“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.7)

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ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।
मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति।।

mamaivāṃśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ।
manaḥṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛtisthāni karṣati।।

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada makes the claim that the entire endeavor is a waste of time. The vast research. The display of intelligence. The publishing of literature in journals of high esteem and repute. The honorary titles appended to the names of researchers.

How can any person really believe that it is a waste of time? Just see what science has done. Think of the comforts available today that were tied to issues of survival in the past. If a certain region experiences drought during a particular season, it is not necessarily the end of the world. Today, there are advanced mechanisms for transport and delivery of water from one area to another.

If a person requires emergency medical attention, they can be swiftly transferred to an area reserved for treatment. A traffic jam does not have to get in the way. Air travel is the result of such research and display of intelligence.

While these arguments are valid, there are two particular components which lead to the accurate portrayal. The person in the know, who is in tune with the Divine consciousness, is not looking to casually put down this field or that. They look at the root, at the foundation, and see if it aligns with actual intelligence or not.

1. We are not the controllers of nature

The premise is flawed. The starting point is in error. Take the example of competing in a challenge competition. Let’s say it is an elimination, one team against another. The losing team is out of the competition. The winners take home millions of dollars.

The challenge has several steps to it, which must be completed in succession. The second section is particularly difficult. Each team has to move cinder blocks. Several hundred of them. The thing is, the blocks are properly aligned at the start. Based on what is painted on the front, the blocks form a particular image.

The challenge is for the team to not only move the blocks, but they must also recreate the same image. It is something like a puzzle. One team takes their time. They build each row with careful attention.

The other team makes a mistake right from the beginning. The block they need to place at the bottom has been buried in the back. They continue building the puzzle, for several hours, until they realize their mistake. By then, it is too late. They do not have sufficient time to recreate the puzzle, from scratch.

In the same way, if we begin with the flawed understanding that we can control nature, none of our efforts will prove to be worthwhile. We may help successive generations in their standard of living. We may pass the time within the life experience in a more pleasant way. Even that is debatable, since the so-called advancements require intense time, resources, and several iterations of failure.

No matter what advancements occur, nature is always the source. The endeavor is kind of exploiting nature, taking advantage of what is already there. We cannot control nature. If we cannot even come close to approaching the sun, which is vital for the continuation of life, what impact can we really make?

2. There is a Supreme Controller

He is even controlling nature. The factor with which we cooperate, which we are forced to follow, is controlled by a higher force. He is the source of everything, both higher and lower natures.

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय ।
अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगत: प्रभव: प्रलयस्तथा ॥

etad-yonīni bhūtāni
sarvāṇīty upadhāraya
ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ
prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā

“Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.6)

If I ignore the factor of the Supreme Controller, of what use is my research? It is like the children playing in the sand. They pretend they are in a palace, hosting a party where tea is served. The parents enjoy the production, but they never believe for a second that anything meaningful is taking place. There is no palace and there is no tea.

We cannot control nature, but we can win the favor of the Supreme Controller. He reveals that the living entities, being eternally tied to Him, are actually superior to the material nature. They are part of the higher energy, but from ignorance they follow the wrong path.

Genuine religion is for correcting the mistake, for turning in the proper direction. The foundation is acknowledgment of the supremacy of the highest controller. Every activity which follows from such acknowledgment thus becomes beneficial, both in the short and long terms.

In Closing:

Parents with pleasure to see,
But actually no palace or tea.

Children only in sand playing,
Not real control displaying.

With scientific research the same,
In ignorance just a game.

Since nature first controller to call,
And Supreme One above all.

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