The Gita

For a while now my mind has been quiet, devoid of any thoughts. This is partly responsible for my inactivity here. The other reason for the inactivity is the powerful messages I am reading leave no room for anything else. I've been indulging in the Bhagavad Gita or the Song of the Lord.

The Gita is a masterpiece and the one thing I truly love about it is the relevancy of its message. Although narrated by Krishna to the warrior prince Arjuna, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, some 5000 years ago it can be applied to daily life even in this era. Despite being a spiritual text it is oddly human and advocates the message of doing your duty without any attachment to the outcome. Our duty lies in working towards the ultimate consciousness and in that name whatever we do -- Arjuna had to kill his cousins, uncles and teachers -- is a duty to the Lord. By this I do not mean that the Gita advocates meaningless killing, quite the contrary, but it says if all doors to justice are closed and war is the only way then so be it. BUT we must ensure that every other way has been investigated and sought out.

The 700 verses are quite overwhelming but can also provide purpose to one's everyday living. A few points, that stuck out so far, are summarized here.

• The soul is immortal - it does not take birth nor does it die. As we throw out old garments and get new ones, the soul casts off old bodies and regenerates in new ones. In short, no one can kill you. You are immortal.
• Whatever occurred in the past was for good, whatever happens in the future will be for your good too. Do not regret over the past or worry about the future. The only thing we can control is the present. Work on it.
• We arrived in this world empty-handed and will return back to the Source empty-handed. Nothing is ours; this illusion of belonging is the cause of our suffering.
• Change is the quintessential law of the Universe. Nothing in the Universe is static and we are all subject to this law.
• We are the soul and not the body. By falsely identifying with the body we cause suffering. The body dies and disintegrates into the 5 elements with which it was formed. The soul is eternal and unchanging.
• Surrender yourself to the will of God, receiving both success and failure with equanimity.
• Work in the service of the Lord, never stop working but dedicate every act -- the work you perform, the food you eat, even your suffering -- to the Lord. This will release you from karma's bondage and result of actions both good and bad.

The Song of Creation

This morning, walking to work, I had a strong desire to listen to one of my favorite hymns from the Rigveda – the Nasadiya Sukta. The Rigveda is a vast reservoir of treasures where one hymn triumphs the other in terms of poetic magnificence, its message and holding you in its grasp while everything else moves on, but the Nasadiya Sukta is special. Most hymns are for earth, wind, fire, various Gods but the Nasadiya Sukta is about cosmology and creation.  

It’s a simple chant that shows how the early man expressed his doubts of the age-long question haunting mankind – where did we come from? Who is the creator of this universe? The questions might seem simple – generations of humans since have asked them to no avail – but it’s the author’s poetic brilliance that stands apart and threatens to completely overwhelm you.

We have all wondered what came first – the hen or the egg but to write it in a way that titillates your senses and make your hair stand on your skin, defying the laws of gravity, is indeed a feat. Not only does the author convince you the questions in the hymn are central to our existence but also puts into perspective how minute and irrelevant everything else is.

Like all Vedas and other religious texts written at the time, no one knows who wrote this hymn. With the emphasis placed on the art form no one, including the author, gave significance to the idea of fame and glory. Thousands of pieces of classic literature is rampant, even today, with no one sure of their author or its origin.

My first thought on hearing the Nasadiya Sukta was the Big Bang – the primordial way in which scientists believe our universe started. There is a lot of debate about this; the central question being how could something have come out of nothing? Quite appropriately the hymn starts with “Then was not non-existent nor existent: there was no realm of air, no sky beyond it. What covered in, and where?”

It questions many things, many aspects of traditional beliefs – it tells you how there was something despite nothing but also questions how it came about. It renders the Gods helpless by simply stating they came after creation so they ought not to know anything; but also promulgates the belief of a grand master, a designer who brought about the world as we know it. Despite such ideas, it stands unconvinced, the author unable to conclude how and where things came from. The grand master may be the designer; maybe he knows how it all started but perhaps he doesn’t know either.

For me, the hymn is a paradox – it shows how even at that time there was struggle with the idea of creation. Its central message being people of that era believed there was something that created us but still couldn’t come around to accept it. For centuries since we are still struggling to understand where and how creation took place; if we are alone in the universe, if there is only one universe or a multitude of verses all with their own laws and perhaps their own unique set of creations. The language of the questions may have become complex as we learn more and more about the universe we inhabit but the basic message is identical – we may accept the idea of a grand designer or we may defy it. Either way, we are ignorant about how we came into existence.   No matter how advanced our technology is, the answer to this basic question continues to elude us.

Nasadiya Sukta - 129th hymn of the 10th Mandala of the Rigveda

Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith

Then was not non-existent nor existent: there was no realm of air, no sky beyond it. What covered in, and where? And what gave shelter? Was water there, unfathomed depth of water?

Death was not then, nor was there aught immortal: no sign was there, the day’s and night’s divider. That One Thing, breathless, breathed by its own nature: apart from it was nothing whatsoever.

Darkness there was: at first concealed in darkness this All was indiscriminate chaos. All that existed then was void and formless: by the great power of Warmth was born that Unit.

