“This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.10)

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मयाध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः
सूयते स-चराचरम्
हेतुनानेन कौन्तेय
जगद् विपरिवर्तते

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate

“Let me apprise you of a recent trend I have noticed. This is in the areas of science and medicine. I guess you could say the two are the same, as the objective on each side is kind of uniform. They are both seeking to extend the life experience to infinity. Solve the problem of death, once and for all. Find a way to avoid disease. Avoid contamination. Study all of the existing issues and determine a way to resolve them moving forward.

“That is the stated objective, but the humor lies in the trend that I have noticed. More and more, these highly credentialed individuals throw their hands up in frustration. If they face a patient with a disease, they say that there is nothing that can be done. Better to go home and take pain medication until the final end manifests.

“They say that many chronic illnesses have no cause and have no cure. This sounds absurd to me. Any honest person realizes that you can make experiments with these issues. Try different settings. Take a control group. Take another group and introduce certain environmental factors. Then study the difference. This is how to tell whether something makes a difference or not. This is the basic way to test the effectiveness and safety of medical treatment.

“But these people will never try. It is like they know the answer, but refuse to acknowledge it. Something is getting in their way. Pride. Ego. Competition for resources. If they ever found a cure and it did not benefit them financially, they have no incentive to push it forward. They are corrupt to their core.

“I raise these issues because it seems like the same people throwing their hands up, resigned to failure in treating certain illnesses, are also the ones consulted for the history of the universe, the meaning to life, and the purpose moving forward. Just in my world, I wouldn’t trust these people on anything. If they told me it is raining outside, I would first validate by looking out the window. They have no authority for me. Why are they held in such high regard, then?”

The same barrier to common sense exists with respect to the origin of the universe and how basic life functions. They try to redefine the problem scope. Simplify things so as to remove the complexities. In the end, they will choose the path described by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as “sour grapes”.

“There is no God. Stop subscribing to make-believe. There is no explanation for the origin of the universe. There is no way to resolve the issues. We are working, instead, on improvement. How can we better enjoy the life experience that we do have? That is a more practical approach, that can produce tangible results.”

Meanwhile, the evidence is abundantly clear, at least in the local sphere. Any honest person can see that there is an animating force within. This force is responsible for everything. Without its presence, nothing would develop. Indeed, development begins only when there is life. Development stops only when that life is no longer there.

The same principle applies to the universe itself. There is someone responsible. There is an animating force which essentially starts the process of development. When that same animating force withdraws, when it takes its influence elsewhere, the development ceases. This continues in a cycle, through the evolution of time, which is infinite in both the reverse and forward directions.

This is the foundation of the science of self-realization. Bhagavad-gita leaves no ambiguity in this area. Shri Krishna says that He is responsible. He is that animating force for the entire universe. We are the animating force at the local level. Krishna is still with us, as a witness. The objective of our current birth, in the auspicious human form, is to turn in His direction. This turn brings the necessary knowledge for both explaining the world in which we live and configuring the most auspicious destination for the future.

सर्व-योनिषु कौन्तेय
मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः
तासां ब्रह्म महद् योनिर्
अहं बीज-प्रदः पिता

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.4)

In Closing:

Perplexed and defeated,
But actually by them cheated.

Since considering the grapes as sour,
In foolishness to spend many an hour.

That no cause and no cure,
But to find comforts for sure.

Krishna the source information to reveal,
That His influence all conditions to heal.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, life, poem, poems, poetry, science