know. For the idea that life evolves side by side with form is well known and is really
complementary to the idea of the evolution of forms, which has been developed by
Science. It is by combining this idea of the evolution of life with that of the evolution
of forms that the theory of evolution becomes intelligible and its beauty and signifi-
cance are revealed. The forms evolve to provide better vehicles for the evolving life.
The mere evolution of forms would be a meaningless process in a Universe in which
all natural phenomena appear to be guided by intelligence and design. And yet modern
Science is pursuing this idea of the evolution of forms and refusing to combine it with
its complementary idea. No wonder it got bogged in a plethora of details in this field
and missed the discovery of some basic facts of general and vital interest to humanity.
II-23 answers the question ‘Why is Purusa brought into contact with Prakrti?’
The answer is: To unfold the powers latent in Prakrti and himself and to enable him to
gain Self-realization. That is the complete idea of evolution in a nutshell. But it is nec-
essary to elaborate this idea to understand its full implications. Let us first see what
are the powers of Purusa and Prakrti referred to in this Sutra. In order to understand
this we have only to recall how total evolution leads to the gradual unfoldment of con-
sciousness on the one hand and pari passu to the increase in the efficiency of the vehi-
cles on the other. Leaving out of account the mineral kingdom in which the unfoldment
of consciousness is so rudimentary as to be hardly perceptible; we find on studying the
vegetable, animal and human kingdoms that consciousnesr in these kingdoms shows a
remarkable increase in the degree of unfoldment as we pass from one kingdom to an-
other. And side by side with the unfoldment of consciousness we find that the vehicle
also becomes more and more complex and efficient for the expression of the unfolding
consciousness. Not only do we find a remarkable increase in this dual evolution of life
and form as we pass from one kingdom to another but taking any one kingdom by it-
self we can trace the steady evolution from one step to another, so that we can see the
whole ladder of life as far as it can be seen with our limitations, stretching from the
mineral kingdom to the civilized stage of the human kingdom with hardly any rungs
missing.
What do we mean by the powers of Prakrti referred to in this Sutra? Obviously,
these are not the general powers which are inherent in Nature and which are independ-
ent, as it were, of the dual evolution of life and form which is taking place around us.
The powers of Prakrti to which reference is made here are undoubtedly the capacities
which develop in the vehicles as they evolve in association with consciousness. Com-
ben green
(Ben Green)
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