Are we programmable robots or spiritual beings with spiritual consciousness, let us see what Bhagavad Gita says about it.
Modern scientific viewpoint states that we the human beings are nothing but a bag of chemicals & we came into existence owing to some spontaneous chemical reactions and will cease to exist once the chemical reaction ceases.
Scientific theory epitomizes the doctrine of the renowned atheist charvak muni who said when this body dies nothing is left. So, one must enjoy ones life as much as possible. Beg, borrow and steal but enjoy was his message to the humankind.
Modern educational curriculums are designed taking into consideration the aforementioned viewpoint.
Why a robot will have feelings for other robots
Scientists believe that a human brain can be programmed to act in a particular way in the same manner as a robot is programmed in laboratories to act in a particular way.
Today in schools & colleges a student’s brain is stuffed with loads of information to ensure that his brain is programmed to believe that he is the doer of everything and this life of his is to enjoy to the fullest. Every year across the world schools & colleges are manufacturing highly skilled robots, loaded with technical savoir faire.
So, since schooldays itself these mechanized robots starts considering this life to be full & final and are ready to resort to any means to enjoy this (& only this) life. If I am a bag of chemicals & my colleagues or my friends or my family members are also a bag of chemicals then what’s the harm in destroying that bag? I have to enjoy my life any how (beg, borrow & steal).
How a robot can solve life’s problems
However, when confronted with any adversity these highly talented mechanized robots tries to switch on their intelligence button but fails to find out that particular program which can solve their problem.
So, we find these highly skilled, highly intelligent and high profile robots hangings itself with a small rope from the ceiling of the house, taking dollops of rat poison to end the troublesome safari of life or taking the shelter of the sleeping pills.
In spite of being force- fed dollops of arguments against suicide, drug abuse, depression why is it that even the most knowledgeable materialistic brain (high profile engineers, doctors, scientists, business magnates, lawyers) easily succumb to it.
Inundated with plethora of materialistic information human intelligence fails to do an RCA (Root Cause Analysis) of the problem. The brain tries to find the solution based on the existing source codes which were force – fed in schools & colleges to ensure that the being turns out to be a technological masterpiece (robot) unparalleled and unequivocally the best.
However unfortunately, unlike the computer program the output is not always as per the expectations.
Differences between a robot and us
Let us understand the difference between a robot and a human being.
Robot is a mechanical machine devoid of any consciousness whereas human beings are spiritual beings full of consciousness. Unlike human being a robot does not feel pain & pleasure, tears does not start pouring down from it’s eyes with love and ecstasy upon seeing it’s own creator (mother & father) or fellow robots (brothers & sisters).
The flaw of the modern education system is that it does not answer the questions: who we are, what is the purpose of this life & why do we suffer. It provides information only to deal with dead matter. There is no information about isvara(the Supreme Lord), jiva (the living entity), prakrti (nature), kala (eternal time) and karma (activity) in today’s educational curriculum.
We should understand that we are not a robot devoid of consciousness instead we are spiritual beings full of consciousness. In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna very clearly says that we are spiritual beings. He explains that we are souls and our material body is functioning only because of the presence of soul within this material body.
“That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.” Bhagavad Gita 2.17
As a soul we are sat-cit-ananda i.e. eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. A robot will not experience pain or pleasure. At the most, it can be programmed to smile, to laugh or even to shed tears.
But we the human beings cannot be programmed to show emotions in a mechanical way. We actually experience happiness or distress and accordingly express our feelings. Why just the human beings, in fact all living beings like animals, birds, aquatics etc experiences pain and pleasure.
Gita has answer to all the important queries
We are undergoing pain, pleasure and happiness owing to our previous karma. And we are getting affected by it because as Bhagavad Gita explains we are spiritual beings.
As Srila Prabhupada explains, “We are suffering or enjoying the results of our activities from time immemorial, but we can change the results of our karma, or our activity, and this change depends on the perfection of our knowledge.”
As we are conditioned and fail to understand what is right or what is wrong, we should take the shelter of scriptures like Bhagavad-gita which provides answers to all our questions.
Srila Prabhupada explains,”Being an associate of Lord Krishna, Arjuna was above all ignorance, but Arjuna was put into ignorance on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra just to question Lord Krishna about the problems of life so that the Lord could explain them for the benefit of future generations of human beings and chalk out the plan of life. Then man could act accordingly and perfect the mission of human life.”
Throughout Bhagavad Gita Krishna has again and again emphaised that we are spiritual beings and so we should act accordngly if we want to lead a happy life.
Unfortunately, we have banished these religious treatises in pursuit of modernity. However, since time immemorial the priceless, timeless and sublime philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Isopanisad, Puranas & other revered religious scriptures has been a beacon light for the entire human civilization.
A research
Recent research conducted by leading universities all over the world acknowledges the positive impact of spirituality in a person’s life.
Recently published paper ‘Impact of Adoption of Yoga Way of Life on Emotional Intelligence of Managers’ by Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore (https://www.iimb.ac.in/node/4034) states that those individual who has strong spiritual inclination has great ability to withstand failure and stress.
We spiritual beings should be spiritually empowered
Why not include Bhagavad Gita and other revered Vedic scriptures in schools and colleges curriculum. Once done the schools & colleges will no longer produce hundreds & thousands of mechanized robots every year instead, we will have young scholars who are not just technically savoir faire but are also spiritually empowered.
The paper also concludes yoga increases the Emotional Intelligence (EI) of a person which in turn increases the person’s managerial performance. It also says that Yoga can even replace six-sigma.
Empowered with the philosophy of these scriptures a person will not be bewildered when confronted with adversity; he will not be agitated, will not be frustrated and will never indulge in any life threatening and life destructive activities.
Like Arjuna he will be fearless, will always perform righteous deeds and usher the world in a new era of peace, prosperity & happiness.
Bhagavad Gita not just teaches us that we are spiritual beings but also empowers us to deal with even the toughest problems of our life.
