Fake news demons

The real is finally mythical; and fake news, much like the golden deer in the Ramayana, is leading the world from order into chaos.

Fake news is real, morphed images are used freely to make a point, quotes are repurposed to state what they never did or to make a point different from the original one.

The golden deer was a demon in deerskin and it presents a turning point in the epic. It led to Sita's abduction a and the subsequent battle between Rama and Ravana and changed the course of the narrative. Just as misinformation, white lies, hyperbole and outright lies are doing today.

There are two parts to the problem of credibility today, one is the dwindling trust in people who wield power and the second is the lack of faith in the words they use. For instance, when politicians talk about the demonetisation exercise or growth or religion, the words used are the same but intent and understanding differ. Words have lost their power, being used to make a point rather than reveal a truth.

In myths, the word is sacred. It is the beginning of the world and brings the universe into being. Ancient cultures imbue a sense of infallible divinity in the word; a goddess in most cultures. Aletheia is the Greek goddess of truth, while Vac is the Vedic goddess of speech. (Vac and Saraswati are used interchangeably in the later texts.)

If the word is divine, she must be upheld and hence myths were fashioned around principles that aimed to drive home the importance of being true to a promise or a curse or a boon. In the Ramayana, for instance, there are stories that set down the dire consequences that may result if the word of Brahma, the creator god, is proven false.

Brahma had granted Ravana the boon of immortality. Drunk on his power, the king of Lanka stormed into the realm of Death. Brahma had also granted Yama the kaldanda, the weapon that gave him authority over the end of every creature’s life. So when Ravana faced off with Yama, Brahma was rattled. If Yama killed Ravana using Brahma’s weapon, his boon would be rendered false. And if Ravana survived, then his word to Yama would be untrue. So Brahma asked Yama to stand down because, he said that making his word false would put all the three worlds at risk. Truth was more important than anything else.

Brahma’s veracity has to be absolute if the universe has to keep its consistency wrote Robert Antoine, a Belgian Jesuit priest who taught comparative literature Jadavpur University (Rama and the bards: Epic memory in the Ramayana). Brahma’s word stands for universal truth, and when that is challenged or rendered futile by misuse, the world falls into an abyss.

The Greek myths add another layer to the power of truth in the story of Aletheia’s origin. Prometheus sat down to sculpt the perfect goddess, one who would regulate human behaviour. He was nearly done with his work when he was called away by Zeus. Prometheus left the workshop under the charge of his assistant, Dolus (trickery) who fashioned an identical sculpture. But just as he was about to put the feet on the sculpture, Prometheus walked back in. The god did not question his assistant for he wanted to take credit for the work and he breathed life into both. But Truth or Aletheia walked with measured steps while the other stood in her tracks. Her name is Mendacium or Falsehood.   

A lie wrecked the order of the universe and had to be stopped, that is what the myths said. In the Mahabharata it was seen as the greatest sin. Yudhishthira suffered a glimpse of hell because he told a half-truth on the battlefield, not because he gambled away his brothers and wife. In epics and myths across the world, sages took their students to task for not revealing the most inane details of an exercise and kings staked their children to keep their word. Truth was non-negotiable, unlike the present day when it stands in front of a mirror with many faces. 

ARUNDHUTI DASGUPTA
This article first appeared in Business Standard

Wanted: Demon slayers

A couple of weeks ago, a young industrialist known for his outspoken support of a fledgling political party quipped that corruption was like a thousand-headed monster. The striking imagery apart, his simile released a new monster in our midst - quite like what a popular song from the Hindi film Peepli Live did a few years ago. The song which likened inflation to a dayan hit an instant chord with many, apart from notching up the number of sorceresses and witches of which we need to steer clear.

Hercules slaying the Hydra.Wikimedia Commons

Corruption and inflation took centre stage this election. Standing beside the triumvirate of proposed leaders, they played spoiler to the best made plans of those standing in the pulpit just as demons and dayans are wont to do. But, more interestingly, the two new additions to the family of subversive beings have helped reveal what Indian society fears most today.

Monsters, dragons, asuras, rakshasas, dayans, yakshis and such beings have walked the earth since the beginning of time. Demons manifest themselves in myriad forms and are repositories of immeasurable power. And some are even invisible like the 'Oni' in Japanese myth; they are spirits who attend on the gods of the underworld, can take on grotesque forms but are hidden to the human eye (World Mythology, Illustrated Guide; Edited by Roy Willis). As old as the gods, demons are universal and are seen as humanity's projection of its deepest fears.

Demons follow no rules and wilfully overturn regular life as we know it. Consider the Greek monster Hydra with nine heads, which is the inspiration for the thousand-headed monster of corruption. The Hydra lived in the swamp of Lernae. She would raid flocks and ruin the land. Her heads were regenerative; each time one was cut off, another grew in its place. She was considered immortal until Herakles's sword swept off her heads and his half-brother branded the stumps to prevent further growth. Perhaps, the Hydra grew out of mankind's fear of water and swampy marshlands. Geography and nature have played a vital role in the evolution of demons in our cultures.

