Sri Aurobindo's Concept of Man

1. Origin of Human Being

Involution:

Involution is more of a metaphysical outlook on the origin of beings. It is the process by which the Divine manifests Itself in the cosmos. For Sri Aurobindo involution is the process by which the Omnipresent Reality, i.e. the Absolute (Brahman) extends Itself to create a universe of separate forms out of Its own Force/Energy. The reason behind the involution is the desire or the delight of the Absolute Being. It is the descending process as evolution is the ascending process.

Evolution:

According to Aurobindo, the process of Evolution is the process of Human being to move upwards to the Infinite Brahman. Evolution takes place in three phases. All evolution is a growing of the Self in material nature to the conscious possession of its own spiritual being. It is a formation of life, mind and Supermind in matter.

Physical Evolution is the evolution of external visible material bodies of living beings. It is the process of moving from simple to higher form. Birth and growth are the evident factors of this evolution.

Spiritual Evolution is not external but the realization of the innate Divinity in human being.  The nucleal presence of Brhaman in human makes the psychic being in unison with Jivātman. In this phase human self-fulfillment takes place. Human being is aware of his or her consciousness.

Supramental Evolution is the growth of Divine consciousness-Force in human being. It is the final conquest of spirit over matter. The partial human mind receives higher knowledge in the integrated Divine.

2. Human Existence

Existence (Sat) – Consciousness Force (Cit) – Bliss (Ānanda) - Supermind  à  Matter – Life – Psyche – Mind

“Man is a transitional being, he is not final; for in him and high beyond him ascend the radiant degrees which climb to a divine supermanhood.”Man is the extention of Saccidānanda through the Consciouness-Force out of Blissful desire.For him matter (prakṛti) denotes the gross and subtle physical body; life -  individual life is part of universal life; Soul or psyche (puruṣa) is something of the Divine (immortal) that descends into the evolution as a divine Principle within; mind is the faculty of thinking.

3. Religious Dimension of Human Being

Man has the spiritual nature as he has the tendency towards Infinite. He is not just a reasoning animal but a soul in constant relation with the Divine. Body, Mind and Psyche do not form a complete meaning of man. The essence of spiritual dimension of man is not in just knowing the Brahman but to be in union with the Brahman. It is done through the four-fold method of realization through Yoga namely:

Yoga of Knowldege                 Yoga of Activity              Yoga of Devotion          Yoga of Self-perfection

Religion must help human being to practice the four-fold method of realization. Relgion must be subjective apart from the rituals and ceremonials.In addition, religion must be understood with the transcend intellectual reason.

4. Social Dimension of Human Being

Human being is social by nature. Although human is whole yet is incomplete without the other human beings and the Divine; this triple relationship keeps the ṛta of the cosmos. There is relationship of giving and reciving between the human beings in the presence of Divine. This reciprocal relationship should be done in the level of being and not of  having.

In the social dimension of human being one can find the two aspects namely, individual and social. Human being is individual in as much as he/she is looked as a complete being, on the other hand, human is a part of society. He proposes a twofold conception of society: objective and subjective – the former is the material part of the society like geographical, laws, institutions and the latter is the union of individuals, inner form of external society which is a living organism.

As Man is social by nature he is moral by nature too. Thus morality in man should come not out of desire but out of nature (the inner oughtness). Besides, it is also a requirement of society and  to keep harmony in realtionship. Morality does not consist in action but in nature of human being. If the ethical laws are seen as help to reach the Divine, there is no conflict between the laws and individual freedom. Because freedom is not license it is the possibiltiy to become one with the Brahman and be Its insturment.

Social dimension of man matures in the society. He can develop his capacity only to the extent that he enters into relationship with others. Both the society and its laws are at his service, and they attain their scope only if they help the individual to reach the Divine.

5. Rebirth and Karma

Rebirth is an act of evolution of the soul. This rebirth is meaningless without the theory of Karma. He gives an example of heredity to prove past-life. But heredity is not much important. Past history remains but it is the individual creates his or her life.  With the environment and other conditions each jivātman acts in the circle of rebirth. Therefore, no predestination is possible in his theory. This also answers the seeming duality. Karma is only a lesson that is learned from the present life towards next (as present is of past). It is a link that binds the past with the present action.