Article by Pradeep Bhandari (krishnaupdate.com)
Recently, when I was preaching something about Krishna to a very intellectual person ( materially ) I couldn't give the very logical answer to a question which was asked by him. Later on I knew that he was MBBS doctor and had studied some of the vedic scriptures as well.
I was preaching him the basic principles of spiritual life. I had just began to clarify the misdirection of present civilization by pointing out the missing link in the material body that leads it to have life and which none of the modern scientists have ever discovered. Then I quoted a text from Bhagavad-Gita where Supreme Personality of Godhead himself explains that missing link is spiritual soul
'That which pervades the
entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy
that imperishable soul.' Bhagavad Gita chapter 2 , verse 17
. When I quoted that text he immediately asked me a cross question, ' how can you say it is soul , the missing link?' I replied him that non of the material elements are able to bring consciousness in the dead body when injected. That means there is something non-material element responsible for that consciousness. Actually Bhagavad-Gita points out that consciousness is the symptom of presence of soul. If there is no soul there is also the absence of consciousness. For the time being he was convinced but after sometime he asked me a question which I couldn't give answer at his level. He asked me a question ,' where does the consciousness of soul goes when injecting some anaesthetic drugs during surgery? He was further clarifying his question to me by saying that if soul is something non-material , never born and died and is source of consciousness then when why it loses consciousness while injecting some chemicals ( anaesthetic drugs ) during surgery? Actually his question was logical. I had no 'to the point' answer to that particular question. I just said him that it was technical question and would reply later after consulting some senior devotees. He agreed.
Then I came to my room and searched the answer to that question in various sources. Finally I came across one website( thespiritualscientist by Chaitanya Charan Prabhu ) where I got very scientific and convincing answer in audio format.
I met him next day. In fact he met me. He inquired if I could give the answer to that particular question. I said him that I will give answer only if you agree to read a book called ' life comes from life' by Srila Prabhupada afterward. He shook his head in agreement. Because I had heard previously that our ten minutes preching will do nothing unless they take and read bonafide spiritual books with them. To me there was no other best book for medical science student like him than 'LIFE COMES FROM LIFE.' Then I explained him the answer like this.
Actually, injecting anaesthetic drugs has nothing to do with soul's consciousness. It just alters the bodily mechanism. Just like in Water distribution arrangement there is the source and various channels (pipes) to transport that water to different parts of the village or town, similarly there is soul, the source of consciousness and consciousness flowing path in different parts of the body. Medically, we can say it like nervous system. When some water pipes are broken or heavily pressed then there occurs no transport (flow) of water. Water and pipes are different things. If you block the main pipes that comes out from water source whole water distribution system is disturbed although there is water in its source. Similarly, when some of the channels of the body are blocked then consciousness doesn't flow via that part and we feel unconscious in that part. If whole nervous system is not allowed to pass such consciousness then whole body becomes unconsciousness although there is consciousness in the soul still. anaesthetic drugs actually suppress or block the consciousness passing channels (say nerves) which are the part of material body but not the soul. So, Soul's consciousness can't spread in affected parts. It doesn't mean that consciousness is separated or dead from that soul. And , as water again starts flowing in that pipe if blockage is repaired(or opened) the consciousness also starts flowing after the effect of anaesthetic drugs is finished in that channel.
Finally, he was totally convinced and he brought 'Life comes from Life' Book. It can be expected that he will become nice Krishna devotee in the future after reading that book. I refer everyone to have this book. 'Life comes from life' By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
