As we learn more, the knowledge acquired by our intellect appears to be more incomplete. Neither is our reasoning perfect to know the absolute truth. In fact what we regard as universal fact is also not so; we may regard its truth as only relative or partial. A lot remains unknown and transcendental… The contradictions in the system of Nature and in the observed facts of life too at times pose riddles that can’t be resolved or explained even by the erudite and trenchant brains.
Many a times we see the honest and able ones suffer while the less deserving or dishonest ones enjoy brilliant success in different walks of life. Those who work for others receive scorn and negligence, while the arrogant, cruel or opportunist fellows gain consistent cooperation and support. And such experiences are not exceptional! This often puts a question mark on the ethical values or puzzles people’s mind about what is the righteous way indeed?
It is not rare to see or experience that despite dedicated endeavors one faces successive failures and some others attain success despite having lesser or equivalent talents and despite following the similar approach in common circumstances. Many bright and diligent fellows are seen trapped in frustration because of such ‘unjustified’ and ‘unexpected’ results. One even tries to find his mistake and improve upon but finds no answers. Why should a more able one suffer while someone else might accomplish newer heights without deserving it?
All this is found to happen even in a corruption free and fair system! Accidents or natural calamities may sometimes wipe out all the efforts in spite of taking necessary precautions… When scientific reasoning or teachings of the savants also find no explanations, such experiences and facts of life are attributed to fate…
If one is born with a silver spoon in hand or gets enormous property from the ancestors by their legacy, what is his effort or talent in it? Which potential or endeavor is to be admired in case of winning of a lottery? Established, experienced and prudent businessmen are seen being bankrupted in a single stroke of equity-market fluctuation, while at the same time, some others might multiply their wealth by millions? Then who among them is to be regarded as a fool or a master in his business?
A single spat of flood washes away one farmer’s source of life while the same river bestows the boon of water and fertile soil on the others or may be, even on the same farmer another year? What is the difference in his qualifications,
119 experience, or industriousness in the two cases? Who or what is to be blamed or thanked for such events? Are these examples mere coincidences or exceptions?
But the frequency of such instances in different walks of life justifies none. Our reasoned wisdom too finds no explanation or answer to these ‘familiar queries’
in general. Then which ‘law of nature’ governs these controversies and how?
Mahatma Anand Swami has described such an inexplicable, rather unbelievable incident in his book “Eka Hi Rasta”. It was a warm afternoon of summer in 1946.
A village in the Munger district of Bihar (India) had been experiencing light tremors for a second or so since past couple of days. However, because of the meek intensity and negligible duration of the temblors, people paid no attention.
No precautionary measures were taken. But that afternoon was chaotic! People were taking a nap after lunch or chitchatting inside their houses in a relaxed mood when suddenly a severe earthquake shook the entire village. All buildings, houses, shops, collapsed in a matter of one to two minutes; the town was soon turned into a graveyard. It took over fifteen days to clear the debris. The heap of dead bodies continued to rise day-after-day.
After about two weeks, when the cleaning operation was still going on, at one place, the rescue operators heard a fable voice from beneath the debris of a house. They were stunned! Who could survive the suffocation of being buried for nearly a fortnight? They dug out the wreckage cautiously and rapidly cleared that place. Within half-an-hour, they saw a middle-aged man lying there, surrounded by banana skins. He was clinically conscious, though very weak. He was able to narrate his miraculous experience after a day’s treatment and rest in the nearby hospital.
This man was a fruit seller and was standing in the compound of a house with his basket of fruits on his head when that house trembled…. Within a moment its roof fell down. The vendor somehow escaped being hurt but was caught beneath the debris. The cane basket was inverted in such a way that even most of the bananas and other fruits kept in it were left protected. Suddenly another tremor shook the land; this had made a hole through the mould of soil and stones above his body. It was like a canal for sunlight and air supply! By now the floor of this building had also cracked and its water pipe was burst. This had filled the ditch near this fellow with water.
