IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

1

IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL.
R.R. GUNARATNAM, B.A., Jaffna.
The immortality of the soul is a subject of very long antiquity. It is as old as the world
itself coeval with its beginning and co-existence with all the stages of its evolution. It forms
one of the most fundamental tenets of religion and embodies in itself a conception handed
down from generation to generation and rightly regarded as the commonest heritage of
mankind. Along with another sublime conception the belief in the existence of God it
exerts mighty influence upon man and given rest to the soul that longs for an eternal abode of
peace and joy.
Says Thayumanavar,
0u @g _u l@L_
0u .

Ll @
@ll@G.
Says St. Paul. So when this corruption shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is
swallowed up in victory.
How this belief originated and how it is developed are questions that concern the
anthropologists more than the theologian. And yet the student of history knows that the
primitive inhabitants of the world with their nakedness, barbarism and superstition were not
alien to this belief. They worshipped the objects of nature and adored the departed spirits of
their ancestors with offerings and sacrifices, thinking thereby that they could join them, when
they themselves pass away from this world. Hiawatha the most original of Longfellows
poems illustrates our point, when it expresses the religious genius of the American-Indians.
There he returned and saw the strangers
Cowering, crouching with the shadows;
Said within himself, who are they?
What strange guests has Minnehaha?
But he questioned not the strangers
Only spake to bid them welcome
To his lodge-his food-his fire side.

* * * * * *
Then the shadows ceased from weeping
Ceased from sobbing and lamenting
And they said with gentle voices
We are ghosts of the departed
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

2

Souls of those who once were with you
From the realms of Chibiabos
Hither have we come to try you
Hither have we come to warn you.

There is no nation on the face of the earth that is without belief in a future state of
existence.
The Egyptians taught that endless blessing awaits the righteous and punishment the
wicked. In The book of the Dead we read If this chapter be known by the deceased, he
shall come by day, he shall rise up and walk upon the earth among the living and he shall
never fail and come to an end never, never, never And again in Weedemanns Egyptian
doctrine of Immortality. The soul indeed, as such did not die, although personal annihilation
was the lot of the evil doer in whom it had dwelt.
The Greeks like the Hindus believed in the transmigrations of the souls. In the
Timaeus of Plato it is said He who lived well during his appointed time was to return to the
star which was his habitation and there he would have a blessed and suitable existence. But if
he failed in attaining this in his second generation he would pass into a woman, and should he
not desist from evil in that condition he would be changed into some brute who resembled
him in his evil ways. The whole structure of the teachings of Plato rests on immortality.
The soul, the immaterial part, can it be he asks in his Phaedo as soon as it is separated
from the body be dispersed into nothing and perish? Oh, far otherwise! If it takes its
departure in a state of purity, then it will enter into the region of the divine and there be happy
in a state of perfect bliss and comfort.
When we turn to Hinduism we find the same sublime thought running through the
poetry and philosophy of the Hindus. Death is not viewed with any terror. It is only Yamas
kind messenger who takes people to the home where their ancestors have gone before them.
Somewhere beyond the grave in the regions where the gods dwell the departed spirits
assemble under the scepter of Yama. This celestial abode abounds in peace and joy. Here I
quote a hymn addressed to Soma in which the longing for immortality is clearly set forth.
To the world where unfading light, where
Sunshine itself hath its home
Thither bring me, O Soma, where no harm
And no death ever come
Where wishes and longing abide, where the
Sun ever beams in his glory
Where bliss that can satisfy dwells, O! let
Me dwell there an immortal.

Such is the type of heavenly existence set forth in the Vedic literature of Ancient
India.
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

