{"id":33948,"date":"2016-12-04T08:01:33","date_gmt":"2016-12-04T07:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=33948"},"modified":"2016-12-04T08:01:33","modified_gmt":"2016-12-04T07:01:33","slug":"the-scientist-saint-who-sowed-the-seed-for-life-comes-from-life-conversations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=33948","title":{"rendered":"The Scientist-Saint who sowed the seed for ‘Life comes from Life’ conversations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

By Jaganmohini devi dasi and Subal Shyam das<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Sri Odan Shasti, December 5th, 2016, disciples and well-wishers around the globe celebrate the most auspicious occasion, 79th vyasa puja of H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Sripada maharaj. <\/p>\n

As a Manipuri Vaishnava and a studious scientist student from the prestigious University of California – Irvine, USA, Sripada maharaj won the heart of his spiritual master H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in their very first meeting. It was Sripada Maharaj’s scientist colleague Ramananda Raya (Dr. Ravindra Rao) who introduced maharaj to Srila Prabhupada. As maharaj recalls, Srila Prabhupada and maharaj looked intently at each other’s eyes for a few moments and then Prabhupada spoke.
\nIn their first meeting, while appreciating the temples built by the King of Manipur in Nabadwip, Radha-Kund and Vrndavan, Srila Prabhupada asked maharaj
\n“Being born in a Vaishnava family, why did you come here, crossing the ocean?”
\n“You, young scholars and students, have come here to the U.S.A. as beggars to beg scientific knowledge and dollars. But I have not come here to beg. I have come here to give the Americans something very valuable, which they do not have – Bhagavata Culture. Why don’t you do the same as I am doing? Why are you simply taking?
\nAs Sripada maharaj reminisced their first meeting, he said that Prabhupada was talking in a very freely way, very openly just like to a son. <\/p>\n

Taking Srila Prabhupada’s words seriously to his heart, Sripada maharaj, as one of the leaders of foreign students, played an active role in connecting Srila Prabhupada to professors and students from the campus. During Sundays, maharaj introduced several professors and students to Srila Prabhupada and one of them was the Physics Professor, Prof. Gregory Benford whose conversations with Srila Prabhupada has featured in the book ‘Science of Self-Realization’. Maharaj recalls that most of the scientists would have nice discussions with Srila Prabhupada about the science of Krishna Consciousness and also about modern educational systems. Thus Sripada maharaj was highly inspired and encouraged by Srila Prabhupada. During such time, on one occasion maharaj attended a seminar on “Life and the Universe” that was organized in his campus. Prominent scientists from around the world spoke about life during the seminar. The audience was large comprising illustrious professors and graduate students and maharaj was a PhD student then, studying under the illustrious guide Prof. Robert W. Taft who is the inventor of ‘Taft’s equation’ used in physical organic chemistry. During the seminar, one of the prominent scientist speakers was Prof. Stanley Miller who spoke on Life’s origin. Prof. Miller is one of the world-famous pioneers of pre-biotic chemistry and is famous for his ‘Miller’s Experiment’ which we all studied in our biology textbooks. His focus was naturally from scientific materialism as he emphasized on life as a combination of chemical elements. The subtle genius in Sripada maharaj was manifested when later during question and answer session he asked Prof. Miller an intriguing question,
\n“Suppose that I give you all these chemicals, the biomolecules, nucleic acids like DNA and RNA, sugars, peptides, amino acids, all the protein molecules; do you think that it will be possible to assemble these molecules in a test tube, in the laboratory and see some possibility of generation of life or life’s symptom?”.
\nIt was an unexpected question for Prof. Miller and so he replied, ‘I don’t know’. <\/p>\n

By then, every morning Sripada maharaj used to drive for one hour and reach Los Angeles to be with Srila Prabhupada for morning walk at 6:00 a.m. So the following morning after the seminar, maharaj narrated the entire episode to Srila Prabhupada who became very enthusiastic and said, “Oh, that’s very good that you spoke like that”.<\/p>\n

While it is popularly known that taking pride in his scientist disciple, Srila Prabhupada used to share this episode in all his classes and conversations with scholars, but very few know that this episode factually sowed the seeds for the famous morning walk conversations on “Life come Life”.
\nAs maharaj recalled this episode he said, “from that moment on, Prabhupada started talking about “Life comes from Life….From that very moment after my narration, during the walk on the beach, Prabhupada became very very enthusiastic about the presentation of this principle, and he talked about this in many discussions. Even in India, I met Prabhupada later in Vrndavan in 1974 when I came back. Wherever I went I could get the facility of seeing Prabhupada. During the walks in Vrndavan, he used to talk about ‘Life comes from Life’. This is the beginning of this theological conception of ‘Life Comes from Life’, what I call the divine doctrine of Srila Prabhupada’s philosophical and scientific contribution to the world of knowledge.”<\/p>\n