He felt as though God has arranged for the air, water, sunlight and the food (of fruits) for him and wants to sustain his life for some more time. This feeling also sparked a stream of hope in him and encouraged his zeal. He kept remembering thy power and mercy. He informed the rescuers that it was only a day before that all his stock of water and fruits got over. But then, in his words – “God came in the form of human saviors like you to rescue me from the hell…” He kept
120 crying and thanking the Almighty while describing his unimaginable experience of the ‘closed encounter’ with death…
No doubt the miracles of the above kinds occur far too rarely. But they can’t be neglected. After all they are as real as any other incident. They should also have some causal basis according to the universal laws of science? And these causes and consequences should also be studied.
It is true that cultivation of virtuous talents, scientific attitude, unperturbed zeal, perseverance, and dedicated strives should be given utmost importance in human life – in order to make its optimal use worth its glory. But it may not be forgotten that fate also has its role to play – may not be so significant, but not negligible either. In view of the ample number of live examples and
‘controversies’ or ‘inexplicable’ experiences in the orderly system of Nature, some scholars scale the influence of the factor-of- fortune as about 30% on an average…
It should be noted here that we are not lowering the necessity of industriousness, talents and sincere attempts, neither are we supporting any superstition, blind faith, idleness, injustice or exploitation in the name of fate or destiny. Rather, we simply want to emphasize the need for scientific investigations into the role of fate as part of studying the latent links of consciousness beyond the barriers of time and space. These subliminal connections and immanent impressions on hidden mind might account for ‘destiny’ beyond the logical explanation based on the known laws of Nature…
The sudden eruption of volcanoes, earthquakes, lightening, landslide may appear as supernatural phenomena or God’s ‘anger’ to an illiterate of science.
Although it is difficult to predict or prevent such natural calamities, these do have causal basis well within the laws of Nature. Even solar and lunar eclipses were thought as signs of ill omen or devil’s attack etc in the medieval era of ignorance. However, as we all know, scientific knowledge and awareness have largely wiped out such misconceptions today. The scientific discoveries and technological developments of today may appear magical to someone living in remote tribal conditions. From rail, airplane, radio, etc, to television, spacecraft, nuclear weapons, computers, robots, etc, the scientific advancements have made the world a wonderland or an alien planet for the people of the first centuries.
But, as we know, there is nothing like a magic or mystery in these achievements.
These are the consequences of scientific decipheration of Nature, inquisitiveness, unperturbed perseverance, collective hard work and sagacity of intelligent minds. Every development of science has a well-defined theory and principles that make the corresponding technological products.
121 In fact there is nothing to be attributed as a ‘magic’ in this world. Efficient use of light effects and ability to make movements quicker than the grasp of alert eyes and minds is found to work behind most of the magic-shows. Hypnotism too makes such unbelievable effects and experiences possible. The extrasensory potentials and exceptional acumen of spiritually enlightened personalities also appear to be astonishing or esoteric to many people. But these ‘supernormal talents’ are natural consequences of the aroused powers of the ‘usually unknown’ layers of mind and the vital force; and work well within the disciplines of Nature. Some of us may regard them as supramental and some as sheer fraud, depending upon our ‘scientific thinking’. But in either case, our interpretations are wrong. In each case such affirmations imply our ignorance, lack of deep comprehension, or incomplete knowledge of the macrocosmic system of Nature and the limitless web of consciousness…
There is no place for arbitrary, casual, or vague events in the self-organizing, orderly system of Nature. Whatever we tend to regard as exceptional or as a random coincidence, also is a consequence of well-defined causes and occurs as per the ‘plans’ or ‘orderly process’ of this cosmic system. The major difference lies in the fact that we do not yet know these causes or are unable to see the hidden basis or ‘logic’ in it in terms of our understanding of the scientific foundation of the world and the existence of Nature.
The roots of life and expansion of Nature are not confined to what is known to the modern science so far. Even at the level of biological substances, the physics and biophysics of life is yet far from being completely known. The same is true of the mysteries of nature. The more we know it, the more appears to be unknown, hidden beneath its deeper domains. Then how to comment on the limitless expansion of consciousness? Its subliminal horizons expand well beyond the hidden folds of time. What kind of eternal causes and effects trigger the impulse of life is certainly more intractable – if not impossible, to decode than elucidating the functional genomics of a human being.
Expression of the accumulated effects and assimilation of the deeds, thought waves and emotional vibrations of the earlier lives is manifested in the yet inexplicable instances of ‘random chance’ or fate. We should keep our mind open and endeavor elucidating this hidden science too.
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