The Fifteenth of August 1947The original version [left] was found to be a little too long for the time allotted for the message; so in the second version [right] it was slightly abridged and recast. It is this second version that was broadcast from the All India Radio on the 14th August 1947.
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Original VersionIn Bold: Modified or omitted passages |
Broadcast VersionIn Italic: Modifications or additions |
| August 15th is the birthday of free India. It marks for her the end of an old era, the beginning of a new age. But it has a significance not only for us, but for Asia and the whole world; for it signifies the entry into the comity of nations of a new power with untold potentialities which has a great part to play in determining the political, social, cultural and spiritual future of humanity. | August 15th, 1947 is the birthday of free India. It marks for her the end of an old era, the beginning of a new age. But we can also make it by our life and acts as a free nation an important date in a new age opening for the whole world, for the political, social, cultural and spiritual future of humanity. |
| To me personally it must naturally be gratifying that this date which was notable only for me because it was my own birthday celebrated annually by those who have accepted my gospel of life, should have acquired this vast significance. | August 15th is my own birthday and it is naturally gratifying to me that it should have assumed this vast significance. |
| As a mystic, I take this identification, not as a coincidence or fortuitous accident, but as a sanction and seal of the Divine Power which guides my steps on the work with which I began life. Indeed almost all the world movements which I hoped to see fulfilled in my lifetime, though at that time they looked like impossible dreams, I can observe on this day either approaching fruition or initiated and on the way to their achievement. | I take this coincidence, not as a fortuitous accident, but as the sanction and seal of the Divine Force that guides my steps on the work with which I began life, the beginning of its full fruition. Indeed, on this day I can watch almost all the world-movements which I hoped to see fulfilled in my lifetime, though then they looked like impracticable dreams, arriving at fruition or on their way to achievement. |
| I have been asked for a message on this great occasion, but I am perhaps hardly in a position to give one. All I can do is to make a personal declaration of the aims and ideals conceived in my childhood and youth and now watched in their beginning of fulfilment, because they are relevant to the freedom of India, since they are a part of what I believe to be India's future work, something in which she cannot but take a leading position. | In all these movements free India may well play a large part and take a leading position. |
| For I have always held and said that India was arising, not to serve her own material interests only, to achieve expansion, greatness, power and prosperity, - though these too she must not neglect, - and certainly not like others to acquire domination of other people, but to live also for God and the world as a helper and leader of the whole human race. | [omitted] |
| Those aims and ideals were
in their natural order these :
- a revolution which would achieve India's freedom and unity; - the resurgence and liberation of Asia and her return to the great role which she had played in the progress of human civilisation; - the rise of a new, a greater, brighter and nobler life for mankind which for its entire realisation would rest outwardly on an international unification of the separate existence of the peoples, preserving and securing their national life but drawing them together into an overriding and consummating oneness; - the gift by India of her spiritual knowledge and her means for the spiritualisation of life to the whole race; - finally, a new step in the evolution which, by uplifting the consciousness to a higher level, would begin the solution of the many problems of existence which have perplexed and vexed humanity, since men began to think and to dream of individual perfection and a perfect society |
[ = the "dreams"] |
| [ = - a revolution which would achieve India's freedom and unity; ] | The first of these dreams was a revolutionary movement which would create a free and united India. |
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India is free but she has not achieved
unity, only a fissured and broken freedom
At one time it almost seemed as if she might relapse into the chaos of separate States which preceded the British conquest. Fortunately there has now developed a strong possibility that this disastrous relapse will be avoided. |
India today is free but she has not
achieved unity.
At one moment it almost seemed as if in the very act of liberation she would fall back into the chaos of separate States which preceded the British conquest. But fortunately it now seems probable that this danger will be averted and a large and powerful, though not yet a complete union will be established. |
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The wisely drastic policy of the Constituent Assembly makes it possible that the problem of the depressed classes will be solved without schism or fissure. But the old communal division into Hindu and Muslim seems to have hardened into the figure of a permanent political division of the country. It is to be hoped that the Congress and the nation will not accept the settled fact as for ever settled or as anything more than a temporary expedient. For if it lasts, India may be seriously weakened, even crippled : civil strife may remain always possible, possible even a new invasion and foreign conquest. |
Also, the wisely drastic policy of the Constituent Assembly has made it probable that the problem of the depressed classes will be solved without schism or fissure. But the old communal division into Hindus and Muslims seems now to have hardened into a permanent political division of the country. It is to be hoped that this settled fact will not be accepted as settled for ever or as anything more than a temporary expedient. For if it lasts, India may be seriously weakened, even crippled: civil strife may remain always possible, possible even a new invasion and foreign conquest. India's internal development and prosperity may be impeded, her position among the nations weakened, her destiny impaired or even frustrated. |
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The partition of the country must go, - it is to be hoped by a slackening
of tension, by a progressive understanding of the need of peace and
concord, by the constant necessity of common and concerted action,
even of an instrument of union for that purpose.
In this way unity may come about under whatever form - the exact form may have a pragmatic but not a fundamental importance. But by whatever means, the division must and will go. For without it the destiny of India might be seriously impaired and even frustrated. But that must not be. |
This must not be; the partition must go. Let us hope that this may
come about naturally, by an increasing recognition of the necessity not
only of peace and concord but of common action, by the practice of
common action and the creation of means for that purpose. In this way unity may finally come about under whatever form - the exact form may have a pragmatic but not a fundamental importance.. But by whatever means, in whatever way, the division must go; unity must and will be achieved, for it is necessary for the greatness of India's future |
| [ = - the resurgence and liberation of Asia and her return to the great role which she had played in the progress of human civilisation; ] | Another dream was for the resurgence and liberation of the peoples of Asia and her return to her great role in the progress of human civilisation. |
| Asia has arisen and large parts of
it have been liberated or are at this moment being liberated; its other
still subject parts are moving through whatever struggles towards freedom.
