Sri Aurobindo was looked upon as a prophet of the Indian nationalism. In association with Bankimchandra, Tilak and Dayanand, he contributed to the theory of nationalism in India. By way of their self-negating efforts, the enlivening components were freed.
Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy of nationalism was established on Vedanta doctrine which envisaged harmony and cohesion in man and God. There was an undeniable oneness in India notwithstanding the prevalence of the external inequalities owing to the fact that the essence of unity and oneness permeated it. India wanted in Shakti or power in the form of physical, moral, material and spiritual for her rejuvenation. The forcefulness or firmness of a nation accounted fro the unity of her nation. Referring Bamkimchandra, he proclaimed that India was virtually Mother India which epitomized Shakti of millions of her children.
Aurobindo censured those people who were of the opinion that India could never emerge as a nation due to its cultural, racial, and linguistic variety and division of Indian society. His argument was that since Europe and England succeeded in evolving as nations, the same would apply in the case of India since the historical conditions prevalent in either case were similar to lead to an eventuality.
Aurobindo indicated that there were specified inevitable components in the growth of nationality. These inevitable components included geographical unity, identical history, a powerful common interest drive in the direction of harmony and particular suitable conditions which empowered the impulse to know itself in an organized government. Sri Aurobindo held that a congruous eagerness compounding with a congruous interest was the strongest stimulant of nationality.
Aurobindo realized the significance of villages in the Indian society and implied that in contrast to the West, where all political activity centered on the Centre, Indian village represented the chief support of national entity; Indian villages were democratic, autonomous and self-governing. Hence revival of the village was essential for the revival of India. The model of national Swaraj must be moulded on the ancient village community which was self-sufficient, autonomous and self-governing.