ABSTRACT
This chapter understands how Aurobindo became a hardcore nationalist notwithstanding being raised just like any of his contemporaries in a relatively well-off educated Bengali middle-class family. The argument that Aurobindo represented a new phase in India's freedom struggle thus needs to be comprehended with reference to the changing socio-economic realities and politico-ideological priorities of the mainstream nationalists. Aurobindo's argument in defence of India's ancient texts suggests that he had already started a new intellectual journey when he drew sustenance from the Vedas and Upanishads. Aurobindo's argument here exposed a serious limitation of the Congress as an organization; it remained so even when he reigned supreme along with his prominent colleagues. The leaders of the Congress lost their voice simply because they were raised in a class which was the product of British rule. Evident here was his firm critique of the Congress party, which was unable to read the writing on the wall.
