The Pious Boatman and the Proud Scientist

This drama is about a singing devotee boatman. He lived in a village called Gour-Haripur in the jungles of West Bengal. His village was a small community settled on either side of a wide river. The villagers were poor and were hardly able to arrange food for their daily lives. But one good thing these people had, was a deep faith in GOD within their hearts.

The boatman made his livelihood by moving his boat around the river with a hand-wooden-rudder to find persons who wanted to cross the river. This boatman had little education, but he had strong faith in GOD. Since his childhood, he believed GOD was the ultimate controller of whole universes. Therefore, his whole life was dedicated to Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now in his sixties, but still strong enough to carry the boat by hand, this boatman chanted a nice song as follows:

Who wants to be delivered from this material world?

If someone could help you what would it be worth?

In this boat I can help you cross over this river's abyss

But this world's ocean of miseries is larger than this

In this dark age of quarrel, only one mantra will do

Please take this mantra seriously, so it can help you...

'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare //

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare'."

In this boat we can cross over this river easily

And through chanting, from miseries, we can also be free

'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare .

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.'

In this age we have nothing to cross over this ocean

Except chanting this mantra with steady attention

'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare .

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.'

Then we'll have everything, including the Lord of all fame

Who'll help us in danger when chanting His Name

'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare .

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.'

As the boatman was chanting like this, an athiestic scientist arived on the bank of the river and called out to him,."Hey boatman! I need to go other side of river! Hurry up! I have some important work and I need to go immediately!

"Yes, I am coming," said the boatman

"How much do you charge?," said the scientist.

"Fifty cents," said the boatman, as he pulled his boat up to the river's bank.

"That's very cheap!," said the scientist, as he got into the boat. "How can you support your family by charging so little for your services?"

"O dear sir, GOD supports all living beings in this universe as we are all coming from Him. No one can maintain himself without His help," said the boatman.

"Oh, please stop!," said the scientist. "God is simply a myth made up by men. In there anyone in this world who can prove that GOD exists?"

The boatman smiled and said, "I have known God from my very childhood. He is the creator, maintainer and destroyer of whole universes. I have heard from my father, who heard from his learned spiritual master, that GOD is one without a second. He taught me Krishna is GOD and that He is the source of the three modes of material nature. Have you not heard about Krishna?

The scientist made a sour face and said, "Oh Please! Stop believing in all those fairy tales and try to understand the creation of the world in a practical way. Do you know why the moon waxes and wanes every month? Do you know why the sun appears to rise and set everyday? Have you any idea why a small piece of iron sinks in water, while a ship made of huge amounts of iron, floats on the water? Do you know any of these things? "

The boatman was surprised to hear the scientist challenge him with questions for which he had no reply. Finally, he started to laugh.

"My father was very poor and was unable to pay for me to be educated in a university. But he gave me the best education by giving me Krishna consciousness. Because of this I am happy; though, it is true, that I am very poor," said the boatman.

This sounds like foolishness to me. I don't see how Krishna consciousness as education at all. Who is Krishna?

"According to Lord Brahma, the topmost demigod, 'Isvara Parama Krishna Sacidhananda vigraha,'.Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," replied the boatman.

There we go. More mythology. Is there any end to your foolishness? This modern age is a scientific age. There is no God. Everything is going on by scientific laws, not by your Krishna. The creation started with a Big Bang. Have you ever heard of the Big Bang?

"No, I have never heard of that," said the boatman.

"The Big bang theory means everything in creation is, more or less, a cosmic accident. Therefore, we scientists understand this world has developed from the random combination of material elements."

"But how could such a complex and beautifully organized universe appear by accident? And even if an 'accident' happened, who made that accident? There also has to be a person to make an accident. Who is that person? It is God, I think.," said the boatman.

"No. No. No… there is no God," said the scientist. "Modern science has explained the reasons behind everything in this universe without God. This universe is coming from a Big Bang, an explosion of gases. How can I make you understand? Yes, there are people who promote the idea that this universe was created by God's desire and that Krishna is God. Some clever sages have even created so many so-called scriptures from their minds to promote this subjective truth. But modern science has proven everything is just material elements."

"I think your way of thinking is offensive," said the boatman.

"Offensive? I am not saying anything wrong," said the scientist. All I have said is scientifically approved. There is no God. Only science can help us understand the beautiful atmosphere on this earth.

"Please do not commit offences against the name of God. You may cause yourself trouble for the rest of your life. And, at the end of this life, you may be punished in the hellish planets.