Raktabija in the Vedic family of demons too had regenerative powers. He could produce clones of himself from every drop of his blood that fell to the ground. Durga slew Raktabija with help from Kali (her destructive form) who swallowed the blood before it fell to the ground. He was, perhaps, shaped by man's fear of blood and what its loss could mean for life. The body and its functions too have served as inspiration for demonic characters in myths.

Dayans, sorceresses and witches are lesser beings in the demon world. But they too reveal the fears of a society that was fast becoming patriarchal. Always a woman, they are treacherous, demanding and are known to demolish men who dare cross their path. Men feared the strong, sexually aware woman and imbued her with supernatural and fearful powers and hounded her out of the society that he created for himself. Demons were also born out of gender anxieties.

In the past, demons controlled the waters, the power of the sun, the might of the sky and the volatility of the earth. Most mythologies speak about how they used their powers to deny people access to these vital forces of life. Vritra, an asura who controlled the waters of universe, grew too powerful and decided to hold back the water from the people. He swallowed all the moisture in the atmosphere, all the water from the ocean and the rivers and from the earth. He also spread his large frame across the sky and hid the sun. Distraught the gods approached Indra who, with his thunderbolt (vajra), slew Vritra, released the waters and rejuvenated life on earth.

Universally, demons are subversive spirits overthrowing 'all civilised order, reason, rules and expectations'. (A Field Guide to Demons: Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits; Carol K Mack and Dinah Mack) They embody chaos and the untamed forces of nature and the psyche, which were the anxieties and concerns that ancient civilisations grappled with. But fortunately, demons were not unstoppable. They could be conquered because they lacked the human capacity to love, be compassionate and to reason and also because they were also prone to arrogant and aggressive behaviour. The modern demons of corruption and inflation may not have the same character traits. But what they do have in common with the rest of the demon family is that they hold a magnifying mirror to our darkest fears and passions.

(This article appeared in the Business Standard Weekend on 17-05-2014, http://goo.gl/6SpTzp) 

Neither friend nor foe

War was imminent. Drupada, father of Draupadi and father-in-law of the Pandavas, was addressing an assembly of kings in Virata's court. The Pandavas had just completed 14 years in exile with the final year being spent incognito in King Virata's service. Drupada thundered: "Let us send word to our friends that they may collect an army for us. Let speedy messengers go to Salya and Dristaketu and Jayatsena and the prince of the Kekayas."*

The Pandavas could not fight this battle on their own and Drupada was signing up allies. Marriage, old friendships and favours bestowed in times of need - the Pandavas played every chip they had as they readied for battle; just like present-day political parties. Smart alliances, data indicates, have helped increase vote shares of the national parties in every election.** No surprise then that the political landscape is bustling with frenetic parleys between friends, foes and strangers for seats and votes; quite like the way it must have been in the time of the ancient epics.

The Pandavas were masters at sewing up strategic alliances. Arjuna's marriage to Ulupi, the sea princess, and Bhima's to Hidimba from the rakshasi clan were hugely advantageous relationships. Ghatotkacha, son of Hidimba and Bhima, killed several Kauravas and forced Karna to use a weapon that he had been saving up for Arjuna against him. Ulupi provided access to the might of the Naga army. In the larger Mahabharata narrative, however, both were treated poorly. Krishna rejoiced at Ghatotkacha's death and Ulupi was never allowed to live in the main palace with the other wives. The victor does not always play fair.

Another powerful partner for the Pandavas was Virata - his daughter had married Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son. He supplied soldiers and elephants and his sons fought valiantly on the side of the Pandavas. Choosing the right ally was always critical. In Odyssey, Athena who plays mentor to Telemachus, son of Odysseus, tells him to seek out his true friends to find his father. He finds Nestor, Menelaus and Helen who help him by providing him with clues and moral support.

The Kauravas were not as fortunate in their choices. Few kings and princes were willing to ignore their deep familial bonds with the Pandavas and even fewer believed in Duryodhana's cause. Karna was the exception, but he sat out most of the battle because of his grouse with Bhisma; somewhat like Achilles in the battle of Troy.

To add to his woes, Duryodhana also chose poorly. He accepted and was even elated at the prospect of having Krishna's army by his side, while Krishna chose to be Arjuna's charioteer. Without their commander, the soldiers were not as effective; and Krishna provided a huge moral, tactical and psychological advantage to the Pandavas, even though he did not fight on the battlefield. Some of Duryodhana's choices also did more damage than good. Shalya, uncle to the Pandava twins, was tricked into joining him. Shalya was on his way to align with the Pandavas. But Duryodhana's men intercepted him and his army, asking them to rest a few days before resuming their journey. Unaware that he was Duryodhana's guest, Shalya and his men agreed. And so pleased was he with the attention and care he received that when he discovered that it was Duryodhana and not Yudhisthira who was his host, he felt obliged to ally with the Kauravas. However he asked to meet Yudhishthira and his nephews before the battle to which Duryodhana agreed. At the meeting, Yudhishthira asked Shalya "for my sake though it may not be proper to be done"* to break Karna's spirit in the battlefield. Shalya as Karna's charioteer did just that, demoralising him and shattering his resolve as he went to battle against Arjuna. Snatching friends of rivals is never a good idea or an enemy's friend is never a good ally.

