May 2, 2026
The Involution of Consciousness Precedes the Evolution of Consciousness
reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 2 Role, Function and Action of the Psychic, pg. 46This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/04/30/the-involution-of-consciousness-precedes-the-evolution-of-consciousness/
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 #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #evolution #involution #evolution of consciousness #Savitri #soul #psychic being
1
00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,840
We speak about the universal
manifestation either as some
2
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,800
kind of creation by Fiat of an
all powerful God who simply made
3
00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:16,239
everything the way it is and
said it is good, or else as an
4
00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:20,720
evolution of life out of matter
and mind out of life in an
5
00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,960
ascending scale of consciousness
and eventually self-awareness.
6
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,880
We rarely consider the
implications of either of these
7
00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,640
approaches to the source and
origination of our existence.
8
00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,720
The Creator God, manifesting
everything as it is and should
9
00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:42,800
be, creates a universe that is
unable to grow and evolve as
10
00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,320
that would imply that the
initial creation was neither
11
00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,560
perfect nor finished.
How can a perfect creation be
12
00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,360
made more perfect?
Those who follow this belief
13
00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,760
system try to deny evolution,
the fossil record, and the
14
00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,200
development that has taken place
over time with the belief that
15
00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,160
accepting the truth of evolution
somehow diminishes the power of
16
00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,560
God.
There is a potential solution
17
00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:16,080
that implies both divine
creation of the universe and an
18
00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,360
evolutionary development if we
look on the initial creation as
19
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:25,080
a seed of what would eventually
develop, just as an oak tree can
20
00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,320
grow out of an acorn in our own
experience.
21
00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,840
If we then turn our attention to
the people who believe in
22
00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,880
evolution of forms, they do not
quite get to the point of
23
00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,800
acknowledging that the evolution
had to come from somewhere.
24
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,200
It may or may not have been the
result of an all powerful
25
00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,520
creator God, which many
evolution based views tend to
26
00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,880
reject.
Believing that somehow belief in
27
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:57,600
a creator God will diminish the
facts of evolution itself or
28
00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,240
else they do not get to the
first causes or the fact that
29
00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,400
nothing can evolve that was not
previously involved.
30
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,640
We come back once again to the
material basis holding within
31
00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:15,640
itself involved the later
development and growth of
32
00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:19,960
consciousness through simple
life forms, more complex life
33
00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,120
forms, mental expression, the
development of the higher
34
00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,840
reason, and eventually yet
further manifestations of
35
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,360
consciousness as the evolution
continues.
36
00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,880
Those who believe in evolution
out of matter may hold that it
37
00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,960
occurred purely as a random
development of the moving of
38
00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:44,760
chemical and physical forces,
but this begs the question of
39
00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,920
how anything can evolve that was
not implied, and how that
40
00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:52,120
implied development came about
in the 1st place.
41
00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,600
Where did the matter come from
that led to these random
42
00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,920
evolutionary developments?
There is no answer from those
43
00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:04,280
who believe in random chance
creating consciousness out of
44
00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:09,480
inconscient matter.
Srioro Bindo explains that
45
00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,720
nothing can evolve that is not
previously involved.
46
00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,880
He references the Veda and
Upanishads to show that matter
47
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,440
is the condensed form of
consciousness and energy that
48
00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:25,440
solidifies consciousness into
form, and that just as energy
49
00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,920
can be liberated out of matter,
as Einstein so famously pointed
50
00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:35,920
out in his equation E equals MC
squared, so also consciousness
51
00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:40,000
eventually is liberated out of
matter in the process of
52
00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,240
evolution.
The first 'cause is the
53
00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,080
universal consciousness, that
itself is the container and the
54
00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:52,000
contained, the doer and the
deed, the knowledge and the
55
00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,360
known, the intelligence that
descends into the material
56
00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:01,040
creation and then develops the
play of consciousness that we
57
00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,720
experience from our own limited
perspective.
58
00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,160
Shriorbindo writes in his epic
poem Savitri, a legend and a
59
00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,920
symbol quote.
This seed self sown in the
60
00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:20,560
indeterminate, forfeits its
glory of divinity, concealing
61
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:25,040
the omnipotence of its force,
concealing the omniscience of
62
00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,800
its soul, an agent of its own
transcendent will.
63
00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:35,080
It merges knowledge in the
inconsiant deep, accepting
64
00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:40,520
error, sorrow, death and pain.
It pays the ransom of the
65
00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:46,200
ignorant night, redeeming by its
substance Nature's fall.
66
00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:54,960
End Quote.
Book 3 Canto 3 reference Sri
67
00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,280
Aurobindo and the Mother, the
psychic being soul, its nature,
68
00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,520
mission and evolution.
