A man finds a watch on the road. It is ticking. It has only one thing missing the name of the manufacturer. Once upon a time there was no need to debate whether a watch could come into existence by itself. Once upon a time it was enough to assume that since this watch is existing it has to serve some purpose. Once upon a time observing a created product left no doubt about the intelligence of its creator.
That time has now long gone by. Today’s leaders are arguing that if this universe is created by an intelligent being then merely by looking at its current state it does not speak in glowing terms about its creator. The terrible mess that we find ourselves in, can be but blamed on only one person the Creator (if He at all exists).
Why is man today eager to wipe out the very mention of God or discredit Him for creating this universe?
One probable answer is that man’s weapons science and technology have begun to demand their pound of flesh. The servant has started to turn against its master. In this witch-hunt, there has to be someone who can be safely blamed and that is God. After all, God does not show up and defend Himself (at least not in the present). No doubt, corruption and selfishness exhibited by the unscrupulous, in the name of God, has vitiated the faith of the masses.
Just as someone visiting a city for the first time if only shown the prison house, may come to the conclusion that it is not a very good place to stay. But the expertise of its civic officials is not restricted to constructing a prison; there are other departments like hygiene, education, entertainment, trade and commerce, and so on. Similarly is it fair to judge God only on the basis of this world around us? This world is certainly a place of misery; our material bodies too are causes of misery, but that is not the whole story. The Srimad Bhagavatam describes the material world as only one-fourth of the total creative display; three-fourths is completely hidden from us. Misery in the material world can be compared to the state of the prisoners in a state prison who are bereft of all the benefits of the free citizens.
But we refuse to accept our position as that of a prisoner. We want to defy authority and, if necessary, try to organize a prison-break. The result not only do we have to finish the remainder of our original sentence, but as a result of trying to break free illegally, more punishment is prescribed and we even lose our present facilities.
This watchmaker has not put his name on the watch for a very good reason. He wants to see if there is one honest soul who would like to return the watch to its original owner. He is certainly hidden from mundane vision because that’s what everybody here wants in his heart of hearts. Science and technology can certainly prevent someone from stealing an object but can science teach a way of eradicating the propensity to steal? That is another kind of science The Science of Self Realization. The Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam teach this science and it is in our interest to avail of the opportunity to learn it.
(Syamananda Dasa)