Friday, December 27, 2013

DIVINE CHILD MYTHS

A vast majority of the world's myths and religions prescribe to the idea of a Divine Child who might be a god, demi-god, hero or savior come to change the world (the triumph of good versus evil). The Child is most often not conceived naturally. The Divine Mother has an encounter with a ruling deity or pure spirit and gives birth (again most often not naturally) to the god-like child, often of royal lineage. 
Fascinatingly, there are a horrendous amount of such births in the world's cultural collectives (a terrific number in Indian myths alone). I am going mention those I know, if you know more, then I'd love to hear about them.


1. Jesus Christ - Son of God, virgin birth to the Virgin Mary. (Christian)

2. Horus - son of the Sun God, divine child born to the virgin goddess Isis. (Ancient Egypt)

3. Krishna - Reincarnation of God Vishnu born to the royals Vasudeva and Devaki in prison. Secreted out of prison in the middle of the night and raised by cowherds Nanda and Yashoda. When he came of age, he went back to free his parents and assassinate his evil uncle, Kamsa, who had his parents imprisoned. (Hinduism)

4. Greek mythology is full of strange births from the Titan Cronus, to his son, Zeus, to Zeus' offspring Athena, Perseus, Dionysus, Heracles (Hercules), Helen of Troy etc.

5. Romulus and Remus - Vestal Virgin, Rhea Silvia gets impregnated either by the God Mars or Hercules and births the twins. Her evil brother, King Amulius, orders their drowning in the twins in the river Tiber. The twins survive somehow, and are found and adopted by a she-wolf. She nurses them as babes. A woodpecker feeds them as they grow older and they are finally adopted by a shepherd. They grow up, kill their uncle, restore Numitor, the rightful king-uncle to the throne, become heroes and found Rome.

6. The Indian Epic, the Mahabharata, has a countless number of such births. It is supposedly an accounting of the ancient kings of India. 
Kunti's offspring. Kunti is a key figure in the epic, the mother of the heroes. Mother too, of one tragic hero, her first-born, Karna. She was given a boon from the Sage Durvasa, a boon to be used after marriage as it summoned Gods from the Hindu pantheon to impregnate her. She foolishly chanted the mantra as a young girl and accidentally summons the Sun God, Surya. He impregnates her and she gives birth to Karna, through her ear, as she must remain a virgin to be wed honorably. She abandons the child in the river.
The second, their and fourth times she summons Gods, its within the sanctions of her marriage and on behest of her husband, the weak and impotent, King Pandu who has abdicated the throne.
She gives birth to Yudhishtira by Yama, the God of Death. Bhima by Vayu, the God of Wind and Arjuna by Indra, the God of War and Thunder. Her husband's second wife begs for children and using the mantra gives birth to Nakul and Sahadeva, twins by the twin gods, the Ashwins.

The rival Kuru family could not remain ordinary in such circumstances. Thus Queen Gandhari after a two-year pregnancy gives birth to a lump of clay, which is then on the advice of sages and gods, separated into 101 lumps of clay and left to gestate in bowls or vases. They grow into the 100 Kaurava brothers and their only sister.

The five demi-god Pandava brothers, all marry the princess of Panchal, Draupadi, who emerged fully formed from a fire with her twin brother, Dhrishtadyumna. 

Okay, I'm tired of writing as I'm sure you guys are fed up of reading what is essentially the same concept over and over. There's an interesting version of why such myths exist that has to do with our spiritual and psychological evolution or awakening or rebirth or recreation, our Kundalini energy. But I won't go into that just yet.

Friday, December 20, 2013

EAST vs WEST

East is East and West is West and what's the reason that twain doesn't meet eye to eye?


Answer: PERSPECTIVE.

In absolutes...

If you're an Easterner you are part of the Cosmic Whole. Your life is a journey towards eternal realities. Your Universe is cyclical in nature, constantly recurring. Your world lives inside you in your soul and you seek to liberate your worldly "Me"  from the true "Me."

