C HAPTER 9
om
Life’s Mystery
Miracles-facts and fantasy
Wonder 9
One night as I was about to fall asleep
some thoughts surfaced from the deep
and memory of those days got revived
when we got the course we so much prized
and each topic excited more and more
as biology of one species after another
disclosing their specialties came to fore
and some of them surprised so much ‘yar’
that my mouth remained agape and ajar .
‘Life is a mystery’, ,the very first line of
the first chapter in the book announced,
let us try to unravel and understand
its intricacies, it solemnly pronounced;
Since then I have been trying to do so
but the mystery only seems to deepen
day by day as I try to dwell and dabble
in it ,and to pry its innermost secrets.
Indeed I come across more and more of
surprises which it springs upon me
from time to time,
and multiplies amazement
again and yet again time after time .
Just see what great God has done
made devta’s ‘amar’ and not men
Man felt jittery ,jealous and prayed for
but God has not granted it to him so far
Yet surprisingly He has blessed , unprayed for
Immortality to some species only he knows what for
This is not a fairy tail or story but result of discovery
that animals had succeeded where Man had not so far
as Hydra, Planaria and like them some more by far
revive, rejuvenate and do not die a natural death ever
so they can ,unlike man, go on living for ever and ever
attaining biological immortality the prize we were after.
Not only that so far Ravan was the only one
known for growing a new head after cutting off old one
but he did not know nor did we
that little Planaria is better than he
you can cut it in as many pieces as you like
and it will grow remaining parts and sit upright.
and how ? by transdifferenciation ‘technology’
coupled with limitless regenerative capacity
of proliferating adult stem cells in its body
but did Ravan have similar cells in his neck or body?
is a moot question whose answer can be guessed only.
Old king Yayati wanted to become young
so as to continue to have his fun
so he exchanged his oldness once
with Devyani’s son who was still pretty young
ah! if only he had known about Lobster’s art
and trick or technique of avoiding senescence
he would have, poor fellow, escaped humiliation
of hearing a no from his own & Sharmishta’s son.
Pleased with the playful princess ,lovely and young
Old Rishi Chavan transformed himself there and then
miraculously becoming once again pretty young ;
perhaps he had learnt the art from Jelly fish anon
which specializes in the skill of transformation
becoming Medusa from polyp and then again
polyp from medusa really every now and then .
The truth is both Lobster and Jelly fish know the way
to maintain telopherase level and so to keep in a way
telomeres of their chromosomes in good shape always
ensuring transdifferenciation when need comes their way.
The story of Devtas and rakshsas
capable of assuming different forms
no longer astonishes or astounds
for polymorphism and polyphynism
are known to occur in many species
such as jellyfish, butterflies and bees .
Hearing that shri Vishnu in his many avtars
had assumed different forms no longer jars
for the same genotype can have many morphs;
And His assuming a female form as lovely Mohini
to lure and distract asurs in sagar manthan story
only indicates that ancients had idea about protandry
which even now some fishes undergo habitually .
Actually in some animal species embryos are known
to grow up either as male or female since time unknown
depending on clues received from environment there and then;
with seasons temperature playing a major role in many of them,
and crocodiles claiming priority of attention among them .
That some fishes change their sex always
during their lifecycle even at adult stage
is also well established by now
but the point is why and how ?
Embryos of some species have both male and female
germ mother cells and one of these develops first
that is individual is born as male or female first
but is capable of changing sex and assuming
the role more suitable for the time being
depending upon the cues received from time to time.
Shiv shakti concept of mythological eminence
and its ardhnarishwar form of eternal fame
fascinates and raises curiosity to great heights
and teases and taunts my imaginary flights
It always made me think could it be really true
although it has been worshipped in all its hue
from ancient times faithfully for its blissful virtue
and then I came across a book by a scientist- not a hindu
who compared subatomic goings on in the universe
with Tandav dance of Lord shiva and it gave me a clue;
Do shiv and shakti symbolize matter and energy ?
and their relationship in its various form and style
and apart from physical and chemical its bio version
attracted me and struck me in a significant fashion
and questions galore arose and troubled my poor soul
Is it merely an attempt to show complimetarity of sexes
and their integration required for procreation or else
to emphasise harmony essential to ensure a peaceful role
or was it intended to say and show some thing more ?
for in the biological world we now know
many living beings are bisexual you know
that is in a way ardhnarishwar in their life style
recognized as such and called hermaphrodite biowise
In fact flowering plants have bisexual flowers commonly,
some have unisexual ones but on the same plant actually;
Many animals mainly invertebrates and some vertebrates too
including gellyfishes , coral reef fishes, snails and slugs too
are also bisexual individuals living normally as such indeed;
May be ardhnarishwar concept arose observing some of these.!
That several gods and goddesses have many many arms
may be a projection of what is witnessed in some forms
of life like Arthropoda species with hexo, cento or millipoda
with which land and sea abound although not in Gods quota .
Again Kumbh karan ate voraciously for six and slept
for six months- perhaps taking a tip on hibernation
from polar beers who are, in this art of living ,quite adept
voraciously eating for six and soundly sleeping for all
the six months of polar night, during their hibernation
setting a precedent which danavs decided to accept and adopt.!.
Oh ! how many wonders nature hides in her garb I wonder
and only lets us peep from time to time in its secret chamber
tempting us to look for and know more and more and to tender
the blessing it is always ready to shower on the discoverer .
