Who are we? Why are we born? What happens after death? Is rebirth true? Can we become immortal? These questions have haunted the human mind for ages. Schools of philosophies have each provided their own answers to this complexity—at times, the simple ones and at times, answers hard to comprehend. When veteran journalist Satyen Mohapatra attempts to find rational answers to the subject of immortality in his book, I am Immortal, he breaks them down into simple concepts. This ability, he says, “comes from a person who has an interest in science as well as philosophy, (and) is a communicator so that he can simplify complex subjects and is interested in the subject of immortality.”
Mohapatra’s book begins with addressing the fear of death. He calls it the “greatest of fears man has faced” and quotes sage-king Yudhishthira, “Even though countless people die every day, man lives as if he is immortal. That is the greatest wonder.”
Throughout the book, the author intelligently defines and describes consciousness. “Consciousness is the final frontier for all our knowledge. Consciousness—awareness is the ultimate subject or witness to all that is happening in the body/mind and outside. Consciousness allows us to feel our existence as a separate conscious individual with an inner life.”
The book talks about the presence of consciousness in all beings—be it plants or animals—and discusses the mysteries related to rebirth. The author mentions several case studies that show rebirths across the world and how science has no answers to certain phenomena that evade logic. He argues that while computers can make decisions, they lack the subjective experience associated with decision-making, memory, sensory processing, or other events in the brain. This subjective experience, he says, is called consciousness, which artificial intelligence lacks, hence putting rest on the idea that AI will take over humans in running the world.
The book, published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House, further analyses the concepts of immortality in world religions—Hindus see reincarnation as a punishment with the ultimate goal being ‘moksha’, Christians believe a spiritual body is resurrected after death, Buddhism does not deny the existence of a personality in an empirical sense and so on.
The book, which was rejected by at least ten non-fiction publishers before being picked up by the iconic publishing house known for publishing Indian epics and Puranas, is indeed an important read for young minds, for it breaks down complex concepts into understandable ideas. Though science may be unanswerable to most of these concepts, the ‘law of conservation of energy’ states, ‘energy can neither be created nor destroyed,’ precisely what Mohapatra’s book explains: consciousness is not born and does not die. It just exists beyond the confines of matter, time and space.
I am Immortal
Author: Satyen Mohapatra
Published by: Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House
Pages: 301
Price: Rs 395 (Paperback)