In contrast, if you're a Westerner you are a part of the Divine. Your life is a service to others: God, people and work. You have but this one life and must live it to the fullest. Your "worth" depends on external factors. Your salvation depends on God, your success depends on your business or your boss.

I believe that nothing is absolute and East and West draws ever closer to become One.


One of the best authors, mythologists and TED talkers: Devdutt Pattnaik. Its a 20 minute talk but well worth the time. IMHO.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

SINGING IN DECEMBER

Hark! 

I crawled out of my editing Bat Cave yesterday and saw I have no December blogpost! WT...!
I have an excuse (ahem) what with the editing and the holidays and the angels singing carols in my brain (I have not been drinking!) I simply forgot. And now I remember. This is what I was listening to this morning. (I tend to listen to Christmas music in December, remnant of my brief years as a choir girl.)



We Three Kings of Orient Are : Lyrics
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light

Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav'n replies

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light




Friday, November 29, 2013

MOVIE MANIA - Hollywood style.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE watching movies? Almost as much as I LOVE reading books. And writing them :) Movies, after all, are just another medium of storytelling.
I can honestly watch any and all movies...well most of them. I mean the flick has to really, really bad for me to go OMG! What a waste of my time! That should clue you in to my story-lovin' crazy-ass. 
So, here's what moved me this month. Note, that all three movies I mention are book to movie adaptations. (Coincidence? Hm.)

THOR: The Dark World.


What is it about bad boys or gods or actors? (Not bad bad but baaad, you know?)
I mean...Thor is like a Good God! I mean literally a good god of Asgard and I literally exclaimed "Good God!" at every move he made on screen...especially when he was all puppy-eyed and missing-my-girl shirtless (Adorable and sexy and...never mind.) 
Cause he's not what held me in thrall of the movie. Good God aside, I was all about my fangirl crush on Loki, the anti-god. (Huh? bad god?) Whatever. I mean who cares whether Thor had to save Earth and Jane and Asgard and the Universe...I certainly didn't. IMO, Loki can have it all and get more screen time. Seriously, it doesn't get any more Marvel-ous than looking at Loki move.

Good God. Bad God. I don't care. God, I want me some of Tom Hiddleston now!


Catching Fire: 


Is it weird that my daughter and I love the same books? (A cool case of the apple not falling far from the tree.) Last September, two months before the Hunger Games came out, she made me read the book. I loved it so much that I finished it in 2 days and in another 4 days, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 
Honestly, Hunger Games the book impressed me far more than the movie, although I loved the movie too. But Catching Fire the movie, for whatever reason - the success of Hunger Games, the movie; the series' popularity, the movie budget increasing and spiffy new CGI added, the new director, screenwriter, the new cast additions (Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair was purrrfect in a way that defies perfection. He caught my attention in Snow White and the Huntsman) - whatever the reason, Catching Fire the movie was wayyyy better than the book. IMO.
JLaw will 4ever be the bow wielding Katniss...Peeta and his sweet Peeta-ness...Gale, oh Gale will always be the hero for me...they were purrrfect in a way that defies perfection. 

Read it, if you haven't. Watch it, you must. 


The Book Thief:


I haven't seen this movie yet. I want to. Desperately. And I hope to next week (crossing fingers). I love this book so much that I honored it with its own blogpost. Again, it was my daughter bringing it to my attention and while I am super excited to see it come to big-screen life, I am so scared the movie might not do the book justice. Especially, after watching the trailer where it's implied that the script has already deviated from the book by changing its narrator. But the reviews have been good (whew), the trailer looks powerful and there's Geoffery Rush - how wrong can the producers have gone? 
I'm feeling hopeful. Now, to watch it and cease the anxiety.

Which movie did you see last?

(all pics and trailers found through Google search)

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

THE MYTH of INVINCIBILITY.

If not immortality, we mortals are obsessed with invincibility. We want no weapon to harm us, no disease to kill us, no misfortune to befall us. If we can't live forever, then we want the next best thing - to live a healthy and prosperous life into an old close-to-forever age.
It's a great aspiration. Something to strive for certainly, this state of invincibility, of being super protected. But, the thing is that the very nature of being mortal means that we can never achieve that goal. We forget that even Superman had Kryptonite to deal with.

