27 Jul 2023
[A question by Shri Surya]
Swami replied:- Respiration is just a mechanical process that can be demonstrated in a laboratory. You can take oxygen from the air and with the help of that oxygen, you can oxidize some food and release inert energy. In this process, carbon dioxide is released, which can be sent back into the air. This experiment is called as respiration. By demonstration of this experiment, can you claim that you have generated awareness? Your experiment is a part of the whole process of life. After getting the inert energy from the oxidation of food, this inert energy shall go into a brain-nervous system and shall be transformed into a specific work form of energy and the specific work is transfer of information from the senses to the brain. You can do the first stage of work (respiration) in a laboratory, but, you cannot do the second stage of work (production of awareness with the help of inert energy and a brain-nervous system) in a laboratory. The actual brain-nervous system cannot be synthesized in a laboratory by a scientist. The word ‘life’ stands for both respiration and conversion of inert energy into awareness. Respiration itself can’t be the complete meaning of life. In plants, there is only respiration and not the second work due to the absence of a brain-nervous system. You can call the Zoological kingdom (birds, animals, human beings etc.) as possessor of life since apart from respiration, a brain-nervous system exists. You cannot call the Botanical kingdom as containing life since only respiration work is taking place in plants. Hence, plants are inert and non-living, due to which only, the Veda said that food shall be from plants (Oṣadhībhyo'nnam). It is proper even if you call the second type of work (generation of awareness from inert energy) as life, but, you cannot call the first type of work (respiration) as life.
Even in the huge multicellular banyan tree (Botany), there is no awareness. When its branches grow and if some opposition comes, the branches are not withdrawn due to absence of awareness. If you take the unicellular organism like amoeba (Zoology), even if weak opposition comes, the amoeba will withdraw its pseudopodia into itself due to the presence of awareness. Even in the smallest amoeba, there is a very tiny nervous spot, but, in the huge banyan tree also there is no presence of even the very tiny nervous spot!
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