The Gods must be laughing over the silliness at which we seem to be creating one controversy after another while the day-to-day issues get increasingly sidelined.
Just when we thought the SFX issue was done with, we have the next one – another storm brewing over a recent video by Seby Vaz, who has ignited controversy by attempting to scrutinise Lord Parshuram’s narrative through a scientific and historical lens.
No doubt, when seen through rational-historical angle, the portrayal does look problematic. In the epics, Lord Parashuram is depicted as a fierce Brahmin warrior-sage, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, who undertook repeated campaigns to eliminate Kshatriya rulers in retaliation for injustice. This depiction of relentless violence, spanning generations, does seem extreme when viewed literally, or put through scrutiny of scientific validation. Even Lord Shiva’s depiction, for instance, when he severs the head of his own son, can appear problematic. But in return, we get a lovable, endearing deity in the form of Lord Ganesha – that may well have been the essence of that storytelling.
From this perspective, should we view scriptures or ancient books literally from scientific perspective? Were we to do so, all religions will end up looking damn silly.
Religion, at its core, is a matter of faith. It does not lend itself to courtroom standards of proof or scientific validation. A Christian questioning a Hindu text, or a Muslim critiquing another faith’s scripture through a purely rational or scientific lens, misses the point and vice versa. In doing so, one often ends up projecting a “my religion is superior to yours” mindset – seeking to put other religions to a scientific test while holding one’s own as unquestionable truth.
The Ramayana is one story, the Mahabharata another. The Bible, the Quran, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Tripitaka, the Torah, the Avesta – each shaped, interpreted, and passed down by those who wrote or compiled them, reflecting the beliefs, cultures, traditions and understanding of their times.
Through these mediums, humans have tried to reach the spiritual divine, to imagine the mysteries of the universe, to find hope and reason in times of happiness and distress, and to believe that someone up there will protect them and their families.
Arguing over what is written in religious books and asking for it to be proved historically or scientifically is silly and futile. Losing sleep over what someone else has said to your God – even more so. No religious text can pass any scientific test. Each has its own imagination, its own merits and drawbacks – understandably so, as they were written in times when the understanding of science and nature was still in its infancy.
What we need is for science and spirituality to go hand in hand – eliminating superstition, avoiding attacks on each other’s religions, and working towards reform within every faith . To gradually create and enter into a place where citizens can live peacefully, nations can prosper and progress scientifically, rational thought can replace blind belief, and unity can prevail over division.
But if our sentiments are going to be bruised by every Social media post while we allow the larger issues to get sidelined, we are not going to get anywhere anytime soon.
Sandeep Heble
Panaji, Goa
9326129171
The Writer is Jt. Secretary of Goa RTI Forum. Views expressed above are personal.
