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Does faith have a place in a modern, science-driven society? Does science have answers to all the questions that confront man? When does faith degenerate into superstition? And where does one draw the line between the two? And on what basis?
All these questions – and many more – gnawed at this columnist’s mind while going through a series of responses to a poser on social media on Saturday: whether it is right in this age and time for people to believe that a pitcher of holy water from the Marichi Kunda, a tank outside the premises of the famous Mukteswar temple in Bhubaneswar, cure a woman of infertility? It certainly seems an anachronism in an age when medical science has come up with myriad solutions to the problem of infertility like test tube babies, artificial insemination, surrogacy, IVF and what not. More so in a modern, ‘smart city’ like Bhubaneswar which now boasts of the best possible medical facilities. But many of the couples who turn up at the auction come here only after doing their rounds of hospitals and fertility centres.
No one knows for sure how old is the ritual of auctioning the pitcher of holy water on Ashokashtami day. But every year, scores of childless couples queue up to get their hands on the pitcher. No one knows if couples who bought the pitcher in previous years have actually been blessed with a child either. But that does not deter couples from lining up to avail the holy water year after year, ready to spend hefty sums in the fond hope of an elusive child. This Ashokashtami was a bit of dampener for the Badu Nijog, the association of priests of the Lingaraj Temple that conducts the auction, since it had to slash the base price of Rs 15, 500 and settle for just Rs. 11, 100 because there were very few takers. But there have been years when people have forked out lakhs without batting an eyelid to lay their hands on the holy water.
The faith versus science question returned to haunt me again in the evening the same day when the Rukuna Rath Yatra of Lord Lingaraj had to be abandoned for the day after the rope used to pull the chariot snapped thrice in quick succession. Officials of the temple administration said the ropes used were of the same quality and specifications used every year. Why did the rope snap in that case – and that too repeatedly? A devotee sought to explain away the mishap thus; “It is all the Lord’s wish. If He wants to move, He would move. If He doesn’t, no one can force him.” Devotees would also like to believe that the temporary disruption of the Rath Yatra after a servitor fell off the chariot when the Rath Yatra resumed the next day was a manifestation of the ‘Lord’s wrath’ and an ‘ominous sign’.
It is easy to dismiss such reasoning as ‘blind faith’ and an expression of an ‘unscientific mind’. But try telling that to those who attribute everything – good or bad – to ‘divine’ wish. You are most likely to get a solid rebuff and a sermon on “Bishwase milai Hari, Tarke Bahu Dura” (“You get close to God through faith; He who argues goes further away from Him”). In fact, the whole Indian way of life is based on faith. It can be something as inconsequential as stepping back after watching a cat crossing the road or something more important like staying away from meat on Mondays (dedicated to Lord Shiva, the eternal vegetarian) and Thursdays (Maa Laxmi’s day) or watching Lord Jagannath atop his chariot in the belief that it would wash away all your sins.
Science, in contrast, rubbishes the whole idea of God, forget about doing or not doing something to get close to Him. It would not accept anything that cannot be proved through a scientific experiment. But then there are so many things that science, for all the advancements over the centuries, cannot explain. Why, for instance, is one reminded of a particular incident, person or even a song all of a sudden without any particular reason? Or why does one someone see a long forgotten friend, acquaintance or relative in a dream, only to find the next morning that s/he died the previous night?
I have absolutely no hesitation admitting that I am a fence sitter in the science versus faith debate. And I dare say most Indians would continue to be fence sitters till science comes up with an answer to every conceivable question. And that, I am afraid, could take an eternity!
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV's charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
