Posted on: 08 Feb 2021
[Smt. Sudharani asked: Pādanamaskaram Swami! I feel that the spiritual standard of our ancient Indians was uncomparable to the standards that we have today. They delivered excellent spiritual knowledge in a symbolic form by constructing a lot of architechtural monuments and temples with mysterious technology and materials. Having said that, I want to know why You mentioned in one of Your discourses that science and technology in ancient times was not as developed as it is today. When we modern people have totally failed to explain how these architectural constructions were made by our ancient Indians, how can we say that their science and technology was not superior to what we have today? Using all our knowledge of science and technology, why are we not able to build such seemingly magical and long-lasting constructions today? How did we lose that ability? Why are we, the present generation, not blessed enough by God to be able to create such wonders? Will our India regain its past glory again?]
Swāmi replied: It is said that all that is old is not gold and all that is the latest is not the best. A wise person analyzes both and selects whatever is good (Purāṇamityeva na sādhu sarvam...—Kalidasa). A conservative fanatic either follows only the old or only the new, totally rejecting the other. It is also said that a conservative person drinks even the hard salty water from a well saying that the water must be sweet since the well was dug by his father (Tātasya kupo’yamiti bruvānāḥ...)! One should be analytical and keep an impartial mind so as to identify both the merits and defects of both the past and the present. One should also have the same impartial attitude towards a country or a religion. It is basically the partial attitude of conservatives and fanatics which is the main reason for the conflicts between different groups of people in the world. There are several merits in modern science and there are also several merits in the ancient science. At the same time, there are defects in both the past and the present too. One’s appreciation of merits should be point-based and not time-based (past or present).
Creation is a continuous stream and both merits and defects are seen at any point in time. So, there is no need to appreciate any particular time to the climax or deprecate any particular time to the climax either (Na prahṛśyet...—Gītā). Instead, we should maintain equanimity and balance about any place and about any point in time. Even in the field of spiritual knowledge, both defects and merits existed in the past as well as in the present. There are excellent devotees even now, during the present Kali Age, just as there were excellent devotees in the past. Defective devotees also existed in the past as well as in the present. The influence of the Kali Age is certainly increasing day by day and hence, there was a somewhat better atmosphere in the past than in the present. But, in the present, the I.Q. of people is far better than in the past. Due to the increase in people’s I.Q. along with the development of systematic scientific analysis, people’s ability to grasp the truth has greatly improved. In the past, people’s ability to grasp the truth was less and hence, devotees were misguided by some false traditions. Sincerity in the wrong path is worse than insincerity in the right path. Since the path is right, due to the higher I.Q. of the present, it is possible to reach the goal without any doubt.