Thereafter rose Desire in the beginning, Desire, the primal seed and germ of Spirit. Sages who searched with their heart’s thought discovered the existent’s kinship in the non-existent.

Transversely was their severing line extended: what was above it then and what below it? There were begetters, there were mighty forces, free action here and energy up yonder.

Who verily knows and who can here declare it, whence it was born and whence comes into creation? The Gods are later than this world’s production. Who knows then whence it first came into being?

He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not.

End of days?

Last night, The Universe on History International kicked off a new season with an interesting episode -- Sun's evil twin, Nemesis. There is a school of thought that proposes a star called Nemesis is orbiting our Sun and every 26 million years comes close to it which causes worldwide destruction and annihilation of species. Geologists have looked at all mass extinctions caused up to today and surprisingly realized they occur exactly every 26 million years. So far this has happened about 5 maybe 6 times, the last one wiping out the gigantic dinosaurs.

The program then went on to suggest how these extinctions were a boon to mankind since they destroyed the dominant species of the time and paved the way for mammals to evolve, ultimately resulting in the human species taking over Earth. I was, however, more interested in learning about the extinctions so I went hunting.

About 73,000 years ago we had a close call with an extinction, although it didn't wipe out everyone. A massive volcano erupted on the island of Sumatra, blocking the sun's rays and reducing the Earth's temperature by 9 degrees F. Humans were reduced to only a few pockets and only about 10,000 of us survived this major catastrophe.

The event before that occurred 65 million years ago and wiped out almost everyone, along with the dinosaurs, when a giant rock was hurled from space. Now that got me thinking -- if these geeks are proposing an extinction event every 26 million years then how did we get so lucky and are still surviving? Nemesis has got to orbit close to 3 times more now but it didn't cause any events. Is the star losing its power or is some one else watching to make sure we cause our own extinction without any outside help?

I didn't finish the program; maybe they had some answers for this conflict but it definitely highlighted how fragile life is in this vastness of ever expanding and fastly accelerating universe. There is so much out there we don't know and don't understand; our solar system is but the size of a pin head in our own galaxy and perhaps doesn't even count in the unimaginable depth of space. To deny the possibility of life elsewhere is stupid but to dicount how valuable and precious life is, despite the universe's size, is naive. 10,000 to 7 billion; we've come a long way but we are never far from a lurking asteroid or comet threatening to destroy every single evidence of us ever have existed. It is not a question of if but of when. We are waiting, solemnly, for everything to be destroyed and for the cycle of life to renew. It would just be a whole lot nicer if we waited without causing so much destruction of our own.

Random reading

I shamefully admit Anna Karenina was too much for me and I dropped it before India and read two fun Jack Reacher novels in India. The problem with Ms. Karenina was way too many details, a slower than poison pace and many others I don't even remember. Perhaps I didn't have the best translation and could feel differently with a different version. For now though, I've had enough of her and her snotty Russian society.

This past week I read Lie Down with Lions by Ken Follett; nothing to take home about. Just mindless reading. 

Yesterday I ventured into the library and on the suggestion of a colleague went in search for The Russian Revolution by Richard Pipes. Now I am a history buff but this book was too much for me. Very detailed and complex, almost felt as if reading a text book, so I abandoned it too.  Now I am on another search - what to read? Lately I've been moody opting for fun, mindless books compared to something a little more stimulating. I guess its a phase but I really feel lost after I've finished a book not knowing what I want next!

While I wander around this weekend looking for something stimulating and fun, Happy Halloween!

The festival season is here!

Since I've been back in New York, walking around dreary-eyed carrying my jetlag on my already burdened shoulders I haven't had motivation to do much. That also includes an over due account of my experiences in India. For most of the trip the sweltering heat refrained  me from doing anything meaningful besides eating heavy lunches and taking blissful afternoon naps in the blowing A/C. But we did manage to steal a day and take a trip about an hour away from the Gateway of India to visit the Elephanta Caves.

The caves are built on a lush green but steamy island in the middle of the Arabian Sea. Growing up I never got a chance to visit them but had heard much about them. No body knows why the caves were built or when but through some dating they've concluded the caves were built around the time Buddhism was flourishing in India; which makes them very, very old. The journey to get there is less than perfect and when you land on the island you cannot help but ignore the local vendors who are supported through tourism. The entire place before the caves begin feels like a tourist trap with vendors trying to sell you everything from water to food to beautiful elephant motifs and silk paintings.

The fees to enter the caves are reasonable for Indians but there is a spike for foreigners. Much to the dismay of the security there; we passed my husband for an Indian, ha! They were not too happy about it but I guess they couldn't do much. Once you enter the caves  the entire dynamic changes. For Indian standards, they were kept quite well but unfortunately there is still some littering that happens.

