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Monthly Archives: November 2013
Rama Rajya- Ideal Administration(Session 1)- Google Hangout with D.K. Hari and D.K. Hema Hari
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Image of The Other
The word “other” in English language means “second”, “that which is not the self”. It comes from the old English word oder. The very concept of ‘other’ has been expressed in different civilizations starting from the very moment of creation.
In Assyrian civilization
In the Assyrian civilization of east Mediterranean, the two primary forces that brought about creation of the universe are Apsu and Thiamat. Apsu means “the primordial waters” and Thiamat means the other one, the one other than Apsu.
In Babylonian civilization
In the Babylonian Mesopotamian civilization, the two forces that engage in the process of creation of this universe are Marduk and Thiamat.
In Indian civilization
Even in ancient Indian language, the word “thia” stood for ‘other’, be it in Samskrt or in the South Indian Malayalam language.
In the Indian Knowledge System, the Veda, the process of Creation is described as a duel between Indra and his ‘other’, Vrtra. Indra denotes the collective consciousness that spreads forth and Vrtra, the holding back force.
The principle of the Other, Thia has existed in Nature even before the Creation of the Universe takes place. The existence of this Other has been recognized and been accorded a name that is phonetically and semantically similar across many ancient civilizations and their languages. Herein lies the beauty in the Other.
The concept of Creation
We see here that the concept of ‘other’ existed in reality and in thought right from the moment of creation of the Universe. We are a part of this Universe and a part of the “Other” as well.
Even the perspective of how the Creation came to be is not one but two.
The one which describes Creation as the handiwork of a God external to the Created Universe, where God first created the Earth, then the Sun, Moon and the stars.
The “other”, which describes Creation as a natural order where the Divine becomes the Created Universe and is intrinsic to the Creation, where Creation happened from a cosmic egg with the Big Bang and everything spewed out from this. i.e the Earth appears later, much later, after the galaxies, the sun and all are created in the process of Creation. This view is held forth in the Veda as Hiranyagarbha for the Cosmic Egg and Brahmanda Visfotak for the Big Bang. This view is similar to that held by modern science too.
Which is the Other?
Right from the explanation of this basic event in the Universe, there has been the “other”, in thought which got carried forward in religion as well.
The view that is the “other view” usually is adverse. But, which is “the other” view, depends on the viewer.
An example can best be seen with the word Asura in Indian thought, which today is loosely translated in English as demon.
Deva Vs Asura
In early Vedic language, the term Asura meant that which is spirited, full of life, vigour and was applied for all divine forces in the Universe starting from the process of Creation.
In later thought, this word Asura picked up a negative connotation in Indian legends and came to denote that which is opposite of divine. Hence the Deva, divine forces of Nature came to be adversaries of the Asura. Since in Samskrt the syllable “a” usually signifies an antithesis, the word Asura was split as “a” and “Sura” and a new term Sura came into usage to denote the opposite of Asura. Hence the Deva or all that is divine came to be called Sura.
But the same idea of Asura appears to have stayed positive in Persian thought and morphed into the word Ahura for their main divinity and the Vedic Deva came to be seen as adversaries.
Respect for the Other
In India, across the land, through the times, there has always been a respect for the other.
The Veda welcome new thoughts and ideas from every direction apart from what is espoused in it.
Aa na bhadra katavo yanto vishwatah
Let noble thoughts come to us from every direction.
– Rig Veda
Nammazhavar, the saint from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, expresses in his poem that “every man worships God the way he perceives it in his situation and that is the right thought for him at that moment”.
That That person with His and His varied level of understanding,
His and His Divinity’s abode shall he attain.
That That person’s Divinity is no lesser.
His and His Destiny will lead to such a Divinity.
– A literal translation of the poem
Isn’t this a beautiful way of recognizing the plurality in the universe, in matter and in thought and respecting the same?
The thoughts of great people
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi in his prayer song “Raghupathi Raghava Raja Ram” has the next line as “Ishwar Allah Tero Nam”, where the divine in different names is equally acceptable.
Kabir
Kabir, the weaver saint of medieval India in his doha, couplets praised both Ram and Rahim.
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his now famous speech at Chicago conference of world religion in 1893 spoke eloquently of the existence of the ‘other’ thought, the plurality and how we innately need to respect the ‘other’ and accept the ‘other’ as our innate ethos.
“As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so O Lord, the different paths which men take through their different tendencies, various though they appear crroked or straight, all lead to thee.”
From Tolerance to Tolerate
120 years ago, in his speech, he brought in the concept of “tolerance” among religions. It was a 458 word speech that lasted just 6 minutes but ushered in a fresh breath of air then.
