I just realised science has it's negative points too. Thanks to the essay I was writing for my kido, who has to give a talk on the topic 'Vigyan ke dushparinam' . While she is shouting her lungs out and mugging up the essay in the other room, I thought I would switch on the TV. There seems to be some prob with the TV and it needs to be repaired. I thank my stars the AC is working and what a relief the electricity doesn't play hide an seek with us here.
Summers is one time of the year when I enjoy being at home and channel surfing becomes a much sought after sport. There are movies to catch up and serials and music. What bliss - and all this because I dont want to melt away in the scorching sun. As I was surfing channels one day, I stopped at 'India TV'. Yes, I did. This is one channel that can have you hooked up for nothing at all. I remember how I didn't bat an eyelid, one whole night to know about a 'bhoot bangla in Surat'.. That 'bhoot bangla', I discovered, to my dismay, was an apartment where construction had abruptly stopped for unknown reasons!
A programme claimed that Lord Rama was actually called so after a King from the Mesopotamian civilization. That King was named King Rim tin and he was the son of King Tashrath. There are artefacts that also have a reference of a God with wings, akin to our very own Lord Hanuman. The logical side of my brain sprinted at a fast pace at the very idea and I tried to make meaning of it all. Could this be true? There was trade between the Mesopotamian and indus valley civilization. For all we know there could have been stories of this King, that were carried here. The writers who walked the earth in that era may have inked them into posterity.
Mythology is an integral part of our culture and there is no proof of any living God (the existence of Dwarka is still debated). We are so used to our Gods that the reason to question does not arise. We simply take it for granted that whatever has been said is right. When in trouble we call out to all the Gods, hoping our prayers would be heard. I am a religious person and pray daily and as I write about this figment of suspicion that has arisen in my mind, My dil goes 'Ram ram ram..'
'Faith can move mountains', I was taught at a very young age. It is ultimately the faith that is important. Our fear of the unknown motivates us to hold on to a power - any power. This unknown power is then used by powerful people to bind others and turn them into followers. We in India are followers of the nature. We pray to the Sun, the moon, rivers, plants, animals and human beings too. It is life we look up to. There is a supernatural power that controls everything and that has to be explained to the common man. What better way than to give it a form. The form of humans, in all it's virtues is best understood.
It is a world ruled by story writers. A person who says stories or who knows how to say stories lives on - through his works - through his characters. People who believe in these stories propogate them. The cycle goes on.
3 comments:
JD- I go through the cycle of believing and disbelieving, constantly in my life. I used to have immense faith in God and somehow something changed that. I go through some periods where my logical reasoning takes over and i stop praying. Sooner or later i realize it was a mistake and start praying to God asking for His forgiveness. The one thing i have realized through all this is, by praying and having faith in God, we are lessening our burdens on ourselves. Prayer gives you hope and strength at the same time. Hope is important to live our lives and strength makes it possible to carry-on even when you are faced with your worst nightmares in life.
You said it all Lak. Believing in urself is most important. Change is inevitable, and we must train ourselves to expect the unexpected..
i believe in god and more so on lord rama. Although a mytho one cannot rule out that at that point of history some events get embedded in our minds.Not to let subsequent generations be devoid of such historical events we pen them down as stories to make things interesting.Ramayana is a historical fiction with religious fervour .
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