Sri Aurobindo started learning Bengali, his mother tongue, in England, as a probationer for the Indian Civil Service.
After his return to India he began a serious study of the language with a view to acquiring proficiency in reading, writing and speaking.
During his stay at Baroda he wrote some poetry in Bengali, attempting even a long poem called "Usha-Haran Kabya".
He wrote several articles for the earlier issues of Yugantar, a Bengali revolutionary weekly started by his brother Barin and others under his guidance in March 1906. But not a single copy of this journal has so far been traced.
The earliest available Bengali writings of Sri Aurobindo besides "Usha-Haran Kabya" are the three letters to his wife Mrinalini Devi written between 1905 and 1907.
These were produced as exhibits in the Alipore Conspiracy Case in 1908, and having attracted public notice were reproduced in various journals and in book-form soon afterwards.

Contents

• Hymns
• Stories
• The Veda
• The Upanishads
• The Puranas
• The Gita
• Dharma
• Nationalism
• Prison experiences
• Letters Poetry