Our ancestors did warn us...

What is myth? 
  • [ mith ]
    1. ancient story: a traditional story about heroes or supernatural beings, often attempting to explain the origins of natural phenomena or aspects of human behavior.

    Achilles and his pitiful Greek heel: 


    The son of a mortal Peleus and the immortal Nereid Thetis, Achilles was the un-defeatable warrior-hero of the Trojan War (or most of it.) It is said that upon his birth, his mother held baby Achilles by his right heel and dipped him in the River Styx to make his body invincible. The catch? Where she caught him - his right heel remained vulnerable causing his fall, and thus the legend of Achilles' Heel was born.

    Duryodhana and his vulnerable Indian groin: 

    His name itself means "One who can't be defeated" or "great fighter," was the son on of the blind King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari. Gandhari chose to blind-fold herself forever the day she married the blind king because she wished to "see" the world just as her husband did. That act of immense courage (ahem, crack-pot stupidity IMO) pleased the Gods and they granted her a powerful boon. Just before the terrible Mahabharata War began (or during it, I forget) she asked her oldest son, Duryodhana, to come to her unclothed. She untied her blindfold and only for a second opened her eyes (the ones with the power) to sweep them over her son, use the boon to make him invincible. Duryodhana did not strip naked, thinking to cover his groin from his mother (a gentlemen, to be sure) and thus that became the only part of him that remained vulnerable causing his enemy to strike him dead there.

    In both Achilles and Duryodhana's cases, the protector strives to protect but fate (nature, understanding, limitations) gets in the way.

    What is the lesson we're supposed to learn from these myths? Should we not strive at all as the outcome of our actions may not be in our hands? Can we not survive without might and power? Is vulnerability such a bad thing? Is being human not in our best interests?

    (pic source: google search images)

    Sunday, November 3, 2013

    IMMORTALITY 2

    They say if you come across the same thing twice, its like a fact!

    Last month, I came across Dr. Kurzweil and his nanobot organs that aspire to replace old and dilapidated natural human organs by the year (or so he hopes) 2045.

    Well, pooh pooh to Kurzweil and us mortals. The Immortal Jellyfish akaTurritopsis Nutricula has no need to wait for another three decades to live forever, neither does it need organ transplant. 

    What? Why? How, you ask? Well, the Immortal Jellyfish (don't know why I love repeating that word. Immortal. Immmmortal. Immmmortttallll!) has an evolved circular life cycle as opposed to the human linear one. Wonder if that means that the Immortal Jellyfish is a Hindu?



    Fascinating, isn't it? And if by some mischance, technology and evolution fails us, I know what I'm coming back as in my next birth.

    Saturday, November 2, 2013

    A HALLOWEEN DIWALI.

    Say What?



    Today is Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights that brings in the Hindu New Year. 

    For a few years now I've noticed that Diwali and All Hallow's Eve occur close together, sometimes on the same day. They weren't on the same day this year, but my daughter is having a Halloween party at home today. And it's Diwali!

    So here we are, celebrating two festivals multiculturally. 



    Thursday, October 31, 2013

    ALL HALLOW'S EVE



    Halloween...All Hallow's Eve...Samhain...the Feast of the Dead, the saints, the martyrs and the faithful.


    Samhain Prayer. The night when the veil between the living world and the dead is at its weakest. 

    This is the night when the gateway between 
    our world and the spirit world is thinnest. 
    Tonight is a night to call out those who came before.
    Tonight I honor my ancestors.
    Spirits of my fathers and mothers, I call to you,
    and welcome you to join me for this night.
    You watch over me always,
    protecting and guiding me,
    and tonight I thank you.
    Your blood runs in my veins,
    your spirit is in my heart,
    your memories are in my soul.

    (Some might wish to name their past ancestors here)

    With the gift of remembrance.
    I remember all of you.
    You are dead but never forgotten,
    and you live on within me,
    and within those who are yet to come.

    Blessed be...




    And be careful Trick or Treating tonight.


