“Man’s knowledge should be developed to explore the technology which deals with the difference between a living man and a dead man, a living body and a dead body. That spiritual knowledge was taught by Krishna in the beginning of Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna was talking to Krishna as a friend. Of course, whatever he was saying was right, but it was right only to a certain point. Beyond that point there are other subject matters of knowledge, which are called adhokshaja because our direct perception of material knowledge fails to approach them.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Krishna, the Reservoir of Pleasure)

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1. Information

“If you meet people who are from a certain region of the world, you can almost guess their occupation with great certainty. If they are living in what people call an industrialized nation, then it is likely that they are a doctor, a lawyer, or within information technology.

“This wasn’t even a term when I was growing up. It has sort of taken off, becoming an industry of its own. There is technology to manage information. Instead of relying on large filing cabinets and an elaborate archiving system of important records, everything can be done from a computer terminal.

“Even that is being slowly replaced. Or at least added on to. You can accomplish most tasks through a device small enough to fit in your pocket. Who would have thought? Volumes of important literature can be accessed in a matter of seconds, preserved in perfect digital form.”

2. Television

“I grew up with it. We had one that was black and white, but I never minded. It was just cool to be able to watch things. It wasn’t until I got older that I started to contemplate life prior to the television. I felt bad for people living in previous eras.

“I know that television changed everything. It created new industries. It made certain events much more popular. Politicians had to adjust. If they wanted to get elected at the national level, they had to come off better when televised.

“It’s an interesting technology, for sure. You are broadcasting sounds and images, in perfect sync, across the world. You can be a witness to an event taking place thousands of miles away. There is practically no lag in the process.”

3. Cellular

“I was around for much of the advancements in this particular technology. I specifically remember the issue of having an expensive monthly phone bill. This was if you made too many long-distance calls. There were so many commercials trying to get people to use this service or that in order to save money on their monthly bills.

“Just see the situation now. No one worries about long-distance calls. No one even cares much for calling. Many homes don’t have the traditional landline telephone. Everything is over wireless. We take it for granted, but when I was a child I distinctly remember using the rotary phone, on occasion.”

4. Medical device

“The surgeries they can do today are amazing. They send cameras inside of the body, to see what is truly going on. Doctors can pinpoint the damage to specific areas and target those directly. People can have devices that will constantly monitor vital signs and provide emergency help when needed. It is amazing to think this would ever be possible, but it is.”

5. The difference between a living man and a dead man

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada recommends this type of technology. This should be the primary focus of knowledge. After all, to be a human being is to inquire. The inquiry starts at the start. From the beginning there is one question after another.

The child wonders why it suddenly turns dark after attending their class in the evening. When they enter the class, there is daylight. When they exit, everything outside is dark. What exactly happened? Did someone turn out the lights, so to speak?

Why does the same thing happen every day? Is there a pattern? Is there a way to predict when there will be daylight and when nightfall will occur? What is the reason behind day and night? Why can’t it stay in one state, perpetually?

Within the Vedic tradition, the first inquiry relates to the spiritual nature. The Sanskrit aphorism is athato brahma-jijnasa. This conveys a sense of urgency. “Now” is the time. Not before. Not to be put off until later.

There is intelligence today. There is the ability to inquire. There is the opportunity to receive answers. Those responses can then be accepted, stored away, and processed, resulting in further inquiry and a higher standard of knowledge.

Inquiry into Brahman leads to the technology explaining the difference between a living body and a dead one. This is the most important technology to learn because it is the basis for life itself. This technology explains what powers the individual, what is the animating spark, what is really the determining factor within a specific timeline of existence.

Bhagavad-gita covers this technology and more. Brahman is the dividing line. The individuals are Brahman. They are spiritual. This means that the body does not identify them. The difference between the living body and a dead one is the presence of Brahman within.

श्री भगवानुवाच
अशोच्यनन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे ।
गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

“The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.11)

There are further insights into this essential truth. Because the Brahman spark is the basis for the presence of life, a person does not lament either condition. The living body ceases to function after the exit of Brahman. But these sparks of life are coming and going, since before anyone can remember.

It would be no different than lamenting the passing of summer. To be elated at the presence of winter, when we know that the seasons will continue to change. To overly lament at the eventual loss of life is not the behavior of a person in knowledge of this highest technology.

Brahman is but an introduction into a much larger and more complex picture. In the end, the human being cannot understand everything. The truth is adhokshaja, or that which is beyond measurement. This is because the source of everything is also adhokshaja; it is one of the names a person can use to address Him.

Adhokshaja explains a bit about the adhokshaja science to the disciple named Arjuna. Knowledge of the source is sufficient for proceeding forward in a positive way. No one can know everything, but Adhokshaja is Himself everything. A person who knows Him has a mastery over the most important technology.

In Closing:

Beyond measuring power gifted,
Heavier than anything lifted.

Longer than horizon’s course,
Of everything known the source.

Technology of that together keeping,
Soul inside to another then leaping.

Krishna with His dear friend sharing,
Guidance most compassionate and caring.

Categories: the five

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