Search:
Bhakti List Archives

human cloning and srimad bhAgavatam

From the Bhakti List Archives

sampath kumar • March 6, 2000 


Dear friends,
While in Madras recently, adiyen took the opportunity
to meet with a well-known holy man of orthodox Vedic
tradtion. (It is not necessary to name him here on the
bhakti-list). Adiyen has the greatest regard for this
particular 'veda-vith' since he is not only a devout
and uncompromising Vedic practitioner but also a
person with astute knowledge of worldly matters too
("loukeekam"). 

Adiyen took the liberty to put to the holy man the
same set of questions on "human cloning" that had been
put out on the bhakti-list a few weeks ago. Adiyen was
not sure if the holy man would welcome such queer
questions on genetics and religion. But adiyen was so
surprised when the "veda-vith" not only listened
kindly to all of adiyen's questions with patience and
understanding but also with a great deal of youthlike
enthusiasm.

"My young friend", he said,"I am sure you do not
expect me to provide you with technical answers to
your questions. I am not a geneticist. Neither are
you. I have a bit of Vedic learning having spent more
than 40 years in Vedic pursuit. You have none. And yet
you ask questions of such a nature as will require a
respondent to have deep knowledge of not only the
Vedic truth but also of the science of genetics. 

"Both of us have a little knowledge about clones. We
probably picked it all up from newspapers and like
publications. But our knowledge is incomplete. Because
our knowledge of human cloning is incomplete it
disturbs us deeply. 

"Why? We don't really know. We believe that in some
future world where human clones will co-exist with
normal human beings, there are bound to arise profound
moral and ethical issues which will further complicate
the already chaotic human society we live in today.
The advent of human clones makes us extremely uneasy. 

" You are asking me now:  If the human soul can be
said to be 'cloned' then isn't such cloning a bit like
"srushti" or creation itself? Has Man finally become
God?"

"I ask you now: if creation of a clone or "srushti"
makes man God, then, by the same token, through
"destruction" (or "sarvanAshanam") also Man may hope
to become God? For, is Destruction not one of the
principal functions of God too? Two atomic bombs were
dropped in 1945. There was utter destruction in the
world then. Are we  to conclude therefore that Man
became God by the utter Destruction wrought in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

"My friend, Man's claim to Godhead is made no stronger
through human cloning... or "srushti"...  than it is 
through the awesome destruction his atomic bombs
wrought... "sarvanAshanam". 

"Human cloning is not unknown to Vedic tradition. The
ancient 'sruti' has many references to clones. So what
we call the science of genetics is not entirely alien
to the Vedic system of thought. An entire chapter in
the 'Srimad Bhagavata purAna' has references to
clones, if only you cared to read it carefully".

Adiyen then asked the holy man,"Can you please explain
what is there about human clones in "Srimad
Bhagavatam?". The holy man smiled and said,"Ah, but
that's a long story!".

"Swami, I'd nonetheless like to hear it", I said.

"My friend, it's time now to perform our
'sandhyAvandanam'. So please go now and return
tomorrow if you are still interested in the quaint
"purAnic" stories of the Vedic variety."

The holy man then dismissed adiyen rather abruptly.
Adiyen suspected he secretly hoped I'd not bother him
again if asked to go away and return again.Adiyen
firmly decided I'd not oblige him. So I returned to
him the followind day to hear about clones in the
'Srimad BhAgavatam".

It's now time for adiyen's 'sandhyAvandanam'. So I
will continue this post tomorrow.

dAsan,
Sampathkumar  
 




__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------
- aazhvaar, emberumaanaar, desikan, jeeyar tiruvadigale saranam -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@eGroups.com
Visit http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/ for more information

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Planning a party? iParty.com is your complete source for party planning and
supplies, with everything you need to throw the perfect party!
http://click.egroups.com/1/1635/2/_/716111/_/952352932/

-- Check out your group's private Chat room
-- http://www.egroups.com/ChatPage?listName=bhakti-list&m=1