Posted on: 10 Feb 2005
When energy, which is another form of matter, does a special function, that special function or special mechanism or special technology is called as life. Thus, life is a special work of energy. The scientist is unable to make the energy to do this special work. The scientist is unable to know this special mechanism. Thus life is a special know-how or the knowedge of a special technology. Since knowledge is power, life can be called as a special power. Let me give you an example. A cook prepared a curry. With the same materials another cook prepared the same curry but with additional taste. This special taste is life. The taste is not the extra material, which is hidden by the hands of the second cook. The taste is only a special knowledge or talent of the second cook. The first cook is the scientist and the second cook is God. God does not reveal this one special technology to human beings because the human being always wants to become God due to his inherent egoism and jealousy. Thus God saved human beings from their fall.
One should constantly remember this point and constantly surrender to God. The soul in the physical body is only a bundle of qualities and is just like a computer chip. This chip leaves the body after death. Even if you prepare an artificial chip and introduce it into a dead body with the supply of the required energy, the dead body can only become a robot. The difference between the human being and the robot is only this life. The body of a human being is made of living cells. Any cell can be used for cloning. But any part of a robot is non-living and cannot be used for cloning. The dead cells of a dead body cannot be transformed into living cells, which alone can make the dead person, living. The reason is that the mechanism of a living cell cannot be introduced into a dead cell since the scientist is ignorant of it. Therefore, life is a special work of the ordinary inert electromagnetic energy. The energy is inert and since work is also a form of energy, the work is also inert. The special work is also a work. Therefore, life is also inert. The word inert means that it is not independent and is under the control of a controller. When the controller is completely independent, you can call that controller only as life [sentient]. That independent controller is God. Life is inert with reference to God. With reference to life, other items of the creation are inert since life controls them. This life is called as Para Prakriti in Gita, which means that life is the supreme item of the creation. But the creator is superior to life and thus He is the absolutely supreme controller.
This special working substance is only the inert energy, which is in the hands of the scientists too. This energy is also a form of matter. When the food is taken, it is converted into this energy. Thus it is not a special energy. Life is only a special work of the same inert energy, which is produced by the conversion of matter or food. The Veda also says the same (Annaat Purushah). This special mechanism cannot be known by searching the matter and energy present in a living cell. The taste cannot be found out by searching the materials used for cooking that curry. It is only in the form of knowledge, which should be revealed by the talented cook. When God comes in a human body as a human incarnation, He demonstrates His special knowledge of life by raising a dead body.
Even matter is a special concept of energy. Energy or bond, binds the atoms. Most of the atom is vacant space. When you touch a solid object with your finger, the kinetic energy of revolving electrons and the bond energy between atoms repels the finger. This leads to the experience of impermeability, which is thought as the rigid hardness and this characterizes a new word ‘matter’. Thus matter is only a special mechanism of energy about which the scientist is aware. Similarly life is also a special mechanism of energy about which the scientist is not aware. Life and matter are only special functions of energy. Work and energy are inter-convertible and thus energy is work. Therefore, the different experiences of the different works are called as matter, energy and life.
Now comes the question “What is the working substance?” The answer is God. The whole creation consists of matter, energy and life, which are different forms of work. Immediately the question comes “Who is working?” The answer is “God is working.” When you say that work is a form of energy, the work of God appears as energy. When you say matter is a form of energy, energy appears as matter. Therefore, the result of the work i.e. creation, is only an apparent form of work of God. Thus, the whole creation is the power or work of God. The different items in the creation are only the different ways of work of God. This is represented by the dance of Shiva. The dance is the work and therefore the whole creation is only His dance. This creation is the imagination of God (Ichcha matram prabhoh srishtih). This imagination is work and the result or product of this imagination is also work or imagination. Here the work is not only the prior phase of the result but also the very phase of the result. That means the imagination is not only the work but also the product of work. This is proved scientifically. Creation is matter and energy. Matter is energy. Therefore, the creation is energy. Energy is work. Therefore creation is work. The scientist is unable to catch the Worker who is God. He is able to catch only the work and the different ways of work. He is also unable to catch that one special way of work namely life.
An engineer planned a house and constructed it. The house is matter consisting of atoms bonded by bond energies. Since matter is energy the whole house is energy. The planning of the engineer is work. Since energy is work, the house is work and since planning is also work, the house becomes the planning of the engineer. The engineer is also made of matter, energy and life. Since life is energy and matter is also energy, the engineer is also energy. Since the energy is work, the engineer himself is work or planning. Thus the engineer, planning and the house have been reduced to simply one item namely work. But there cannot be work without the worker. The worker must exist. When you see the house and do not see the engineer there, do you not infer the engineer? You also say that the entire house is the work of the engineer. Therefore, seeing the work, you must infer the existence of the worker. Similarly seeing the creation, which is the work of God, one must infer the existence of its invisible worker—God. The second Brahma Sutra (Janmadyasya yatah) says the same. You cannot say that creation itself is the creator because worker and work are seen separately in this world. The house cannot construct itself. Such a systematic well planned universe certainly demands the existence of its engineer.