|
By Mr. James:
Q: Dr. Farrow, would you assist the jury in understanding what took place during that tape?
The Court: You may rephrase that question.
By Mr. James:
With respect to the talking about Indra and the Gods, could you tell the jury the context in which that -- those comments were made?
A: Maharishi referred I think two or perhaps three times, just on the notes I made here, to Indra, and he said things like Indra is the ruler of all the Gods. He is said to sit at the junction between the abstract and the concrete, between the mind and the body. And he said it is said that the Gods drink Soma. And he said things like this is how we will take the history of Soma.
What I took this to mean was that he was giving a very clear description of how he felt this chemical in the body was able to enrich all aspects of both mental and physical life, that this chemical would improve perception, would improve health, would improve the way we experience our life, and that the pre-scientific or nonscientific description of this from very, very ancient literature expressed this in a poetic language in terms of Indra. He said it is said that the Gods do this. And I think that was the feeling of the whole tape: That, very specifically, he was talking about the mechanics of how the mind and the body interact and that soma, this chemical in the body which he referred to again and again as a very specific chemical, is what really ties the whole thing together, and this had been described in a very poetic language, in a nonscientific language, in texts that go way back before the scientific era.
Q: What did you understand him to be saying concerning the Science of Creative Intelligence in defining soma?
A: His comments about the cow, that the cow may produce milk and it depends on the digestive system on [sic - of?] the cow whether it's good milk or bad milk and it doesn't really matter so much what the grass is, but the quality of the machinery that is doing the digesting. And he feels that the quality of the human body, are we healthy or are we not healthy? If we're healthy and if our mind is clear, then we can get the most out of life, we can have the most healthy, productive nervous system, the most healthy, productive body. And only under those conditions can we produce high quality physiology, high quality soma, and all these benefits that he sees from it.
And the most important element in producing that kind of integrated well-being is to be happy and rested and well and feeling good. You all know that when you feel that way, you experience more in life. And that's what he's saying. And he's simply saying that the Science of Creative Intelligence offers a way to produce a blananced, healthy life and, therefore, to increase the possibility of soma being produced in the nervous system.
So that's how I see the Science of Creative Intelligence, as him saying that the Science of Creative Intelligence is a very valuable way, in his view, to promote this healthy, balanced state of life.
Q: Is it unusual to find ideas in nonscientific cultures which have led to important scientific discoveries?
A: No. I think it's happened again and again. In my own field, one very important example is the chemical atropine, which is used by physicians in a variety of ways and, for one thing, it's used in the care of the eyes. And atropine is produced by a plant, and it was used for many years in other cultrures before we ever found out about it. And I think that's one very typical example, there are many, many others, of substances which are produced naturally in plants, for example that have been known to various cultures for who knows how long, and we're only now finding out about it.
So it's not at all unusual. to find widom in strange places.
Mr. James: You may cross-examine.
CROSS EXAMINATION
By Mr. Ragland:
Q: Mr. Farrow, did I correctly understand Maharishi to be talking about a whole chapter in the Ninth Mandala regarding soma in this tape?
A: Yes.
Q: And this is exhibit 617. Is this the Ninth Mandala that he was referring to?
A: Yes, I believe it was.
Q: And what was Maharishi referring to the chapter in here on soma for?
A: I believe he was referring to the entire Ninth Mandala, which deals in considerable length with soma.
Q: I see. You can just about open this to any page and see the word "soma," can't you?
A: Right.
Q: "May the Soma juices which are gratifying to the Gods when poured around into vessels bring us a dwelling and male offspring."
We've heard a lot of evidence that this was just read in the Sidhi Programme for the sound effect. Why is Maharishi talking about the meaning in this text?
A: He's talking -- that particular text is an interesting thing. I have to go into this just a little bit to explain my own view of it, and that is that the original Ninth Mandala is very, very old and it's written in sanskrit. In the 19th century it was translated by German scholars into German. And I don't know where this version came from, but I believe it was from the German translation. So we can't even really know, because there are those levels of translation, really what the text is, because I don't understand sanskrit. So I can only take that as an approximation of what is really going on in the Ninth Mandala.
I'm afraid that didn't answer your question. I got -- could you restate it for me?
Q: I've forgotten what it is. The ancient Germans didn't put the title on this tape that we just saw, did they?
A: No, they certainly didn't.
Q: And the title of this tape was "Soma and the Gods," was it not?
A: Yes.
Q: Did Maharishi name the tape?
A: No. I believe it reflects what he was discussing in the -- He clearly says in the tape, it is said that soma -- who deserves to drink soma? Well, the Gods deserve to drink soma. And then he goes on to clearly state what he feels that to mean: That that is a poetic representation of the impulses of intelligence and structure which give rise to the human nervous system and human life. So that he takes, I believe, the Gods to be simply poetic representations of fundamental forces in nature that would be studied by science, and equally as well, they might, by philosophy or any other area of life.
Q: Maharishi is a great teacher isn't he?
A: I've been very fortunate in my education to have a very fine education. I've been exposed to many fine teachers. And I find Maharishi to be certainly among the best that I've been exposed to.
Q: And he made this tape that we just saw for purposes of teaching others, did he not?
A: It was a commentary on a talk that I gave.
Q: Why can't this tape be viewed by people such as the jury and just simply understood for what Maharishi says because he's a great teacher?
A: Well, I think if you tried to listen to Einstein, you would have the same question, because Einstein was a very great man, a very great teacher. But each level of knowledge has to be given out at the appropriate time. If a person is in kindergarten, you don't try to talk to them about calculus. So any level of teaching is structured so that you are taught what is appropriate for what you've been exposed to so far. And I think that's entirely the sense of this.
There was never any sense that this was to be hidden from the public. Anyone who wished to pursue T.M. far enough to get to the level where this sort of thing would make sense to them, it's perfectly open to them.
I'm sure the jury must have found some of this was fairly obscure, and that's simply because you haven't been exposed to it before.
Q: Exposed to what?
A: Exposed to some of these ideas.
Q: Or the teachings of Transcendental Meditation?
A: Sure. I mean it's like any other area of knowledge. It requires some time to think about it and to mull it over and to learn about it.
Q: In other words, the mroe you are instructed in Transcendental Meditation, the more you will come to understand what is meant in instructioal tapes regarding Transcendental Meditation?
A: I don't really see what you're getting at. I think it's like learning arithmetic. The more arithmetic you learn, the more you will understand. At first you don't know how to multiply numbers, and then after a while you learn how to multiply numbers.
It's like any other area: The more you hear about it, the more you are able to understand it.
Q: The greatest source of information regarding Transcendental Meditation is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is that correct?
A: Yes, that's correct.
Mr. Ragland: No further questions.
The Court: Anything further.
Mr. James: No questions.
The Court: Thank you, doctor. You are excused.
[coming soon: more court testimony from the Kropinski trial ]
Member of the Internet Link Exchange
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]