Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Life Divine

Rate this book
The Life Divine explores for the Modern mind the great streams of Indian metaphysical thought, reconciling the truths behind each and from this synthesis extends in terms of conciousness the concept of evolution. The unfolding of Earths and mans spiritual destiny is illuminated, pointing the way to a Divine Life on Earth.

1113 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1942

243 people are currently reading
2460 people want to read

About the author

Sri Aurobindo

1,174 books424 followers
Sri Aurobindo (Bengali: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo) was an Indian nationalist and freedom fighter, major Indian English poet, philosopher, and yogi. He joined the movement for India's freedom from British rule and for a duration (1905–10), became one of its most important leaders, before turning to developing his own vision and philosophy of human progress and spiritual evolution.

The central theme of Sri Aurobindo's vision is the evolution of life into a "life divine". In his own words: "Man is a transitional being. He is not final. The step from man to superman is the next approaching achievement in the earth evolution. It is inevitable because it is at once the intention of the inner spirit and the logic of Nature's process."

The principal writings of Sri Aurobindo include, in prose, The Life Divine, considered his single great work of metaphysics,The Synthesis of Yoga, Secrets of the Vedas, Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, Renaissance in India and other essays, Supramental Manifestation upon Earth, The Future Poetry, Thoughts and Aphorisms and several volumes of letters. In poetry, his principal work is Savitri: a Legend and a Symbol in blank verse.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
299 (70%)
4 stars
76 (17%)
3 stars
36 (8%)
2 stars
8 (1%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Willa.
68 reviews
August 21, 2010
This book is impossible to describe, you have to read it. If you feel intimidated by its sheer size, start at the last chapter and then work you way through it in bits and pieces. It is a stunning preview of what is to come in human evolution, written with soul and courage, and stretching you beyond where you think you can go... turn off all your preconceived ideas about where we're going and what you are capable of, and follow Aurobindo on his extremely courageous, adventurous and deeply human journey.
Profile Image for Jim Parker.
121 reviews12 followers
October 25, 2015
Certainly one of the more challenging books that I have ever read. Each paragraph, if not each sentence, requires analysis. From my perspective the books attempts to reconcile a scientific view of consciousness with the views expressed in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Does Sri Aurobindo succeed in his effort? I can't say that I am qualified to answer the question.

I do feel I have a better understanding of some of the concepts from the Vedas and Upanishads but I am far from an expert. I'm not even sure I really understand satcitananda, which from my reading is the underlying concept that Sri Aurobindo posits as the attributes of our essence or the what makes fully realized person.

The book is Aurobindo's philosophy of mind, spirit, and body. The book reads like a western philosophy text. If you undertake this text be prepared for arduous effort. While reading the book I simply put it aside for extended periods.
Profile Image for Kai.
3 reviews18 followers
March 22, 2019
Perhaps the greatest book ever written ... Sri Aurobindo's opus. His insight on the evolution of consciousness is beyond cognizance of the current paradigm ... It is genius ... compact of wisdom from a kind-hearted soul. The correct view of evolution, which the spirit descends through involution in order to discover latent release and bliss and overcome the ignorance of creation. Understanding of Supramentalisation on a mass scale alone would arise a new civilization.
Profile Image for Michael Daly.
8 reviews6 followers
June 23, 2010
There is a reason why he was considered the intellectual leader of the Free India movement and this book is his magnum opus. It is not an easy read as each paragraph if not each sentence holds deep levels of meaning.
Profile Image for Preetam Chatterjee.
6,759 reviews357 followers
January 11, 2024
According to Aurobindo the metamorphosis of man into the divine, the celestial, the heavenly, is the complete purpose of all spiritual industry. Long ago, in primeval times the Divine willingly came down to earth and assumed innumerable forms. Now this marvel has to be overturned through spiritual endeavour, and the evolutionary ascension has now to re-achieve what is lost and return to the life divine, the one has become many; agreement has broken into a zillion discords.

Truth has crumbled into illusory half-truths and fibs; immortality has derailed itself into death. If divine life is to return, these confines have to be annulled.

Man to-day is enveloped in the darkness of witlessness and untruth. He has fallen from the truth and Right of the Spirit, from its cohesion, veracity and congruence. He has plunged into the Ignorance and Dimness of matter, and the soul's escapade on this earth is to seek release from this Darkness, and regain its original divine status. Such a divine life is conceivable, for the evolutionary ascent of man can effect a corresponding descent of the Divine on earth.

