English
The cell grows by material taken into its substance, as food. When sufficient food has been partaken, and enough new material accumulated to cause the cell to attain a certain size, then it divides, or separates into two cells, the division being equal, and the point of cleavage being at the kernel or nu- cleus. As the two parts separate, the protoplasm of COSMIC EVOLUTION. 161 each groups itself around its nucleus, and two living forms exist where there was but one a moment before. And then each of the two cells proceed to grow rap- idly, and then separate, and so on to the end, each cell multiplying into millions, as time passes. Ascending in the scale, we next find the living forms composed of cell-groups. These cell-groups are formed by single cells dividing, and then subdividing, but instead of passing on their way they group them- selves in clusters, or masses. There are millions of forms of these cell-group creatures, among which we find the sponges, polyps, etc. In the early forms of life it is difficult to distin- guish between the animal and the plant forms, in fact the early forms partake of the qualities of both. But as we advance in the scale a little there is seen a de- cided "branching out," and one large branch is formed of the evolving plant forms, and the other of the evolv- ing animal forms. The plant-branch begins with the sea-weeds, and passes on to the fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, pines and palm-ferns, grasses, etc., then to the trees, shrubs and herbs. The animal-branch begins with the monera, or single-cell forms, which are little more than a drop of sticky, glue-like protoplasm. Then it passes on to the amoebae, which begins to show a slight difference in its parts. Then on the foramin- ifera, which secretes a shell of lime from the water. Then on a step higher to the polycystina, which se- cretes a shell, or skeleton of flint-like material from the water. Then come the sponges. Then the coral-ani- 162 GNANI YOGA. mals, anemones and jelly-fish. Then come the sea- lilies, star-fish, etc. Then the various families of worms. Then the crabs, spiders, centipedes, insects. Then come the mollusca, which include the oysters, clams and other shell-fish; snails, cuttle-fish, sea- squirts, etc. All of the above families of animal-forms are what are known as "invertebrates," that is, with- out a backbone. Then we come to the "vertebrates," or animals hav- ing a backbone. First we see the fish family with its thousands of forms. Then come the amphibia, which include the toads, frogs, etc. Then come the reptiles, which include the serpents, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, etc. Then come the great family of birds, with its wonderful variety of forms, sizes, and characteristics. Then come the mammals, the name of which comes from the Latin word meaning "the breast," the char- acteristic of which group comes from the fact that they nourish their young by milk, or similar fluid, se- creted by the mother. The mammals are the highest form of the vertebrates. First among the mammals we find the aplacentals, or those which bring forth immature young, which are grouped into two divisions, i. e., (i) the monotremes, or one-vented animals, in which group belong the duck-bills, spiny ant-eaters, etc.; and (2) the marsu- pials, or pouched animals, in which group belong the kangaroo, opossum, etc. The next highest form among the mammals are known as the placentals, or those which bring forth COSMIC EVOLUTION. 163 mature young. In this class are found the ant-eaters, sloth, manatee, the whale and porpoise, the horse, cow, sheep, and other hoofed animals; the elephant, seal, the dog, wolf, lion, tiger, and all flesh eating animals ; the hares, rats, mice, and all other gnawing animals; the bats, moles, and other insect-feeders; then come the great family of apes, from the small monkeys up to the orang-outang, chimpanzee, and other forms nearly approaching man. And then comes the highest, Man, from the Kaffir, Bush-man, Cave-man, and Dig- ger Indian, up through the many stages until the high- est forms of our own race are reached. From the Monera to Man is a long path, containing many stages, but it is a path including all the interme- diate forms. The Yogi Teachings hold to the theory of evolution, as maintained by modern Science, but it goes still further, for it holds not only that the physical forms are subject to the evolutionary process, but that also the "souls" embodied in these forms are subject to the evolutionary process. In other words the Yogi Teachings hold that there is a twin-process of evolu- tion under way, the main object of which is to develop "souls," but which also finds it necessary to evolve higher and higher forms of physical bodies for these constantly advancing souls to occupy. Let us take a hasty glance at the ascending