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Home , Astra (weapon), God in Hinduism, Hindu texts, Karna, King of the gods, Mahabharata

The Longest Poem: Writing with the Class 1 Handout

Hinduism Basics

Hinduism is an entire of , concepts, traditions, and philosophies. Just as you can practice any concurrently with a Hindu, you certainly don’t have to be a true believer to take advantage of Hinduism in your writing practice. Any of the can provide an entrée into this universe and lead to a richer writing practice. As always, feeling these concepts in your writing practice is the goal. Give yourself permission to take risks and let your writing flow with the universe’s energy—every piece of writing is a vehicle to get closer to truth. There are no rules—multiple truths can exist and be in tension with one another. Accept whatever parts of Hinduism work for your writing practice!

What Hinduism Is

Hinduism is both the oldest of the world’s major , and not a traditional religion at all. It can also be read as a way of life—a slew of beliefs, philosophies, and practices in many different traditions. What you see in Hinduism is often what you choose to see—because Hinduism is deeply syncretic, it has assimilated cultural and religious practices and concepts from all of the diverse peoples of the Indian subcontinent and beyond. Hinduism traces its origins back to the ancient cultures of the Indus Valley, although the term “Hinduism” itself is a term of administrative convenience coined by Mughal and British conquerors.

Hinduism embraces both a of its own homegrown gods and prophets, as well as the gods and prophets of other religions, including Jesus and the Buddha. Hinduism is flexible—there are no wrong answers, just many possible paths to enlightenment. This kind of and flexibility does a writing practice good as well.

Major Hindu Texts

Hinduism stands in contrast to other religions that rely on a single, seminal text (or person) for spiritual authority. Instead, Hinduism’s major texts reflect the religion’s diversity—the volume of Hindu scripture is so massive it would take several lifetimes to absorb. The foundational texts are called “shruti” and include the four (Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas), the , and the . The secondary texts are called “” and include the world’s longest poems, the and , the , the Agamas, and literally thousands of other texts.

The Ramayana and Mahabharata are likely the best known Hindu texts in the West. The former tells the tale of the , who journeys to the island of to rescue his wife, , from the king . The latter is centers around the moral questions raised by the conflict between the and , two sets of cousins who fight the war to end all wars over a kingdom. The oft-cited Bhagvad Gita, a narration by the god to the warrior on the eve of a seminal battle, is part of the Mahabharata and a popular condensed source of Hindu wisdom and philosophy.

Where you start depends largely on your taste. Any of these can be a good place to start learning the seminal concepts of Hinduism, and many can be taken together to illustrate fundamental tensions. 1

For example, in the Ramayana, God (in the form of Rama, an incarnation of , the Hindu god of preservation) is an archetype of duty and justice, while in the Mahabharata, God (in the form of Krishna, another incarnation of Vishnu) is a rule-breaker who must take upon himself the responsibility of morally questionable choices to restore the balance of the universe. Both epics raise complex ethical conundrums that continue to be deeply examined by scholars of successive generations.

Some Seminal Concepts in Hinduism (20 min)

Panentheism

Hinduism embraces the concept of , meaning the divine interpenetrates all parts of the universe, but is also beyond the universe, time, and . Hinduism is often described as a pantheistic religion, but that’s only partly correct—Hinduism does indeed have thousands of gods but all are considered manifestations of the single truth called Nirguna (see below). Many of these gods originated as local or personal family gods, elevated by thousands of years of developing legend and ritual to , divine status. Happily, this means it less what vehicle you choose to —all are ways to get closer to truth.

Eternal Truth: Brahman and Atman

The supreme truth or is called Nirguna Brahman—in this form Brahman is formless, changeless, ultimate, eternal, and indestructible. This highest truth is the ultimate goal for any to attain, and all individual gods are ultimately vehicles that can make aspects of this ultimate truth comprehensible in human terms. When manifested in those individual gods, Brahman is called —eternal truth in a form that human can relate to as parent, lover, sibling, or spouse. Manifestations of Brahman within a single individual are called Atman, which could be interpreted as a single soul or .