This dual movement the ascent of man to the Eternal, and the Descent of the Divine to the physical and material- according to Aurobindo, is a pre-condition for the establishment of life Divine on earth.
Profile Image for K Chestney.
1 review8 followers
December 8, 2012
Been reading this for years....and loving every page of it...
20 reviews
Read
December 11, 2007
this summer, got to pondicherry. if you've never heard of aurobindo, then you sleep.
Profile Image for Shiva.
5 reviews
July 23, 2013
A quintessential book on the evolution of Earth and its intended destination.
4 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2011
The message of the future. Every word read brings the seeker closer to that Reality.
A message of hope - the dawn of a new era - a divine life in a divine body on a divine earth.
Profile Image for Geoffreyjen.
Author 2 books19 followers
November 9, 2018
Came to the end of a six month effort to read this in a reading group, a real adventure. As others have indicated, this is not an easy book to read, nor can it be read in the same manner as other books. There is a rational argument here, but it is shrouded within almost mystical writing that defies rational explanations, so you have to read the book on several levels and in several ways simultaneously. His ideas have had a dramatic influence on the development of, I would say “world thought” not so much “western thought” about spiritual practice and its relation to everyday life, and so it is useful to be able to untangle Aurobindo’s contribution to other more recent spiritual or even philosophical traditions. For my own personal interest, the book presents a kind of globalising cosmology which fascinates me and informs my own thinking and writing along these lines. It also contains ideas that are relevant with regard to the current world crisis into which we are entering. So, in summary, a real challenge to read but it carries its own rewards.
Profile Image for Arun Philips.
259 reviews3 followers
March 10, 2025
I had to give up on my 2024 book a week challenge to read this book - and man was it completely worth it. At precisely a time when I started questioning the conventions most of the world believes as acceptable ways to live, The Life Divine came as a resounding answer to all the questions, and a definitive path to living life in the spiritual light, and transcending the body, mind and life.

If the material life, mental life or the vital life feels alien to you in some way, if you’re searching for an answer to what your soul wants, this book is the perfect flame to light your inner curiosity.
Profile Image for Kunal Uniyal.
Author 15 books9 followers
January 2, 2015
IT WAS DARK WHEN THE WORLD CAME INTO EXISTENCE,FROM DARK CAME THE LIGHT.WE ARE THAT LIGHT SO HEAD FOR THE LIGHT.
Profile Image for J-.
11 reviews47 followers
March 5, 2025
One should read Sri Aurobindo and know the answer. ~ The Mother

How does one attempt to describe a real supreme work of Philosophy?

I recall grinding through this massive Tome of truth, many late nights at various coffee shops (Tim Hortons), in tears, as I pushed through this massive 1200 page work. The fairly consistent headaches, mixed with countless waves of wonder, awe, gratitude, realization and love.

If you have come across this text, know, you no longer have any excuse for not knowing or claiming ignorance. All blindness is self-imposed. You have come across the supreme philosophical foundations of reality.

This is not the only book, but if your mind's garden is seeded here in this truth and light then soon enough most questions will either die away or evolve.

In the great and long process of converting the entire nature into God-like status, often it is said, that a man cannot learn until he has emptied his cup, well, reading through the Life Divine, if one has any discrimination, intelligence and honesty then ones cup is revealed empty by comparison.

Depending on how one wants to measure, one could say there have been thousands of people who really seem to know something approaching the whole actual Truth. Generally this can be seen relatively by considering what contains what. Ill explain..

In the case of the Life Divine, he often takes you in these circles towards the Truth, and as you approach it he starts often by describing various limited perspectives with such convincing richness that I found myself being like "Yes, okay. yes yes yes", but then again he points out the flaws, moves to the next then synthesizes them and reveals a Truth that is sound and explains all the other perspectives.

How to say it.. most mental movements are dealing with infinismals as if they were the entire whole unto themselves.. forgetting that all images extend beyond the frame, that nothing exists in a vacuum or can be understood in a vacuum.. "The Truth is known only when all is seen" (Savitri 2.10)

As one moves through studying various genius, they always have this quality of being larger, larger still, deeper still, richer still. One finds ones views only a part of this vast and sound Truth of which one can only compare relatively.

If you find yourself attracted to the Life Divine, your mind at minimum is far along on the path to Light and absolutely unsatisfied with the children's formula of most philosophy.

Most of what we go through is so temporal, so partial. This too is partial, bound by the confines of Philosophy for the purposes of transmuting truth undeniable to the walled but large and profound intellect.