3

Throughout the old testament we find expressions conveying the idea of the
immortality of the soul. In the Pentateuch we read frequently of rewards and punishments
following obedience and sin. The prophets announce in most forcible language that blessings
will follow righteousness and punishments sin; and retribution still more personal is found in
the Book of Psalms. In Daniel we read of a time to come when, many of them that sleep in
the dust shall awake, some to eternal life and some to shame and some to eternal abhorrence.
Moreover the death and resurrection of Christ is adduced as indisputable proof of this belief.
But in spite of this argument taken from the moral and religious factor of mankind to
prove the future state of existence we are often asked whether there is any scientific reality
behind it. The mere will to believe in immortality accounts for its universality, and hence the
well-known line of the English poet who wishes life immortal proves it too But this
argument, if argument it might be called, has been attacked by skeptics like Huxley and
Hume. They say that belief is desecrated when given to untested and unproved statements for
the solace and comfort of the individual believer. While admitting their test that subjective
beliefs and experience do not always correspond to objective reality, I do not think they are
justified in bringing this belief in immortality under the category of individual belief. The
belief in immortality is no less social than personal for as Bishop Weldon has plainly pointed
out, We desire immortality, because without it the false of others more than our own leaves
a feeling of dissatisfaction, as if the plan of which we have been allowed to see its outlines
should lack its completion forever. Thus the belief in immortality is a postulate like the
postulate of the uniformity of nature arising out of mans need and sustained by the power of
his emotion and volition. It is a postulate without which, the destiny of man and the meaning
of life with its emphasis on moral and religious activities would remain inexplicable.
But even though it is a postulate we are at the same time bound to inquire whether we
can adduce any positive evidences for this belief. Theology, Metaphysics and Ethics have
been squeezed out for evidence, but they give us only probable proofs. Science stands aloof
saying it is a subject that cannot be proved by the ordinary methods of observation,
experiment and reasoning. Where then lies the proof? Certainly it lies in that very science
which deludes the half-hearted, and opens its treasures to the true and faithful devotees.
Modern scientific researchers have proved beyond any shadow of doubts the immortality of
the soul. Science traces the origin of certain supernatural phenomena known under the
various names of hypnotism, motor-automatism, telepathy, clairvoyance medium ship, etc.,
and from them deduces the assurance of a future life by means of the same method by which
we arrive at physical truths
But in tracing out the origin of these phenomena, it thoroughly repudiates the
materialistic idea of soul and its assumption that the life of man ends with his grace. It will
not be out of place here to examine whether materialism is in accordance with the science of
psychology. The materialist asserts that mental life if the product of matter and that the
psychical phenomena of which we are conscious reason, memory, volition, emotion, etc.,
are but peculiarly conditioned manifestations of the indwelling force which under other
conditions appear as heat or light or magnetism or electricity. But the study of modern
psychology with the aid of physics and molecular physiology argues strongly against this
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

4

view. It tells us that during this life, although thought and life are always manifested with a
peculiar form of matter yet, by no possibility can thought and feeling be in any sense the
product of matter. It is not even correct to say that thought goes on in the brain, for what goes
on in the brain is an amazingly complex series of molecular movements with which thought
and feeling are in some unknown way correlated not as causes or effects, but as concomitant.
Thus the materialistic position is found faulty and is exploded once and for ever.
To disprove the arguments of Materialism and assert the reality of a life beyond,
Philosophy and Religion have done their best in ways of their own. But in the present essay I
have nothing to do with them. I lay aside with the greatest reverence the Paleys and Butlers
of theological fame and would discuss the question purely on the ground of observation and
experiment. For the question of immortality to be of scientific value should be discussed on
no other ground than such as are appealed to in other matters for clear objective proof.
What then has science to say on this question? Science admits that there is some
power in man by which he can assert himself without sensory agency. Thus fact was known
to the Indian sages before it was even dreamt of by any of the Western nations. And the Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali teach us how this power can be realized by a steadying of the mind. There
is sufficient evidence to believe that by steadying the mind in the ways prescribed by
Patanjali, great and wonderful powers can be achieved. Says Svami Tayumanavr:
[ u
u Qu
L@0 @G_uu
Ll _Lu
|u u
l_Mu
@[ u
lM 0u
@ @u _@
[u Q@u
u 0@u
G|[0 u.

* * * * *
Says Svami Vivekananda in his Raja Yoga, a book that never fails to create in those
that read it a deep interest in the Yoga Philosophy. The mind can exist on a still higher
plane, the super-conscious. When the mind has attained to that state which is called Samadhi
perfect concentration, super-consciousness it goes beyond the limits of reason and comes
face to face with facts which no instinct or reason can ever know. All these manipulations of
the subtle forces of the body, the different manifestations of Prana, if trained, give a push to
the mind and the mind goes up higher and becomes super-conscious and from that plane it
acts.
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

