Question: You have said that it was spiritual power that brought about India's liberation. How does Netaji's militaristic approach fit in?

Sri Chinmoy: From the highest spiritual point of view, it was the power of the spirit that brought about India's independence. This inner power was expressed by different leaders in different ways. In the beginning, Sri Aurobindo was a revolutionary. He instigated his brother and others to engage in revolutionary activities. Then he entered into the spiritual life — first, to realise God and, side by side with that goal, he had the goal to conquer the British with inner spiritual force. Netaji used another approach. His strategy was to try to throw the British out of India using military power. He failed in his main aim, which was to raise an army and march to Delhi, but his greatest contribution was to unite Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and Jains in his Indian National Army. No other Indian political leader, military leader or even spiritual leader can claim to have united Indians the way Netaji did.