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A Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga864
think “feel,” “cold,” “hurt,” etc., but he would be unable to think “I feel; I am
cold; I am hurt,” etc. The thought “I” would be missing.
It is true that the “I” consciousness of the primitive man was slight, and
was but a degree above the Physical Consciousness of the higher apes, but
nevertheless it had sprung into being, never again to be lost. The primitive
man was like a child a few years old—he was able to say “I,” and to think “I.”
He had become an individual soul.
And this individual soul inhabited and animated a body but little removed
from that of an ape. But this new consciousness began to mould that rude
body and the ascent was begun. Each generation showed a physical
improvement over that of the preceding one, according to the lines of
physical evolution, and as the developing soul demanded more perfect and
developed bodies the bodies were evolved to meet the demand, for the
mental demand has ever been the cause of the physical form.
The soul of the primitive man reincarnated almost immediately after the
death of the physical body, because the experiences gained were mostly
along the lines of the physical, the mental planes being scarcely brought into
play, while the higher and spiritual faculties were almost entirely obscured
from sight. Life after life the soul of the primitive man lived out in rapid
succession. But in each new embodiment there was a slight advance over
that of the previous one. Experience, or rather the result of experiences,
were carried over, and profited by. New lessons were learned and unlearned,
improved upon or discarded. And the race grew and unfolded.
After a time the number of advancing souls which had outstripped their
fellows in progress became sufficiently large for sub-races to be formed,
and so the branching off process began. In this way the various races and
types were formed, and the progress of Mankind gained headway. At this
point we may as well consider the history of the Races of Mankind, that we
may see how the great tide-wave of Soul has ever pressed onward, marking
higher and still higher stages of progress, and also how the various minor