Science in Hinduism-Cloning humans
What is cloning?
Cloning is the scientific process of creating an exact replica of any living being. Such a clone has the same face, same body structure and same genetic code. This means DNA of clone is same as the DNA of the living being that was used to create a clone. Clone can be created from a single cell and thus, thousands and millions of replica can be created from a single living being by transfusing his/her living cell in an embryo of another living species. This means that if a human nucleus is inserted in an embryo of a cow, outcome would be a human with a handful of genes (genes that inhabit mitochondria which lie outside the nucleus) inherited from cow.
First clone
Practical use of cloning used still now
Cloning can be used to produce offspring of a married couple who are devoid of any children. Natural Cloning happens in the case of bacteria, viruses and other minute living organisms. Animal cloning was done successfully in 1997 but human cloning is still unsuccessful and prohibited in all countries though some countries are doing such experiments secretly.
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Cloning Humans
Why cloning is dangerous?
Cloning is a very dangerous technique since it gives ultimate freedom to biologists or group of scientists to create any living beings according to their choice and will, thus imposing a great danger to human society. Though scientists were able to produce clone of an animal, they are facing technological and ethical problems in creating a human clone because the clone faces abnormal cell division and therefore is expose to high risk of cancer. Furthermore, clones have shorter life span as they are created out of a cell that has already gone through many multiplications. Also, success rate of cloning human is only 2% because scientists were successful in creating clones of only 2% of the total animal species.
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Dangerous unnatural2 Cloning Experiments going on secretly
Cloning in ancient Vedic scriptures
In Vedic age, cloning of animals was done by sages to clone the species of powerful horses and productive cows under the order of king/administration. Below are some of the stories on cloning from Vedic age. Note that each story has its own symbolism and necessarily does not reflect real life events.
Story of rubhus
Rubhus were three brothers (Rubhu, Vajra and Vibhu) created from the cell of their father. Their father was old but they were cloned young to bring back the youth of aging parents. Additionally, they also created a cloned horse and cow
Cloning of Rubhus is mentioned by seven different sages in seven different verses of rigveda. All of these sages were from different generations thus depicting that such a technology existed over a long period of human life. These seven sages along with the hymns they composed on rubhas are as follows
Kanva Medhatithi- Rigveda, Book 1, Hymns 20
Angirasa Kutsa - Rigveda, Book 1, Hymns 110 & 111
Deerghatamas - Rigveda, Book 1, Hymns 161
Vishvamitra - Rigveda, Book 3, Hymns 60
Vamadeva - Rigveda, Book 4, Hymns 33
Vasistha Maitravaruni - Rigveda, Book 7, Hymns 48
Shrunu Arbhava - Rigveda, Book 10, Hymns 176
Some of the Verses on cloning along with their translation are as follows:
Rigveda, Book 1, Hymn 20, verse 3
तक्षन नासत्याभ्यां परिज्मानं सुखं रथम |
तक्षन धेनुं सबर्दुघाम ||
Translation: They for the two Nasatyas wrought a light car moving every way:
They formed a nectar-yielding cow.
Not only cloning, rigveda also mentions the process by which the young cell of the son is used to increase the vigor and youngness of parents.
Rigveda, Book 1, Hymn 20, verse 4
युवाना पितरा पुनः सत्यमन्त्रा रजूयवः |
रभवो विष्ट्यक्रत ||
Translation: “The Rubhus with effectual prayers, honest, with constant labour, made Their Sire and Mother young again.”
Rigveda, Book 4, Hymn 33, verse 3
पुनर ये चक्रुः पितरा युवाना सना यूपेव जरणा शयाना |
ते वाजो विभ्वां रभुर इन्द्रवन्तो मधुप्सरसो नो ऽवन्तु यज्ञम ||
Translation: May they who made their Parents, who were lying like posts that moulder, young again for ever, is praised by the gods
During the age when rubhus were born, there was shortage of milk and cloning was essential to produce high-yielding cows. So, next task of rubhas was to create a high-yielding cow that yields copious milk. Puranas describes this method in details where there is a description on cells taken from back skin of cow to create a cloned cow.
Rigveda, Book 1, Hymn 110, verse 8
निश्चर्मण रभवो गामपिंशत सं वत्सेनास्र्जता मातरं पुनः |
सौधन्वनासः सवपस्यया नरो जिव्री युवाना पितराक्र्णोतन ||
Translation: Out of a skin, O Rubhus, once ye formed a cow, and brought the mother close unto her calf again.
Read the below verse carefully. It states that it took them one year of laborious hard work to complete the process of cloning.
Rigveda, Book 4, Hymn 33, verse 4
यत संवत्सम रभवो गाम अरक्षन यत संवत्सम रभवो मा अपिंशन |
यत संवत्सम अभरन भासो अस्यास ताभिः शमीभिर अम्र्तत्वम आशुः ||
Translation: As for a year the Rhubus kept the Milch-cow, throughout a year fashioned and formed her body. And through a year's space still sustained her brightness, through these their labors they were made immortal.
Elder brother wanted to make only two clones of a single cell but younger brother insisted him to make three clones
Rigveda, Book 4, Hymn 33, verse 5
जयेष्ठ आह चमसा दवा करेति कनीयान तरीन कर्णवामेत्य आह |
कनिष्ठ आह चतुरस करेति तवष्ट रभवस तत पनयद वचो वः ||