5

Many of the sages of India have lived in this super-conscious plane and exerted their
influence over everything, animate and inanimate. Among such sages, Agastya, Visvamitra,
Kapila, Kasyapa, Vyasa, Narada, Valmiki, Buddha, Ramakrishna and hundreds of others can
be mentioned. Even today there can be seen many of the above type near the Himalaya
mountains.
The fact that there is some power in man by which he can do wonderful things is now
recognized in the Western countries, and one phenomenon after another of those discovered
by De Puysegur, Esdaile, Elliotson and others has passed into orthodox science. The
researchers of the Psychical Society who have brought to the light of day many of the
hitherto-considered-occult phenomena, and the learned editor of the Review of Reviews
whose J ulias Bureau is destined to connect this world with the next, deserve the thanks of
every one interested in their researches. And it is hoped the time is not far distant when one
and all will be convinced of the reality of their researches which mark a distinct period in the
growth of Western philosophy.
But, whether it is due to the want of philosophical instinct in their nature or their
training along materialistic lines, some even of the cultured intellects of the West are inclined
to discredit the researches of the Psychical Society and throw cold water on the spirit of their
inquiry. In the J anuary number of the Nineteenth Century (1909) Prof. Newcomb has
boldly asserted in an article on Modern Occultism that nothing has been brought out by
the researches of the Psychical Society * * * * * - except what we should expect to find in the
ordinary course of Nature. But in the whole of that otherwise learned article the Professor
has not shown one instance of careless observation or random speculation on the part of the
researchers of the Psychical Society. That he has not even read their reports is evident from
the way he has treated the subject. Such well-known psychologists as M. Ribot and M.
Mariller in France, Prof. William J ames of Harvard in America, and Prof. Sidgwick of
Cambridge in England who have contributed much to the researches of the Psychical Society
are men who can be safely depended on for accurate observation and systematic thinking.
The Professor quotes an instance of spirit communication from Occultism and Common
sense (by Beckles Wilson) which runs thus: One week ago, last Tuesday at eleven oclock,
my wife who had just retired to bed upstairs called out to me Arthur! Arthur in a tone of
alarm. I sprang up and ran upstairs to see what was the matter. The servants had all gone to
bed. Arthur said my wife I have just seen mother and she began to cry. Why! I said
Why! Your mother is in Scarborough. I know, she said but she appeared before me just
there (pointing to the foot of the bed) two minutes ago as plainly as you do. Well, the next
morning there was a telegram on the break-fast table Mother died at eleven last night
now, How do you account for it. The professor has accounted for it, and given it a summary
dismissal in these words, I would not be at all surprised, could the facts be made known, if
the wife had said something of the kind to her husband every day or night for a week
especially if the mother were known to be very ill. Let the professor be not surprised. Let
him only devote his learned leisure to a more careful study of the subject to find more things
than are dreamt of in his philosophy. These prophetic lines

IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

6

Star to star vibrates light, may soul to soul
Strike through some finer element of her own?

which the professor has learnt in his school days in the beautiful but pathetic story of Leolin
and Edith may serve as a keynote to begin his inquiries afresh. The reply to Prof. Newcomb
by Sir Oliver Lodge, F. R. S., published in the next number of the same magazine has clearly
shown the unsoundness of the professors arguments, his bliss, and his inability to grasp any
fact that lies beyond the phenomenal world. From which able and instructive reply I quote the
following, which have an important bearing on our subject.
Says Sir Oliver Lodge:
For at the present time, telepathy has become almost a sort of bug-bear, which
constantly obstructs our view and increases our difficulties, because it is a vera causa which
we feel bound to stretch to the utmost as a working hypothesis before advancing to some
further and more questionable hypothesis.
Men of letters and distinction are now willing to discuss our results, and presently
even the courts of orthodox science will be open to receive communications on this subject
even as they have at last had to recognize hypnotism in spite of its alien appearance.
I assert therefore much more strongly than Prof. Newcomb can deny, that direct
experiment has established the possibility of an immediate kind of thought transference
between individuals.
Telepathy, hypnotism, thought-transference and other kindered phenomena, which
Western Science has accepted as facts have been explained in different ways. Professor
Lombroso, an eminent Italian savant considers these phenomena to be due to transmission of
energy in the form of brain-waves from one mind to another. According to him these
brain-waves are analogous to ether waves, and this vibratory energy to other modes of
motion. This is purely a materialistic hypothesis, and is able to explain only those phenomena
wherein psychical activity and cerebral activity correspond with each other. But even here
psychologists have not been able to state mathematically the concomitance between
psychosis and neurosis; while there are other phenomena of a more complex nature which
the materialistic hypothesis cannot cover, such as the projection of a phantom in the mind of
another, when the person whose image is projected, is asleep, or is dying, or is in a comatose
condition. It is generally supposed that a rapid flow of blood through the brain is necessary
for vigorous psychical action. But dying men have been known to produce telepathic effects
on their dear ones, who are at a distance and are ignorant of their sickness, just during the last
moments of their lives when cerebral activity will be at its lowest ebb. Psychical actions of
the above kind seem to vary inversely, rather than directly, with cerebral activity. Here,
therefore, Professor Lombrosos explanation cannot hold water.
How, then, is this puzzle to be solved? The best solution of it afforded by western
philosophers, is contained in the theory of the subliminal consciousness. This theory is
greatly made use of by Sir William Hamilton in his theory of the unconscious mental
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