In the last 100 years, this tolerance has now come down from tolerance to tolerate.
Call to Respect
With this effort of The Other, we should now bring back into dialogue, the need to respect the other.
Mahabharatha
The idea of other is brought forth in a succulent manner by an incident from the Mahabharata, the epic of India.
When the 5 Pandava brothers were in exile in the forest. Duryodhana, their cousin and antagonist comes to the same forest to watch their sufferings during exile. Duryodhana and his Kaurava brothers were then captured by a third party. Yudhishtra, the eldest of the Pandava along with his brothers, secured the release of their cousins led by Duryodhana.
He explains that, “We are 5, they are hundred. But when a third person captures them, then we are 105 to unite against ‘the other’.
Vayam Pancha The Shatham
Vayam Panchotaram Shatham
– Mahabharata, Vana Parva
Other Not Permanent
Through this episode Yudhishtra brings out the fact that the notion of ‘the other’ is not permanent, but variable based on the situation. Let us understand this through a simple example
From Student to Class to School
When in a class, two students are fighting, each is ‘the other’ to the other.
But when another class is against them, then these two students unite, to jointly defend themselves against the ‘new other, i.e the other class’.
When someone from an ‘other’ school pits against this school, then the different classes unite to compete against the ‘new other’, i.e the other school.
The concept of mine thus keeps changing, expanding with every situation.
In the face of a common goal, we find commonality with our other.
When the mine expands, ‘the other’ starts shrinking gradually.
This should ideally and eventually lead to Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam, One World Family.
Path and Goal – Distinguishing as well Binding
The path and the goal are the distinguishing factor.
It is the same path and the goal that are the binding factor too.
Recognizing, accepting and respecting the other is in itself the binding factor.
Inclusive and Not Exclusive
It is the approach that one takes of being inclusive or exclusive that decides what “the other” is.
Respecting the other and using that respect as the binding factor is the inclusive approach.
In contrast is the exclusive approach which looks at mine alone as the better path and goal.
It is pertinent here to take note of the concept of Dharma in the Indian thought. Dharma is not religion in the limited sense but instead is about the innate characteristic of a human, animal, plant, living being or even the inanimate. Dharma is also about the varying character and actions to be adopted in varying roles performed by all of these under different conditions of space, time and environ i.e in sync with Nature, science and society.
Seeing the “image of the other” with respect, in sync with Nature and science and being inclusive with love and peace is the common path that has stood the test of time across civilizations.
Karthika Festival
Karthik month starts with the Deepavali festival, a festival celebrated with lights and fireworks, on the New Moon of the month.
But Deepavali is not the only Festival of Lights. Besides Deepavali, the other festivals that are celebrated with lights during this month.
In South and East India, the month of Karthika is marked by the lighting of lamps every evening on the doorstep and porch. People light lamps throughout the month.
During this season many temples all over South India conduct a festival called Theppa Utsavam, float festival, wherein the idols are mounted on a pontoon, platform which floats in the temple tank. The whole tank area is lit up with lamps and people gather to get a glimpse of the well decorated idols, pontoon and the tank.
Theppa Utsavam
In Tamil Nadu, this period was also celebrated as Indra Mahotsav – the festival of Indra, the King of Deva.
In Orissa, this is the period ancient mariners take out the ships into high seas to travel eastwards. Bali in Indonesia used to be their popular destination then, hence this start of the journey was celebrated as the Bali Jatra festival, which continues to be celebrated even today. They let out small floats of lamps in the village ponds, local streams and rivers.
Bali Jatra – a painting
The festival of lights is not limited to India alone. It is celebrated in the same period in Thailand too as Loy Kruthong, where the locals make beautiful floats of lamps in evenings, in water bodies.
Loy Kruthong celebration
In the Jewish tradition in the month of November, a festival of lights is celebrated as the Hanukkah Festival, where candles are lit for seven days.
An illustration of Hanukkah
In Central Europe, in the month of November and December, a festival of lights, “Carrying Menorah”, was celebrated right from the pagan times for well over 2000 years and more.
We see that people all over the world have used lights to lift their spirits during the dark winter and have celebrated it as different festivals of lights. Also dark winter is when, one can see and truly enjoy the beauty of the lights.
With this knowledge let us all together, celebrate this whole coming month as the festival of lights and spread the joy and enlightenment that lights usher in.
India’s March to Mars
Planet Mars is known as Mangala in Samskrt and Indian languages. Hence, the name Mangalyan for this mission, Ayana meaning “travel to”.
Mars lies beyond earth from the sun at the center of the Solar System.
In Indian thought, Mars is referred to as Mangala, meaning “auspicious”.