This is a heavy mental gymnastics, but it is one grounded in Truth.



Which of Sri Aurobindo's books should I start with?

The Life Divine.
My blessings.
~ The Mother, On Education, 11 March 1941
21 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2019
Arguably the most laborious exercise in reading that i have engaged in when tackling spiritual writing. But, getting through this book was a tremendous achievement and one that has deepened my understanding of the spiritual evolution of existence.
Profile Image for Gautamyh.
1 review
May 13, 2025
The Life Divine is a book that must be read with a lot of context to fully understand what Sri Aurobindo is trying to say in each chapter. He’s constantly referring to Hindu scriptures, using them to support and expand on his ideas.

For example, in Book One, when he talks about the “Omnipresent Reality,” he’s referring to Brahman from Advaita Vedanta — the Non-Dual, formless Absolute that’s present everywhere and beyond any known forms. He connects this Omnipresence as the foundation for our known world — basically saying that the universe isn’t separate from That, but is That very Reality manifesting in time and space, in countless forms. So the world isn’t an illusion — it’s a divine expression.

But then naturally, one might ask: If the world is a divine expression, why is there so much cruelty and suffering? To answer that, he starts the next chapter by saying that we humans live in a state of divided awareness, which he calls Ignorance. Because of this, we don’t see the divine truth that’s everywhere. His answer to this problem is spiritual evolution — growing in consciousness until we begin to see the unity and harmony in everything. That’s the link: to realize the Omnipresent Reality, we have to evolve spiritually. This chapter is about the mechanism and the necessity of that spiritual evolution. Life begins in duality, and we have to move toward unity through inner growth.

In the final sections, Aurobindo explains that Ignorance isn’t a flaw, but a necessary step in the full evolutionary journey. It’s a transitional stage, where Knowledge is hidden, waiting to emerge as consciousness evolves.

If you’re reading this, I’d suggest paying attention to the terms he uses often — like Overmind, Supermind, and so on. Try to get a sense of what they mean for you, or how they connect with scientific or philosophical ideas. And if you already have some familiarity with Indian philosophy, especially Advaita, it really helps in understanding what he’s getting at.
Profile Image for Andrew.
51 reviews1 follower
December 31, 2009
never-ending sentences and paragraphs, but profound.
Profile Image for Savitri Mayer.
Author 3 books12 followers
December 9, 2012
Para los que interese el pensamiento de este gran sabio y profeta, una joya más de su mente cósmica.
1 review1 follower
September 25, 2017
A wonderful introduction to and explication of The Life Divine.


Profile Image for Praveen Venigalla.
3 reviews2 followers
August 14, 2024
I don't know if I'm worthy enough even to attempt to talk about this great book and divine Rishi, even in my distant and farthest vaguely remembered dreams of past lives of previous eons.

However, what can I do? I’m a mere ignorant mortal, and words are rushing, gushing and bursting out from my heart and mind.

The story of the mother earth and the age that is to come.

These sublime, surreal, sacred, subtle words of divine golden light will tell the tale of the past, current and future of humanity: the origins and the very birth of everything. The golden gates of supramental truth consciousness are now open to every being and every entity of every order of this entire existence — to ascend beyond the highest heights, widest widths, deepest depths and vast vistas, vicissitudes and abodes of greatest Gods and delve deep into the very kernel of this very existence and non-existence and beyond; as revealed and prophesied by the kind compassiononate seer, sage, yogi and rishi of the highest order, the true son and child of our mother Earth, my lord, Sri Aurobindo, pranaam! For giving this extraordinary, exotic, esoteric gift that densely dawns the truth, light and divine wisdom of tomorrow on the minds of today.

There are many magical, magnetic, magnificent moments where tears burst forth from my eyes in utter awe, amazement, bewilderment and surprise at the sheer intense depth, impeccable chiselling crystal clarity, wit, trick, technique, tenderness, ardent affirmation and reality-bending, groundbreaking, and earth-shattering aspiration of his towering divine genius and mammoth intellect. This book is fully filled and pregnant with such precious priceless postulates. No wonder why it is called his “Magnum Opus”.

Blessed are you if you even hear the name of this divine Rishi!
Profile Image for Pashu.
17 reviews
January 31, 2025
One of the central themes in "The Life Divine" is the reconciliation of spirit and matter. Aurobindo rejects both materialist denial and ascetic refusal, instead proposing an integral approach that sees the physical world as a manifestation of divine consciousness. This perspective allows for a spirituality that embraces life rather than renouncing it.

