The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Of ‘Prarabdha’ and ‘Purushartha’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Of ‘Prarabdha’ and ‘Purushartha’

Staff Reporter

— PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR

New: C.N.R. Rao signs copies at the book release in Bangalore on Monday.

Bangalore: What could notions such as “Prarabdha” and “Purushartha” possibly have to do with science? You may not think much, but Minister for Science and Technology Ramachandra Gowda had a rather interesting explanation to offer.

Mr. Gowda provided a unique insight into the link between science and tradition at the release of the Kannada translation of the biography of C.N.R. Rao titled Vijnanave Jeevanada Maarga. He said that he had been aware of only three “margas” — Karma, Yoga and Jnana — that the Bhagavad Gita had prescribed for salvation. But now a fourth marga had revealed itself to him through Prof. Rao’s work.

He proceeded to narrate the discourse of a saint who said that while human beings could not dream of extricating ourselves from our “Prarabdha”, salvation was within our reach through “Purushartha”, no matter what our chosen “marga” might be. “ ‘Prarabdha’ is like a game of cards, the saint said. Only, our victory lay in the way to choose to deal and arrange the cards. And this victory was ‘Purushartha’,” said Mr Gowda. Prof. Rao had an eclectic range of interests; much like that fabled pack of cards, he said. He had arranged them with such scientific precision as to firmly establish himself as the doyen of the discipline. To this analogy, the audience at the Faculty Hall of IISc. reacted diversely — some with applause, others with bemused silence.

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