Continuing the discussions, maharaj adds, “Yesterday, I mentioned how this idea came into Prabhupada’s mind. Then from that time Prabhupada was only talking about how modern scientists, especially biologists and chemists who were working on understanding about life and its origin, were misleading the masses of common people……. During this morning walk, for one hour Prabhupada was giving some kind of class with dialogues. Generally I was playing the role of a scientist because Prabhupada wanted in that way (laughs). I was freely expressing; I didn’t have any hesitation. I was very free to express because Prabhupada made me do like that. So the thoughts that I communicated were all coming spontaneously from my mind. I was asking questions and sometimes acting as a scientist and sometimes acting as a servant (laughs). I was playing a mixed kind of role according to Srila Prabhupada’s mood. I was naturally induced to act in that way.”<\/p>\n

Srila Prabhupada thus became very enthusiastic about presenting Krishna Consciousness based on this divine doctrine. So maharaj emphasizes, it was Srila Prabhupada’s program, that they should find ways and means to interact with scientifically minded and trained scholars around the world and have dialogues on the divine doctrine. Hence Prabhupada also instructed maharaj to write a book along these lines and that Prabhupada would also contribute and that this book would be a kind of background for the thesis of life comes from life. The present book “Life comes from life” covers some main discussions during morning walks, but doesn’t cover everything, maharaj said.<\/p>\n

While in their first meeting Srila Prabhupada requested maharaj not to be beggars of scientific knowledge but instead give something, but later after a series of morning walks followed by the Miller episode, Srila Prabhupada was firmly convinced that maharaj can give bhagavata culture to scientific community through their own language. Hence when maharaj wanted to discontinue his studies to render menial service to Srila Prabhupada, the latter reacted to this suggestion with an emphatic,
\n“No! In this world, without a Ph.D., people will not listen to you.”<\/p>\n

Maharaj recalls, “Prabhupada also asked me and my friend Ramananda Raya to travel around the world and present this Krishna consciousness in colleges and universities…Ramananda Raya was professor at the University and I was just finishing my Ph.D…” Prabhupada asked Ramananda Raya, “When you are going to start, both of you, I will pay for your expenditures for your journeys around the world, but you should begin this as soon as possible”.<\/p>\n

Then one day after a morning walk, Srila Prabhupada called maharaja to former’s room and expressed his desire to start an institute to present the science and philosophy of Krishna Consciousness with the help of teachings from the Bhagavat Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam to the world’s intellectuals and asked maharaj to become its director. Maharaj in all humbleness admitted that he didn’t have experience or knowledge to run such an institute and hence felt completely unqualified. However, Srila Prabhupada responded by saying, “I will give you all the instructions required to run the institute. You simply follow them.”
\nOver the following months both worked on details of forming the institute and it was maharaj who suggested the name as ‘Bhaktivedanta Institute’ and Srila Prabhupada humbly agreed to it. Further it was maharaj who personally designed the logo for the Bhaktivedanta Institute and Srila Prabhupada liked it very much and requested to add the words athato brahma jijnasa, the first verse of Vedanta Sutra. Further Sripada maharaj recalled how Srila Prabhupada personally taught maharaj about writing Scientific Commentary on Vedanta Sutra.
\nSrila Prabhupada also told maharaj, ‘\u2026 write very nice, a new type of Vedanta sutra, about the modern man, modern scientist, modern philosophy \u2026 …You have to explain scientifically that human being\u2019s only business is to inquire about the Absolute Truth. \u2026 ..You write upon one sutra. Then I will give you next sutra. \u2026 I will guide you for every sutra.’<\/p>\n

