non-living. Inorganic matter was perceived as anything but inert;
it was athrill under the action of multitudinous forces.

"A universal reaction seemed to bring metal, plant and animal under
a common law. They all exhibited essentially the same phenomena
of fatigue and depression, with possibilities of recovery and of
exaltation, as well as the permanent irresponsiveness associated
with death. Filled with awe at this stupendous generalization, it
was with great hope that I announced my results before the Royal
Society--results demonstrated by experiments. But the physiologists
present advised me to confine myself to physical investigations, in
which my success had been assured, rather than encroach on their
preserves. I had unwittingly strayed into the domain of an unfamiliar
caste system and so offended its etiquette.

"An unconscious theological bias was also present, which confounds
ignorance with faith. It is often forgotten that He who surrounded
us with this ever-evolving mystery of creation has also implanted
in us the desire to question and understand. Through many years
of miscomprehension, I came to know that the life of a devotee of
science is inevitably filled with unending struggle. It is for him
to cast his life as an ardent offering-regarding gain and loss,
success and failure, as one.

"In time the leading scientific societies of the world accepted my
theories and results, and recognized the importance of the Indian
contribution to science. {FN8-4} Can anything small or circumscribed
ever satisfy the mind of India? By a continuous living tradition,
and a vital power of rejuvenescence, this land has readjusted itself
through unnumbered transformations. Indians have always arisen who,