Not just pastime, it's knowledge!

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.

*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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No monkey business!

My Hanuman Chalisa (2017)
Devdutt Pattanaik

Hanuman Chalisa is not one of the mainstream holy scriptures used by temple goers in Malaysia. Perhaps it is because Hindus here were mostly immigrants from Southern India and are predominantly Shiva worshippers. In temples where Vishnu or one of his avatars is the chief deity, it is read diligently for guidance and peace of mind.

In a way, it must have been written at a time in India, in the 16th century, when the conflict between Vaishanites and Shaivites had reached a scary pitch that needed reconciliation. The height of Muslim invasion too must have been at its zenith, and the Hindus must be losing congregations. Unification meant power.

Why Hanuman is chosen as an envoy of unity? He is linked to many of the iconic figures of the Vedanta and well as the Puranic era in the Hindu scriptures. His parents, Kesari and Anjana, were devoted Shaivites; Hanuman's birth was His boon to them. Vahyu (God of the Winds) is the celestial father; His conception was wind assisted after his mother conceived after consuming divine offering which came on a kite. Hanuman's teacher is Lord Surya, the Sun, the origin of all power. He is a servant to Lord Ram, an avatar of Vishnu and to Sita, the daughter of Nature is linked to Goddess Shakti. Hence, invoking Hanuman opens the avenues to many possibilities.

Hanuman is revered as the selfless soul who goes beyond the call of duty and literally moves mountains when the situation warrants. He connected Sugriva to Ram when Sugriva needed assistance to defeat Vali. He helped to locate Sita. He carried a hill with the medicinal herb sanjeevani when Laxman was injured. He is restless in wanting to acquire knowledge. He is stoic in standing up against all adversities that befall him and stands up with his Masters when malady strikes. He will help you. He does not judge. He will assist you to overcome. At least that is the hope that the believers have when they seek His blessings.

This last feature is probably the main feature to strikes a chord with his worshippers as they recite the 40 verses that hail the greatness of Hanuman (Hanuman Chalisa; with another three couplets fillers for completion). They seek His guidance when they are at the crossroads of life. Their intention is for the Monkey King to give them the courage to weather the storm and face the negativities.

Hanuman Chalisa was composed by a 16th-century poet, Tulsidas, in an older form of the Hindi language, Awadhi. It, therefore, resonates more with the Hindi-speaking devotees.

It is said, the whole idea of a princely King in exile from the North rescuing his kidnapped wife from the decadent South, as a troop of monkeys helps him, is a metaphor. It does paint a picture of the cultured 'invaders' from North (the protagonist) battling against the barbaric tyrants of the lawless lands of South. Ravan, the antagonist, with allegedly ten heads, is said to be a just and wise king with knowledge in many fields, theology, music, scriptures, medicine, military skills, included. The ten heads denote excellence in a myriad of disciplines of expertise. The monkey troop is no band of simple simians. The name Hanuman may mean a man with deformed jaw.

The whole premise of Ramayana is a symbolic representation of an individual whose actions denotes doing the right things (the dharmic path) that goes beyond the strategic needs of power and richness. The reluctant king in Ram accepts the adversities that come in life but gives a good fight to defend what needs to be protected as a King, a husband, and a person. Ravan embodies a self-indulgent one who is immersed in the physical pleasures of power and wealth despite being a person of high intelligence. The intermediaries, in the form of monkeys, are struggling to strive to make sense of what constitutes the good and avert the bad.

©templeadvisor.com
Lucknow Hanuman Temple

On a related note, Lord Hanuman is said to have transcended all belief systems. In Lucknow, during the rule of the Nawabs, the consort to Nawab Mohammed Ali Shah dreamt of a statue of Hanuman buried in a particular location. As the story goes, sure enough, it was there. Attempts to transport the idol to a shrine temple near Bara Imambara proved futile as the transporting elephant refused to budge from a particular location in Aliganj. A temple, Aliganj Hanuman Temple, which hosts the annual Mangal Mela is the testimony of the Nawabs' faith in Lord Hanuman. Here, Hanuman is seen even as a lubricant between groups of different religions.

In this intriguing world that we live in, the Monkey King, in his own playful monkeying way, tries to make sense of things around us. He, as an icon, gives hope to many a sort of clutch as they swing from one phase of their life to another, from one obstacle to another in the metaphorical tree of life.

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Still learning...

Hanuman and Suvarchala
Credit: Pinterest

I used to frequent temples quite a bit in my younger days. My mother probably thought that by loitering God's home, maybe He would take pity and throw a bone to us to chew. She must have put her trust in God believing that He would not disappoint. Be it, Thaipusam, fire-walking ceremony or billy-goat slaughtering ceremony, she would be there, and I would be passively taken along. It was her sincere belief that through divine intervention, her children would live a better life than her and that God would peel open the inner eye of Consciousness. We still await but hope, but we cannot say we did not get in abundance. But what is too much and when is it enough, anyway?

As a child, my mind used to wonder a lot. Rather than doing the things I was supposed to do, I found pleasure as an observer of things and people around me. Sometimes, I ask myself what they thought and why they did the things that they did. Occasionally, Amma gives explanations that made sense to her. During other times, I drew my own conclusions. Periodically, I drew blanks. 

Like the time when I pondered why worshipers would pray to demigods and not the main deity. Since the real McCoy had more clout to grant wishes, why go through intermediaries? Why prostrate to the fearsome Muniswaran when Shiva is just around the corner? I realised later that there were entry restrictions into temples once upon a time. That could explain the reason for people in the lower rung of the society to settle for lesser Gods as intermediaries.