Cyclical and Cosmic Time: and the

The Hindu concept of time is cyclical. The entire universe goes through endless cycles of birth, , and rebirth, moving through phases of cosmic time as it does so. Each universal lifetime is a Chaturyuga, consisting of four Yugas (eras) in which the universe’s order slowly disintegrates, followed by its complete destruction.

The Hindu concept of time is also mind-bogglingly lengthy. In one interpretation from the Purana, for example, 365 human years make a divine one; 12 million divine years (1,000 Chaturyugas, or a Kalpa) form one day of ; each Brahma lives for roughly 24 billion years; the lifetime of Brahma is one day of Vishnu; and the lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva. The implication is that human history is only a tiny fraction of cosmic time, and that our world is an integral part of a much larger universe of time and space.

Reincarnation: Samsara and

The soul is considered immortal in Hinduism, and like the universe, goes through cycles of birth, death, and rebirth, known as Samsara (the wheel of rebirth). Karma, or spiritual cause and effect, moves with the soul through these cycles—a particularly meritorious lifetime results in a soul 2 moving closer to the eternal truth of Brahman in its next cycle. The ultimate goal is to break the cycle.

Dharma

Perhaps more than any other concept, the Mahabharata revolves around the idea of —that there is a right action to be taken by any actor at any given point in time, dictated by a host of factors, including the individual’s societal role and life stage and the totality of the circumstances. Dharma for a (warrior) at a certain point in his life would consist of just warfare; if that kshatriya shuns a just war to retire to the forest and adopt the lifestyle of a religious scholar (), he goes against his dharma. The Mahabharata complicates this concept by introducing a variety of complexities at different stages, that bend these seemingly immutable rules.

Illusion and : and

Maya is the idea of illusion or delusion that ties an individual soul to the body and to the physical world—in other words, when ego manifests itself in an individual and they become attached to the material, they cannot achieve salvation, or moksha. (Example—in the Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that the vast armies he’s seeing on the plain of , preparing for battle, are in fact just illusions and in ultimate truth are already destined to perish.) Moksha happens when the soul achieves unity with the ultimate (or highest truth, or God, or Brahman), at which point the cycle of rebirth is broken.

Sounds and Cosmic Resonance: Aum

In Hinduism, sounds may have cosmic resonance that reverberates through the past, present, and future. This is one reason why so many —spiritually powerful sounds often used as chants—exist in Hinduism. The root of all mantras is the sound “Aum” (often transliterated as “”), which is said to contain within it the entire universe, and the chanting of which can bring spiritual peace. How things sound is cosmically important!

A Sampling of

The Vedic Pantheon

The oldest gods of Hinduism—dating back to the Vedas—are likely to be familiar to devotees of Greek and Roman mythology. These are essentially animist gods and include:

Indra: King of the gods and ruler of the , of thunder and lightning. Painfully fallible and humanlike at times, prone to periodic falls from grace, often due to his huge ego.

Surya: God of the sun, drives a chariot pulled by seven horses.

Agni: God of fire, often invoked in ritual because as smoke from sacrificial fires, he delivers the offerings of humankind to the gods.

Yama: God of death, and also god of the sacred order of the Vedas. This reflects the concept that justice pervades the circumstances both of an individual’s life and of their death. 3

Vayu: God of the wind, known for his strength and beauty.

The Triumvirate and

Over time, the animist pantheon was replaced by the triumvirate—essentially splitting Hinduism into worshippers of Vishnu and Shiva:

Brahma: God of creation. Often depicted as an old man with four heads. Not widely worshipped.

Vishnu: God of preservation. Vishnu rests on Adishesha, the king of snakes, and floats on the eternal sea of bliss. Vishnu incarnates on earth when the cosmic balance of the universe needs restoring—often in response to a direct threat in the form of a demon or other manifestation of . There have been nine incarnations of Vishnu, moving through orders of animals and progressively complex humans. The most recent incarnations are Rama (seventh), Krishna (eighth), and Buddha (ninth). , the tenth incarnation, will come at the end of this to destroy this universe and restart the cycle of universal time.