    Friday, October 25, 2013

    24

    Yesterday afternoon, while browsing E! Entertainment...er...I mean, while I was researching stuff  for my book online, I came across this...


    Which is exciting. Yay. I was addicted to the series back when it was fun. (Jack Bauer, you're what they put in Red Bull's formula.)
     

    And then not so much when it stopped being fun. Anyway, the point is that I got thinking...


    What does my day look like?

    I wondered and this is what I mapped, people. 


    11:00 am to Noon: I was on the phone.

    Noon to 1:00 pm: I lunched, while I was on the phone, (What the...?) and fed Truffles somewhere between my own bites. Aaand found time to play with him too. (I'm a good Mommy.)

    1:00 to 2:00 pm: I worked on my manuscript. (Yeah...still writing...still living in a world of my own making. TYVM.)


    2:00 to 3:00 pm: I worked on my manuscript...some more.

    3:00 to 4:00 pm: I worked on my manuscript...even more. Picked up DD from school. Made myself a mug of masala chai. Drank it. 

    4:00 to 5:00 pm: Worked on MS. Chatted with DD about life and school. (She's bored. But will suffer through it only because she must.) Took Truffles for his bi-annual Bordatella. Whew. I believe I was exhausted at that point. Or not...

    5:00 to 6:00 pm: Drove to the dance studio and for the next hour danced the merengue, the salsa, the merengue and the salsa.

    That was fun...and invigorating...and no, I don't dance alllll that well but I probably look decent enough as a red salsa-ing silhouette. 

    6:00 to 7:00 pm: Dined on Thepla, Chunda, Batata nu shaak and fried cauliflower as I was starving after alllll the twirling. Then worked on the MS. (What can I say? I'm a writer.)

    7:00 to 8:00 pm: DH came home. We chatted. He ate. I...yes, I know I sound like a broken record but...I worked on the MS. 

    8:00 to 9:00 pm: To spice things up, I unsheathed a long, sharp scimitar and with a graceful X move slashed opponent to shreds. 

    Wait! What? That's not me me who did that, it was one of my characters. ;)

    9:00 to 10:00 pm: After allll that excitement, I was exhausted, natch, so I vegged in bed and watched Criminal Minds (for inspiration)...and internet stalked...people. (Did you know that Brangelina is the most, cutest, adorable-est PDA celebrity couple on Earth?)

    10:00 to 11:00 pm: More of the same.

    11:00 to Midnight: More. Of. The. Same. And then I fell asleep. 

    Midnight to 7:00 am: Wow. Thank heavens, I don't need to monitor sleep. Sadly, I do not believe I dreamt last night.

    7:00 to 8:00 am: Woke to the sound of Tweets and Email. Brushed. Breakfasted. Bid adieu to DH and DD; one was off to office, the other to school.

    8:00 to 9:00 am: FaceTimed with BFF who lives in Singapore. Truffles FaceTimed too. It was cho chweet.

    9:00 to 10:00 am: Googled, oogled, twitterpated about Jamie-Sam and his new promo pic. Yup, I'm still fangirling the Great JAMMF. 

    So, kilts are hot again: Sam Heughan in 'Outlander'

    (You'll have to click that to see some kilted scrumptiousness)

    10:00 to 11:00 am: Seriously, I have no life. Working on the MS.

    Not as insane as Bauer's but that's 24 hours of my life. 
    Ta ta daaaah!



    (source for all pics and gifs is the www.)

    Thursday, October 3, 2013

    TO TECH OR NOT TO TECH.

    We have always been taught to move forward, upward, better ourselves, our minds and our lives. So why, when we are doing all of that in this fabulous Age of Technology do some people diss it?



    ad·vance·ment

     noun \É™d-ˈvan(t)-smÉ™nt\

    Oft-heard rants:
    ~ I feel sorry for the children who don't get to be "outside" like we did.
    ~ I feel sorry for the people constantly stuck emailing, messaging, myopically viewing their world through their phones instead of enjoying the great wide outdoors.
    ~ Tcha tcha tcha! How QUALITY OF LIFE has deteriorated? Conversation through a gadget as opposed to face to face? TCHA!