"Hell? Heaven and Hell?; I don't believe in all those words," replied the scientist. "I believe what I can see and touch, only that much. Speaking the truth is not considered an offense. Nowadays, holy men, vaisnavas; they are all fake and lazy bums. They are not capable of work. They have no skills to earn money to support their lives. So, they practice devotion as their profession and use all of you to support them. They get money in the name of God from you and use that money to live comfortable lives. That is how I see it."

The boatman was unhappy to hear this and spoke, "I heard from my spiritual master that offenses make our hearts and mind hard like a thunderbolt and gradually such persons forget the existence of God. In my vision, you are in this situation. Although I have no education, I can understand holy men and devotional saints are not fake. Intellectual persons also become holy men. I have met intellectual persons who have realized the presence of God, Krishna."

"This is foolishness," said the scientist. "Not only foolishness, it is absolutely great foolishness. I know all the scientific reasoning about the natural systems of this world."

While this conversation was going a huge typhoon appeared on the horizon with giant black clouds. Suddenly, the winds blew fiecely, and sheets of water came down in a driving rain. The boat began to rock dangerously in the middle of the now turbulent river.

The scientist became very afraid due the the fierceness of the storm. Holding on to the side of the boat as it tossed in the waves, he shouted over the howling wind, "O boatman! Please do something to save us! I have so many responsibilities with my family! Please boatman, speak to me! Save your boat and save our lives!"

As the boatman secured the oars and began to bail water out of the boat, he shouted back to the scientist, "I need to focus on what I'm doing! You just said you know all about natural systems. Maybe you could explain to me why such a natural calamity is happening now. If you know the reason, then solve it and save my boat. Krishna gave me this boat to support my family members, just hang on and let me try to protect my boat!"

The scientist was trembling with fear and shouted, "Please don't joke with me now. I can only think of how to save my life!"

With a serious expression, the boatman went over to the scientist and said, "It looks like we will have to leave the boat. It may capsize at any moment! Do you know how to swim? This boat is out of my control!"

"Oh No! I don't know how to swim!," cried the scientist.

"Oh! You just told me that you know everything about the sources of nature and science's creation. Now, I need your help to protect my boat from your science's natural systems," said the boatman.

"Oh! We haven't been able to discover so many natural causes yet. Please try to do something to save my life! It looks like this boat is sinking! Try to do something!," yelled the panic-stricken scientist.

Boatman: "Oh scientist, I don't know how I can save this boat from this powerful typhoon. But, we have two ways to save our lives; either by swimming to shore, or by the Grace of God. You don't know how to swim, so let's both pray to God, Krishna together"… "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare."

The desperate scientist replied, "Yes, perhaps some mystical power can protect us from this situation. Let us chant Krishna's name together and see if it helps us. Oh Krishna! Please save my life in this situation! Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare . Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare."

Gradually, the power of the typhoon become less, and the boatman pointed towards the clearing sky, telling the scientist, "It looks the power of God, Krishna has saved us! Please believe in God and make your life perfect. God is ultimate protector from any types of dangers. Your science was unable to protect you from this powerful storm. But, Krishna's name is protecting us now. It looks like I am able to control the boat again and our lives have been spared. Let us chant the name of Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna's Name together. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare."

The scientist and the boatman both chanted from their hearts the Holy-Names and gradually boat reached the bank of the river

The scientist, much relieved and grateful told the boatman, "Yes, now I believe that there is God. I will remember this situation for the rest of my life and follow your instruction to chant the name of Lord, the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Please take your payment. Thank you so very much. I will remember your help rest of my life. I will insist that people chant the name of Lord, Hare Krishna Mahamantra for protecting themselves from all types of dangers in present society."

The teaching of this drama:

People believe God in two ways, one by pious association, and the other, when they see some miracles. This boatman had pious association from his childhood. This gave him strong faith on God and that God was ultimate protector of all living beings. But the egoistic scientist had no pious association from his childhood. Therefore, he had no faith on God. But by the association of the pious boatman, the scientist experienced the power of chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra and started to believe in God.

Actually, the analogy is: the wide river is like the ocean of miseries of this world and the Holy Name is the strong boat to cross over this ocean. The boatman represents the pure devotee (Gurudeva) of Krishna, who wants to help us and ultimately deliver us from this miserable world. We need pure devotees, or Gurudeva (spiritual teacher), to understand the Krishna's power, then we will be able to leave our false ego of identifying with our present education, wealth, beauty and etc. The chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra under the guidance of Gurudeva, or pure devotees, is able to deliver all living beings in this age of 'KALI'. Chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra is (chanting God's Name) gives us peace eternally, the very thing we are searching for with each steps of our life. Let us chant the name of Supreme Lord and be in peace eternally - Om Shanti.. Om Shanti ..Om Shanti..)