Page 9 - NAMAH-Oct-2019

Editorial

The metaphysical basis for Integral Health: Issues of life and death

In common parlance, ‘life’ as a phenomenal Sri Aurobindo refers to the works of the
energy is associated with whatever is pioneering Indian scientist, Jagadish Chandra
‘animate’, whatever breathes and moves, Bose. Bose invented the crescograph to
whatever expresses the vibrant buoyancy measure plant response to various stimuli
of energy. Indeed it has been eulogised that and demonstrated the parallelism between
‘breath is life’. (One needs to distinguish animal and plant tissues. He also made a
between the physiological mechanisms of comparative study of the fatigue response of
breathing and the praanna or life-force that is various metals and organic tissue in plants. Bose
quintessentially considered in the yogic demonstrated that metals could show ‘fatigue’
tradition to be the ‘breath of Life’). Sri like biological cells when confronted with a
Aurobindo however points out like a barrage of mechanical, thermal, chemical and
metaphysician with concomitant scientific electrical stimuli. His experiments showed
precision that: cyclical fatigue and recovery response across
multiple types of stimuli in both living cells
(a) “….the spontaneous motion or locomotion, and metals.
breathing, eating are only processes of life and
not life itself”; Sri Aurobindo takes up this cue of the presence of
life-energy in plants and metals to demonstrate
(b) “…..processes of our vitality can be maintained that the consciousness that pervades everything
in other ways than by our respiration and our is basically the same with differences in forms,
means of sustenance. It is a proved fact that presentations and denouements. “But if life,
even human life can remain in the body and can however rudimentary in its symptoms, exists
remain in full consciousness when breathing in the metal, it must be admitted as present,
and the beating of the heart and other conditions involved perhaps or elementary and elemental
formerly deemed essential to it have been in the earth or other material existences akin
temporarily suspended (1)”, a feat sometimes to the metal. If we can pursue our enquiries
demonstrated by hathayogis for varying time- farther, not obliged to stop short where our
periods; and immediate means of investigation fail us, we
may be sure from our unvarying experience of
(c) The “response to stimulus” which is the Nature that investigations thus pursued will in
“proof of vitality” and if positive points to life the end prove to us that there is no break, no
while if negative points to death; has been rigid line of demarcation between the earth and
affirmed not only in animal-life but also in the metal formed in it or between the metal and
plants and in metals (2). the plant and, pursuing the synthesis farther,

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