    Okay, here's my answer to all of the above:

    Get with the program, Jurassic Park Advocates! 


    Yes, its a different world. A brave new tech-heavy world. Yes, our ways of communication and interaction have changed but, good grief, so did the ways of our grandparents differ from the ways of their grandparents...and so on and so forth all the way back to the Cave Man. 
    If you think that we are "wasting" time communicating via technology and not stopping to "smell" the roses that bloom in our gardens just like our ancestors did then think again. Our ancestors did not have time to smell any roses in any gardens, genetically modified, meticulously manicured or not. They worked bloody hard (unless they were toddlers or wastrels) from dawn to dusk in filth and tremendously trying circumstances to accomplish maybe 10% of the things we manage to cram into a day. True they did that roaming the great big "outdoors" but believe me, if given a choice, they'd want what we have and order in their dinner and cash their checks without leaving their couch-potato seats at all.

    About this weird lament of communicating face-to-face...WTH? I'd think the point was communication, period. Who cares if its via gadgets, word of mouth or telepathy? If you are articulate and considerate and "communicative" you will get your point across regardless of its means of delivery. On the flip side, an ass is an ass is an ass be it on FaceTime or face to face. 

    And I won't even bring up medical advancements. 



    Advancement has always been Man's greatest ambition. From the time Man learned to walk upright he's taught himself to hunt, gather, farm, build, dream, and create. Man has leapt from darkness to fire, from walking to the wheel, from dwelling in caves to the Freedom Tower, from hieroglyphs to ebooks
    We cannot stop advancement. All we can do is embrace it. Learn how to use it ethically, wield it morally and we will be fine. And have you ever stopped to consider that what we call advancement and technology today might quite possibly be obsolete tomorrow? 
    Really people, stop and smell the iPhones our generation has managed to grow. Don't compare our "roses" to what was because we are past that and that time is gone for good. Look to the future in a positive way. 
    To all those who still want to diss technology...Go on! Disconnect yourselves from this world, if you dare. Please. Stop working, banking, phoning, texting, bantering or bettering yourselves. Go live in a cave, look into the fire you've built with toil and sweat and meditate on it. Go fight off a bear, catch a fish and eat it raw. I don't know how you'll smell "roses" in all that, but apparently, you think you will. So, yeah, go do that and leave us Tech-runts to our HVAC's and solar illuminations and our kind of peace.

    Wednesday, September 25, 2013

    BIRTH: THE AGE OF MYTH

    Birth of a Hero

    Carrying that theme "the more things seem different, the more they are the same" I bring you three different myths of heroes from three different ancient civilizations from three vastly different ages but with bafflingly similar birth stories. These three stories propagate the thesis that all things come from THE ONE, in my humble understanding of such things. Even though each legend is unique, fitting comfortably into its own sphere of culture and mythical grouping, certain details are strong and remain constant in all three civilizations. I wonder what was so important about these unanimous details that would not let the three cultures separated by time, geography and philosophy tamper with them, even while  utterly changing the trappings surrounding the details.


    The Common Theme: The newborn hero is the young sun rising from the waters, first confronted by lowering clouds, but finally triumphing over all obstacles.



    SARGON

    Probably the oldest transmitted hero myth in our possession is derived from the period of the foundation of Babylonia (about 2800 B.C.) and concerns the birth history of its founder, Sargon the First.

    Sargon, the mighty king, King of Agade, am I. My mother was a vestal, my father I knew not, while my father's brother dwelt in the mountains. In my city Azuripani, which is situated on the bank of the Euphrates, my mother, the vestal, bore me. In a hidden place she brought me forth. She laid me in a vessel made of reeds, closed my door with pitch, and dropped me down into the river, which did not drown me. The river carried me to Akki, the water carrier. Akki the water carrier lifted me up in the kindness of his heart, Akki the water carrier raised me as his own son, Akki the water carrier made of me his gardener. In my work as a gardener I was beloved by Ishtar, I became the king, and for forty-five years I held kingly sway.

