Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
The Life Divine remains one of the most ambitious spiritual philosophies ever written. It continues to inspire readers seeking meaning in evolution and purpose in existence. Yet inspiration should not be confused with demonstration.
Its central claims—that Spirit involuted into matter, that evolution is divinely directed, that mystical realization discloses cosmological truth, and that humanity is destined for supramental transformation—rest primarily upon metaphysical interpretation rather than empirical evidence or rigorous philosophical argument.
As a visionary work of speculative philosophy, The Life Divine deserves admiration. As an account of how the universe actually works, however, it asks readers to accept a series of extraordinary claims without meeting the corresponding burden of proof.
Its enduring value may therefore lie less in what it proves than in what it symbolizes: humanity's perennial desire to discover ultimate meaning in an evolving universe. Whether that meaning reflects the cosmos itself—or our own imaginative aspirations—remains the deeper question.
According to Aurobindo, human reason has a twofold action, mixed or dependent, pure or sovereign. Its action is mixed when it works under the sway of the senses. "Its mixed action takes place usually when the mind seeks to become aware of the external world."[2] Aurobindo does not maintain a dualism between sense and reason. He seems to suggest, the senses cannot by themselves reveal the external world. The revelation of the spatio-temporal order involves the operation of reason. At this stage reason is not independent but is adapted to the leading of pragmatic life by the manipulation of the sense-data. Its pure action begins when it breaks away from the moorings of sense-life and seeks to come to self-consciousness and to grasp the root principle of the universe. As Aurobindo avers, "Reason, on the other hand, asserts its pure action, when accepting our sensible experiences as a starting point but refusing to be limited by them, it goes behind, judges, works in its own rights, and strives to arrive at general and unalterable concepts, which attach themselves not to the appearances of things, but to that which stands behind their appearances."[3]
Philosophy begins in wonder. Wonder is undoubtedly the awakening of human reason from its slumber in material quiescence. Thus pure action of reason lifts us gradually from the humdrum sort of life to the metaphysical standpoint. The interest in philosophy indicates partial awakening of the human spirit. Though reason in its pure aspect helps us a good deal towards the Supreme Being, yet it cannot lead us to the cherished goal. It has its own shortcomings.
Other Authors AC Das Chapter I - The Methods of Knowledge
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Published Primary and Secondary Sources
British Newspaper Archive British Parliamentary Papers Cambridge South Asian
Archives, Cambridge Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Calcutta Archives …
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Hinrichs, TJ 78, 81 historiography 5, 20 as nationalist 31 history of Buddhism 344,
360 history of homeopathy 319, 331 history of religion 15, 107 history of religion and …
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