Aurobindo introduces the concept of the Supermind, a level of consciousness beyond the human mind that represents the next stage in our evolution. He argues that by accessing this Supramental consciousness, humanity can overcome its current limitations and manifest a divine life on earth.
The book also explores the nature of human ignorance and the path to higher knowledge. Aurobindo describes a process of inner growth and transformation that leads to what he calls a "gnostic being" - an individual who has realized their divine potential.

"The Life Divine" stands out for its ambitious scope, attempting to synthesize diverse philosophical and spiritual traditions into a coherent worldview. It challenges both Western materialism and traditional Indian asceticism, offering a vision of spiritual fulfillment that is firmly grounded in earthly existence.

"The Life Divine" remains a cornerstone of modern Indian philosophy and continues to influence spiritual seekers and thinkers worldwide.In essence, "The Life Divine" is not just a philosophical treatise but a roadmap for human evolution and a vision of a future where the divine and the earthly are fully integrated. It represents Aurobindo's lifework, encapsulating his spiritual experiences and philosophical insights into a comprehensive framework for understanding the nature of existence and human potential.
Profile Image for Joseph.
21 reviews
February 6, 2025
Sri Aurobindo posits that an infinite, omnipresent Reality is the source of all existence. This Reality manifests itself as the universe while simultaneously transcending it. He describes a process of involution, where the Divine consciousness descends into matter, followed by evolution, where consciousness gradually emerges and ascends back towards its source.

The central theme of "The Life Divine" is the evolution of consciousness. Sri Aurobindo argues that just as life emerged from matter and mind from life, a higher consciousness - which he terms "Supramental" - will emerge from the mental consciousness. This evolution is not merely a biological process but a spiritual one, leading to the transformation of human nature and the emergence of a new, divine life on earth.

Sri Aurobindo introduces the concept of the "Psychic Being," which he describes as the evolving soul or true self within each individual. This inner essence is the primary means by which humans can connect with the Divine and facilitate their own spiritual evolution. His writing style is characterized by deep, often complex explorations of metaphysical concepts, drawing from various spiritual traditions while offering his own unique insights.
Profile Image for Rupesh Singh.
7 reviews2 followers
September 29, 2022
Aurobindo is a good writer but a bad author. His writing is complicated as he tries to mimic the writing style of german philosophers.
This book is metaphysical yet scientific. It was am interesting read as it challenges the old stagnant orthodox ideas using the old stagnant orthodox ideas.
He bridges the gap between materialism and idealism but unifying them. He creates his method of Integral Advaita which creates a singularity between things similar as well as opposites.
Aurobindo gives his theory of evolution by pointing out the real purpose of maya. He solves the problem of evil in this world. He evaluates the real nature of existence.
Initially I hated him for it but after reading the whole book, I understood his approach and in some sense appreciated his method of unification.

He questions the question and answers the answer; as he clears old questions and ameliorates older answers.
24 reviews
June 13, 2024
For two months, "The Life Divine" by Sri Aurobindo sat on my shelf, its sheer volume daunting. It took eight months, filled with moments of both overwhelm and exhilaration, to finally finish it. Unlike my usual reading pace, Aurobindo's work demanded a deeper engagement. As a poet and yogi, he weaves together logic and beauty, challenging my perspective on life.

"The Life Divine" is by no means an easy read. It requires dedication and multiple visits. But for those willing to invest the effort, it has the potential to be life-changing.

Read my full review at https://vpgoyal.blogspot.com/2012/06/...
21 reviews1 follower
December 31, 2020
Sri Aurobindo's "magnum opus" provides an overview and detailed analysis of the involution and evolution of consciousness and the meaning of life and significance of human activity, starting from the basic aspiration that defines our seeking and leading eventually to the culmination of a divine life on earth.
12 reviews1 follower
June 28, 2020
Aurobindo was a spiritual force and this book is worth its weight in gold. But definitely not for a beginner. It took me quite some time to contemplate its contents. I loved every second of it.
Profile Image for mark.
Author 3 books48 followers
Read
June 23, 2018
Not for me, another book/person/philosophy that proposes answers to the meaning of life. Pick one, any one, and practice it. If it's useful for you, improves your life and relationships, helps you realize your ambitions without hurting others, great. If only everyone would ... fill in the blank. Yeah, right. Do this, be like me, think like me. ... Not for me, which makes me part of the problem, right?
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.