    MOSES

    The biblical birth history of Moses, which is told in the second chapter of Exodus, presents the greatest similarity to the Sargon legend, even an almost literal correspondence of individual traits. Already the first chapter (22) relates that Pharaoh commanded his people to throw into the river all sons that were born to Hebrews, while the daughters were permitted to live; the reason for this order is given as fear of the over-fertility of the Israelites. 

    The second chapter:


    And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him and said, this is one of the Hebrews' children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

    KARNA

    A close relationship with the Sargon legend is also shown in certain features of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata, in its account of the birth of the legendary hero Karna.

    The princess Pritha, also known as Kunti, bore as a virgin the boy Karna, whose father was the sun-god Surya. The young Karna was born with golden ear ornaments of his father and with an unbreakable coat of mail. The mother in her distress concealed and abandoned the boy. 
    "Then my nurse and I made a large basket of rushes, placed a lid thereon, and lined it with wax; into this basket I laid the boy and carried him down to the river."
    Floating on the waves, the basket reaches the river Ganges and travels as far as the city of Campa. 
    "There was passing along the bank of the river, the charioteer, the noble friend of Dhritarashtra, and with him was Radha, his beautiful and pious spouse. She was wrapt in deep sorrow, because no son had been given to her. On the river she saw the basket, which the waves carried close to her on the shore; she showed it to Adhirath, who went and drew it forth from the waves." 
    The two take care of the boy and raise him as their own child.

    What interests me is that Karna and Sargon were born as princes/demigods and raised as commoners then had to fight their way up to king-hood again, whereas Moses experiences the opposite phenomenon. Would that be a cultural more? And if so, for what? 

    (source material and some paraphrasing from Sacred Texts.)

    Wednesday, September 18, 2013

    SORROW

    Sorrow and loss touch everyone, no exception. They come at the unlikeliest of times, robbing us of breath and speech and sometimes our soul. But it is in such moments that we know our true character and our best courage. So, be sure to welcome them when they greet you next.

    This is a song of loss that I love. A song of memories, heartbreak and survival. Hope you enjoy it too. 

    Tears From Heaven by Eric Clapton.



    And here's a quote from the book I just finished reading that sparked this mood...


    “I will find you," he whispered in my ear. "I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you - then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is the one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest."

    His voice dropped, nearly to a whisper, and his arms tightened around me.

    Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well.” 

    Monday, September 9, 2013

    THE AGE OF MYTH

    The Deluge:

    Let me tell you a story...

    Innumerable years ago, Vaivasvata Manu while performing ablutions and religious rituals on the banks of the river Chervi accidently catches a tiny fish in his cupped hands. The fish introduces himself as Matsya, asks Manu to spare his life and protect him from the creatures of the river. 

    If the request was a test of character, Manu passes it with flying colors. He transfers Matsya into an earthen pot filled with water and takes him home. When Matsya grows too big for the pot, Manu digs a ditch outside his house for the fish. And still Matsya grows and Manu transfers him into a pond, then a lake, then to the mighty Ganges River (called the spouse of the Ocean.) When Matsya grows so massive that even the Ganges cannot harbor him, Manu assists Matsya in his journey to the Ocean. 
    Source: British Museum



    There they part company, but before they do, Matsya promises to save and protect Manu as Manu had done him. Matsya foretells of a great catastrophic flood that would submerge the whole world. The fish advises Manu to build a great big boat, gather the Saptarishis (the seven great sages) and collect all the seeds of the world and keep them close.

    In due course, the flood came. Manu, the Saptarishis and the grain boarded the boat and the great horned fish, Matsya, as promised, navigated the boat to the heights of the Himalayas and tethered it to safety. Matsya then reveals himself as Prajapati Brahma, lord creator of the universe. He then passes the mantle of Prajapati (Creator) to Manu, urging him to create Man and set up the Ways of Civilization.

    Manu, Noah or Gilgamesh, what we learn from these legends is that the deeper we dig into diversity, the closer we'll come to the One Truth.