Shiva: God of destruction. Perhaps the most complicated of the Hindu gods, Shiva is both a manifestation of raw wildness and asceticism when he renounces the world, and a manifestation of duty and worldliness when he comes down from his mountain, Kailash, to become a householder with his partner, . Shiva both created the world and holds the key to its destruction in his third eye. Shiva’s weapon is the trident, he rides a bull, and wears three lines of ash—representing the body, property, and the world—across his forehead, reminding us that all those things are mortal and will end.

Shakti: All Hindu are said to be a manifestation of Shakti, or pure cosmic energy. These manifestations come in all forms, from wild and terrifying () to worldly and orderly (Gauri). The has been incarnated to slay () and to create balance in the triumvirate (for example, as /Parvati/Uma, the partner of Shiva). Fundamentally, the goddess represents both the unrestrained power of nature (prakriti) and means to channel that power into good or evil, while the god is a manifestation of humankind (). Their relationship mirrors the human relationship to nature.

Other Gods

Kartikeya: Shiva’s older son and the god of war, he was born for the specific purpose of eliminating the demon Tarakasura from the earth. But his birth was the result of an elaborate process—the goddess Sati, who had previously immolated herself, had to be reborn as Parvati, Shiva had to be convinced to leave his asceticism and marry again, and Shiva’s semen—which he never allowed to leave his body—had to be taken by . , bearing the fire god’s , killed Tarakasura and restored the world’s balance. He rides a peacock.

Ganesh: Shiva’s younger son and perhaps Hinduism’s most popular god, the -headed Ganesh is known as the remover of obstacles and is invoked before any major endeavor. Ganesh was a boy created by Parvati from her own body. Upon coming to visit Parvati, Shiva was stopped by Ganesh, who failed to recognize him. After a confrontation, Shiva ultimately decapitated him,

4 but, facing Parvati’s wrath, replaced his head with that of an elephant. Ganesh is also fond of sweets and rides a rat.

Hanuman: The monkey god, possessed of unmatched strength, plays a major role in the Ramayana as the selflessly pure devotee of Rama and his partner, Sita. He is often depicted with a cavity in his chest in which Rama and Sita are permanently lodged.

Garuda: The eagle god, permanent enemy of snakes, and vehicle of Vishnu. Also considered a symbol of strength and loyalty, he defeated the gods, stole their nectar of immortality, and won his mother’s freedom from slavery. He is so strong that the entire world can rest on one of his feathers. The Purana (one of the Vishnu Puranas) is noteworthy for its detailed account of the tortures of .

Exercise: Writing with Hindu Concepts

Take any one of the above Hindu concepts and incorporate it into a piece of writing in any way you choose. For example, if you choose the concept of cyclical time, try to feel what it might mean for an entire universe to move through cycles of progressively changing time, and incorporate that into your piece. Try to not only intellectualize the concept, but to feel it as you move through the piece. Remember that a writing practice incorporating Hinduism is flexible and syncretic, so don’t be afraid to incorporate eclectic elements. Feel the resonance of sound.

Exercise: Writing with Hindu Deities

Pick a Hindu (either from the list above or another of your choosing) and write a piece in which that deity (or a character with the deity’s fundamental traits) plays a role. Try to play with the character’s —in your imagination, what drives that character and makes them them? If you wish, incorporate another Hindu concept from the previous list (one you didn’t use in the first exercise) into this piece as well. Try to feel as well as intellectualize the character and concept.

Exercise: Creation

Write a creation —it could be your own, that of your family, a country, a god, the universe, or anything else you choose. Consider how Hindu concepts might play on the myth you are writing. Also pay attention to sound—cosmic resonance or ritual repetition could play a role in your work. make it electric!

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Core Bibliography

Debroy, Bibek, The Mahabharata. Penguin, 2013.

