Hindu Theology and Biology: The Bhagavata Purana and Contemporary Theory

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The subject of science and religion is growing into a robust field of study, yet the Hindu traditions are a virtually unused resource in responding to the challenging questions raised by it. When I asked the simple question of this book-How might a Hindu tradition respond to Darwin?-it quickly spiralled out into so many other questions that I found myself continually trying to hone in upon more specific questions. As I hope to show here, the questions themselves act as a catalyst for seeing the science and religion dialogue, and the Hindu theologies themselves through different lenses, ones that promise to bring out nascent aspects of each tradition, forcing each one to draw upon resources within themselves that might otherwise go unnoticed and undeveloped. I hope to show that the questions are opportunities for greater self-understanding and growth among all parties involved.

There are many areas of thought upon which this book comments. First, it seeks to establish a realistic picture of how Darwinism and religion interacted. This is no easy task given the pervasive conception that Darwin killed God, a view shared by some vocal scientists and Hindu gurus. Leaders among the so-called 'new atheists' worked literally right down the street from the majestic college library in which much of this book was written, and the books of contemporary Hindu leaders were well known to me, yet both of them articulate a dramatic war between science and religion, often depicting Charles Darwin as leading the charge on behalf of an atheistic worldview. Richard Dawkins could speak of 'dyed-in-the-wool faith-heads' who just will not accept the obvious fact that Darwinism defeats religion, and the students of Bhakti vedanta Swami gleefully quote him as having said that Darwin should be kicked in the face with a boot for destroying civilization. But as the blood begins to boil, one wonders if these factions are instigating one another rather than talking meaningfully with one another. Other Hindus are content with an uninvestigated faith that Western science and Hindu teachings can magically be kept as two separate categories, and that somehow they can both be true. All these groups appear to be talking in isolation from the quality historical, philosophical, and theological discussion on science and religion.

A facile conception of conflict between science and religion is not the basis of this study, nor do I believe that Hindu theology must renounce its autonomy and intellectual heritage so as to harmonize itself with contemporary Western science. I argue for a more nuanced perspective articulated, for instance, by John Hedley Brooke, and it is with this perspective as a back-ground that this book seeks to establish the conditions for genuine discussion (what Indian philosophy calls `vada') and critical theological engagement between scientific and Hindu theological traditions (as one might find in Hindu `bhasya' literature). Third, this book attempts to relate the two apparently disparate systems of thought, and I do so by describing Darwinian theory, Western theological reactions to it, and Hindu texts side by side, thus illuminating specific areas of conflict, parallel, and potential conversation. The Bhagavata, I argue, offers an alternate perspective on Darwinian theories of mind. Likewise, I argue Darwinian theories of mind offer opportunities to enrich Bhagavata theories of mind. The Bhagavata's epistemology offers an opportunity to look at the relation of scientific theory, scientific practice, and scientific knowledge in new ways, and the opposite is also true. Furthermore, the Bhagavata's com-mitment to the spiritual implications of scientific study might resonate deeply with and affirm similar convictions held by great Western scientists and theologians. I hope to show throughout these formulations that the ground-work established here creates a foundation for an informed dialogue between these two traditions, and that it is through informed dialogue alone that genuine growth and transformation in response to the other can occur. For Hinduism to become constructively theological today, there is no better place to start than with a response to the Western natural sciences. While all my answers may not be definitive, I have provided the conceptual, historical, and methodological basis to address the question in a sensitive manner within an academic context. Careful analysis, devoid of superficial caricatures, aggressive manoeuvres, and name calling is the only way that Hinduism can ensure the long-term success of its embryonic project of addressing Western science with the full force of its own powerful intellectual resources. The success of this book (in my view) will be that it exemplifies a fruitful dialogue between Hinduism and science, and that this will encourage scholars of Hinduism to engage more seriously with science and religion using the disciplined methods of comparative and historical analysis.

The long argument found in the Bhagavata Purana about the origin, develop-ment, and operation of the natural world and its dependence upon God is an exemplar of ancient and medieval Indian theology and philosophy. It is a devotional crystallization of theological and philosophical reflection on the natural world, God, and living beings that reflects upon Vedic, Upanisadic, Veclantic, Tantric, and Indian philosophical thought, such as Sarpkhya and yoga. The Bhagavata's subject matter provides guided meditations on the Supreme Being. Often those are directed upon what the Bhagavata refers to as the Lord's natural powers and natural body in the form of the cosmos. Many contemporary scientists and scholars consider Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection the most important contribution ever made towards our theoretical understanding of the biological world, and his views have contributed significantly to developments in theology, philosophy, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, and sociology.

I describe the Bhagavata and contemporary Darwinianism as worldviews because they have exerted massive influence over many areas of human thought and practice, albeit up until quite recently in different regions of the globe and in different intellectual arenas. Despite the great influence of these two traditions, little academic work examines their relationship. One reason they have not been rigorously compared and contrasted is that they do not bear prima facie similarity to each other. In fact, they appear to hold such different views and have such different intellectual concerns that one may be inclined to think they have nothing to say to each other, like two people who speak entirely different languages. For hundreds of years, Western intellectual history has enjoyed a rich and sophisticated conversation between theology and science. We now have a wealth of historical, scientific, philosophical, and theological literature documenting these dialogues. With the advent of an even more robust science-religion dialogue over the past forty years, many scholars and scientists now wish to examine non-Western thought in relation to the sciences to seek fresh perspectives on contemporary problems.

It is now well known that ancient Indians excelled in technological and theoretical science in addition to advanced theology and philosophy, often due to the attentive care of intellectuals known as the Brahmanas (Klostermaier 2003: 405). Many have argued that they did not regard inquiry into the origin and composition of the natural world as an impediment to or as different from inquiry into the spiritual reality, but believed the two types of investigations ought to be carried out harmoniously by situating exacting inquiry into the natural world within soteriological ends (Balslev 1990: 47). We may have, then, an ancient intellectual tradition from which contemporary scholars of science and religion might find novel viewpoints on the relationship of theological and scientific thinking.

Is dialogue possible between the Hindu theological traditions and contemporary science? And which areas lend themselves to fruitful comparative analysis and constructive dialogue? These broad questions can be approached in various ways, and yet scholars-even in the areas of science and religion, religious studies, philosophy, theology, and history of science-have devoted little attention to them. This book aims to clarify the primary parallels and conflicts between the two traditions, focusing on their fundamental beliefs about reality and self, and their means of knowing and their intellectual goals. I examine the possibility and scope of dialogue between persons versed in the Bhagavata's theological traditions and those informed by biological science, Christian theology, and Western philosophy by highlighting definitions of self and knowledge. Since a dialogue between Hinduism and science is at a formative stage, I aim to provide a broad overview of the primary philosophical and theological issues inherent in each tradition, rather than a detailed examination of a particular issue.

My approach resembles that of Alister E. McGrath, who forges relationships between science and Christian theology by exploring the methodology of each, including 'such issues as the way in which knowledge is gained and confirmed, the manner in which evidence is accumulated and assimilated' (1998: 29). I follow the lead of David Smith, who writes in Hinduism and Modernity (2003: p. x): 'Like the reader inescapably within the confines of my own time, I look at Hinduism through the eyes of modernity, but attempt also to look back at modernity through the eyes of Hinduism.' Here I believe we have the essence of dialogue: a person of one tradition looking at another, and then back at itself with an openness to critique and reevaluation.

**Contents and Sample Pages**