From Nolan to Narada

My immediate reaction after watching ‘Interstellar’ was nothing- plain nothing. I definitely did not like the movie for the very reason that it stirred hell a lot of questions inside me, beyond the limit I could take!

Just like a lot of us, I spent the following week googling terms like time travel, wormhole physics and so on. But the closer I got to understand some of these astrophysical concepts, I started realizing something even more surprising. It took weeks for things to slowly settle down and here is my take on the Nolan’s flick.

My penchant for Hindu mythology started with Dad’s bedtime stories. If not for one or two, I would have easily completed hearing the whole of Amar Chitra Katha series! And now I have all of them spinning inside my head. This one movie made me relate to each one of them in a totally different way. Its all there, from relativity to time travel, beautifully woven inside these stories yet so obviously starting at you!

The fact that Narada muni can transcend time and space, that he appears simultaneously in the present, past and future had been reiterated in many instances. One of the greatest of sages he is, if not for the unfortunate portrayal in many of the movies as a conflict seeker and a gossip monger.

Once when Vishnu and Narada was having a spacewalk, Narada requested him to explain Maya. "Of course my true devotee, but before that can I get some water?" Vishnu thought it was time he gave Narada a taste of samsara Narada immediately descends down to earth but as he steps into the first house he comes across, the beauty of a girl there captivates him. As he approaches to speak to her, he understands that she is interested in him too. They end up marrying to each other and soon children enter their life one by one. As this goes on for a while, one day their house gets flooded with heavy rains. Children about to drown and wife not in a position to be saved too, Narada is helpless as he cries out “Narayana”. Suddenly truth hits him like a thunderbolt. He reaches where he started only to realize that only seconds have passed since he spoke with Vishnu. “Have you got any water Narada?” Vishnu smiles.

“But this has not been proved. How can you use folklore on par with scientific evidence?” My colleague asked me as we were having a chat at the base of Azhagar hills. Whatever said and done, that profound understanding of science existed among ancient Indians is far beyond obvious. May be it might take another fifty to hundred years to prove it with what we call science. I would rather not wait all the way to accept something, which appears very implicit right now. Hinduism is not just religious philosophy but a very scientific way of life. This was my answer.

NB: Thanks Santha, bestie, for the title inspiration.

The story of a river

Viewing something from the perspective of science and religion simultaneously– I remember the 3D glass they gave at movie theatres in the 90s, with a red and a green filter, totally contrasting sides only to give a greater depth.

Few days back, I watched a detailed video description of the Ganges from its origin till confluence along with sites of religious importance by Velukkudi swamy. I got goosebumps when he said “gangaya paathale punyam”, I felt so accomplished. Sooner my attention was grabbed by this study by IIT Delhi and Newcastle university which has revealed the prolific spread of the blaNDM-1 gene in the Ganges river bed especially during months of mass religious gathering.

This New Delhi Metallo-betalactamase resistance gene is what made the shocking headlines sometime back when it was first detected in the capital city. The gene has now been found to be more common among residents of such holy cities by the side of the Ganges and transmitted to other pilgrims via fecal contamination of the river. You take a dip in the holiest river in India only to get a dose of diluted shit with a potential superbug - Irony at its best! Not to mention the sugar-coating in the discussion of the article that they do not suggest avoiding religious gatherings in such places and this contamination is probably due to overloading of sanitation facilities.

The last time I stood by the Ganges was three years back at Varanasi. The pungent smell and the sight of people openly defecating literally made me puke that day. And it was the common sense in me that won over religion and I left the place without the ceremonial dip and just wished I never went again. I can’t help mentioning the collection of some 300 odd photos I came across in a blog showing the not-so-picture-perfect side of Varanasi – dead and putrefied bodies (human indeed) some floating on the river and some just by the side of pilgrims – I could not stand 50! The blog looked like in Chinese but if I were to choose a topic - “Do you call this the most sacred place in India?”

Continuing viewing through the science lens, only the exponential transmission of this gene has been documented. Whether it translates into an increase in the causalities due to a multidrug resistant infection has not yet been substantiated. Its only a matter of few years as the gene can easily tunnel into a clinically significant bacteria and make it super-resitant.

My religion relentlessly tries to convince me about the holiness and the sacredness of the Ganges. Used by Brahma to wash the feet of Vishnu, the waters gathered up and flew into a ferocious river that was controlled in Shiva’s hair lock and was later released into land following the penance of Bhagiratha. Touched by all three of the trinity, it gains its utmost importance in Hindu literature. Majestic aarthi is conducted in the riverbanks everyday where thousands gather with songs and praises for Ganga ma. She is the one who washes the sins of everyone but still remains pure for eternity.

The Ganges - my sketch

I would not debate about her glory. I salute her and bow to her but for the dip part - I would think twice!

spirituality Vs Religion - Are we reluctant to draw the line ?

I pulled this from another blog and I was equally surprised! Now, that’s n advertisement in the US without even a name in it! Googling to my curiosity, I recently found that 'Jaggi' came from his full name - 'Jagadish Vasudev'. What sounded profound and ethereal to me till then, started looking so mortal!

I have been to the place and have read the mystic’s writings, some were totally mind-blowing! But there are also other things I was not so comfortable with, during my visit to the yoga center.

Siddarth(actor) asks him in a conversation “Is there an employment option in India as a spiritual guru?” Though he brushed it off brilliantly, don’t we all know the answer? And who else but we are guilty for creating such a market?

The proportion of we, youngsters who flock to decorated temple-likes are definitely much more than what we see in temples. Can we deny? Even God has to be packed in attractive covers to get sold?

Why can’t we listen to people who can make us think differently without jumping to worship them and start ‘religonising’ their views? And then start controversies, blow them out of proportion and have a sense of achievement about it? Is it their mistake to remind us to chat Krishna nama, to look into our own thoughts, to mediate and practice yoga? Moreover enormous projects of social importance have been undertaken by these ashrams, where the country’s policies failed. But why can’t we just stop it there?  Why do we have to look every such person as a panacea to all our problems?

The time we start extrapolating a spiritual concept is when we end up with a non-religious organization being uncomfortably changed to ‘mostly-hindu’, globalized religious worship, still not wanting to change the non-religious tag! This is exactly what made me feel out of the place. Just spirituality would have been perfect, but again, this sells better!

Both as a religion and a way of life, being so profound and undoubtedly scientific in most of its ways, nothing is lacking that has to be told new! I can say this so definitely even with the minutest idea I have on the Bhagavad Gita and some other spiritual literature. There have been and still are great orators who give the essence of spiritual literature in the most understandable way and who let us interpret it for ourselves. They believe that all that is needed is only repeating what has already been told.

   Whether the choice is spirituality or religion, the road is well laid and ways very well documented, why cant we stop running in the lookout for god men, rather just listen to people and walk on?