Itanagar: Donating a body for medical
research, as was done after the death of CPI(M) patriarch
Jyoti Basu last month, has the sanction of Hindu religion,
spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said here today.
"If other body parts are also donated instead of
consigning them to flame in usual funerals, there is no harm.
The Hindu religion endorses it," he told a press conference.
Asked if Basu, despite being an atheist, was spiritual
as he donated his body to serve humanity, the Art of Living
guru said he had met Basu once and found him "to be an ardent
fan of Swami Vivekananda."
"Nobody can be totally an atheist. As a believer has
occasional doubts, so has an atheist a faith line. Unless one
knows about the mystery of the whole universe, which is an
impossible feat to perform, one cannot be totally atheist. It
is easy to call oneself an atheist, but it is a false clam,"
he said.
To another question, he said both communism and
capitalism have failed and humanism would sustain.
PTI
First Published: Friday, February 19, 2010, 21:06