Discoveries of Science III by Sri Aurobindo

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Our science is an abstract cold and brief
    That cuts in formulas the living whole.
    It has a brain and head but not a soul:
It sees all things in outward carved relief.
But how without its depths can the world be known?
    The visible has its roots in the unseen
    And each invisible hides what it can mean
In a yet deeper invisible, unshown.
The objects that you probe are not their form.
    Each is a mass of forces thrown in shape.
    The forces caught, their inner lines escape
In a fathomless consciousness beyond mind’s norm.
Probe it and you shall meet a Being still
Infinite, nameless, mute, unknowable.
Answer the following questions in 15-20 words each:
  1. What does “the outward carved relief” mean?
Answer: “The outward carved relief” means that Science can observe only external features of anything in this world; and these are already visible and known.
  1. Where do “the inner lines escape”?
Answer: The inner lines escape from the observation of Science as Science has no soul to probe deep into the unknown.
  1. Where does the visible have its roots?
Answer: The visible has its roots in the unseen and each invisible hides its true meaning from the Scientific observation of human being.
  1. What do the words “beyond mind’s norm” suggest?
Answer: The expression “beyond mind’s norm” reveals the limitations of human senses and mind to explore the existence of the Unknown.
  1. What are the qualities of the “Being”?
Answer: The “Being” is infinite, nameless, mute and unknowable.
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:
  1. Explain the lines: “Probe it and you shall never a Being still/Infinite, nameless, mute, unknowable.”
Answer: The poet presents a co-relation between Science and Spirituality as both probes. But Science limits its observation to only abstract. If it probes deep from visible and known to invisible and unknown it will experience the presence of a power that is infinite, nameless, mute and unknowable. Science thus will realise the presence of supreme soul.
  1. Comment on the line: “In a fathomless consciousness beyond mind’s norm.”
Answer: The poet shows the limitation of human mind to probe deep into the existence of the god. It’s impossible to know the invisible through abstract scientific research. Only true spirituality can show the path to the god and ultimately we can feel the presence of the supreme soul.
  1. What message does the poet wish to give through the poem?
Answer: Through the poem the poet points out Science’s limitations to probe only the abstract and known. It lacks spirituality to feel the presence of the god as it deals with the known and visible. There’s much to explore and that can be done through spirituality. To know the supreme soul we need deep meditation and sincere devotion. 
  1. Find out the words which bring out the spiritual content of the poem.
Answer: Following lines/expressions bring out the spiritual content of the poem:
(i)               The visible has its roots in the unseen
(ii)             And each invisible hides what it can mean/In a yet deeper invisible,unknown
(iii)           In a fathomless consciousness beyond mind’s norm
(iv)            A Being still/Infinite, nameless, mute, unknowable
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each:
  1. Discuss the central idea of the poem.
Answer: The poet gives a clear message that the modern science is devoted to find the secret of the abstract world only. There is more to explore. The scientist should approach the secrets of the universe with spirituality. The biggest challenge the man faces is to know the existence of the soul. Science cannot help him as it is involved in finding the visible and known only; and soul is invisible and unknown.
The poet observes that the discoveries of science are only fragments of the truth. Science is not able to discover the complete truth as it works with the material objects. The poet suggests the union of the two-science and spirituality as the future of humanity. He does not undermine the attempts of science to find the truth but finds that an evolution in the nature of scientific inquiry is required in order to discover the ultimate truth.
  1. Explain the following lines of the poem with reference to the context:
“But how without .......................................................... unknown.”
            Answer: Reference: These lines have been extracted from the poem “The Discoveries of Science III” composed by Sri Aurobindo.
Context: Here the poet talks about the unknown secrets of the universe.
Explanation: The poet says that science observes things in their outward form only. But the secrets of the universe are much deeper. They can be known by going into the depth. Through what we see and know we can experience something which is unknown and unseen. As we discover the unseen and the unknown we experience the existence of a supreme power, the supreme soul.
Critical appreciation: The language of the poem contains vocabulary from spirituality. 

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