“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.8)

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अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो
मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते
इति मत्वा भजन्ते मां
बुधा भाव-समन्विताः

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

Are science and religion at opposite ends of the spectrum? Must a firm believer in the Almighty shun the advancements developed in a laboratory? Must the credentialed scholar eschew the traditions and rituals followed by the local community for generation upon generation? The conclusion of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is that genuine scientific research can lead to even more appreciation of the original source.

Such appreciation already takes place through the output of artistic talent. Pretend that I am visiting an art gallery on a Friday evening. It is the eagerly anticipated outing for the week. Now that the tyrannical governments have somewhat softened their stance towards the population they despise, people are allowed out, with the option to breathe without obstruction, should they so choose.

I typically am not interested in walking around a room and giving commentary on paintings. I agree on the condition that this will not be a regular occurrence; it is at the suggestion of a good friend. At the event, one particular painting catches my eye. It depicts an autumn day, out in a park.

The leaves are brilliant in color. There is just enough hint of life, as this is the dusk of the season of growth. Soon after the trees will be completely bare, with winter taking over. This single image seems to perfectly capture the mood of the time.

It is not from a still camera. There is no technology involved. Simply human perception. The creator has a brilliant vision. I certainly could never reproduce the same. I have difficulty signing my own name, so accustomed to typing have I been for the past three decades or more.

This experience involves an ordinary observer appreciating extraordinary work. Take the same concept but apply it to the highest levels of scientific research. The groundbreaking discovery pushes the limits of what the scientists know, but there is a subtle acknowledgment of greatness on the other side.

This is because every discovery has the realization that someone had to provide placement in the first place. It is amazing to learn of the law of gravity, but it is more amazing to put that law into place. The cosmic manifestation is more awe-inspiring the further you dig into the laws and coordination, but there is a great brain behind everything.

That source is God, and so the scientist has a unique vantage point. Their appreciation is slightly different, as everything corresponds to their higher level of knowledge. The nonscientist might already appreciate the sunlight, the wind, the grass, the trees, the mountains, and so forth. They are content with this level of understanding.

Fortunately for the scientist, they do not have to stop with appreciating the wonderful cosmic manifestation. They can continue on with learning the laws behind the creation, instead of just the mechanisms themselves.

In other words, the very religion they previously considered to be the antithesis of science becomes a scientific endeavor itself. After all, athato brahma-jijnasa is meant for the intelligent person. The human being has the opportunity to both theoretically and practically realize the distinction between matter and spirit.

The natural sciences focus on the perceived movements of matter. At the source is spirit, in every case. That spirit is like the electricity powering the machine. The machine would be nothing without the source of power. The automobile is an amazing collection of parts, intelligently assembled, but it would just sit there if not for petrol or collected electric power.

In the same way, the human being is capable of amazing things, but only for the duration of the presence of spirit. No amount of scientific research will maintain that presence perpetually. The shifts to matter continue to take place, but the spirit on the inside is the same.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

The most intelligent person can derive tremendous satisfaction in placing their curiosity in sacred texts like Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. These are like the esteemed scientific journals for the spiritual side to an existence. They explain everything needed to be known, and upon acquisition of knowledge a person emerges further advanced in the proper way of living, which can lead to the highest destination in the end, far beyond where any mechanical vehicle can reach.

In Closing:

Just from principles to teach,
Far-beyond destination to reach.

Where not even vehicles can go,
As unmanifest to know.

But created by person the same,
From whom everything came.

Science working at His direction,
Every aspect with intricate connection.

Categories: science

Tags: god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion, science