Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 7
It could be affirmed as a consequence that there is one all-pervading Life or dynamic energy—the material aspect being only its outermost movement—that creates all these forms of the physical universe, Life imperishable and eternal which, even if the whole figure of the universe were quite abolished, would itself still go on existing and be capable of producing a new universe in its place, must indeed, unless it be held back in a state of rest by some higher Power or hold itself back, inevitably go on creating.
EXPLANATION
We have seen in the previous paragraph that Life is a form of cosmic energy. Consequently, we can affirm that there is one all-pervading Life or dynamic energy that creates all these forms of the physical universe. The energy is the fundamental aspect of Life. The material aspect of Life is its outmost movement.
The all-pervading Life is imperishable and eternal. Even if the whole figure of the universe were to be abolished Life would itself still go on existing. It would be capable of producing a new universe in its place. Life must indeed inevitably go on creating unless it is held back in a state of rest or held back by some higher Power.
In that case Life is nothing else than the Force that builds and maintains and destroys forms in the world; it is Life that manifests itself in the form of the earth as much as in the plant that grows upon the earth and the animals that support their existence by devouring the life-force of the plant or of each other. All existence here is a universal Life that takes form of Matter. It might for that purpose hide life-process in physical process before it emerges as submental sensitivity and mentalised vitality, but still it would be throughout the same creative Life-principle.
EXPLANATION
What is Life? It is nothing else than the Force that builds and maintains and destroys forms in the world. It is Life that manifests itself in the form of earth; it is as much the same Life that manifests itself in the plants that grow on the earth; it is as much the same Life that manifests itself in animals on earth that support their existence by feeding upon the plants or other animals.
All existence here is a universal Life that takes form of Matter. For that purpose, it might hide life-process in physical process (material forms) in the beginning. Later it emerges as submental sensitivity (as instinctive response to external stimuli found in some plants) and mentalised vitality found in animals and man. All the while, it remains throughout the same creative Life-principle.
PARAGRAPH 8
It will be said, however, that this is not what we mean by life; we mean a particular result of universal force with which we are familiar and which manifests itself only in the animal and the plant, but not in the metal, the stone, the gas, operates in the animal cell but not in the pure physical atom. We must, therefore, in order to be sure of our ground, examine in what precisely consists this particular result of the play of Force which we call life and how it differs from that other result of the play of Force in inanimate things which, we say, is not life. We see at once that there are here on earth three realms of the play of Force, the animal kingdom of the old classification to which we belong, the vegetable, and lastly the mere material void, as we pretend, of life. How does life in ourselves differ from the life of the plant, and the life of the plant from the not-life, say, of the metal, the mineral kingdom of the old phraseology, or that new chemical kingdom which Science has discovered?
EXPLANATION
We have seen in the previous paragraph that Life is nothing else than the Force. But we may say, this is not what we mean by Life. What we mean by Life is a particular result of universal force with which we are familiar; which manifests itself only in the animal and the plant but not in other material forms like metal, stone, gas; which operates in the animal cell but not in the pure physical atom.
We should first examine how this particular result of the play of Force (in plants and animals – what we call life forms) differs from the other result of the play of Force in inanimate things i.e., non-life forms. We see on earth, there are three realms of play of Force. First is the animal kingdom of the old classification to which we belong. Second is the vegetable kingdom. Third is the mere material world which we pretend to be without life.
How does life in ourselves differ from the life of the plant? How does the life of the plant differ from the metal – the not-life of the mineral kingdom or the chemical kingdom?
PARAGRAPH 9
Ordinarily, when we speak of life, we have meant animal life, that which moves, breathes, eats, feels, desires, and, if we speak of the life of plants, it has been almost as a metaphor rather than a reality, for plant life was regarded as a purely material process rather than a biological phenomenon. Especially we have associated life with breathing; the breath is life, it was said in every language, and the formula is true if we change our conception of what we mean by the Breath of Life. But it is evident that spontaneous motion or locomotion, breathing, eating are only processes of life and not life itself; they are means for the generation or release of that constantly stimulating energy which is our vitality and for that process of disintegration and renewal by which it supports our substantial existence; but these processes of our vitality can be maintained in other ways than by our respiration and our means of sustenance.