7

modification, and by Hartman in his Philosophy of the Unconscious Mind But to Frederic
W. H, Myers is entirely due the credit of having brought it to bear upon higher issues in his
Survival of Personality. To quote his words:- The conscious self as we call it, the
supraliminal self as I would prefer to say, does not constitute the whole of consciousness or
of the faculty within us. There exists a more comprehensive consciousness, a profounder
faculty which for the most part remains potential only so far as regards the life of man in this
earth but reasserts itself in its plenitude after the liberating change of death. This theory can
be illustrated by the phenomena of iceberg. The portion of the iceberg, which floats above the
water and is but a small fraction of the whole mass, corresponds to the normal activities of
man, and the larger portion which lies concealed under the water, corresponds to the
subliminal consciousness. And, as when wind or rain disturbs the equilibrium, the iceberg
rises in the sea and reveals more of the submerged ice, so, in moments of rising activity,
when the level of normal consciousness becomes disturbed, the mind reveals extraordinary
exhibitions of mental activity.
Of all such exhibitions, the phenomena of hypnotism afford the best instance of the
influence of the subliminal self. A skillful hypnotist can inhibit a mans pain, restore the
deficiency of the senses, intensify the delicacy of sense perception and control the voluntary
and unvoluntary muscles. This is not all. The hypnotist may discern some picture of the past,
and retrace the history of any object which he holds in his hand, or he may wander in spirit
over the habitable globe, and bring to his knowledge facts discernible by no other means.
Again, there is the post-hypnotic suggestion. A person is hypnotized, and is told that, after the
lapse of twenty thousand, one hundred and twenty minutes from the moment of the
suggestion, he will make a cross (for instance), which he does at the exact moment, even
though he has no remembrance whatever of the order, after recovering from the trance.
Experiments like these show that, below the normal consciousness, hypnotic consciousness
persists, and is able to express itself at the proper time.
The theory of the subliminal consciousness which I have considered above, is
regarded by our Indian sages as something more than a theory a plain fact requiring little
demonstration. The Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali which in the third book, Vibhuti-Pada, prescribe
the methods of acquiring supernatural powers by ascetic exercises, presuppose that the mind
is capable of infinite expansion. So do the other schools of philosophy in India. However
much one school may differ from another, the fact that the mind is a vast storehouse of
energy, is, with all of them, an axiomatic truth.
Now the theory of the subliminal consciousness affords a very strong presumption
in favor of immortality. If there are elements in our nature which do not receive their full
realization in this world, if there are abysmal depths of personality which do not reveal
themselves in normal consciousness, if there are undeveloped capabilities of intelligence,
energy and love which are like seeds without fruits, then, certainly, they point to a state
where alone they can realize their full development. But this world of ours is both finite and
limited, and the latent capabilities in man demand infinite time for their full development.
Hence, it follows that man, having capabilities susceptible of infinite development, must have
infinite time for realizing them. Where then lies this infinite development, where this infinite
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

8

time? Not in the present state of existence, not in the seventy, eighty or even the hundred
years assigned to man, but in the spiritual world, in the future state of existence, in the infinite
eternity, in the unthinkable aeons which evolutionise the nature of man in his endeavors to
follow that Infinite Ideal, the Sat-Chit-Ananda of the Hindus, or the Christ of the Christians.
To the argument which Psychology affords in favor of immortality can be added
another equally strong one from Evolution. Evolution regards man as the final product of
long and mighty cosmic changes, and finds in him, in addition to the action of Natural
Selection whereby the physical frame of man has come to be what it is, the beginning of what
may be termed Ethical Selection or selection by man of the true, the good, and the beautiful.
According to this theory, man is not miraculously flung into the world as a finished product
with such features of the body and mind, as we find described in the third chapter of Genesis,
but is the slow outcome of innumerable births or stages of existence. He began the long and
tedious journey of life as a protoplasm, and has, by his own exertions, his hard struggle for
aeons, made himself the roof and crown of things. To trace this slow and subtle process
would take me outside the subject and demand volumes. But suffice it to say here that man is
the rarest and highest product of Evolution, that his body presents the most beautiful of
Evolution, that his body presents the most beautiful form possible in the nature of things, and
that his mind contains the rudiments of becoming as perfect as even God himself. Avvai
recognizes this importance when she says:-
[[ | [
|l0 G @@_ l_
_ 0L l [;
_ 0L lu
@u 0l [;
@u 0l 0
@u @ @[;
@u @ @lG
[_ _.

