(cells and organisms)
Scientists cannot even explain what death is and why nucleic acids stop functioning or why the enzymic proteins stop working, leading to loss of energy generation and the resultant breakdown of cells’ structural proteins at the time of death.
Scientists’ awareness is only limited to the material body. They are not aware of that soul consciousness residing in the subtle body within the earthly body. This consciousness’s sentience is what pervades the whole body like a lamp lit in a room spreads its brightness all around.
No doubt, scientists have seen the minutest components of the material body like a cell, nucleus, chromosomes, DNA, etc. with sophisticated instruments like an electron microscope. But they fail to understand or explain how or what makes individuals experience happiness or unhappiness, feel desire, likeness or hatred, and express knowledge/wisdom etc.
Science is still unable to explain what death exactly is or why the body’s proteins stop functioning and undergo denaturation at the time of death.
The difference between the normal cells of the body and bacteria or amoebae, both of which are single cells, becomes apparent when they are cultured in semisolid media in Petri plates with nutrients concentrated in different parts of the media. Once the nutrients in the immediate environment of the normal body cells are exhausted, they start dying. However, the bacteria or amoebae sense the presence of nutrients in nearby area and move towards it. Moreover, whenever obnoxious chemicals are added in the environment or harmful rays of light get focussed on them, normal cells become helpless and die. At the same time, the bacteria or amoebae consciously try to move away to protect themselves.
We are in this context compelled to accept the contention of the great Vedic sages: “aeshaha hi dhrashtā sprashtā shrothā prāpthā rasayithā mat’thā bod’dħā karthā vijnānāthmā purushaha”; meaning, the intelligent consciousness that sees, touches, hears, tastes, thinks, and performs actions is the soul. The sentience manifested by the body is because of its supra-sentience only. It is fallacious to think of sentience properties (half sentience) displayed by cells as the supra-sentient soul (consciousness).
It gets clearly established from the above that there is no consciousness (soul) in cells because they do not have the capacities of thought, contemplation, experiencing etc., or awareness of self as an individual.
As against this, bacteria and amoebae have within them the existence of a conscious soul. This conscious soul enables them to change their location consciously searching for food or protecting themselves from harmful agents. This ability of movement is because they have conscious awareness of their individuality.
The eyes, kidney etc., of an individual, keep functioning even after transplanting into another individual. Similarly, even cells taken out of the body can keep working if maintained in an appropriate environment provided with food and oxygen. So apparently, even cells serve as part of the body only and are not conscious individuals. Whereas eyes, kidney etc., are gross body parts, the cells are microscopic body parts. It is precisely because of this reason, cells are not organisms while single-celled bacteria and amoebae qualify themselves to be called organisms.
