Every living day is a new learning experience. Thanks to Hollywood and the various sci-fi movies they produced, Joe Public is cognisant of time travel, the concept of time, and the expansionary nature of the Universe. Still, we have a long way to go to be well-versed in these areas.
It is mind-boggling how some ancient Indian scriptures, which some quickly label as unbelievable mythological tales, carry some of the most fantastic astronomical knowledge with them. Forget about their authenticity; the wisdom embedded in them warrants a second look. Perhaps these tall tales are mere side dishes to the main course that they serve. Let us not be swayed by unbelievable events that defy logic. Let us have the know-how to differentiate the trees from the forest.
Two recent concepts that piqued my interest come from two stories mentioned in the Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavatam and Vishnu Purana. They discuss time dilation and the cyclical nature of time.
Legend had it that King Kakudmi had a multi-talented daughter named Revathi. She was a prodigy and excelled in many areas, and the father thought no one was quite appropriate to marry her. Kakudmi made an interstellar trip to Sathyaloka, the abode of Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe. After waiting for a musical performance to be over, he was given an audience.
Upon hearing Kakudmi's predicament, the Lord burst into laughter. Aeons had passed during Kakudmi's absence from Earth. His grandsons had died, and all of Revathy's suitors had passed on. By the time they returned to Earth, it would be another yuga* (epoch). Brahma had an idea coincidentally. Vishnu was performing one of his avatars as Krishna's brother, Balarama. She could marry him.
The story introduces the concept the movie Interstellar tries to convey. The youthful protagonist trapped in another realm can only see his loved one grow old and wither away.
I remember this from Einstein's theory of relativity; essentially, the faster you move, the slower time seems to go for you relative to someone at rest.
The next concept that turned my head was the story of Hanuman retrieving Lord Rama's ring in the netherworld.
It was time for Lord Rama to leave his mortal body. Unfortunately, as Hanuman was forever beside him, guarding him, Lord Yama could not take his life. Understanding this, Rama sent Hanuman on a mission. He dropped his ring into the crack of Earth and summoned Hanuman to look for it. Using his special powers, Hanuman made a dash for it only to meet the Serpent Queen, Vasuki, and a mountain of similar rings that Rama had dropped.
Vasuki explained the cyclical nature of time when life is lived repeatedly. The mountain of rings denotes the number of times Rama had thrown his ring for Haniman to retrieve. Perhaps, like the film ‘Sliding Doors', our lives follow different trajectories but ultimately lead to the same end. Unlike Western philosophers' understanding of time, from creation to the end of entropy, Hindu thinkers posit that everything repeats itself cyclically. Various yugas portray different human behaviours that ultimately lead to their self-destruction just to jump-start all over again.
All these so-called ‘myths’ need to be re-examined. They are not mere mumbo jumbos. There is much knowledge to scoop, told in poems and tall stories spiced up with the Gods' extracurricular activities to spur the interests of their listeners.
It is mind-boggling how some ancient Indian scriptures, which some quickly label as unbelievable mythological tales, carry some of the most fantastic astronomical knowledge with them. Forget about their authenticity; the wisdom embedded in them warrants a second look. Perhaps these tall tales are mere side dishes to the main course that they serve. Let us not be swayed by unbelievable events that defy logic. Let us have the know-how to differentiate the trees from the forest.
Two recent concepts that piqued my interest come from two stories mentioned in the Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavatam and Vishnu Purana. They discuss time dilation and the cyclical nature of time.
Legend had it that King Kakudmi had a multi-talented daughter named Revathi. She was a prodigy and excelled in many areas, and the father thought no one was quite appropriate to marry her. Kakudmi made an interstellar trip to Sathyaloka, the abode of Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe. After waiting for a musical performance to be over, he was given an audience.
Upon hearing Kakudmi's predicament, the Lord burst into laughter. Aeons had passed during Kakudmi's absence from Earth. His grandsons had died, and all of Revathy's suitors had passed on. By the time they returned to Earth, it would be another yuga* (epoch). Brahma had an idea coincidentally. Vishnu was performing one of his avatars as Krishna's brother, Balarama. She could marry him.
The story introduces the concept the movie Interstellar tries to convey. The youthful protagonist trapped in another realm can only see his loved one grow old and wither away.
I remember this from Einstein's theory of relativity; essentially, the faster you move, the slower time seems to go for you relative to someone at rest.
It was time for Lord Rama to leave his mortal body. Unfortunately, as Hanuman was forever beside him, guarding him, Lord Yama could not take his life. Understanding this, Rama sent Hanuman on a mission. He dropped his ring into the crack of Earth and summoned Hanuman to look for it. Using his special powers, Hanuman made a dash for it only to meet the Serpent Queen, Vasuki, and a mountain of similar rings that Rama had dropped.
Vasuki explained the cyclical nature of time when life is lived repeatedly. The mountain of rings denotes the number of times Rama had thrown his ring for Haniman to retrieve. Perhaps, like the film ‘Sliding Doors', our lives follow different trajectories but ultimately lead to the same end. Unlike Western philosophers' understanding of time, from creation to the end of entropy, Hindu thinkers posit that everything repeats itself cyclically. Various yugas portray different human behaviours that ultimately lead to their self-destruction just to jump-start all over again.
All these so-called ‘myths’ need to be re-examined. They are not mere mumbo jumbos. There is much knowledge to scoop, told in poems and tall stories spiced up with the Gods' extracurricular activities to spur the interests of their listeners.
*Time is divided into four unequal parts (yuga) in multiples of 432,000 years. After a complete cycle, time repeats itself.
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