Cells Summary

Read more about Cells from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

What are Cells?

The Cells are the fundamental units of life as well as forms the substance of the physical consciousness. The Cells represent the first activity of life within matter in the process of evolution. The nucleus of the cells upholds the entire plan of the organism in its chromosomes. This architecture in chromosomes can be visualized as an ideal human society where each individual is conscious of the whole as well as its own personal role within the community.

“The cells have an inner composition or structure which corresponds to the structure of the universe. So the link is established between identical external and internal states. It is not "external", but it is external for the individual. That is, the cell, in its internal composition, receives the vibration of the corresponding state in the composition of the whole. Each cell is composed of different radiances, with a wholly luminous centre, and the connection is established between light and light. That is, the will, the central light, acts on the cell by touching the corresponding lights, by an inner contact of the being. Each cell is a world in miniature corresponding to the whole.”

Cellular Consciousness

There is a consciousness in the cells: it is what we call the "body consciousness" and it is wholly bound up with the body. This consciousness has much difficulty in changing, because it is under the influence of the collective suggestion which is absolutely opposed to the transformation. So one has to struggle with this collective suggestion, not only with the collective suggestion of the present, but with the collective suggestion which belongs to the earth-consciousness as a whole, the terrestrial human consciousness which goes back to the earliest formation of man. That has to be overcome before the cells can be spontaneously aware of the Truth, of the Eternity of matter.

The Mother says, “…there is no bad will in Matter, everything is inertia and ignorance: total ignorance of the Truth, ignorance of the Origin, ignorance of the Possibility…”

Ignorance in the Cells

The inertia and ignorance create disorganization and disorder. The disturbances from the vital and mental planes percolate to the physical consciousness and irritate the cells and organs. Another movement which is the origin of many disorders is the fear. “…the greatest obstacle in the way of man's progress is fear, a fear that is many-sided, multiform, self-contradictory, illogical, unreasoning and often unreasonable.”

The physical fear is the most difficult thing to conquer. “It is a curious little vibration that gets into your cells and they begin shivering that way. But the cells are not like a heart beating very fast. It is in the very cells: they tremble with just a slight quivering. And it is very difficult to control this.”

Tapping Into the Qualities of the Cell

At the centre of each cell lies the Divine Consciousness. By aspiration and repeated self-giving, the cells must be made transparent.

If you could put in the body—INTO the body—the complete surrender, that is, it should RELY on the Supreme's intervention alone.

How to Transform the Cells?

The new consciousness (Supermind) can annihilate the difficulties of the matter and transform the cells after the psychic and spiritual transformation. For the transformation to happen, the physical consciousness has to be prepared through conscious exercise, right amount and right kind of food, Japa or Mantra chanting which has direct impact on the cells and offering to Divine. The mind has to made silent and an instrument of higher force and the vital movements has to calm down, then only the cells can receive the higher forces or the psychic influence. The cellular mind is the mind of ignorance which cling to old habits and keeps on repeating it. The best way to quieten it to do Japa or chant mantra. The Mother said, "Japa": the continuous repetition of a mantra. Mother's mantra is a song of the cells, the sole material or physical process used by her for awakening the cells and stabilizing the Supramental Force in her body.

It is this mind of the cells which seizes upon a mantra or a japa and eventually repeats it automatically, and with what persistence!

“Of course a certain preliminary transformation is necessary, just as the psychic and spiritual transformation precedes the supramental. But this is a change of the physical consciousness down to the submerged consciousness of the cells so that they may respond to higher forces and admit them and to a certain extent a change or at least a greater plasticity in the processes. The rules of food etc. are meant to help that by minimising obstacles. How far this involves a change of the chemical constitution of the body I cannot say. It seems to me still that whatever preparatory changes there may be, it is only the action of the supramental Force that can confirm and complete them.”

“This transformation by the help of the mind―by self-analysis―is a first step; afterwards, it is necessary to transform the vital impulses: that is much more difficult, and especially to transform the physical. Every cell in our bodies must become conscious. This is the work I am doing here; it will enable the conquest of death. That is another story; that will be the humanity of the future, perhaps after hundreds of years, perhaps sooner. It will depend on men, on nations.”

“One must first transform his thought, all his mind, all his mental activity, organise it with higher knowledge; and at the same time one must transform his character, all the movements of the vital, all impulses, all reactions. And finally, when these two things are done, in any case up to a certain point, one can begin to think of transforming the cells of his body, but not begin at the end; one must begin at the beginning.”

Content curated by Abhijit

Read more about Cells from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.