Prabhupada also emphasized on international conferences and congresses as one of the important functions of Bhaktivedanta Institute and hence requested maharaj to organize one conference before Srila Prabhupada departed.
\nMaharaj recalls, ” ‘Life comes from Life and also Vedic cosmology were very dear to Srila Prabhupada. These are the two most important scientific projects that Prabhupada had.”
\nBut maharaj took with utmost seriousness “Life comes from Life” because almost eight years of his association with Prabhupada was primarily focused on this conception and Prabhupada also wanted the first conference at Vrndavan to be on this doctrine.
\nPrabhupada was glad to hear the suggestion given by maharaj that the annual conference would be like the Gordon Research Conference for scientists in the US.
\nRegarding the first conference at Vrndavan, when maharaj proposed the name “The Bhaktivedanta Conference”, Prabhupada said,
\n“People may not take this name very seriously, so better you call it – The First International Conference on Life Comes From Life.”
\nPrabhupada was very sick during those days (Oct. 14-16, 1977) when the first conference was organized, still he was very keen to know every aspect connected to conference.
\nMaharaj recalls,
\n“..he would always ask me the news. Every day I was going out and reporting to Prabhupada in the evening about whom I had met. I was running to Mathura, Agra and Delhi, rushing here and there, in order to go to the colleges and universities and invite scholars. You know, travelling in India is not very easy, especially in those days; I went by rickshaw, by bus, by train. But every day I would come back and report to Prabhupada, that I met such and such.”<\/p>\n

Later as the conference began, Prabhupada would call maharaj every hour and ask,
\n“I want to know how it is going on, who is speaking and what they are saying”.
\nThus maharaj recalled that Srila Prabhupada had tremendous interest in this first conference and became extremely pleased when it received wide news coverage appreciating the conference.<\/p>\n

After Srila Prabhupada’s departure, maharaj’s dialogue with more than 60 renowned scholars in a span of three decades and organizing several international and national conferences and writing more than two dozen books towards the goal of explaining scientifically that human being\u2019s only business is to inquire about the Absolute Truth with an inclusive humanistic yet theistic approach comprising varied perspectives like scientific, philosophical, spiritual, religious, social, ethical, cultural, educational, metaphysical and more not only provide excellent framework for the vision of Bhaktivedanta Institute, but are sure testimony of how maharaj took the guidance of Srila Prabhupada in every step and remained in this spirit till his final pastimes in this planet. <\/p>\n

In Bhagavat Gita, Sanjaya declares about the lasting effect of a perfect master-disciple relationship that is true for all times.
\n“Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.”
\nThis is so true about Srila Prabhupada and his disciple Sripada maharaj.
\nThus we see in the midst of trying and challenging circumstances, this perfect master-disciple relationship has made it possible for the Bhaktivedanta Institute mission to reach a stage today where academic and research community are gradually able to see and appreciate theological or theistic interpretation of empirical observations. Scholars and scientists have given their appreciation and showered praises over Sripada maharaj’s contribution in the synthesis of science and religion to facilitate human being attain distinction in their life’s journey, the goal of Bhaktivedanta Institute as pronounced by Srila Prabhupada. <\/p>\n

Undoubtedly Sripada maharaj laid a strong foundation of the Bhaktivedanta Institute under the direct guidance of Srila Prabhupada and thus maharaj’s name shall remain eternally itched with the Bhaktivedanta Institute as its founder director. And thus maharaj continues to guide and will continue to guide all those who seek his guidance to further the mission of Bhaktivedanta Institute. <\/p>\n

As maharaj continues to serve his most beloved spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, disciples and well-wishers of maharaj and his godbrothers – H.H. Gopal Krishna Goswami maharaj, H.H. Bhakticharu Swami, H.G. Bhojdeva das and others offered their humble tributes through partaking towards a spectacular but modest samadhi temple for maharaj at Radha Kunda which was inaugurated during maharaj’s 10th Tirubhav festival recently on Vijayadashmi day. <\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

The most benevolent saint that maharaj was, he continues to shower his blessings to all sections of humanity even today and all are most welcome to pray at his samadhi temple in his eternal abode at Sri Radha Kunda and seek his blessings for their onward journey in bhakti path. <\/p>\n

(Sripada maharaj’s conversations inputs taken from publications – Bhagavata Sevarpanam, Sripada in Switzerland and audio recordings)<\/p>\n

Hare Krishna!<\/p>\n

Your servants
\nJaganmohini devi dasi and Subal Shyam das<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"HareBy Jaganmohini devi dasi and Subal Shyam das<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a Manipuri Vaishnava and a studious scientist student from the prestigious University of California – Irvine, USA, Sripada maharaj won the heart of his spiritual master H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in their very first meeting. It was Sripada Maharaj’s scientist colleague Ramananda Raya (Dr. Ravindra Rao) who introduced maharaj to Srila Prabhupada. As maharaj recalls, Srila Prabhupada and maharaj looked intently at each other’s eyes for a few moments and then Prabhupada spoke. In their first meeting, while appreciating the temples built by the King of Manipur in Nabadwip, Radha-Kund and Vrndavan, Srila Prabhupada asked maharaj “Being born in a Vaishnava family, why did you come here, crossing the ocean?” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-memoriam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33948"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33950,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33948\/revisions\/33950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}