Jayaprakash Narayan, Vinoba Bhave, and Sri Aurobindo

 Jayaprakash Narayan's philosophical journey included a significant, though specific, acknowledgment of Sri Aurobindo's ideas, especially concerning the concept of an authentic Indian political structure. 

Vinoba Bhave and Sri Aurobindo

Vinoba Bhave was indeed sympathetic to Sri Aurobindo's spiritual qualities and the demanding nature of his yoga. During a visit to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Vinoba made a significant remark to the Mother, appreciating the difficulty of doing Sri Aurobindo's "great Yoga" amidst surroundings of material beauty and comfort, which he viewed as a higher challenge than asceticism in bare surroundings. This indicates a mutual respect and an understanding of the profound spiritual work Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were undertaking. 

JP's Inclination

JP's potential inclination towards Sri Aurobindo, likely stemming from his association with Vinoba Bhave and the broader Sarvodaya movement, is reflected in the following points:

• Recognition of Aurobindo's Vision: In his book A Plea for the Reconstruction of Indian Polity (1959), JP explicitly acknowledged Sri Aurobindo's profound insight. He wrote that the "extraordinary, intuitive sweep of his vision has laid bare the true nature of the foundations of Indian polity".
• Decentralization: JP followed Aurobindo's argument about the validity of the ancient Indian political order, which was based on self-governing village communities. This vision of a highly decentralized, participatory democracy (Panchayati Raj or 'swaraj from below') was central to JP's philosophy and a key component of his later call for Total Revolution.
• Spiritual Element: JP's Total Revolution included a "spiritual revolution" component, focusing on inner moral strength and transformation, which aligns with the spiritual goals of the Aurobindonian philosophy, though his primary framework remained Gandhian Sarvodaya. 

While JP's primary ideological roots remained in Gandhism and a transition from Marxism, his explicit appreciation and adoption of Sri Aurobindo's ideas on decentralized polity show a definite, shared philosophical ground on how an authentic Indian democracy should function. - GoogleAI

• Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) and Vinoba Bhave (Sarvodaya Movement): As mentioned previously, JP was influenced by Sri Aurobindo's idea of a decentralized, self-governing polity rooted in ancient Indian traditions. The Sarvodaya movement, led by Vinoba, aimed for the "rise of all" and integrated spiritual ideals into a socio-political framework, echoing Sri Aurobindo's emphasis on inner transformation and holistic societal development. - GoogleAI
• Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra