How can we approach science by which we can go closer to Krishna?

Transcript

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should we approach towards science? I would say that this is the huge circle of devotional service in which there are various ways I can surface In that there will be one circle which is the circle of science.
This circle of science will have a part which is inside the circle of devotional service which will have a part which is outside the circle of devotional service. So now what do I mean by inside and outside? There are some devotees who may make their careers as devotee scientists. That means we find out some field of interaction between science and spirituality and do serious research in that and write books in that field.
So for example, we could present the design argument scientifically, we could try to present how consciousness is not reducible to neurophysical terms, neurobiological terms and therefore consciousness points to the existence of a higher source of consciousness, that is the Atman. Another emerging field is quantum physics. Quantum physics actually possesses consciousness as the fundamental reality in the universe.
I should say quantum physics is one of its major interpretations. So we can find out areas of interaction between science and spirituality and do make our life mission, life profession as that research. That would be among the devotee community and even among the scientifically educated devotee community that would be a small fraction.
So there may be a few and if one has come to science primarily to do research and to use science as a tool for understanding life and nature better and then one has come to scripture also then definitely one can take that as a field, as a career. But most students who come to science they come to whether it is IIT or other IISC or whatever they don’t come to science primarily in a search for truth. It is primarily not so much a search for truth as a search for a career, prestige, position, glamour or at the basic level just a search for security in terms of a good career, good job and all.
So if those are our purposes and if they are not really very interested in scientific study then we may not be very interested even in scientific study of spirituality. So then for us science is primarily a profession for earning our living respectively. So then we can serve Krishna.
Now when we are doing that it will depend on each individual and in each devotee how much, how that devotee deals with scientific issues that they come to. So for example if I am working in a scientific institute or a scientific establishment now can I in my scientific institute openly come to the theory of evolution or not? That will depend on timely circumstances. We can’t make a mandate to do that every devotee has to oppose.
No it is not necessary. If there is discretion is a better part of Vedas. So we will have to take on timely circumstances.
So if say you go to IIT, get a good college like that and get a good job in some company then you use the respectability from that position, the security from that position to share Krishna with others. So then science remains just one element. Science remains one element of the devotee’s life as a source of livelihood and science remains one element in the devotee’s outreach.
Yes because you are a scientific institute you can present Krishna Vashistha scientifically. But your primary purpose is not to just present Krishna Vashistha scientifically. You will download the various other aspects of Krishna Vashistha also.
That is one thing. And then beyond that so this is inside the circle will be either completely we make scientific outreach as our mission or we use science primarily as a source of livelihood, as a respectable livelihood and source of bringing respectability also for outreach. Now beyond that there will be a circle which is outside that means there are certain scientific theories which contradict what scripture has taught us or there are certain scientific applications which are giving the human and spiritual values which scripture has taught us.
So for example now today if some this may not be an example relevant for you but suppose a devotee does a medical degree in gynecology and now gynecologists do abortion quite a bit. So in fact that is the primary source of livelihood earning not livelihood they can get from many ways but they want to become wealthy and abortion is a source of a lot of wealth. So now there if it militates against the principles of bhakti then we should reject that.
So I know some devotee gynecologists who are they have to mandatorily perform abortion. She said I will not do that. And then the case went up to our the dean of the college and everything and she said this is my religious duty and I cannot do this.
You cannot force me to do it. And then they may work out some compromise which she had to observe it. You don’t have to do this.
Something like that. So that how much one can fight the battle and how much one can win the battle, that will take a long time. The principle is where the scientific research involves doing scientific activities that are military against our principles of bhakti, then we should as much as possible try to avoid them.
But overall it depends on individual inspiration as well as individual situation. So some devotees may suppose some devotee scientist is working in his room and suppose you are working in his room and then you say Mangala has a horse. He will get in a lot of trouble.
Not only is it non-strategic in terms of practical sensibility but it’s also non-necessary. As devotees we have to choose our battles. See we live in a devotional culture.
We are trying to live a devotional culture in a larger culture which is not devotional. So it’s like imagine there is army of 100 soldiers fighting against 10,000 soldiers. Now you cannot fight each battle.
We’ll get exhausted. So we all as devotees have to choose our battles. So some devotees may choose the scientific battle as their main battle ground.
Some devotees may avoid the scientific battle ground entirely and just focus on battling in other grounds. So all of them are perfectly valid ways of practicing devotional science. And each devotee can according to one’s inspiration and one’s situation choose how to balance science and spirituality in one’s individual life.
Thank you very much. So if you are