And Svami Tayumanavar echoes the same sentiments in the following lines:-
M[ ll|G L ll
|u [[
lLll LlL ll@
@ G.

* * * * * * *
These sages understood the term man to mean not the body which turns to a handful of ash
(lu0), but the inner man the soul which is incorruptible and everlasting; and when
they speak of the birth of man as a rare phenomenon, they mean that only by being born a
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

9

man with the power of deciding the right from wrong, it is possible for one to attain Mukti.
That their opinions are well-founded is evident from the following words of J ohn Fiske.
Arguing that on the earth there will never be a higher creature than man, he says:-
No fact in nature is fraught with deeper meaning than this two sided fact of the
extreme physical similarity and enormous physical divergence between man and the group of
animals to which he traces his pedigree. It shows that when humanity began to be evolved an
entirely new chapter in the history of the universe was opened. Henceforth, the life of the
nascent soul came to be first in importance, and the bodily life became subordinated to it. In
the subsequent paragraph, he adds According to Darwinism the creation of man is still the
goal toward which nature tended from the beginning. Not the production of any higher
creature, but the perfecting of humanity, is to be the glorious consummation of Natures long
and tedious work. Thus we suddenly arrive at the conclusion that man seems now, much
more clearly than ever, the chief among Gods creatures.
In his book on The Destiny of Man from which the above words are quoted, the
author proves to the hilt that a higher creature of man lies not in the physical, but in the
psychological and ethical plane. This is no doubt true. For Natural Selection, after it has
produced in man a symmetrical shape and form, and endowed him with the potentialities of
becoming humane, wise, and philosophic, has resigned its post in honor of Ethical Selection
or selection by man. Hence we no longer see the action of Natural Selection in the highest
product of Evolution, but only in the lower regions of organic life. But the process by which
this elimination was effected was very slow and gradual. It has taken ages for man to throw
off his brute-inheritance. In spite of all that the Church and the State have done towards his
moral and spiritual advancement, there still lurks in him the ape and the tiger, and it is
difficult to say whether in this world or the world to come he will throw off the last vestige of
his ancestry, and become the lamb of God to live with Him for ever and ever. That man
must at one time or other throw off his brute-inheritance is a strong inference that follows
from the theory of Evolution. He has in himself, as we have said before, the potentialities of
making himself perfect in every way. And this is the meaning of that authoritative and
inspiring command of Christ: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect. The progress man has made during the last thirty centuries has been
immense indeed. From that naked state of ignorance and barbarism, when he behaved like the
beasts of the field, and had no higher standard of morality than that of the kennel or poultry
yard, he has gradually developed himself in intelligence and morality, so as to learn the
secrets of nature, to master its various and discordant elements, and to build such institutions
as a family, state or church. This progress is destined to go on in the future as it has done in
the past till man completely realizes in himself his oneness with God. The creative energy
that has been at work during the past will not fall asleep tomorrow, but will continue till it
accomplishes its purpose. And it is in the way, this energy works, that we find a strong
argument in favor of immortality.
This energy works principally in two ways Natural Selection and Ethical Selection
or Selection by man. Of these, the first is blind, is confined to the lower regions of life and
works through death; the second is intelligent, is found in the highest forms of life, and works
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

