My Gita (2015)
Devdutt PattanaikThe author drew a lot of flak from the so-called Sanskrit scholars and Hindutva protectorates for his inaccuracies in its translation, factual 'errors' and understanding of the scriptures. The purist, the defenders of the Hindu inscriptions assert that he is not a qualified person to give his interpretation of the revered holy book. Bhagavad Gita, the poem of the God, is sacred scripture. They assert that one has to be a Brahmin or ordained to do the mammoth task of interpreting the Gita. In short, not every Tom, Dick and Harry can tell his views. I thought it reeked a lot like many of the fundamentalists and religious zealots amongst us who insist that there is one way to the Truth and it is their way. There is no compromise in religion.
Pandits (not pundits) like Rajiv Malhotra and Nityanand Misra also take offence to classifying Bhagadvita as a myth. Most intellectuals today accept happenings in Gita as historical occurrences, not a story.
That is the exact thing the writer is to dispel. The Gita is a discourse that happened between a charioteer who happened to be Krishna himself and a warrior of the Pandava clan, Arjuna, who had cold feet on the eve of a decisive battle. This conversation was apparently telepathically intercepted by the enemy medium, Sanjaya, who informed the blind Kaurava King, Dhritarashtra. So what is written in the Gita is essentially the interpretation of Sanjaya as he told the King. What Krishna meant to say may not seem to have been what Arjuna understood. What Sanjaya inferred from his tapping from his understanding may be hampered by the jargons. What Dhritarashtra, the father of his sons who were to go war, would like to hear would have been about the safety of his sons. The take-home message is that a narration may appear different to different individuals. It is all one's viewpoint. Hence, Pattanaik feels justified to give his take on the text. No one has exclusive rights to God's poems.
Our way of thinking is thematic. Over the years, over generations, our priorities vary. For this reason, our perception of the Truth, the solution to problems in life and our outlook on life changes with time. There is no single right or wrong answer to any question. There are no right or wrong actions. Everything is perspective. Arjuna's slaying of his cousins, uncles and nephews may appear unjust, but it may be a necessary evil to the continuity of the kingdom. On the other hand, the whole war is just a familial dispute over worldly things like property and pride. Unfortunately, sometimes painful events have to happen. It is the order of Nature.
Although the answers to all these dilemmas are not given on a platter, it provides us with a platform to discuss, argue and justify our moves. The scriptures are not dogmatic on what is the correct action but give different perspectives on things - all roads lead to Rome or nine ways to skin a cat.
The message put forward in the Gita is one for the householder, one who does not lead a hermetic life but one who embraces relationships within a family unit. At the time of writing, the flavour of the time was incorporating family life in seeking the Truth. The times were changing from one of a recluse and celibate, as advocated by Buddhists' scholars to one inclusive of conjugal relationships and the by-products. From one of wanting to reach eternal bliss (moksha), the society must have morphed to one that emphasises good governance and order (?dharma). War is not for vengeance or ambitions but is about equilibrium.
With a social order, the law will help the helpless and provide justice; without it, the law is just a tool for control, oppression and sabotage.
The author goes on to talk about the importance of exchange in the Hindu rituals. The rituals done here are a mean of exchange. The practitioner of act offers his offerings to Nature and receives what is given back; not with the intention to demand.
In my opinion, our obsessive journey to seek the Truth will surely meet a dead-end. It is what we make of it. It may come in slices. We need to use our behaviours, emotions and intellect to find a solution.
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| © chandrugidwani
The symbolism of life. The chariot, the reins, the horses,
the charioteer, the wheels etc.
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