The gods like Indra and Agni are supraphysical powers and the powers of nature like rain, wind and so on, are only aspects of their powers. Since the rişhi, the knower of Veda, has established a relationship with one or more of these cosmic powers, it follows that he can appeal to these deities, so that, the physical powers of nature act so as to be beneficial to the humans. For instance, the god Indra can be appealed to release rain in times of draught and to stop the downpour in times of excessive rainfall. Even in these times, there have been persons who have displayed these powers at times of real need alone and not for boastful exhibition of their prowess. One such person was Sri Gaņapati Muni (1878-1936), a great poet in Sanskrit, an adept in the Vedās and the Tantrās and the first disciple of Sri Ramaņa Maharşhi. Moderns, by and large, are skeptical of persons who claim to have powers to influence physical nature. The question posed is, “why such persons do not come forward to help bring rain in times of intense draught”. Such skeptics should read carefully the book for an account of over four hundred experiments, performed over a period of some forty years, in this century, in various parts of India. These experiments comprise not only the onset of rain at times of draught but also, its stoppage when it is excessive. Most of these experiments have been successful and they have three key features: Specification of the appropriate atmospheric conditions as relevant to each season; for instance, wind has to blow from a certain direction in a particular season; Performance of a particular type of yajňa - a fire-ritual accompanied by chanting of mantrās from the Veda; Spiritual attainment of the person performing the yajňa. Absolute faith in the efficacy of the procedure is essential to its success. There can be no guarantee of the rain pouring down or its stopping, should an unbeliever follow the procedure casually without meeting its prerequisites. It is not irrelevant to note that attempts to produce rain by the use of methods based on physical sciences have a probability of success of less than fifty percent. Also, there are no methods in physical sciences, yet, for the stopping of rain. Some physical scientists and their followers object to these methods, even if they have been shown to be successful empirically, on the grounds that they cannot be explained on the basis of principles of physical sciences. It is appropriate to recall the quote from H. Bauer regarding the attitudes of engineers versus those of physicists. “It is not uncommon for engineers to accept the reality of phenomenon that is not yet understood as it is very common for physicists to disbelieve the reality of phenomenon that seems to contradict the contemporary beliefs of physics”. A word on health sciences is in order. There is a plethora of healing techniques such as acupuncture, acupressure, naturopathy, homeopathy and so on, having high rates of success under carefully monitored conditions. Every one of these health sciences is well founded on its own principles, its success demonstrable. But the proponents of allopathic brush these away, as so much rubbish. In the Rigveda, Ashvins are the divine physicians. There are many references to their miraculous powers such as giving sight to the blind, RV (1.117.17), restoring youth to the old, RV (1.117.13), and so on. Of course, mere casual chanting of the verses cannot invoke these powers of the Ashvins. Traditionalists claim that, in addition to the chanting, some extra techniques called as prayogās are needed. Unfortunately, most of the knowledge of these prayogās has been washed away by the passage of time. They have to be recovered by tapas. The Rig vedic ideas on the birth of the universe, as indicated in (10.190), is almost modern. It begins with Satya, the Truth. RV sages believed that no manifestation at any level, whether individual, societal or cosmic is possible, without concerted effort, tapas. Hence tapa follows the Truth. A proper translation for tapas is askesis even though it is commonly rendered as penance; Then comes the Night, the symbol for the step prior to manifestation. Then comes Space and next, Time in its cyclic aspect samvatsara. Then comes the sequence of sun, moon, heavens, the mid-region and earth.