Karve, Irawati. Yuganta: The End of an Epoch, Disha Books, 1974.

Menon, Ramesh. The Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling, iUniverse, 2006.

Pattanaik, Devdutt. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata, Penguin, 2010.

Satyamurti, Carol. Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling, Norton, 2015.

Smith, John D. The Mahabharata, Penguin Classics, 2009.

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The Mired Wheel (Menon, p.388)

…. has no inexhaustible quivers like his antagonist. There comes a time when the soldiers can no longer see their Senapati, or anything around him. He is hidden in a perfect darkness of arrows: Arjuna hides the face of the sun.

Fighting for his life now, Karna knows the moment has arrived when he must either kill Arjuna or die. At darkness' heart, Karna briefly longs for 's Shakti; but the Shakti had returned to the , after it killed . His death drawn so near he can reach out and touch it, Karna summons the last weapon he has left with which he can still win this . From its scented case, Karna draws the nagastra. Chanting its , which perhaps five warriors on earth know, he fixes the glimmering missile to his bowstring. Already, it seethes and hisses like a cobra disturbed in its nest. Emerald scales cover that weapon; fangs yawn at its snake's-head, below lidless eyes that gaze plainly at Kurukshetra. Karna aims at Arjuna's throat, he means to cut his head from his body.

Karna is plunged in the night of arrows and Arjuna cannot see what he is doing. He does not see the nagastra in Karna's hands; he doesn't see him fit it to his bowstring. says to his warrior, "Don't aim at his throat, you might miss. At least, send another shaft at his heart."

Karna replies, "A warrior never changes his aim. A real archer never doubts himself, that he must shoot a second arrow. Karna never misses his mark."

He draws the 's string to his car and, blinded, Arjuna shades his eyes. Karna cries to his inveterate enemy, "Take a good look at the world, Arjuna, this is the last moment of your life!"

A bolt of lightning, the nagastra streaks across Kurukshetra, spitting green fire. A cry goes up from the soldiers, they are sure Arjuna will die. Karna is certain his aim is true. Shalya, watching, thinks Arjuna is a dead man. Arjuna himself sees the macabre weapon flash at him out of the darkness with which he has covered Karna and he can do nothing against the . For that moment, Arjuna also thinks he will die.

They have all reckoned without a blue charioteer. Krishna sees the nagastra; he sees it presciently even before Karna shoots it. As soon as the green thing flares at his kshatriya's throat, Krishna jerks on his reins. He forces his steeds down on their knees! In a moment's core, those horses kneel and the chariot tilts forward a hand's length. The nagastra flashes true to its mark, but Arjuna's throat is a hand's length lower than it had been. The emerald arrow whisks the jeweled crown that Indra gave him from his head and leaves a deep scratch; otherwise, it does not harm the Pandava.

Arjuna feels as if he has died and been reborn. Wild cheering breaks out among the Pandava foot- soldiers. The howl on Bheema's lips is stanched and a yell of joy issues from him instead. Color flushes back into Yudhishtira's face, which had gone pale as death in that awful moment. A sigh like a serpent's comes from Karna: that moment, despite the odds of dharma, victory might have been his. Now, all is lost. He has no other weapon like the nagastra, none that can kill Arjuna. The Suryaputra also knows the Pandava would have been dead except for his . Then, he had always known that, no what, Krishna was always with Arjuna: so, he, Karna, could never win this duel.

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Yudhishtira's heart had stopped beating for that life long moment. Flushed himself, Arjuna darts a grateful smile at Krishna, who is as unruffled as ever, just his eyes a shade brighter.

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The Death of Ghatotkacha (Satyamurti, p.538)

Karna knew he had few means to defend his forces, who were crying out to him. Calmly, he thought; and knew what he must do. although he clearly saw the consequences. With resolution, he took out the spear Indra had given him, the divine missile he had reserved for Arjuna, the weapon he had long counted on. He raised it high. The spear destroyed the power of trickery and Ghatotkacha, now visible, terrified, began to run away. Karna hurled the spear. That dreadful dart blazed as it flew, hissing like a snake, and plunged into the heart of 's son, felling him instantly. As he died, he shone like Himayat illumined by the sun. Then proud Karna walked away in silence.