    "Myth is essentially a cultural construct, a common understanding of the world that binds individuals and communities together. This understanding maybe religious or secular. Ideas such as rebirth, heaven and hell, angels and demons, fate and freewill, sin, Satan and salvation are religious myths. Ideas such as sovereignty, nation state, human rights, women's rights, animal rights and gay rights are secular myths. Religious or secular, all myths make profound sense to one group of people. Not to everyone. They cannot be rationalized beyond a point. In the final analysis, you either accept them or you don't." ~ Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik.

    Sunday, September 1, 2013

    LETS BLOG ABOUT SHOES, BABY 2

    Hello Darlings, missed me? Aw. How sweet. I missed you too. Now, here are some more a-shoe-rances that Man cannot be Man without his Sole and that's not just mine opinion but Shakespeare's as well.




    MARULLUS
    Where is thy leather apron and thy rule?
    What dost thou with thy best apparel on?
    You, sir, what trade are you?
    Second Commoner
    Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but,
    as you would say, a cobbler.
    MARULLUS
    But what trade art thou? answer me directly.
    Second Commoner
    A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe
    conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.
    MARULLUS
    What trade, thou knave? thou naughty knave, what trade?
    Second Commoner
    Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet,
    if you be out, sir, I can mend you.
    MARULLUS
    What meanest thou by that? mend me, thou saucy fellow!
    Second Commoner
    Why, sir, cobble you.
    FLAVIUS
    Thou art a cobbler, art thou?
    Second Commoner
    Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl: I meddle with no tradesman's matters, nor women's matters, but with awl. I am, indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes; when they are in great danger, I recover them. As proper men as ever trod upon neat's leather have gone upon my handiwork.

    Who are we to argue with the Bard, hm?
    And to continue my Shoe Story...


    Footwear became increasingly important, complex and industrious after the 1600s. Women no longer wanted to wear shoes the same shape as men (thank heavens.) Heels became popular along with design and comfort. Men's shoes had always been steadfast and sober - yech, personally but to each his own. But women's shoes became elaborate extensions of their feet, their soles (pun, pun, pun!) and in Cinderella's case, the means to her soulmate.

    There you have it, the Importance of a Good Pair of Shoes (that shoeld be a title of a movie, na?) A small observation? There are no saucier, finer, neater pair of shoes than Lady Gaga Heels in the world today.




    Wednesday, August 28, 2013

    LET'S BLOG ABOUT SHOES, BABY.

    Let me introduce you to Diya Mathur. She's a tall, thin supermodel in love with life...and with the Beast since she was 11. A ditzy, darling of a diva, her one obsession besides the Beast is Shoes. She's a Sole Sista and in this blog, she's going to educate you on a thing or two about SHOES.


    A brief history of the SHOE by Dee-Dumbs: note that  I'm more stimulated by visuals than prose, hence, I'll post more pics than pratter.

    8000 BC: worn as a protection against the elements as Earth was pretty much a slowly thawing glacier then.



    3000 BC: In ancient Egypt, braided papyrus was molded into soles from sole prints taken in the sand. Can't say they were not ingenious.




    The paduka from ancient India. Hey! We had platform heels back in the Epic Age too. These are a bridal pair and I must say, the wearer had muscular toes to keep those on and not fall on her face.


    Sandals (and a war boot?) used by Egyptians and Romans and Greeks.

    The next big innovation in shoes came around the 4th Century AD.  Shoes are sewn inside out and then turned for use, so that the stitching is now hidden. Shoe-making materials also improved, not only leather and tree bark, now silk and brocade and velvet was stamped in. 


    Then there were shoes to be worn over shoes, strangely, called pattens. And the Duck Bills for men that would reveal their colored hose through the leather.



    Influenced by the Middle Eastern culture, the poulaines were popular during the Crusades



    Another ancestor of the platform, the chopine shoe was meant to be worn over your slippers to give the person height and of course, glamour. We're in 1500 AD here.


    Boots became fashionable in England in the 1600s when a shoemaker designed a boot for the reigning monarch to hide his "rickety" legs.



    And then the shoe industry got better and better and better... 











    I've brought you up to the 20th Century. More interesting shoe-bits to follow...