Home Forums Blogs Articles Photos Videos Contact FAQ

Evolution and Involution

Evolution and Involution: Vedic Philosophy - Theory of Evolution and Involution

Theory of Evolution and Involution: The Sankhya adopts the theory of evolution and involution. The cause and effect are the undeveloped and developed states of one and the same substance. There is no such thing as total destruction. In destruction, the effect is involved into its cause. That is all.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Spiritual Articles, Spirituality, All about Hinduism, Facts about Hinduism, Fact about Hinduism, Information on Hinduism, Hinduism in India, Article on Hinduism, Articles on Hinduism, Hinduism Teachings, Hinduism Practice, Hinduism Practices, Hinduism Philosophy, Info on Hinduism, Hinduism Book, Hinduism Books, Hinduism Religion, Hinduism Belief, Hinduism Beliefs, Eastern Philosophy, Eastern Religions, Hindu, Hinduism, Veda, Vedic, Vedas, Vedanta, Hindu Religion, Hindu Mythology, Hindu Belief, Hindu Beliefs, Vedic Religion, Hindu Vedic, Hindu, Hinduism, Veda, Vedic, Vedas, Vedanta, Scriptures, Science, Vedic Scriptures, Vedic Science, Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Scriptures, Hindu Scriptures, Vedantic, Vedic Scripture, Scriptures of the East, Eastern Philosophy, Eastern Religions, Sacred Scriptures, Holy Scriptures, Sacred Books, Holy Books, Hindu Text, Hindu Texts, Hindu Scriptures, Hindu Scripture, Hindu Holy Books, Hindu Holy Books, Hindu Literature, Hindu Sacred Text, Hindu Sacred Texts, Hinduism Scriptures, Hinduism Scripture, Hinduism Holy Books, Hinduism Holy Books, Hinduism Literature, Hinduism Sacred Text, Hinduism Sacred Texts, Sanskrit Literature

Evolution and Involution: Vedic Philosophy - Theory of Evolution and Involution

By Sri Swami Sivananda

Theory of Evolution and Involution

The Sankhya adopts the theory of evolution and involution. The cause and effect are the undeveloped and developed states of one and the same substance. There is no such thing as total destruction. In destruction, the effect is involved into its cause. That is all.

There cannot be any production of something out of nothing. That which is not cannot be developed into that which is. The production of what does not already exist potentially is impossible like a horn on a man, because there must, of necessity, be a material out of which a product is developed, and because everything cannot occur everywhere at all times, and also because anything possible must be produced from something competent to produce it.

That which does not exist cannot be brought into existence by an agent. It would be useless to grind groundnut, unless the oil existed in it. The same force applied to sand or orange would not express groundnut oil. The manifestation of the oil is a proof that it was contained in the groundnut and consequently, a proof of the existence of the source from which it is derived.

The effect truly exists beforehand in its cause. This is one of the central features of the Sankhya system of philosophy. Cause is a substance in which the effect subsists in a latent form. Just as the whole tree exists in a latent or dormant state in the seed, so also the whole world exists in a latent state in Prakriti, the Avyakta (unevolved), or the Avyakrita (undifferentiated). The effect is of the same nature as the cause. The effect or product is not different from the material of which it is composed.

From publishers note:

All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda is intended to meet the needs of those who want to be introduced to the various facets of the crystal that is Hinduism. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and there, and is now released in its fifth edition.

We do hope that all serious students of Hindu Religion and Hinduism Philosophy will find the book useful and interesting.

All chapters can be found here: All About Hinduism

« Back