A leading astrological researcher, based in Hyderabad, India.
Ram says: "Like every one else, I too am a traveller adrift in this journey of life, in the quest for the Truth. Circumstantially, I am a graduate in Mathematics and worked as a computer analyst programmer for 15 years before giving up all commercial activities to take up full time astrological research, which I have been doing for more than a decade now."
You can write to Ram: Click Here
The Gospel of Grandpa [part twelve] Honey! We have shrunk the Gods!!
Here is the latest in an ongoing series by Ram Ramakrishnan. It deals with the discovery of the way the world works in the light of the wisdom of astrology. This time Ram has given us another episode in the continuing saga of the awakening of the children through the wise words of their grandpa. Grandpa discusses the idea of the evolution of life forms.
The mind never ages. It believes it has, when it views itself clothed in an old body of a cloak. There are times however when this illusion is shed and one experiences the youthfulness of the mind as it always is. Grandpa experienced one such bout of mindful youth when the children came home from school all excited about what they had been taught by their biology teacher. They had discussed the theory of evolution, of how life may have begun as unicellular organisms and evolved over millions of years, culminating in the present spread of life forms.
The trio were soon seated under their favourite peepal tree discussing their favourite subject – life. The flavour of each day's discussion would be different and today it was biology. Grandpa narrated to the children whatever that he could remember about what he had read on the subject of evolution. He remembered having read that the life forms in existence now constitute only about 1% of all life forms that have
existed and have become extinct.
It is said that the process of proliferation of species and their extinction occurs in cycles lasting a few millions of years each. We are supposedly heading towards the end of the sixth such cycle where mass extinctions occur. The last mass extinction was believed to have occurred about 65 million years ago when about 75% of the species living then were lost – which included the dinosaurs.
The children wanted to know the specific mechanism that leads to extinctions. Grandpa attempted to explain to them in simple terms the complex process of adaptation by organisms to changing environments. Some organisms are successful in the attempt but others perish as they are not genetically compatible to the changes that occur. The children wondered whether this meant that each tuft of grass that constitutes an individual plant, possesses characteristics that are different from its neighbours. Grandpa said yes, even if a bed of flowering plants appear to be all similar, bearing flowers of a similar colour and shape, when looked at the genetic level, they could be divided into many groups based on their marginally differing characteristics. This argument applies to all species of living forms. If the environment that the flowering plants are normally familiar with were to be suddenly changed, there will be a group among them that will be unable to adapt to the change and wither away. Another may adapt only partially resulting in stunted and lifeless flowers and leaves. A few may weather the environmental change and continue to flower as usual.
Is the ability to adapt that is conferred on some and not others due to chance or design, asked the children. This is an eternal question that has defied a definite answer and would continue to do so, said grandpa. However, from the astrological perspective, it could perhaps be said which of those plants adapt and survive and which don't which in effect would identify which of them possess what kind of genes. But
life times of organisms differ a great deal said the children. Smaller life forms live for a fraction of the time span bestowed upon larger ones. So how would it be possible to use the same astrological norms such as geocentric or heliocentric periods of orbits of celestial bodies to analyse the characteristics of smaller forms – asked the children.
Grandpa stroked his beard, which was a sure sign that he was about to say something that he had experimented upon but his thoughts were still in the realm of strong suspicion and not in the domain of certainty. He said, just as a musical note can be said to be composed of a primary wave and a number of harmonics, celestial motions when viewed as waves can similarly be resolved into harmonics of any order. Celestial positions when considered at
different harmonic levels can perhaps be correlated to different life forms appropriate to their life spans. This may make it possible to express the variations in characteristics of individual life forms of an order much lower in the evolutionary scale and possessing life spans that are a fraction of their more privileged cousins.
If all is by design then where and how does god fit into the scheme of life, asked the children. Grandpa said that in his opinion, god is more a convenience as conceptualised by humans. At any point, when the truth about an entity that is being probed is beyond man's understanding, he conveniently attributes his failings to god. Look at human history said grandpa. When man did not understand the motions of the celestials, they were all gods. When he realised that they moved according to definite laws, they lost their halo and were removed from their high pedestals. Not long ago, evolution was attributed to god. Now with the genetic nature of evolution known and they too being known to work according to specific rules, god has had to beat a retreat from this area of existence too. There are many such instances where what was once considered the will of god, is now seen as a manifestation of natural processes that work according to understandable regulations. The domain and stature of god as conceptualised by the human mind has progressively diminished with time.
The children found the idea of a shrinking god very funny, and their laughter reverberated in the quite surroundings. Their infectious mirth caught up with grandpa too and he called out to grandma: “Honey! We have shrunk the Gods!!”
Here ends this chapter of this continuing story. Read more from
different harmonic levels can perhaps be correlated to different life forms appropriate to their life spans. This may make it possible to express the variations in characteristics of individual life forms of an order much lower in the evolutionary scale and possessing life spans that are a fraction of their more privileged cousins.
Here ends this chapter of this continuing story. Read more from
