SUPPLEMENT TO VOLUMES 18-19
THE LIFE DIVINE
ARGUMENTS TO "THE LIFE DIVINE"

In response to the desire of some of our subscribers we

    shall prefix henceforth a brief summary or argument to each 

                                               chapter of The Life Divine.
                                                                                                                   Arya, February, 1916

These Arguments were written by Sri Aurobindo for 

Chapters XIX to XXXIII of The Life Divine as it appeared originally

 in tl1e Arya (1914-1919).

The Life Divine was revised in 1939-40 and divided into

two parts, the order of the chapters was rearranged in some places and several new chapters were written for it.

The "Argument in Brief" and a "Synopsis" of the first chapter of The Life Divine were written by Sri Aurobindo in the 1940's in response to pressing requests for a model indicating the lines upon which a - summary of The Life Divine could be attempted.

Where necessary a note is given indicating to what chapter of the (Centenary Edition) the Arya chapter and its argument correspond.  

Page-377

CHAPTER  I

The Human Aspiration

ARGUMENT  IN  BRIEF

            A SEARCH for God (for a spiritual or divine Reality within oneself and behind, above or within the phenomenon of existence), for perfection, for freedom, for an absolute Truth and Bliss, for immortality has been the persistent preoccupation of the highest human thought since the earliest times. This preoccupation seems to be a perpetual element in man's nature; for it survives the longest periods of scepticism.
             This aspiration is in contradiction with his present existence and normal experience of himself which is that of a mortal being, full of imperfections, ego-ridden, largely animal, subject to transitory joys and much pain and suffering, bound by mechanical necessity. But the direct contradiction between what he is and what he seeks to be need not be a final argument against the validity of his aspiration. For such contradictions are part of Nature's general method; the aspiration may be realisable either by a revolutionary individual effort or by an evolutionary general process.
            The problems of existence are problems of harmony. Discords and disorder of the materials, oppositions, demand a solution by accordance, by the discovery of a harmony. Thus the accordance of an inanimation and inertia in a containing Matter and the active indwelling stress of Life is Nature's first problem, its initial difficulty; its perfect solution would be immortality in a material body. The accordance of an unconscious Matter and an unconscious or half-conscious Life with a conscious Mind and Will is her second problem; the possession of a direct and perfect, instrumentation of knowledge in a living body would be its complete solution. The accordance of a mortal mind, life and body with a secretly indwelling immortal spirit is the final problem; the spiritualisation or divinisation of mind, life and body, a divine

Page-379  

life, would be the perfect solution. The search after these solutions by the human being is not irrational; it is rather the very; effort and striving of Nature within him.
        Life appears in Matter, Mind in Life, because they are al. ready there. Matter is a form of veiled Life, Life a form of veiled. Mind; Mind may well be a form and veil of a higher power, the spirit, which is supramental in its nature. Nature has implanted an impulse towards life in certain forms of Matter and evolves it there, a similar evolutionary impulse towards mind in certain; forms of life, an impulse in certain minds towards what is beyond Mind, towards the unveiling of Spirit or the evolution of a spiritual being. Each impulse justifies itself by the creation of the necessary organs and faculties.
        There is therefore no reason to put a limit to evolutionary possibility by taking our present organisation or status of existence as final. The animal is a laboratory in which Nature has worked out man; man may very well be a laboratory in which she wills to work out superman, to disclose the soul as a divine being, to evolve a divine nature.  

SYNOPSIS

Man's highest aspiration has been always a seeking for God, perfection, freedom, an absolute truth and bliss, immortality.

        A direct contradiction exists between this aspiration and his present state of mortality, imperfection, bondage to mechanical necessity, ego and animality.
        This contradiction between what he is now and what he seeks to be is not a final argument against his aspiration. Contradictions are part of Nature's method; the aspiration may be achievable by individual effort or by an evolutionary progress.
        The problems of existence are problems of harmony.

        The accordance of an active life-principle with the inanimate Matter containing it is Nature's first evolutionary problem; its complete solution would be immortality in the body.

        The accordance of conscious Mind with an unconscious Matter and half-conscious Life is her second evolutionary prob-

Page-380  

lem; a direct and perfect instrumentation of knowledge in a living body would be its complete solution.

        The accordance of immortal spirit with a mortal mind, life and body is her third and final problem; its complete solution could be the evolution of a divine being and a divine nature. 

        As Nature has implanted the impulse to life in Matter, to mind in life, so she has implanted in mind the impulse towards le evolution of what is beyond mind, spiritual, supramental. Each impulse justifies itself by the creation of the necessary organs and faculties.
        The animal is a laboratory in which she has worked out man; man may be a laboratory in which she wills to work out the superman, the being of a divine nature.

Page-381