IV
340 [DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES]
mother which has been fertilized by a single sperm from the father.
That human birth is genetic is told by the Buddha to a Yakkha who came to discuss the matter with him.
The Exalted One was then staying near Rajagraha, on the hill called Indra’s Peak.
Now that Yakkha drew near to the Exalted One and addressed him as follows :
‘Material form is not the living soul’
So says th’ Enlightened One. Then how doth soul possess this body ?
Whence to soul doth come
Our bunch of bones and bowels ?
How doth soul within the mother-cave suspended bide?
- To this the Exalted One replied :
At first the Kalala takes birth, and thence the abudde.
Therefrom the pesi grows,
Developing as ghana in its turn.
Now in the ghana doth appear the hair,
The down, the nails.
And whatsoever food and drink the mother of him takes, thereby the man in mother’s womb doth live and grow.
But the Hindu doctrine differs.
It says that the body is genetic. But the soul is not. It is implanted into the body from outside—the doctrine is unable to specify the source.
Turning to the second question as to what is the nature of past karma, it must be determined whether it is an inherent characteristic or an acquired characteristic.
Unless an answer to this question is forthcoming it cannot be tested by the scientific theory of heredity.
But assuming there is an answer one way or the other to this question how is it possible to get any help from science whether it is a sensible theory or senseless theory.