The lack of experience and recognition of the action of the soul makes it difficult for most people to understand the reality of the soul. For this reason, people tend to confuse the true soul with the vital soul of desire, which Sri Aurobindo calls the ‘desire-soul’. This is an expression of the vital being and is seen as passionate, sensuous and desire-filled. The vital connection feltl between two individuals clues us in to how people tend to identify a ‘soul mate’. Because people generally identify with and live on the surface of their being, for the most part, anything identified as ‘soul’ turns out to be related to the feeling we experience in our vital nature.
The soul itself is not attached to the experiences of the exte
al being, per se. Soul experience relates to the connection between the soul and the Divine, in the form of aspiration, devotion, consecration, and surrender through increased receptivity to the spiritual principle and action.
A disciple asks: “Are the soul and the psychic being one and the same thing?”
The Mother responds: “That depends on the definition you give to the words. In most religions, and perhaps in most philosophies also, it is the vital being which is called ‘soul’, for it is said that ‘the soul leaves the body’, while it is the vital being which leaves the body. One speaks of ‘saving the soul’, ‘wicked souls’, ‘redeeming the soul’… but all that applies to the vital being, for the psychic being has no need to be saved! It does not share the faults of the exte
al person, it is free from all reaction.”
reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 1 Meaning and Nature of the Psychic Being, pg. 9
About the Author
Santosh has been studying Sri Aurobindo's writings since 1971 and has a daily blog at http://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com and podcast located at https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/santosh-krinsky/
He is author of 26 books and is editor-in-chief at Lotus Press. He is president of Institute for Wholistic Education, a non-profit focused on integrating spirituality into daily life.
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are all available on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of Sri Aurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com
Further Reading
Article
Distinguishing Vital Vibrations from Soul Vibrations
we tend to attribute passion, motivation, charisma, energy to the soul, but most of the time, these are expressions of the energy of the vital nature, perhaps tinged by the soul's influence to some degree.
October 7, 2026
Article
Is It Possible for the Mind to Recognise the Presence of the Soul in Another Person?
perceiving the action of the soul by the mind is only possible under specific conditions.
October 7, 2026
Article
Changing the Driving Force of Action from the Mind and Vital Nature to the Psychic Being and its Guidance
the spiritual seeker works to overcome the pressure and habits of the external nature driven by the desires of the vital and ambitions of the mind, by contacting and following the quiet guidance of the soul
October 6, 2026
Article
Listening to the Voice of the Soul Rather Than the Voice of the External Mental and Vital Nature
The mental and vital elements of the being work together to fulfill the desires. The knowledge base used is by reference and is limited. The solution is to shift to the standpoint of the soul which is capable of 'knowledge by identity'
October 4, 2026