SKB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
just see we had always heard that only devtas
were immortal so it was surprising to learn
that simple animals like Hydra and Jelly fish
and many others are biologically immortal
we knew so far that Ravan could grow new head
after cutting the old one again and again
but Planaria can prform the same feat even now
om
Life’s Mystery
Miracles-facts and fantasy
Wonder 9
One night as I was about to fall asleep
some thoughts surfaced from the deep
and memory of those days got revived
when we got the course we so much prized
and each topic excited more and more
as biology of one species after another
disclosing their specialties came to fore
and some of them surprised so much ‘yar’
that my mouth remained agape and ajar .
‘Life is a mystery’, ,the very first line of
the first chapter in the book announced,
let us try to unravel and understand
its intricacies, it solemnly pronounced;
Since then I have been trying to do so
but the mystery only seems to deepen
day by day as I try to dwell and dabble
in it ,and to pry its innermost secrets.
Indeed I come across more and more of
surprises which it springs upon me
from time to time,
and multiplies amazement
again and yet again time after time .
Just see what great God has done
made devta’s ‘amar’ and not men
Man felt jittery ,jealous and prayed for
but God has not granted it to him so far
Yet surprisingly He has blessed , unprayed for
Immortality to some species only he knows what for
This is not a fairy tail or story but result of discovery
that animals had succeeded where Man had not so far
as Hydra, Planaria and like them some more by far
revive, rejuvenate and do not die a natural death ever
so they can ,unlike man, go on living for ever and ever
attaining biological immortality the prize we were after.
Not only that so far Ravan was the only one
known for growing a new head after cutting off old one
but he did not know nor did we
that little Planaria is better than he
you can cut it in as many pieces as you like
and it will grow remaining parts and sit upright.
and how ? by transdifferenciation ‘technology’
coupled with limitless regenerative capacity
of proliferating adult stem cells in its body
but did Ravan have similar cells in his neck or body?
is a moot question whose answer can be guessed only.
Old king Yayati wanted to become young
so as to continue to have his fun
so he exchanged his oldness once
with Devyani’s son who was still pretty young
ah! if only he had known about Lobster’s art
and trick or technique of avoiding senescence
he would have, poor fellow, escaped humiliation
of hearing a no from his own & Sharmishta’s son.
Pleased with the playful princess ,lovely and young
Old Rishi Chavan transformed himself there and then
miraculously becoming once again pretty young ;
perhaps he had learnt the art from Jelly fish anon
which specializes in the skill of transformation
becoming Medusa from polyp and then again
polyp from medusa really every now and then .
The truth is both Lobster and Jelly fish know the way
to maintain telopherase level and so to keep in a way
telomeres of their chromosomes in good shape always
ensuring transdifferenciation when need comes their way.
The story of Devtas and rakshsas
capable of assuming different forms
no longer astonishes or astounds
for polymorphism and polyphynism
are known to occur in many species
such as jellyfish, butterflies and bees .
Hearing that shri Vishnu in his many avtars
had assumed different forms no longer jars
for the same genotype can have many morphs;
And His assuming a female form as lovely Mohini
to lure and distract asurs in sagar manthan story
only indicates that ancients had idea about protandry
which even now some fishes undergo habitually .
Actually in some animal species embryos are known
to grow up either as male or female since time unknown
depending on clues received from environment there and then;
with seasons temperature playing a major role in many of them,
and crocodiles claiming priority of attention among them .
That some fishes change their sex always
during their lifecycle even at adult stage
is also well established by now
but the point is why and how ?
Embryos of some species have both male and female
germ mother cells and one of these develops first
that is individual is born as male or female first
but is capable of changing sex and assuming
the role more suitable for the time being
depending upon the cues received from time to time.
Shiv shakti concept of mythological eminence
and its ardhnarishwar form of eternal fame
fascinates and raises curiosity to great heights
and teases and taunts my imaginary flights
It always made me think could it be really true
although it has been worshipped in all its hue
from ancient times faithfully for its blissful virtue
and then I came across a book by a scientist- not a hindu
who compared subatomic goings on in the universe
with Tandav dance of Lord shiva and it gave me a clue;
Do shiv and shakti symbolize matter and energy ?
and their relationship in its various form and style
and apart from physical and chemical its bio version
attracted me and struck me in a significant fashion
and questions galore arose and troubled my poor soul
Is it merely an attempt to show complimetarity of sexes
and their integration required for procreation or else
to emphasise harmony essential to ensure a peaceful role
or was it intended to say and show some thing more ?
for in the biological world we now know
many living beings are bisexual you know
that is in a way ardhnarishwar in their life style
recognized as such and called hermaphrodite biowise
In fact flowering plants have bisexual flowers commonly,
some have unisexual ones but on the same plant actually;
Many animals mainly invertebrates and some vertebrates too
including gellyfishes , coral reef fishes, snails and slugs too
are also bisexual individuals living normally as such indeed;
May be ardhnarishwar concept arose observing some of these.!
That several gods and goddesses have many many arms
may be a projection of what is witnessed in some forms
of life like Arthropoda species with hexo, cento or millipoda
with which land and sea abound although not in Gods quota .
Again Kumbh karan ate voraciously for six and slept
for six months- perhaps taking a tip on hibernation
from polar beers who are, in this art of living ,quite adept
voraciously eating for six and soundly sleeping for all
the six months of polar night, during their hibernation
setting a precedent which danavs decided to accept and adopt.!.
Oh ! how many wonders nature hides in her garb I wonder
and only lets us peep from time to time in its secret chamber
tempting us to look for and know more and more and to tender
the blessing it is always ready to shower on the discoverer .
SKB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
just see we had always heard that only devtas
were immortal so it was surprising to learn
that simple animals like Hydra and Jelly fish
and many others are biologically immortal
we knew so far that Ravan could grow new head
after cutting the old one again and again
but Planaria can prform the same feat even now