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Re: human cloning and srimad bhAgavatam

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Ramanbil • March 6, 2000 


Dear Bhagavatas
I do not understand the relevance of this subject to our basic issue of 
SaraNAgathi. However, since it has generated a lot of animated discussions, I 
may perhaps add my two cents worth.

After all, human cloning is not anything new. 

First of all, does not the primordial Vedic Purusha Sooktham refer to the 
creation of the various jeevAs from the various parts of the VirAt Purusha, 
not necessarily the womb? If this cannot be taken as an example of cloning in 
the modern scientific sense, there are several instances mentioned in the 
Scriptures e.g:

1) The story of Vena in VishNu purANa:
When Vena, the monarch challenged the Rishis, and banned Vedic sacrifices, 
they killed him with their power of Tapas. When monarchy disappeared, anarchy 
took over the earth and life became miserable. 

The rishis rubbed the dead king's thigh wherefrom came forth a being of the 
complexion of a charred stake, with flattened features and of dwarfish 
stature. "What am I to do?" cried he. The munis asked him to sit down 
"Nishada" and thence his name was "NishAda" who genetically imbibed all the 
evil qualities of Vena.

The munis then rubbed the right arm of the dead king from which friction was 
engendered the illustrious son of Vena, named "Prithu", resplendent in 
person, as if the blazing deity of fire had been manifested. He thus 
inherited the good genes of his father, Vena who was relieved of the hell 
called "Puth". Beholding in his right hand the mark of the discus of VishNu, 
Brahma recognized a portion of that divinity in Prithu who became the 
universal emperor and the earth came to be known as "Prithvi" after him.
(Amsam 1 of Vishnu PurANam)

2. Story of Oorvasi
We know how the Lord once took the AvatAra of Sishya and Guru in the form of 
Nara and Narayana. VAmana PurANa has a legend about how the penance and 
austerities of these riches so alarmed India who (not knowing that it was 
Lord Prapanna who had taken those forms) sent nymphs to inspire them with 
passion and disturb their devotions. NArAyaNa took a flower and placed it on 
his thigh and rubbed it. Immediately, there sprang from it a beautiful nymph 
whose charms far excelled those of the celestial nymphs and made them return 
to India filled with shame. From her having been produced from the thigh 
(Ooru) of the sage, she came to be known as "Oorvasi".

 Vide also MahabhAratha 3.147,152, VAmana PurANa Chapter 2, VishNu purANA 
5.34-37) and MahabhAratham 12.107, BhAgavata PurANa 4.13-15, VAyu PurAna 
Chapter 62, Matsya PurAna Chapter 10, Padma PurANa 1.17, Hari Vamsa 1.2, 
Brahma PurAna Chapter 4Atharva VEDa Samhita 8.10.22-23, Satapatha BrAhmaNa 
5.3 and 5.4, Vishnu DharmOttara PurANa 1.109-110)
I endorse the statement of Krishna Susarla when he says in relation to 
Maruts---
"... what obviously must have happened is that a new jiiva entered each new 
clone as it was inadvertently created by Indra. Since Indra is not God, we 
shouldn't be
disturbed by the fact that he "created" clones. It must have been the karma
of those jiivas to enter into cloned bodies in that fashion, and there is no
reason why this could not happen in the future as a result of scientific
procedures."

There are several more episodes which refer to such instances. The modern DNA 
conclusions, the cloning of the Dolly etc seem to confirm the Vedic and 
Puranic references to cloning mentioned above.

Dasoham
Anbil Ramaswamy

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