The Pandavas had loved Ghatotkacha and saw their forces, grim and demoralized, shed tears of grief. But Krishna was exultant, laughing with delight, embracing Arjuna. "How can you be happy," asked Arjuna, “at such a time?” "I'll tell you why," said Krishna. "With this death, our victory is certain! If Karna still possessed the sacred spear even you could never cause his death. Karna is a very great hero, greater than you know. Generous, kind even to enemies, devoted to truth- and a warrior of consummate skill. There was a time when even the gods themselves could not have defeated him. That was before he gave away the breastplate he was born with and the earrings that made him invincible The spear of Indra was his last advantage and now it has been spent! Ghatotkacha was created to be the instrument of Karna's downfall. But make no mistake, it will not be easy to overcome him even now. You must do as I tell you: there will come a moment, as you fight him, when his chariot wheel will stick in the ground. Disregarding all the rules of warfare,

9 you must kill him when I give the sign.

"By means of stratagems like this, I have worked for your good, and for the good of Earth, killing , , and —supremely skilled warriors who would have taken 's side. The must also be removed, inimical to dharma as they are. So died, Baka, Alambusha If Karna had not killed Ghatotkacha I would have had to contrive his death myself."

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Three Goals (Satyamurti, p.721)

Yudhishthira turned to the other Pandavas and his uncle , who had been listening, and asked them this: "I want you to think about the three great goals of life. First, there is virtue, law or dharma; then there is wealth, or profit; finally there is pleasure, love, enjoyment. Which of these three is the most important? Which of them is the key to the other two?"

Vidura spoke first. “It is virtue on which the other two always depend. Think about it. Dharma encapsulates the best of which mankind is capable— learning, asceticism, renunciation, unstinting , sacrificial rites, , truthfulness and self-restraint. These are the perfections of the spirit; practicing these, a person will be calm and all their life's endeavors will be blessed. Those will include wealth. As for pleasure, that is the least of the three goals of life.”

Arjuna sprang up. "This is a world made up of action, and wealth is at its heart. There are no activities that do not aim at profit in some way. The holy scriptures say that law and pleasure could not happen without profit; profit makes all possible. The wealthy man is able to follow dharma and to enjoy pleasure. There are some— mendicants, rattling their begging bowls— who claim to have renounced pursuit of wealth in favor of devotion to 'higher' goals. But the test is in their state of mind. Are they covetous? Are they in the grip of attachment? If so, they are no less involved in profit than a wealthy man, while the latter may be indifferent to wealth, seeing it as a means and not an end. But I see and wish to speak."

The twins spoke hurriedly: "Profit is the fruit of virtuous action; and wealth makes pursuit of pleasure possible. No merit: no wealth. No wealth: no pleasure. 11

So the three goals are inseparable.

Bhima joined in. “It’s obvious that pleasure and love are the key to every part of life because they mean desire. Without desire why would one pursue either wealth or virtue? Why would one even rise up from one's bed? Desire is at the heart of every action. It takes many forms—enjoying, for instance, delightful dalliance with seductive women gorgeously dressed, murmuring sweet endearments ... If all men valued pleasure as I do the world would be a kinder, more peaceful place!"

Yudhishthira smiled. “I'm glad to hear your views; now, this is what I think. Someone who strives after none of these, who can regard with a dispassionate eye; gripped neither by aversion, nor by craving, free from fear of death—such a person has gone beyond distinctions. All attention is fixed on liberation, perfect freedom beyond the endless round of death and rebirth. That person knows the gods direct all beings, that what has been ordained will surely happen. Even without pursuing all three goals one may attain moksha, release, the final object of a virtuous life.”

The praised Yudhishthira for his speech, and he turned back to , to question him about the way that freedom can be achieved.

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