Section 2.
69
00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,400
Role, function and action of the
Psychic.
70
00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:07,280
Page 46.
00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,840
We speak about the universal
manifestation either as some
2
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,800
kind of creation by Fiat of an
all powerful God who simply made
3
00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:16,239
everything the way it is and
said it is good, or else as an
4
00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:20,720
evolution of life out of matter
and mind out of life in an
5
00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,960
ascending scale of consciousness
and eventually self-awareness.
6
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,880
We rarely consider the
implications of either of these
7
00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,640
approaches to the source and
origination of our existence.
8
00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,720
The Creator God, manifesting
everything as it is and should
9
00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:42,800
be, creates a universe that is
unable to grow and evolve as
10
00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,320
that would imply that the
initial creation was neither
11
00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,560
perfect nor finished.
How can a perfect creation be
12
00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,360
made more perfect?
Those who follow this belief
13
00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,760
system try to deny evolution,
the fossil record, and the
14
00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,200
development that has taken place
over time with the belief that
15
00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,160
accepting the truth of evolution
somehow diminishes the power of
16
00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,560
God.
There is a potential solution
17
00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:16,080
that implies both divine
creation of the universe and an
18
00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,360
evolutionary development if we
look on the initial creation as
19
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:25,080
a seed of what would eventually
develop, just as an oak tree can
20
00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,320
grow out of an acorn in our own
experience.
21
00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,840
If we then turn our attention to
the people who believe in
22
00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,880
evolution of forms, they do not
quite get to the point of
23
00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,800
acknowledging that the evolution
had to come from somewhere.
24
00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,200
It may or may not have been the
result of an all powerful
25
00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,520
creator God, which many
evolution based views tend to
26
00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,880
reject.
Believing that somehow belief in
27
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:57,600
a creator God will diminish the
facts of evolution itself or
28
00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,240
else they do not get to the
first causes or the fact that
29
00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,400
nothing can evolve that was not
previously involved.
30
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,640
We come back once again to the
material basis holding within
31
00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:15,640
itself involved the later
development and growth of
32
00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:19,960
consciousness through simple
life forms, more complex life
33
00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,120
forms, mental expression, the
development of the higher
34
00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,840
reason, and eventually yet
further manifestations of
35
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,360
consciousness as the evolution
continues.
36
00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,880
Those who believe in evolution
out of matter may hold that it
37
00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,960
occurred purely as a random
development of the moving of
38
00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:44,760
chemical and physical forces,
but this begs the question of
39
00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,920
how anything can evolve that was
not implied, and how that
40
00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:52,120
implied development came about
in the 1st place.
41
00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,600
Where did the matter come from
that led to these random
42
00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,920
evolutionary developments?
There is no answer from those
43
00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:04,280
who believe in random chance
creating consciousness out of
44
00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:09,480
inconscient matter.
Srioro Bindo explains that
45
00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,720
nothing can evolve that is not
previously involved.
46
00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,880
He references the Veda and
Upanishads to show that matter
47
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,440
is the condensed form of
consciousness and energy that
48
00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:25,440
solidifies consciousness into
form, and that just as energy
49
00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,920
can be liberated out of matter,
as Einstein so famously pointed
50
00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:35,920
out in his equation E equals MC
squared, so also consciousness
51
00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:40,000
eventually is liberated out of
matter in the process of
52
00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,240
evolution.
The first 'cause is the
53
00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,080
universal consciousness, that
itself is the container and the
54
00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:52,000
contained, the doer and the
deed, the knowledge and the
55
00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,360
known, the intelligence that
descends into the material
56
00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:01,040
creation and then develops the
play of consciousness that we
57
00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,720
experience from our own limited
perspective.
58
00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,160
Shriorbindo writes in his epic
poem Savitri, a legend and a
59
00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,920
symbol quote.
This seed self sown in the
60
00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:20,560
indeterminate, forfeits its
glory of divinity, concealing
61
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:25,040
the omnipotence of its force,
concealing the omniscience of
62
00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,800
its soul, an agent of its own
transcendent will.
63
00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:35,080
It merges knowledge in the
inconsiant deep, accepting
64
00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:40,520
error, sorrow, death and pain.
It pays the ransom of the
65
00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:46,200
ignorant night, redeeming by its
substance Nature's fall.
66
00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:54,960
End Quote.
Book 3 Canto 3 reference Sri
67
00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,280
Aurobindo and the Mother, the
psychic being soul, its nature,
68
00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,520
mission and evolution.
Section 2.
69
00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,400
Role, function and action of the
Psychic.
70
00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:07,280
Page 46.
