Indian theories and Sir Erasmus Darwin

Sir Erasmus Darwin belonged to the Lunar Society. He was impressed by two Indian theories.

1) Theory of Metempsychosis or Rebirth
2) Theory of the Ten Incarnations

Evolution states that Life began from the sea and that our primordial ancestors were aquatic.

The Ten Incarnations Theory ( Dasa Avataras ) is allegorical and symbolic. Life came from the sea ( Matsya Avatara ) and the unicellular amoeba evolved and evolved, into plants, into apes and then into man. Man then becomes Enlightened ( The Buddha ) and this is the Goal of Life, Self Actualisation ( parama purushartha = moksha ) .

Regarding, Metempsychosis. Aurobindo averred "It is illogical to assume that Plato and the Hottentot and the fortunate child of the Rishies and the saints have to realise in this very birth their eternal future. " So for the Evolution of Consciousness, which is behind the Evolution of the Species, there have to be many lives.

The East India Company, via Sir Erasmsus Darwin, took these two theories to the Western world. Sir Eramsus Darwin evolved a new theory out of it - The Theory of Evolution.

Later on, his grandson, Charles Darwin, established this theory in the scientific world, as the Law of Evolution, in his Origin of the Species !