There are 5 distinct caves marked as 2, 3, 4 and 5 but the real attraction is in the main cave. Beautiful statues; most of them sadly broken or disfigured remind us of the artistic beauty of a time lost but not forgotten. All the caves house the shiv ling, the eternal representation of the Hindu deity, Shiva. There are many other statues cut out of giant rocks showing Shiv-Parvati's wedding, their children and some that resembled angels. Another rock with a lost bottom part shows Shiva performing the cosmic dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for Brahma to start the process of creation. My favorite was the rock cut 3-faced figure of Shiva. Hazy on the details, I do remember that the face to the right is the female face and the other two are male. There is another beautiful statue of Ardhnareshwar, i.e. Shiva in half male and half female form representing the union between Shiva and Shakti or man and woman.



The 3-faced figure of Shiva



Shiva doing the cosmic dance



I expected more of the caves, the rock cut figures were remarkable but I wish the government and authorities would do more to preserve and perhaps re-build some of the art that was lost to time, weather and other unknown anomalies. However, limited in their structure we cannot deny the staggering beauty the figures emit. To see them restored to their former glory would indeed be a privilege. We will perhaps never know why they were built but if we are to take proper care and conserve the beauty we can at least look back and admire the skill of the artisans who painstakingly carved them out of giant rocks in the middle of no where!

On another note, today is Diwali and tomorrow is the Hindu New Year. Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous Diwali and a blissful New Year. I pray we can all get closer to understanding the mysteries of the universe this year and take ourselves nearer to finding the inner peace we often crave.

Happy Diwali!

From the other side of the world

I am here holidaying in India since last week. It is always nice to come here and see the family but when you get off the plane you cannot escape the heat. Bombay is famous for its October heat and this year is no different. Despite the unexpected respite of lashing rains last night, the city is boiling. Add to that the crazy traffic and endless caravan of people; you can't help feeling overwhelmed.

I must admit the first few days I spent here made me want to turn right back around and catch a return flight to New York. I didn't mind the ruthless 17 hour trip back in comparison to the chaos I was subjected to here. But as I finally started to settle down I began to see the familiar parts of the city and my family that I came for. My confused mind had cast a veil on my ability to see what was important and what I cherished. That veil, after some much deserved rest, was finally lifted.

What began as a family trip became a little bit more. Looking around the city, I saw so much that was created while I was away, the city I knew was not there anymore. Confusion and chaos always existed but there were several unfamiliar elements to this city that I was unable to identify with. And that invariably always brings up the question: where do I belong? I knew I was traveling down a slippery slope but I didn't heed my rational mind.

Its easy to ask tough questions but you may not like the answers. I am not sure I have found the answer to mine. I live in a city where I was not born, whose culture, attitudes and ways of life I have willingly adopted but ostensibly is not mine. On the other hand the city I was born and brought up in has become so unfamiliar, so different; I am unable to identify with it. I am not sure if I am willing to accept it either (not that it cares).

I am waging a familiar battle for most people who leave their city, country, family and friends to live in a different world. I left behind all that was precious to me to explore the unknown and see if there is a place out there that I can create and that can define me. Not sure so far if I have found it. But then again, isn't that the beauty of life?

Rupee from Mumbai, India.

Tolstoy & Karenina

I’ve been on a reading freeze of sorts. Normally having books lined up, very little is interesting now. I really don’t know what I am in the mood for – action, romance, what? With a confused mind, I drifted in the library last week, looking for anything that would be exciting.

Came across Coehlo’s new book O Aleph but it was on a week express ride. Not to say I wouldn’t have been able to finish but I already owe the library $9.50 and if this book was late and I was fined again; after $10 you are not issued any books. So why not pay the fine, one would ask? Well…I don’t know. Someday I will; until then I hang at the $9.50 charge.

After much disinterested browsing, I stumbled upon the stack of books which display the OBC or Oprah’s Book Club books. By no means am I a follower but she has some interesting books and when devoid of ideas, it could be a good place to look. One of the first ones I saw was Say You’re One of Them. I diligently read these short stories when they were released; partly due to the praise they received and partly because of their origin. The fictional stories were written in Nigeria and talked about characters like us and the daily difficulties life threw at them. One was about 2 kids – who had to escape from being sold, another one about a family that had to escape a bloody riot. The subjects were good, but the writing was really dry and left me completely unimpressed. So you see, OBC is not completely dependable.

My eyes, however, fell on a great author whose work I’ve been meaning to read for a while – Leo Tolstoy. His Anna Karenina lay on the shelf inviting me to read. We’ve all heard about this classic but I didn’t know much about it so I decided to dive into the path less taken; especially since reading Fall of Giants; I’ve been completely mesmerized with Germany & Russia!

 It’s a story about a rich lady Anna Karenina, who according to people who view her is living the perfect life – a rich husband, good standing in society and a lovely boy – but falls haplessly in love with someone else. Along with the drama, the story promises to bring to light more about Russian history and politics, everything that appeals to me right now!

So far the story is still developing; Anna Karenina is visiting her husband and has met this man she is supposed to fall in love with. But right now, that man is busy wooing someone else; albeit he has already noticed Anna Karenina.

No impressions – good or bad – about the story yet but I am sure that will change soon. Let’s see if Anna destroys her life (because in those days when you stepped out of the line, that’s pretty much what happened) or resigns herself to her fate (which she doesn’t sound like at all). But I am refraining from any judgment, will wait for time to divulge her secrets to me!