Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume I - Part 2

Fragment ID: 10148

I don’t know about subtle vital. One says subtle physical to distinguish from gross material physical – because to our normal experience all physical is gross, sthūla. But the vital is in its nature non-material, so the adjective is superfluous. By material vital, we mean the vital so involved in matter as to be bound by its movements and gross physical character. The action is to support and energise the body and keep in it the capacity of life, growth, movement etc., also of sensitiveness to outer impacts.