Only a little has to be done and that will be done today or tomorrow. There India has her part to play and has begun to play it with an energy and ability which already indicate the measure of her possibilities and the place she can take in the council of the nations. |
Asia has arisen; large parts are
now quite free or are at this moment being liberated: its other still subject
or partly subject parts are moving through whatever struggled towards freedom.
Only a little has to be done and that will be done today or tomorrow. There India has her part to play and has begun to play it with an energy and ability which already indicate the measure of her possibilities and the place she can take in the council of the nations. |
| [ = - the rise of a new, a greater, brighter and nobler life for mankind which for its entire realisation would rest outwardly on an international unification of the separate existence of the peoples, preserving and securing their national life but drawing them together into an overriding and consummating oneness; ] | The third dream was a world-union forming the outer basis of a fairer, brighter and nobler life for all mankind. |
| The unification of mankind is under
way, though only in an imperfect initiative, organised but struggling against
tremendous difficulties. But the momentum is there and, if the experience
of history can be taken as a guide, it must inevitably increase until it
conquers. Here too India has begun to play a prominent part and, if she can develop that larger statesmanship which is not limited by the present facts and immediate possibilities but looks into the future and brings it nearer, her presence may make all the difference between a slow and timid and a bold and swift development. |
That unification of the human world
is under way; there is an imperfect initiation organised by struggling
against tremendous difficulties. But the momentum is there and it must
inevitably increase and conquer. Here too India has begun to play a prominent part and, if she can develop that larger statesmanship which is not limited by the present facts and immediate possibilities but looks into the future and brings it nearer, her presence may make all the difference between a slow and timid and a bold and swift development. |
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A catastrophe may intervene and
interrupt or destroy what is being done, but even then the final result
is sure. For in any case the unification is a necessity in the course of
Nature, an inevitable movement and its achievement can be safely foretold.
Its necessity for the nations also is clear, for without it the freedom of the small peoples can never be safe hereafter and even large and powerful nations cannot really be secure. India, if she remains divided, will not herself be sure of her safety. |
A catastrophe may intervene
and interrupt or destroy what is being done, but even then the final result
is sure. For unification is a necessity of Nature, an inevitable movement.
Its necessity for the nations is also clear, for without it the freedom of the small nations may be at any moment in peril and the life even of the large and powerful nations insecure. |
| It is therefore to the interest of all that union should take place. Only human imbecility and stupid selfishness could prevent it. Against that, it has been said, even the gods strive in vain; but it cannot stand for ever against the necessity of Nature and the Divine Will. | The unification is therefore to the interests of all, and only human imbecility and stupid selfishness can prevent it; but these cannot stand for ever against the necessity of Nature and the Divine Will. |
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Nationalism will then have fulfilled itself; an international spirit
and outlook must grow up and international forms and institutions; even
it may be such developments as dual or multilateral citizenship and a voluntary
fusion of cultures may appear in the process of the change and the spirit
of nationalism losing its militancy may find these things perfectly compatible
with the integrity of its own outlook. A new spirit of oneness will take hold of the human race. |
But an outward basis is not enough; there must
grow up an international spirit and outlook, international forms and institutions
must appear, perhaps such developments, as dual or multilateral citizenship,
willed interchange or voluntary fusion of cultures. Nationalism will have fulfilled itself and lost it militancy and would no longer find these things incompatible with self-preservation and the integrality of its outlook. A new spirit of oneness will take hold of the human race. |
| [ = - the gift by India of her spiritual knowledge and her means for the spiritualisation of life to the whole race; ] | Another dream, ... |
| The spiritual gift of India to the
world has already begun. India's spirituality is entering Europe and America
in an ever increasing measure. That movement will grow; amid the disasters of the time more and more eyes are turning towards her with hope and there is even an increasing resort not only to her teachings, but to her psychic and spiritual practice. |
... the spiritual gift of India to
the world has already begun. India's spirituality is entering Europe and
America in an ever increasing measure. That movement will grow; amid the disasters of the time more and more eyes are turning towards her with hope and there is even an increasing resort not only to her teachings, but to her psychic and spiritual practice. |
| The rest... [ = - finally, a new step in the evolution which, by uplifting the consciousness to a higher level, would begin the solution of the many problems of existence which have perplexed and vexed humanity, since men began to think and to dream of individual perfection and a perfect society. ] | The final dream was a step in evolution which would raise man to a higher and larger consciousness and begin the solution of the problems which have perplexed and vexed him since he first began to think and to dream of individual perfection and a perfect society. |
| ... is still a personal hope and
an idea and ideal which has begun to take hold both in India and in the
West on forward-looking minds. The difficulties in the way are more formidable
than in any other field of endeavour, but difficulties were made to be
overcome and if the Supreme Will is there, they will be overcome.
Here too, if this evolution is to take place, since it must come through a growth of the spirit and the inner consciousness, the initiative can come from India and although the scope must be universal, the central movement may be hers. |
This is still a personal hope and
an idea, an ideal which has begun to take hold both in India and in the
West on forward-looking minds, The difficulties in the way are more formidable
than in any other field of endeavour, but difficulties were made to be
overcome and if the Supreme Will is there, they will be overcome .
Here too, if this evolution is to take place, since it must proceed through a growth of the spirit and the inner consciousness, the initiative can come from India and, although the scope must be universal, the central movement may be hers. |
| Such is the content which I put into this date of India's liberation; whether or how far or how soon this connection will be fulfilled, depends upon this new and free India. | Such is the content which I put into this date of India's liberation; whether or how far this hope will be justified depends upon the new and free India. |
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Sri Aurobindo
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Sri Aurobindo
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