The Life Divine is Sri Aurobindo’s philosophical magnum opus, first published serially in the monthly review Arya between August 1914 and January 1919, and later extensively revised for book publication in 1939–1940. It presents a comprehensive spiritual philosophy that synthesises Vedantic thought with evolutionary theory, offering a vision of reality as the self-unfolding of the Divine Consciousness.

The work is divided into two books. Book One: Omnipresent Reality and the Universe examines the nature of the Absolute (Sachchidananda — Existence, Consciousness-Force, Bliss), the problem of the universe and Maya, the structure of the Supermind, and the relation between Mind, Life, and Matter. It refutes both materialist denial and ascetic refusal, establishing a vision of reality as the spiritual evolution of consciousness.

Book Two: The Knowledge and the Ignorance — The Spiritual Evolution explores the spiral of evolution from the Inconscient through Mind to Supermind, the role of the evolutionary individual, the triple transformation (psychic, spiritual, supramental), and the destiny of the earth-consciousness to manifest the divine life.

Key Concepts

  • Sachchidananda: The triune nature of the Absolute as Existence (Sat), Consciousness-Force (Chit-Tapas), and Bliss (Ananda)
  • Supermind (Gnosis): The highest creative principle, the Truth-Consciousness that mediates between the One and the Many
  • Involution and Evolution: Spirit involves itself in Matter and evolves back through Life, Mind, and Supermind to self-realisation
  • The Triple Transformation: Psychic transformation (soul change), spiritual transformation (descent of higher consciousness), and supramental transformation (radical change of nature)
  • The Ignorance: The cosmic principle of self-limitation of knowledge, not an error but a selective consciousness
  • The Life Divine: The eventual manifestation of divine consciousness in earthly life

Source Summary

CWSA Volumes 21-22 contain the complete text of The Life Divine, including the 1939–1940 revised edition. Volume 21 comprises the first twenty-seven chapters of the Arya text plus a newly written twenty-eighth chapter (Book One). Volume 22 comprises heavily revised content with twelve new chapters (Book Two). The work represents Sri Aurobindo’s most systematic philosophical statement, engaging with both Eastern and Western thought to articulate a vision of spiritual evolution that culminates in the transformation of earthly life.

See Also