Sri Aurobindo’s idea of creation is closest to the Vedas, specifically the Rig Veda. It is quite similar to the Bhagawat Purana and the Gita in many ways. It is best not to compare, as the language and the realisations are often different.
Very simply put, the Upanishads primarily speak of the two Purushas or the two birds, one identified with the Ignorance, the other with knowledge. Prakriti is regarded as the deluding Maya. But Sri Aurobindo brings back the old original idea of daivi and adaivi Maya, Vidya and Avidya of the Isha Upanishad. However, Sri Aurobindo is with the Gita in speaking of the three Purushas, Kshar, Akshar, Purushottam. As far as I know, the Shvetasvatara leans on the Shiva and Rudra aspect at the origin. Sri Aurobindo speaks of the Sacchidananda Purushottama. He would be in agreement that the creation is an extension of the Creator (like the Shwetasvatara and most Upanishads especially the Isha) and not something outside and other as dualistic doctrines speak of. But Prakriti is not just jad. Matter is jada only in its most outward aspect. There is the Divine Consciousness hidden and involved in Matter. The separation of Purusha and Prakriti is therefore a pragmatic distinction, not an absolute truth. The Ishwara and His Shakti are, in the deepest essence, one. Besides, Sri Aurobindo gives us the complete picture of evolution, the soul’s as well as the world’s. You will find all these details in Savitri: The Secret Knowledge.
Loving regards
Alok
