"This new study of Aurobindo's ideology of nationalism comes as an indispensable contribution to analysis of modern Indian political thought. It is imperative for two reasons. First, Bidyut Chakrabarty is a world renowned scholar whose range is truly extraordinary. Evidence of this is found in his Confluence of Thought. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013), where Claiyborne Carson, a leading King scholar, praised it in a Foreword as of inestimable value for western audiences. Since then, professor Chakrabarty has provided a steady stream of crucial publications. Now comes a brilliant gem about the early philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, arguably the most underrated yet profound thinker of the nationalist period.

An important analysis is Aurobindo's vital argument for Hindu-Muslim unity, introduced in the first chapter and then astutely reiterated in the Conclusion. This controverts any interpretation of Aurobindo as an exclusivist advocate of Hindu chauvinism. The nexus of ideas formulated by Aurobindo is scrupulously examined here as "dialectically connected", including his theories of swaraj as related to boycott, education and the Gita. All of this demonstrates the systematic web of thought that Aurobindo ingeniously developed until 1910. While other books on Aurobindo tend to focus on his later writings in Pondicherry, Chakrabarty shows how the foundations were firmly laid before Aurobindo's departure. The use of original sources, particularly a close examination of Aurobindo's works, is a distinctive feature that strengthens the study immeasurably. For these reasons of distinguished authorship combined with choice of a subject essential to our understanding of modern ideology, east or west, this work should rank at the top of "must reads." --Dennis Dalton, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York.