forms of animal life, as they rise in the evolutionary scale. By so doing we can witness the growth of the soul, within them, as manifested by the higher and higher physical forms which are used as channels of expression by 164 GNANI YOGA. the souls within. Let us first study soul-evolution from the outer viewpoint, before we proceed to ex- amine it from the inner. By so doing we will have a fuller idea of the process than if we ignored the outer and proceed at once to the inner. Despise not the outer form, for it has always been, and is now, the Temple of the Soul, which the latter is remodelling and rebuilding in order to accommodate its constantly increasing needs and demands. Let us begin with the Protozoa, or one-celled forms — the lowest form of animal life. The lowest form of this lowest class is that remarkable creature that we have mentioned in previous lessons — the Moneron. This creature lives in water, the natural element in which organic life is believed to have had its begin- ning. It is a very tiny, shapeless, colorless, slimy, sticky mass — something like a tiny drop of glue — alike all over and in its mass, and without organs or parts of any kind. Some have claimed that below the field of the microscope there may be something like elementary organs in the Moneron, but so far as the human eye may discover there is no evidence of any- thing of the kind. It has no organs or parts with which to perform particular functions, as is the case with the higher forms of life. These functions, as you know, may be classed into three groups, i. e., nutrition, reproduction, and relation — that is, the function of feeding, the function of reproducing its kind, and the function of receiving and responding to the impres- sions of the outside world. All of these three classes COSMIC EVOLUTION. 165 of functions the Moneron performs — but with any part of its body, or with all of it. Every part, or the whole, of the Moneron absorbs food and oxygen — it is all mouth and lungs. Every part, or the whole, digests the food — it is all stomach. Every part, or the whole, performs the reproductive function — it is all reproductive organism. Every part of it senses the impressions from outside, and responds to it — it is all organs of sense, and organs of motion. It envelops its prey as a drop of glue surrounds a par- ticle of sand, and then absorbs the substance of the prey into its own substance. It moves by prolonging any part of itself outward in a sort of tail-like appendage, which it uses as a "foot," or "finger" with which to propel itself; draw itself to, or push itself away from an object. This prolongation is called a pseudopod, or "false-foot." When it gets through using the "false- foot" for the particular purpose, it simply draws back into itself that portion which had been protruded for the purpose. It performs the functions of digestion, assimilation, elimination, etc., perfectly, just as the higher forms of life — but it has no organs for the functions, and per- forms them severally, and collectively with any, or all parts of its body. What the higher animals per- form with intricate organs and parts — heart, stomach, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc., etc. — this tiny creature per- forms without organs, and with its entire body, or any part thereof. The function of reproduction is start- lingly simple in the case of the Moneron. It simply 166 GNANI YOGA. divides itself in two parts, and that is all there is to it There is no male or female sex in its case — it com- bines both within itself. The reproductive process is even far more simple than the "budding" of plants. You may turn one of these wonderful creatures in- side out, and still it goes on the even tenor of its way, in no manner disturbed or affected. It is simply a "living drop of glue," which eats, digests, receives im- pressions and responds thereto, and reproduces itself. This tiny glue-drop performs virtually the same life functions as do the higher complex forms of living things. Which is the greater "miracle" — the Moneron or Man? A slight step upward from the Moneron brings us to the Amoeba. The name of this new creature is derived from the Greek word meaning "change," and has been bestowed because the creature is constantly changing its shape. This continual change of shape is caused by a continuous prolongation and drawing-in of its pseu- dopods, or "false-feet," which also gives the creature the appearance of a "many-fingered" organism. This creature shows the first step toward "parts," for it has something like a membrane or "skin" at its surface, and a "nucleus" at its centre, and also an expanding and contracting cavity within its substance, which it uses for holding, digesting and distributing its food, and also for storing and distributing its oxygen — an elementary combination of stomach and lungs!