thought, Vol. 15

28. THE HUMAN CYCLE — THE IDEAL OF HUMAN UNITY — WAR AND SELF-DETERMINATION

Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry, 1962    

Combined Edition (See 27, 30,100)

SABCL: Social and Political Thought, Vol. 15

29. HYMNS TO THE MYSTIC FIRE

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1946    

Second Edition, Enlarged, 1952

Most of the hymns to Agni from the Rig-veda, translated in they esoteric sense.

First Edition, Contents:

A foreword especially written for the book, and an excerpt from "The Doctrine of the Mystics", an essay which had first appeared in the

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Arya, September 1915, as the introduction to "The Hymns of the Atris".

Hymns of Gritsamada. II. 1-10; Hymns of Bharadwaja, VI. 1-16; Hymns of Parasara, I. 65-73: a revised version of "Parasara's Hymns to the Lord of Flame" first published in the Arya, February, June and July, 1920; Hymn of Paruchchhepa, I. 127.    

Second Edition, Contents:

The foreword, all the hymns included in the First Edition, and the     following additional material: Hymns to Agni, V. 1-28, taken from "The Hymns of the Atris" (Arya, October 1915 to July 1916) but with the translations revised; translations of some more hymns of Mandalas I and IV, and some hymns of Mandalas III, VII, VIII and X, which were found among Sri Aurobindo's earlier and later manuscripts.

In SABCL Volume 11, besides the hymns contained in the earlier editions, Suktas 59, 94 and 97 of the First Mandala (from the Arya, September 1917 and January 1920) and two more hitherto unpublished hymns, I. 14 and IV. 40, are given. "The Doctrine of the Mystics" has been given in its complete form. Some other studies found among Sri Aurobindo's manuscripts have been included as a supplement. After the publication of Volume 11, some additional material (on two hymns, I. 74 and IV. 6) was discovered which     is reproduced in Volume 27.

SABCL: Hymns to the Mystic Fire, Vol. 11

30. THE IDEAL OF HUMAN UNITY

Sons of India Ltd., Madras, 1919    

Second Edition, Revised:

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1950    

Sri Aurobindo Library, Inc., New York, 1950

The First Edition was a reprint of the series of essays with the same title first published in the Arya, September 1915 to July 1918. It included a preface by Sri Aurobindo, a detailed synopsis of the chapters, and three appendices consisting of articles from the Arya.

The Second Edition was revised by the author before the Second World War, and a Postscript Chapter dealing with contemporary world conditions was added later in order to bring it up to date.

In the American Edition, the Postscript Chapter appears as the introduction. Subsequently published together with The Human Cycle and War and Self-Determination (See 28).    

In SABCL the preface to the First Edition is given in Volume 27.

SABCL: Social and Political Thought, Vol. 15

31. THE IDEAL OF THE KARMAYOGIN

Sadhana Press, Chandernagore, 1918

Second Edition, 1919

Revised Edition, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1937

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Articles from the Karmayogin.

The First Edition contained only "The Ideal of the Karmayogin" and "Karmayoga", both from the Karmayogin of June 19, 1909.

The Second Edition was enlarged to include the following Karmayogin articles: "In Either Case" (March 26, 1910), "The Awakening Soul of India" (June 26, 1909), "The Doctrine of Sacrifice" (July 24, 1909), "The Process of Evolution" (September 18, 1909); "The Strength of Stillness" (February 19, 1910), "The Three Purushas" (February 12,1910), "The Stress of the Hidden Spirit" (February 26, 1910) and "The Greatness of. the Individual" (July 24, 1909). The Second Edition also included two articles by Sister Nivedita taken from the Karmayogin of March 12, 1910.

In SABCL some of the articles are given in Volume 2 and some in Volume 3.

SABCL: Karmayogin, Vol. 2 

The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3

32. IDEALS AND PROGRESS

Barindra Kumar Ghose, Calcutta, 1920    

Revised Edition, Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, 1922

Five essays from the Arya: "On Ideals" (June 1916), "Yoga and Skill in    

Works" (July 1916), "Conservation and Progress" (May 1916), "The Conservative Mind and Eastern Progress" (July 1916) and "Our Ideal" (August 1915).

SABCL: The Supramental Manifestation, Vol. 16

33. ILION

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1957

An epic in quantitative hexametres, left incomplete. The manuscript seems to date from the Pondicherry period.

