Do the śāstras state that there are 400,000 species of humans?
There are not 400,000 species of humans!
Separating story from sāra or the essence
Often we come across stories in the purāṇas, that, on the face of it, do not make any sense. How does one understand them?
When śāstra clashes with pratyakśa
Jambūdvīpa is not an account of a physical reality. The purāṇas contain a bewildering array of information about the material world that does not match with pratyakśa or direct perception. A typical example is the account in the purāṇas of a lotus-like Bhū whose pericarp is the Meru […]
The case for belief in Kṛṣṇa
The new atheism movement is on the upswing. Thinkers like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett have made a clear and logical case for atheism. Religious belief is on a decline in the developed countries. Anyone with even a basic education knows that the people in the past did […]
Quantum mechanics and consciousness
Renowned British physicist Roger Penrose and the University of Arizona’s Stuart Hameroff have a theory for consciousness. According to them, consciousness is information stored at the quantum level in microtubules. Microtubules are biopolymers in cells that have varied functions. They are enriched in neurons and are critical for […]
Of moon landings and conspiracy theories
Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral was the site of one of mankind’s more remarkable achievements- the moon landing. The picture shows launchpad 39A (taken with my iphone through the window of a NASA organized bus). Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins achieved the historic landing (Collins […]
Mixing bhakti with science means bad science and confused bhakti
Many devotees think that science has a place in the field of bhakti. For example, some think that by using the scientific method to evaluate the descriptions in bhakti scriptures, one can demonstrate the veracity of bhakti scriptures. Others think that preaching to an increasingly scientific, modern audience requires […]
The existence of the jīva is not a scientific hypothesis
A scientifically testable hypothesis must make predictions that can be tested. The hypothesis should predict something that is likely to happen, and something that is unlikely to happen if the hypothesis were true. The predictions must have the property that they can be validated by independent observers. Furthermore, […]
Lulu and Nana: the world’s first gene-edited humans
A Chinese researcher announced recently that he has edited the genes of human babies with CRISPR-CAS9 technology. The scientific world is outraged. Read on why. CAS9 is an enzyme that cuts DNA at sequences which are complementary to CRISPR sequences. It is present in bacteria, and they use […]
Louis Pasteur discovered that life comes from life
‘Life comes from Life’ is posed by some modern bhakti sects as a key challenge to science. However, Louis Pasteur, the father of microbiology, summarized his scientific experiments in the phrase “Omne vivum ex vivo“, which means ‘Life [is] from Life’. Here is a bit from wikipedia: Biogenesis is […]
Bhakti is not a type of science.
Before we dive into this topic, lets start with the meaning of the word ‘Science’ from wikipedia: “Science (from Latin scientia, meaning “knowledge”) is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.” In modern India, the word vijñāna is the […]
Is Chaitanya Vaishnavism opposed to the theory of evolution?
I recently met a young smart Indian girl studying in the tenth grade who grew up in America. I started to talk to her about science. When I inquired about the theory of evolution, she replied: “the theory of evolution is a conspiracy by scientists to reject God. […]