EXPLANATION
When we speak of life, we mean animal life. Animal life is characterised by movement, breathing, eating, feeling and desires. When we speak of the life of plants it is more as a metaphor (a figure of speech, image, analogy) than a reality. Because we regard the plant life as a purely material process than a biological process. We always associate life with breathing. The formula ‘breath is life’ is true if we change our conception of what we mean by the Breath of Life.
We must understand that spontaneous motion or locomotion, breathing, eating are only processes of life and not life itself. They are means for the generation or release of that constantly stimulating energy. This energy is our vitality. They are means for that process of disintegration and renewal by which our existence is sustained. But these processes of our vitality can be maintained in other ways than by our respiration and our means of sustenance.
It is a proved fact that even human life can remain in the body and can remain in full consciousness when breathing and the beating of the heart and other conditions formerly deemed essential to it have been temporarily suspended. And new evidence of phenomena has been brought forward to establish that the plant, to which we can still deny any conscious reaction, has at least a physical life identical with our own and even organised essentially like our own though different in its apparent organisation. If that is proved true, we still have to make a clean sweep of our old facile and false conceptions and get beyond symptoms and externalities to the root of the matter.
EXPLANATION
It is proven that human life can remain in the body when the breathing and the beating of the heart, thought to be essential for life, are temporarily suspended. In that stage also the body can remain in full consciousness. There is new Scientific evidence of phenomena available to show that plant has at least a physical life identical with our own. Not only that, their physical life is even organised like our own though different in its outward organisation. All along it was thought that plants were not capable of making any conscious reaction. In the light of these new findings, we have to completely change our old superficial and false conceptions. We have to go beyond symptoms and externalities to the root of the matter.
PARAGRAPH 10
In some recent discoveries *3 which, if their conclusions are accepted, must throw an intense light on the problem of Life in Matter, a great Indian physicist has pointed attention to the response to stimulus as an infallible sign of the existence of life. It is especially the phenomenon of plant-life that has been illumined by his data and illustrated in all its subtle functionings; but we must not forget that in the essential point the same proof of vitality, the response to stimulus, the positive state of life and its negative state which we call death, have been affirmed by him in metals as in the plant. Not indeed with the same abundance, not indeed so as to show an essentially identical organisation of life; but it is possible that, could instruments of the right nature and sufficient delicacy be invented, more points of similarity between the metal and plant life could be discovered; and even if it prove not to be so, this might mean that the same or any life organisation is absent, but the beginnings of vitality could still be there.
*3 These considerations drawn from recent scientific researches are brought in here as illustrative, not probative of the nature and process of Life in Matter as they are developed here. Science and metaphysics (whether founded on pure intellectual speculation or, as in India, ultimately on a spiritual vision of things and spiritual experience) have each its own province and method of inquiry. Science cannot dictate its conclusions to metaphysics any more than metaphysics can impose its conclusions on Science. Still if we accept the reasonable belief that Being and Nature in all their states have a system of correspondences expressive of a common Truth underlying them, it is permissible to suppose that truths of the physical universe can throw some light on the nature as well as the process of the Force that is active in the universe—not a complete light, for physical Science is necessarily incomplete in the range of its inquiry and has no clue to the occult movements of the Force.
EXPLANATION
It was discovered by an Indian Scientist that plants respond to stimulus. It is a sure sign of existence of life in plants. His data illustrated the subtle functionings of plant life. The same proof of vitality, the response to stimulus, the positive state of life and the negative state of death have been affirmed by him in metals as well.
The evidence of life in metals was not given in abundance so as to show an essentially identical organisation of life as in plants. Yet if instruments of the right nature and sufficient delicacy could be invented, more points of similarities between the metal and plant life could be discovered. Even if it is proved that there is no similarity and the same or any life organisation is absent in metals, still beginnings of vitality, the life could still be there.
Sri Aurobindo observes in the foot notes that the facts from the scientific research are given here as an illustration not as a proof of the nature and process of Life in Matter. Science and metaphysics (whether based on pure intellectual philosophy or based on spiritual vision) have each its own field and method of inquiry. Science cannot dictate its conclusions to metaphysics. Nor metaphysics can impose its conclusions on Science.
We can reasonably believe that Being and Nature have a system of correspondences in all their states; they express a common Truth underlying them. Therefore, it is permissible to suppose that the truths of the physical universe (as evidenced by Science) can throw some light on the nature and the process of the Force active in the universe. However, the physical Science cannot throw a complete light. Because the physical Science is incomplete in the range of its inquiry. It has no clue to the occult movements of the Force.