The five opening passages (lines 1-371) of the poem were first recast for inclusion as an appendix in Collected Poems and Plays, 1942. The rest of Book One, Books Two to Eight, and fragments of Book Nine were in various stages of revision among Sri Aurobindo's papers and are published as they were found. An essay "On Quantitative Metre" (See 60) and a letter "An Answer to a Criticism" are included as appendices.

SABCL: Collected Poems, Vol. 5

34. ISHA UPANISHAD

Arya Publishing House, Calcutta, 1921    

Revised and Enlarged Edition, 1924

Translation and Analysis. First appeared in the Arya, August 1914 to May 1915. An earlier translation had appeared in the Karmayogin, June 19, 1909.

SABCL: The Upanishads, Vol. 12

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35. KALIDASA

Arya Sahitya Bhawan, Calcutta, 1929    

Revised Edition, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1950

Reprint of The Age of Kalidasa (See 2) and Kalidasa's "Seasons" (See 37).    

SABCL: The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3

36. KALIDASA (Second Series)

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1954    

Second Edition, 1964

From Sri Aurobindo's Baroda manuscripts: "Hindu Drama", "The Historical Method", "On Translating Kalidasa" and the four studies making up "Kalidasa's Characters".

"On Translating Kalidasa" and "Pururavas" (published as "The Character of the Hero") appeared as Introduction and Appendix to Vikramorvasie (See 97).

The First Edition included a fragmentary translation of Malavica and the King, dating from the Baroda period. The Second Edition, however, omitted this and substituted the translation of the first canto of Kumarasambhavam. The Birth of the War God (See 9).

In SABCL "On Translating Kalidasa" has been given in Volume 3 and, in a more complete form, in Volume 27.

SABCL: The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3 

Translations, Vol. 8

37. KALIDASA'S "SEASONS"

Tagore & Co., Madras, 1921

First appeared in three issues of the Karmayogin, July 31 to August 14, 1909.     Parts of an early draft of the essay have been found among Sri Aurobindo's Baroda papers.

A revised version was included in Kalidasa, 1950 Edition (See 35).

SABCL: The Harmony of Virtue, Vol. 3

38. KATHA UPANISHAD

Ashtekar & Co., Poona, 1919    

Revised Edition, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1952

The First Edition was a reprint of the translation from the Karmayogin,

July 3 and July 31 to August 28, 1909.

A revised version was included in Eight Upanishads (See 18).

SABCL: The Upanishads, Vol. 12

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39. KENA UPANISHAD

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1952    

Revised Edition, 1970

A translation of the Kena Upanishad first appeared in the Karmayogin, June 26, 1909. A new translation with a commentary appeared in the Arya, June 1915 to July 1916. This was published in book form in 1952 and later included in the Eight Upanishads (See 18). A revised translation was found after 1952 and was issued as the Revised Edition in 1970.

SABCL: The Upanishads, Vol. 12

40. LAST POEMS

Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1952

Forty-eight poems, mostly sonnets, composed between 1937 and 1944. A facsimile of each poem is given on the facing page. A few of these poems first appeared in The Advent, an Ashram quarterly.

SABCL: Collected Poems, Vol. 5

41. LETTERS OF SRI AUROBINDO (First Series)    

Sri Aurobindo Circle, Bombay, 1947

Extracts from letters to disciples. These letters as well as those of the other     three series listed below were written mostly in the 1930's. The dates of most letters are given.    

Subsequently incorporated in On Yoga II (See 63).

SABCL: Letters on Yoga, Vols. 22, 23, 24

42. LETTERS OF SRI AUROBINDO (Second Series)    

Sri Aurobindo Circle, Bombay, 1949

Subsequently incorporated in On Yoga II (See 63).

SABCL: Letters on Yoga, Vols. 22, 23, 24

43. LETTERS OF SRI AUROBINDO (Third Series, On Poetry and Literature)    

Sri Aurobindo Circle, Bombay, 1949

SABCL: The Future Poetry, Vol. 9

44. LETTERS OF SRI AUROBINDO (Fourth Series)    

Sri Aurobindo Circle, Bombay, 1951

Subsequently incorporated in On Yoga II (See 63).

SABCL: Letters on Yoga, Vols. 22, 23, 24

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Continued

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