What is the Difference Between Spiritual and Material Understanding of Evolution?

Q: Sir, please explain how Darwinian evolution theory is different from the evolution theory of Hinduism

ALOKDA: Darwin focused only on the outer aspect of evolution, that is to say the change of form leading to a new species. He did not quite understand the reason for this change though he did give his reasons as he thought could be the cause, foremost among them being the survival of the fittest. Later evolutionary biologists tried to provide their own understanding of the process based on the framework of genes. But still it remains a mystery as to how the grain of sand evolves into man through a series of apparently random processes and chance mutations. It is almost like saying that if one throws stones randomly it would end up some day in a strong and beautiful building. The chances of this happening are so rare that prominent biologists including Dr Watson and Crick of the gene discovery fame discarded the random mutation theory because of the extremely low mathematical probability. But instead of giving any valid answer he pushed it only one step backward by hypothesising that life was seeded here from another planet or elsewhere.

Now Indian thinkers knew about evolution as is evident in the story of dash avatar and the tantric literature that speaks of some 84 lakh different species through which the soul climbs to arrive at the human stage. Having thus arrived it can reach its maximum development by uniting with the Divine Origin discarding the form whose only purpose seems to have been to provide the scaffolding for the soul to develop from its seed state in the nescience to reach a state of awakening.
Vedanta also speaks of something similar. It focuses on the inner story of the soul evolving through various forms until it takes the human form and from there evolve or rather discover inwardly into its divine truth. As for the force leading to change of forms they termed it nature which operated intelligently because of the light of the Soul falling upon it.

This too leaves several gaps in our understanding especially as to why did the process start at all? Is there a purpose in all this long complicated play or is it all a purposeless drama unfolding in time? If the sole purpose is to go back to the Origin then why we got separated at all? Is human birth the last and final or there is more to him and something more than man is to come? Logically and intuitively it seems that it can’t be an abrupt close with an imperfect creature that man is.

It is here that Sri Aurobindo fills the gap between the material and the spiritual side of evolution. He takes up all the unanswered questions to which The Life Divine and Savitri are the most comprehensive answers.