God is in Your Genes!

Indian culture is incredibly complex and may resemble a chaos of mind-boggling proportions. But beneath this seeming chaos is a scientific foundation that is thousands of years old. The series "Why We Do What We Do", will look at the basis behind the various elements of Indian culture, and explain how even the minutest detail was geared towards a human being's immediate and ultimate wellbeing.

Questioner: What is the significance of giving one’s name, nakshatra and gotram while doing the abhishekam at Linga Bhairavi?

Sadhguru: These things were very significant and relevant when deities were created in a certain way. Indian culture was created with an understanding of the phenomenal complexity of life, but today this has become one big hotchpotch because invasions in the last 1800 years have seriously disturbed the instruments and institutions which transmitted this from generation to generation. Otherwise, this is a very sophisticated science.

At one time, every temple that was set up was a live temple. It was alive, not a doll that you go and worship. A live force was created of different calibers, categories, and qualities. People did not go to every temple. There were some temples which were for general wellbeing, where everybody went. But for specific purposes, people went only to their Kuladaivam (clan deity). This was a fabulous understanding of genetics and how it functions.

Today, scientists can dig up one little bone of someone who died a hundred years ago, take it to the laboratory, check that DNA and compare it with your DNA and say, “This was your grandfather.” You can do this even for someone who died ten thousand years ago. Science gives you this access. Similarly, for thousands of years, people maintained the genetic track in their own way – never mixing it up or doing anything which will disturb the track – so that their progeny come out well. Not only that, you can create a certain energy which travels through the track. Everybody in your kula (clan) need not go to the temple. You go and do the process and everyone benefits because everyone in that kula is connected. Right now, medical science is also heading in this direction. They can find something that works for your DNA, and all the people who have that type of DNA will benefit.

This was understood and genetic lines were maintained so strictly and an energy source was established for that particular DNA and genetic trend. When someone goes to the temple, they are not telling some God up there about their kula. They are just registering, “This is me, I belong to this line, this is my gotra, this is my nakshatra, this is my kula.” They are saying, “This is my DNA, do something for me.” It is the most scientific way of handling it. It is a wonderful understanding of life.