Mangalvar
Among the weekdays, Tuesday is referred to as Mangalvar in Samskrt, after the planet Mars. It is significant to note that the Mangalayan Mission was launched on Mangalvar, a Tuesday.
Mars – The Greek God of War
In Greek astronomy, Mars is referred to as “the planet of war”, “the God of war”, because of its red nature.
Greek God of Wars
Roman God of Agriculture
In the Roman civilization, Mars was looked upon as a God of Agriculture. This has been brought forth in legends, paintings and coins.
Mars, The Roman God of agriculture
The March to Mars Link
Interestingly, the month March is connected with Mars and derives its name from the planet. The name March comes from the Latin word “Martius”, the first month of the Roman calendar. It was named after Mars. The month Maritus was the beginning of the season for farming in Rome. For, the sun on its northward journey brought warmth for agriculture to happen in Europe, after harsh winter. It was the month of the festival in honour of Mars, the god of agriculture.
Other Names of Mars
The Iron Link
Planet Mangala is also referred to as Lohitang in Samskrt, meaning “that which is rich in iron deposits”, loha.
Blood in Ayurveda is also described as lohini, meaning “that which is rich in iron”.
Mars rich in iron deposits
In Greek legends too, blood is called “Haem”, from which comes the word “Haemoglobin” in blood.
We thus see an intrinsic connect between Lohitang, Mars and Lohini, iron and blood, a connect that has been brought out in various legends and the practice of venerating Mars as the divinity for surgeries, wars and other such professions involving use of iron / steel equipment.
Mars is also known as Angaraka, meaning “that which is red in colour”.
Mars – The Red Planet
Son of Earth
In some context, it is referred to as Bhumi Putra, meaning “Son of Bhumi”. For this, there is a legend on how Mars took form from Earth and was nurtured and brought up by Bhumi, Mother Earth.
These terms are available in astronomical texts of the land.
The other Names of Mars
Names |
Meaning |
Bhauma |
Made of earth |
Angaraka |
Heated Charcoal |
DharaNisuta |
Dhara = dryNisuta = Laid out, thrown into, DharaNisuta = dried up surface |
Kshitija |
Earth born |
Krura |
Cruel |
Dharāputra |
Dhara = Dry, Putra = Son |
Lohitānga |
Red powdered, Iron Dust |
Kona |
Corner |
Vakra |
Curved, hostile |
Kārtikeya |
|
Ara |
A Dry Planet
There are speculations and postulates in the scientific community that there was water once upon a time on Mars but that it has dried up. This tallies with the ancient Indian names for Mars which mean dried up surface.
Mars and Antares
The star Antares in the Scorpio constellation gets its name because it was called Anti Mars, the rival to Mars as from the earth, it visually looked similar to Mars in brightness and colour for ancient European astronomers. Whereas in Indian astronomy, Antares is called as Jyeshtha, the big brother, for, it is the largest star in our Milky Way Galaxy.
Antares in Scorpio Constellation by the side of Mars as it was transiting through Scorpio
Comparison – Similarity
Mangala in Music
Muthuswamy Dikshitar was one among the trinity of Carnatic musicians who formed the basis of the music system of this land.
Muthuswamy Dikshitar
Trinity of Carnatic Music
He lived about 200 years ago. Among his compositions, is the famous, “Navagraha Keerthana”. In this, he speaks of various qualities, characteristics, gunas of Mars. The lyrics are not from an astrological perspective, but are to be viewed from the perspective of the qualities that this planet exhibits.
Imagery of Mars
Vahana, Vehicle
The Vahana, vehicle of Mangala is Ram, the male goat. It is interesting to note that a similar Ram is shown for Aries, the first zodiac constellation. There is an Indian astronomical connect between Aries & Mars.
Vahana of Mangala, Mars – A Ram
Ram, a Zodiac symbol of Aries
Shula and Trishula, Difference
The implement of Mangala is a Shula. Shula is something akin to a spear. When the same Shula has 3 pointed heads, it is called Trishula, the weapon of Shiva. In the case of Mangala, it is Shula, a spear.
Trishula and Shula
Mangala’s Consort
In Indian legends when one is expressed as a consort, it is certainly not for a limited understanding of a wife, spouse. The term has certain qualities, characteristics that the notion of consort brings in.
In this case of Mangala, the consort is Jwalini, jwala meaning “fire”, and here as Jwalini, a female form of fire is brought forth.
Mangala with his consort Jwalini
“What this could mean astronomically is the case of Mars?” is something for us to dwell more into in our study of the scientific aspects that Mangala and Jwalini stand for.
We have sent Mangalyan to probe Mars physically. At the same time we also have the advantage of our ancients’ thoughts to probe into and leapfrog into a deeper understanding of Mars and the skies.
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