Angry Hanuman - An icon of aggressive Hindutva
Credit: Karan Acharya

But I could not comprehend was why congregants would bow and exhibit so much reverence to Hanuman who is, in fact, less a being in his primate form when Rama and his consort are the real bosses. I thought it was the celibacy of the Brahmachari pose that he displayed. But then there is a temple in Telangana where Hanuman is seen as a couple with Survachala (Lord Surya's daughter).

If Hanuman was enlightened by his proximity to Rama, why are there no Arjuna temple as he had a one-to-one pep talk with Krishna, a more complex avatar of Vishnu? The whole song of the Lord (Bhagavad Gita) is the testimony of His attempt at psychotherapy of a commander who turned cold feet on the eve of a decisive combat.

Firstly, Hanuman is no monkey but of a member of a clan of hirsute people from the southern part of the subcontinent. He is cocksure that his dharma is to serve Rama. He chooses his wars carefully. He observes and learns from the sideline like a third person. This attribute must be the one that draws people to salute him. Knowing exactly what to do in any adversity is one quality Man yearns to have. He does not base his decisions on emotion or creed. He even refused to help fellow Monkey King, Sugriva, as Hanuman thought his course was not just. Devotees hope that His nature of doing the right thing at the right time without fear or favour would rub off on them. His tenacity and undevoted loyalty to the task at hand is another plus point. HanuMAN, the world's first superhero.

The learning process goes on...

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Your Dharma, your funeral!

So goes the legend from the Indian sub-continent...

There was a massive war between kings. King Ram was embroiled in a battle, he must be a just king because he is Ram. His brother was morbidly injured. His army captured the enemy’s doctor and forced him to treat their wounded leader.
The good doctor asked his captors.
“How do you know that I would treat him to the best of my ability?”, he said. “For all you know I could not give him the best that is available.”

Ram, the righteous one, could do no wrong. Despite all the violence and destruction that were going on around him, like all the senseless killing and the uprooting of a whole mountain by the first superhero known to man, Hanuman, to retrieve a particular herbal remedy, Sanjeevani, he is still the good one.

In an authoritative voice, he verbalised, “It is your Dharma that you should be a healer. No matter who is injured, your job is to heal, irrespective of their political allegiance or social strata. I believe that you being a practitioner of the divine art of healing, would stay faithful to your calling and treat straight from the heart”.

That was then, aeons ago when the world was straight when a spade was a spade and white was white without shades of grey. Fast forward to the Kaliyuga era. Honest living with conducts holding dear to the call of the profession is now but only a script for display or a screenplay for the next blockbuster. In reality, the great healer has to guard his own rice bowl. Charity begins at home, he says. In the same breath, he laments, “self above service”. He recalls the time when the men in blue booked him for speeding even though he was risking his own life to attend to a grieving mother.

How about the hefty fine that he had to pay for the inefficiencies of his accountants? And the time, he was penalised for the incompetence of his subordinates. Even though they sing praises of teamwork, when trouble brews, they wash their hands, plead innocence and say, “ but you are the doctor! You should know.”

When you spend all your lifetime, caring and treating the sick, without heeding your own health, they say you are dedicated. But when you fall ill, they say you are stupid for not knowing to take a break for yourself.

They say you are the epitome of trust, but then, they also say that you are not trustworthy to keep private information and have to pay the government for you to retain patient information.

They say everybody needs a break from work to recharge and recuperate. But when doctors demand better living conditions, they say you are not dedicated. You give the profession a bad name. They would start their stories of “back in the day.....”

They squeeze money from you, but when you initiate your sob story of how difficult it is to make ends meet, they say you are money minded. They would quote the Hippocratic Oath.

And you are just a technician in the cogwheel of mankind who only has to do his job, that is all. The noble profession and care for humanity are merely catchphrases to lure the general public into another scheme of a business venture. Just do your work just like every job is extraordinary. Every one of us plays a role, directly or indirectly in the development of society. You are no different than the person beside you. If you slack on yours, we will use the long arm of the legal system and the media to shame to smack some sense to right the wrong and always make you on your toes!

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Jai Hanuman Ji

Two things happened today that got me thinking. Both the two events were totally unrelated, but were they?

In the first incident, a stray monkey entered the study room and helped itself with some cookies placed on the study table and scooted off upon being spotted. The second one happened when I was waiting for my kids to finish their music class. There I saw an unkempt handicapped Indian (immigrant, probably illegal) man limping around spitting on the road with no care in the world. The hawkeyed can always smell out a non-Malaysian Indian. They are the ones who wear singlet under their T-shirt or wear a long-sleeved shirt in the heat of the afternoon sun or like donning chequered shirts with thick lock of curly hair.

This guy was walking back to his make shift quarters built at the corner lot of a terrace house.  I was fuming as he was spitting on spreading germs to be distributed among fellow Malaysians and fuming as misfits like him were allowed to roam the streets of Malaysia due to lax enforcement of the Immigration Department and the local government MPKj which was given the broom award by the previous Selangor state government for allowing them to build them homes there.

I am getting angry because the serenity of my living space has been invaded and my way of life has disturbed. This is probably how the monkey must have felt. His ancestors must have been swinging without a care in the world until the bulldozers came marching in to bulldoze their playing fields. We are looking at them as invaders of our privacy. We are wary of their presence because of fear of rabies and other communicable diseases.

This is also probably how the Malays felt in 1946 when the question of citizenship arose. They must felt that it is appropriate to get special treatment as they were here earlier!

With time all the migrant population will assimilate into the country. Just like the other day, a Bangladeshi family drove to the pasar malam in their Proton Wira to buy their favourite meal from the nasi lemak stall! Looks like we also have learn to live with the monkeys, too. Learn? Am already!