What is biological evolution trying to do?

'Life' is undoubtedly one of the biggest puzzles facing modern science. From physicists to philosophers, people from almost all walks of life have been trying to make sense of this insanely complex problem. The idea of 'life' is intricately linked with the idea of 'evolution'. If something does not evolve, it is very unlikely to be called living. Some philosophers and scientists have suggested that the distinction between living and non-living is quite artificial (eg. viruses) and this does make sense to some extent. But biological evolution is something that still enables us to draw a distinction between these two worlds. Lot of research has been done on various aspects of evolution and we do understand many details of the process, thought lot still remains to be understood. But what is still very far from being clear is this question: what is evolution really trying to do? 

What were the Pandavas fighting for?

There are four possibilities:

1. To get the kingdom of Hastinapura and become kings.
2. To take revenge for Draupadi's insult.
3. To uproot adharma from society and establish dharma.
4. They had no clue and were doing only what Krishna told them to.

Lets examine each of these one by one.

Is there a peaceful religion?

Violence is as old as the age of the universe and religion is as old as the first human civilisation. Since time immemorial, religion has led to some of the most peaceful people (Buddha, Christ, etc) and also to some of the most violent ones (Hitler, Osama, etc). In modern times, it is usual practice to designate every instance of religious violence to a misinterpretation of scriptures of that particular religion. But is this always true? Is there any religion that is totally against all forms of violence? 

Selected verses from Ayodhya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana

Source: http://valmikiramayan.net

2.1.12 Whenever he finds some time even while practising archery, Rama used to converse with elderly people, elder by way of conduct or wisdom or age or with good- natured people.

Comment: Our ancestors seem to have a much better definition of 'elder' than we do.

2.2.16 Dasaratha says to the group of kings, “This is my desire. Yet, let there be thinking on any other beneficial way. Thinking by impartial neutral people will be distinctive and well developed through grinding of opposing views.”

Comment : A great lesson for all wannabe leaders! But uncle of Bharata (King of Kaikeya) and father of Sita (King Janaka) were not invited for this meeting to decide whether Rama should be coronated as the next king. Also, although Dasaratha thought it fit to consult so many kings, he did not consider consulting his own sons in this matter.

Can there be two infinities?

Vivekananda once said to one of his disciples, "There can be no two infinities.... Still further advance will show you that all things are infinite, but these infinite things are one in essence and not two. They are but different expressions of a single entity, and they must be one." This is perhaps the most clear expression of Vivekananda's opinion about the age old Vedantic debate between Advaita and Dvaita. Vivekananda did not discard Dvaita, but he always held Advaita at a higher pedestal. In simple terms, Advaita (or monism) says that the individual soul (Atman) is essentially same as the cosmic soul (Brahman). And Dvaita (or dualism) says that Atman is distinct from Brahman. Indian scholars have been debating on this for many centuries with no clear resolution in sight. 

Meaning and relevance of Sannyasa

The concept of sannyasa (monk-hood) is prevalent in almost all religions, but there is some uniformity in its practice in other religions. But as with most concepts in Hinduism, there are so many different definitions of sannyasa that it becomes hopelessly confusing! In some Hindu schools of asceticism, a male sannyasi is not allowed to even look at the picture of a woman (and vice-versa) and in some other schools, even ritual sex is considered to be part of the liberation process. There is of course a whole spectrum of beliefs in between these two extremes. In common parlance, the word sannyasi is used to refer to a person who has left his/her family, abandoned all worldly duties and is living alone in search of the ultimate truth. This would have been simple to understand if not for the new breed of sannyasis at modern day spiritual organisations who are involved in so many managerial duties that would put a CEO to shame. There are also so many scriptures and philosophies in Hinduism that its almost impossible to form a coherent understanding if we start referring to all that has been written and said in this context. But thankfully, Krishna did a wonderful job of giving us one reference which every single Hindu considers to be the highest authority in all matters of life, death and beyond.  So, lets try to understand that the Krishna says about sannyasa in the Gita.

Honesty and Diplomacy

Usually, the word 'honest' is associated for people who always speak the truth no matter what consequences it leads to. And the word 'diplomatic' is usually used for people who always try to be saccharine. But both these ideas are an oversimplification. Honesty is a very complicated concept and diplomacy is not about being sweet as sugar. One of the definitions of 'diplomacy' is that it is the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and tactful way. Now whats wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. In fact, in order to have meaningful lives, we must learn to talk to people without hurting them and at the same time, without being dishonest. So, what is required is a seamless combination of honesty (i.e. truth) and diplomacy (i.e. sensitivity+tact). 

Comment on "Vivekananda's Contribution"

I recently wrote a blog-post titled "Vivekananda's Contribution" to which I received a very detailed comment over email from Mr. Asish Raha. This comment is so rich in content that it deserves to be a separate post in itself. Here it is:

Dear Kushal,

My hearty compliments to you for analyzing outstanding contributions of Swami Vivekananda, emphasizing in particular that he made us aware that real God was not without but within us.

Vivekananda's Contribution

Its quite incredible how a few humans are able to rise so high above the average that it becomes hard to believe that they share the same genes as us. Vivekananda is one such person to have lived in the 19th century India. He was an untameable rebel all through his life. During the last year of his guru's life it did seem that Vivekananda has finally been conquered, but soon after the guru's demise, the rebellion re-surfaced in all its glory. What happened at Chicago in 1893 is only a glimpse of the infinite energy that this man possessed. But even after 150 years of his passing away, this question still remains unanswered : what was Vivekananda's main contribution? Several answers are provided and we shall carefully examine the major ones.

Understanding Vedanta through Physics

Science and spirituality have had a tumultuous love-hate relationship for the past few centuries. The first sign of trouble emerged when Copernicus declared that the sun is the center of the solar system and not the earth. Galileo’s discoveries further added fuel to the fire and life has never been easy after that. Though the fight between these two human endeavours in the west is out in the open, we in India still try hard to push it under the carpet. Seldom do we realize that dirt under the carpet smells much worse than when it is out in the open. Oh yes, Vedanta surely has no problem with evolution or the heliocentric view, but some of us seem to feel threatened by science itself. Many otherwise well-meaning people often claim that ancient Indians knew everything and western scientists are only re-inventing the wheel. The technology of aircrafts and atom bombs was all known to them and may be they also used iPads (poor Steve!)! The current fascination among some Vedantins is to prove that ancient Indians also knew all about dark matter and God particle.

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Spouses and Siblings

Over the last 100 years, many very interesting and inspiring books have been written on spirituality, the way towards a higher life. And the best thing is that these books have been written by authors from various schools of thought and hence provide a very rich gamut of experience for the readers. However, there is one aspect of many of these writings that is quite funny! I am referring to the advice given to householders by many monks. The standard statement of this advice is : a married couple should live like brother-sister after giving birth to one or two children. As Ramakrishna says, it is definitely true that in order to make serious spiritual growth, it is indispensable to win over the constant hankering for 'lust and gold'. But does this mean that we start treating our spouse as our sibling? God forbid!

Dreams, Death and Moksha

Mandukya Upanishad describes consciousness as having four possible states : waking, dreaming, deep sleep and turiya (state of realization).  But these states seem to be describing only the state of  an ordinary living person and that of a realized soul. What about the state of death? Does not consciousness exist when a person dies?