March 6, 2026
Psychic Being -- Soul: Its Nature, Mission & Evolution Introduction
reference: reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, MIssion and Evolution, IntroductionThis episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/03/04/the-psychic-being-soul-its-nature-mission-and-evolution-introduction/
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
#Sri Aurobindo #The Mother #Dr. Dalal #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being #evolution of consciousness
1
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,200
There is a considerable
confusion about the nature of
2
00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,640
the soul.
A sizeable portion of humanity
3
00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,680
denies the existence of the
soul, while another segment of
4
00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:17,440
humanity reduces its value below
that of material possessions and
5
00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:22,520
outward satisfactions.
The ego personality, bound up in
6
00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:27,080
the actions and reactions of the
mind, life and body, has little
7
00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,560
time to consider the
implications of the soul, its
8
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:36,040
existence, its purpose, its
action, and its significance for
9
00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:40,840
our growth and development.
Besides the confusion about the
10
00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,360
soul, there is also a lot of
confusion surrounding the term
11
00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,720
psychic.
Particularly in the West, the
12
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,080
term has been associated with
occult phenomena and powers and
13
00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,840
to a great degree tied up with
ideas about seeing the future
14
00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:01,920
and telling one's fortune.
Sviorobindo utilizes the term
15
00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:06,240
psychic and psychic being to
describe the soul in its
16
00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,560
manifestation and active role in
evolution of consciousness.
17
00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,840
It is essential to avoid the
confusion engendered by the more
18
00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,880
common, more sensationalistic
way the term has developed in
19
00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,880
the modern world.
The soul represents the essence
20
00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,520
of who we are, and it is the
soul essence, the psychic being,
21
00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:32,040
that actually guides the
development of mind, life and
22
00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:38,680
body from behind.
Sages, seers, rishis have all
23
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,000
described their experience of
the soul.
24
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,760
It is possible for us to develop
the receptivity to hear the
25
00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,800
voice of the soul, to follow its
guidance, and to thereby uplift
26
00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,640
and ennoble our lives and
realize the deeper purpose, the
27
00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,960
significance of our lives.
The soul is not a matter of
28
00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:04,520
philosophy, nor even religion.
It is something that an
29
00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,320
individual can awaken to and
experience in his own life.
30
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,720
Once that happens, there is no
doubt and no chance of confusion
31
00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,480
any longer.
People who have the experience
32
00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,360
may not call it the soul as
there are many words that people
33
00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,200
have used to describe the
experience and the motivation.
34
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,440
Some people return from a near
death experience with a new
35
00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,760
conviction about the divine
presence and their own
36
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,080
consecration to the divine.
Whether they call it a soul
37
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:42,440
experience or not, they have had
a touch of that deeper reality
38
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,480
and deeper meaning in life, and
it has changed them.
39
00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,160
We are more than cogs in a
machine.
40
00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,160
We are more than workers,
consumers, or enjoyers of the
41
00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,080
external pleasures of life.
When we awaken to the
42
00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,880
opportunity for spiritual
growth, we quickly begin to
43
00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,040
recognize that there is
something in us, something
44
00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,840
deeper, something inside that
calls us to take up that effort
45
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,840
to find the soul within us and
thereby solidify the connection
46
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,520
between our individual being and
the divine consciousness that
47
00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:25,480
manifests the entire creation.
The present book, The Psychic
48
00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:30,880
Being Soul, Its Nature, Mission
and Evolution is a wide-ranging
49
00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,440
exploration of the action of the
soul and its active part in our
50
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,120
lives.
The Psychic Being, including a
51
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,120
review of the meaning and nature
of the psychic being, the role,
52
00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,080
function and action of the
psychic being, the growth and
53
00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,520
development of the psychic, the
psychic being in spiritual
54
00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,360
practice, and the psychic being
in connection to the afterlife
55
00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:01,920
and rebirth reference Sri
aurobindo and the mother.
56
00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,960
The psychic being soul, its
nature, mission and evolution
57
00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:07,600
Introduction.
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,200
There is a considerable
confusion about the nature of
2
00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,640
the soul.
A sizeable portion of humanity
3
00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,680
denies the existence of the
soul, while another segment of
4
00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:17,440
humanity reduces its value below
that of material possessions and
5
00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:22,520
outward satisfactions.
The ego personality, bound up in
6
00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:27,080
the actions and reactions of the
mind, life and body, has little
7
00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,560
time to consider the
implications of the soul, its
8
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:36,040
existence, its purpose, its
action, and its significance for
9
00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:40,840
our growth and development.
Besides the confusion about the
10
00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,360
soul, there is also a lot of
confusion surrounding the term
11
00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,720
psychic.
Particularly in the West, the
12
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,080
term has been associated with
occult phenomena and powers and
13
00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,840
to a great degree tied up with
ideas about seeing the future
14
00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:01,920
and telling one's fortune.
Sviorobindo utilizes the term
15
00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:06,240
psychic and psychic being to
describe the soul in its
16
00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,560
manifestation and active role in
evolution of consciousness.
17
00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,840
It is essential to avoid the
confusion engendered by the more
18
00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,880
common, more sensationalistic
way the term has developed in
19
00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,880
the modern world.
The soul represents the essence
20
00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,520
of who we are, and it is the
soul essence, the psychic being,
21
00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:32,040
that actually guides the
development of mind, life and
22
00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:38,680
body from behind.
Sages, seers, rishis have all
23
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,000
described their experience of
the soul.
24
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,760
It is possible for us to develop
the receptivity to hear the
25
00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,800
voice of the soul, to follow its
guidance, and to thereby uplift
26
00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,640
and ennoble our lives and
realize the deeper purpose, the
27
00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,960
significance of our lives.
The soul is not a matter of
28
00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:04,520
philosophy, nor even religion.
It is something that an
29
00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,320
individual can awaken to and
experience in his own life.
30
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,720
Once that happens, there is no
doubt and no chance of confusion
31
00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,480
any longer.
People who have the experience
32
00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,360
may not call it the soul as
there are many words that people
33
00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,200
have used to describe the
experience and the motivation.
34
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,440
Some people return from a near
death experience with a new
35
00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,760
conviction about the divine
presence and their own
36
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,080
consecration to the divine.
Whether they call it a soul
37
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:42,440
experience or not, they have had
a touch of that deeper reality
38
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,480
and deeper meaning in life, and
it has changed them.
39
00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,160
We are more than cogs in a
machine.
40
00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,160
We are more than workers,
consumers, or enjoyers of the
41
00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,080
external pleasures of life.
When we awaken to the
42
00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,880
opportunity for spiritual
growth, we quickly begin to
43
00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,040
recognize that there is
something in us, something
44
00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,840
deeper, something inside that
calls us to take up that effort
45
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,840
to find the soul within us and
thereby solidify the connection
46
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,520
between our individual being and
the divine consciousness that
47
00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:25,480
manifests the entire creation.
The present book, The Psychic
48
00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:30,880
Being Soul, Its Nature, Mission
and Evolution is a wide-ranging
49
00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,440
exploration of the action of the
soul and its active part in our
50
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,120
lives.
The Psychic Being, including a
51
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,120
review of the meaning and nature
of the psychic being, the role,
52
00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,080
function and action of the
psychic being, the growth and
53
00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,520
development of the psychic, the
psychic being in spiritual
54
00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,360
practice, and the psychic being
in connection to the afterlife
55
00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:01,920
and rebirth reference Sri
aurobindo and the mother.
56
00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,960
The psychic being soul, its
nature, mission and evolution
57
00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:07,600
Introduction.