10

through life. The former regards might as right and is the governing principle in the animal
world, while the latter recognizes temperance, justice, righteousness, sympathy, love, and
such qualities as the cardinal virtues of life, and builds on them the foundation of a complete
and perfect life. Though these two Selections are diametrically opposed to each other, yet
they are indispensable to the formation of the highest types of Evolution. The one lays the
foundation and ends where the other begins. We shall briefly show here how they work.
In the course of Organic Evolution it has been observed that certain functions are
indispensable to the birth of higher functions, though in themselves they are not so, and
become extinct after they have served the purpose required, and that there are certain
functions, which remain ever useful, and are worthy of being fostered and cultivated. The
first man, who in the formation of his body and the development of his mind resembled the
orangutan of the Malay Peninsula, had in him more of animal nature than human or divine.
And it was but necessary that it should have been so. Else it would have been difficult for
him to get on in the world nay even to live in it. For, if his animal nature had not been equal
to that of his fellows, if he had been slow, soft or mild, he would have been kicked out of his
place by the stout and the strong, and left in the lurch to die of starvation and want. On the
other hand, if he had been as shrewd and strong as his fellows, he would have held his
ground, and demanded an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth. Hence, for the mere
sustenance of life, it was necessary that the first man should have had a good deal of animal
nature in him. But with the gradual formation of the family, the tribe, the state, and the
church, the animal nature in man become transformed into human or divine, and such
qualities as courage, tenacity of purpose and love evolved out of selfishness, J ealousy and
self-love. Our purpose here is not to trace the origin and development of morality and
religion, but only to show the line in which Evolution works, and point out whither it tends
and what message it gives us as to a future life.
The conditions that prevailed during the primitive periods, when man wandered from
place to place in search of food and shelter were such that he had to keep up a continual
struggle for his existence. And his animal nature, as we have said before, was then
indispensible to him. But as the conditions of living changed with the progress of society,
peace and order became more useful than strife and confusion. Accordingly that man became
healthy, active and prosperous, who settled down, cultivated his grounds and established a
home, while his brother, who boasted of his physical strength, craftiness and pugnacity went
to the wall. Natural Selection thus parts company with man, when he has risen above his
animal nature, and Ethical selection takes its place. It is at this parting of ways that we rightly
understand the words of Christ, Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. At the
primitive state of mankind, this beautiful and meaningful statement would have been
regarded as nothing but stuff and nonsense, even as it is regarded today by him whose spirit is
over cloyed with materialism and worldliness. But he, who understands it rightly finds in it
the goal towards which Evolution has been tending from the very first. The aim of Evolution
has been not to produce Herculean stature and strength, selfishness, jealousy and hatred,
though these were indispensable at its early stages, but to bring forth a sweetness of
disposition, mildness, meekness, and love and make man enjoy perpetual joy and peace with
IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL

11

his Maker. Prof. Henry Drummond puts it clearly in the following words:- What is
evolution? A method of creation. What is its object? To make more perfect living beings.
What is Christianity? A method of creation. What is its object? To make more perfect living
beings. Through what does Evolution work? Through love.* [* It might not appear on the surface
that Evolution works through love. At early stages, one cannot fail to observe destruction, slaughter and death
on all sides. But though apparently it destroys, its purpose is to build. Except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit. That Evolution works through love
becomes evident when we look to its goal, which is the perfecting of humanity.] Through what does
Christianity work? Through love. Evolution and Christianity have the same author. The
same might be said of the other religions also. This, then, is the message of Evolution To
make more perfect living beings.
But in this planet of ours, we find no man who has reached the final goal of
Evolution. Though here and there we see glimpses of partial perfection, yet such ideal
perfection as is expected from Evolution no where do we find. Even the greatest J nanis and
sages to testify to their weakness and imperfection. Are we, then, to regard Evolution as
having failed in its purpose? Has all the work it has done for yugas been done for nothing? I
the man, whom it has developed through innumerable stages of growth, to disappear like a
bubble that bursts? To these question the answer comes from J ohn Fisk, of creative energy,
and the chief object of divine care, is almost irresistibility driven to the belief that the souls
career is not completed with the present life upon the earth. This is a logical inference from
Evolution which no one can gainsay. True it is that man cannot realize a complete perfection
of his spiritual nature in this life as long as his soul is enshrouded by the perishable body,
which Svami Tayumanavar call LMu, the pot of filth. But, if it leaves the world
after it has attained, the required spiritual development, it is bound to live with its father in
heaven, and enjoy that peace which passeth understanding.
Life is real, life is earnest,
And the grave is not its goal.
Dost thou art, to dust returnest
Was not spoken of the soul.

The argument I have given in this essay from the theory of the Subliminal
consciousness and Evolution are the two strongest arguments in support of Immortality. To
these might be added the forcible, but oft repeated, arguments from theology. And I leave
them to the priests and the clergy.
In my next essay I shall endeavour to prove that the animals also have souls.
R. R. G.