Strategic relationships have been a critical aspect of the mythology of the subcontinent. Vishnu, for instance, who is part of the trinity and highest in the hierarchy of gods, rides on the Garuda (a mythical bird) and rests on the Ananta Nag (the world serpent). The two were strong animistic deities who were assimilated into the Vedic fold, albeit in positions lower than the main gods. Alliances with tribal gods helped spread the Vedic way of life. They widened their influence.

Fighting wars and elections can't be done without allies. Not only do they provide access and influence, they can also be invaluable in the propaganda war. Drupada, for instance, not only brought in an army of kings, he also sent his priest to Dhritarashtra and asked him to sing the glory of the Pandavas: "If you speak words of righteousness unto Dhritarashtra, you will certainly gain the hearts of his fighting men. Vidura will also make use of those words of yours and will thus alienate the hearts of Bhisma, Drona and Kripa and others." Breaking the enemy's spirit was important and Drupada knew that. Given the scramble for alliances today, Drupada would definitely have been a sought-after campaign manager for the 2014 elections.

---

*Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva, Translated by K M Ganguli
**"The mathematics of the Modi Wave,"Praveen Chakravarty, Business Standard, March 3, 2014

Arrogant ignoramuses and wretches in the third state...

With elections round the corner, abuse peppers the hyperbole and rhetoric employed by candidates to boost their image. They are calling each other frauds, imposters and murderers. Some have cast aspersions on their opponents' virility, some others have flaunted their own.

Interestingly, several examples of employing abuse as a battle axe can be found in the epics. In the Mahabharata, the Sisupala-Krishna encounter is a case in point. Yudhisthira was conducting the Rajasuya Yagna - a sacrifice meant for the gods at the end of which a king is anointed emperor - and he offers arghya (water from the ritual or fruit and sweets from the sacrifice) to the assembled kings. Yudhisthira asked Bhisma to point out the foremost among the kings gathered at his court so that he could offer him the first arghya. Bhisma pointed to Krishna. At this, the king of Chedi, Sisupala, let loose a barrage of insults. He called Krishna a wretch born in the race of the Vrishnis and Yudhisthira a mean fool who had abandoned the path of dharma. Bhisma he called arrogant and ignorant and an old and infamous wretch living in the third state (celibacy).

Sisupala had never forgiven Krishna for eloping with Rukmini, whom he had sought to marry, and for killing Kansa, Krishna's own uncle, and Putana, a rakshasi - he felt both had been wronged - and his friend Jarasandha. His hatred found release in the vitriolic attack which also caused his end. Sisupala, who had been born with three eyes and four hands and had brayed like an ass when he came into the world, was fated to be killed by Krishna. His parents had wanted to abandon him but were held back by a heavenly voice that assured them that the deformities would disappear once the baby was placed in the lap of the right person but that the same person would cause Sisupala's death. That is what happened when Krishna picked up Sisupala. At Sisupala's mother's insistence Krishna had agreed to forgive her son one hundred insults before he took his life. Sisupala tipped the scale and lost his life.

Pentheus, king of Thebes, faced a similar fate for his abuse of Dionysus. Pentheus found the Dionysian cult strange and horrifying and called Dionysus an "eastern stranger", refusing to accept him as a god. When Dionysus visited his kingdom, Pentheus insulted and imprisoned him. But Dionysus broke free and led Pentheus to a horrific death at the hands of his mother.

 

An ungainly sight: Duryodhana slips and falls

Harsh words are used in most epics as triggers and turning points. Duryodhana's desire for revenge was apparently hardened when he saw Draupadi mocking his gauche inspection of the Pandava's palace at Indraprastha. He mistook a crystal surface for a lake and then a lake for a crystal surface, tripping and falling as he made his way around the palace. Draupadi laughed out loud and, according to one version, called him "blind as a blind man's son". Overly sensitive, Duryodhana bore her a lifelong grudge, as did Karna against Arjuna and Bhima for calling him a low-caste interloper.

In the Iliad, an insult, at least a perceived one, was also the reason for Helen's abduction. Eris, the goddess of strife, was piqued at not being invited to the wedding of a mortal, King Peleus, and a sea-nymph, Thetis. She sent a golden apple for the nuptial feast inscribed with the words: "For the fairest". Athene, Hera and Aphrodite laid claim to the apple. Zeus appointed Paris as judge. Each goddess promised Paris special favours in return for the prize: Hera said she would give him royal power, Athene wisdom and victory in war, and Aphrodite said she would get him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite and earned the enmity of Hera and Athene for life. The battle of Troy followed soon thereafter.

Epic literature is full of insulting words and acrimonious exchanges, some fatal and some amusing. Our modern-day politicians could use them to find new swear words and, perhaps, to learn when to stop.

(This article appeared in the Business Standard (March 8, 2014) under the headline Abuse of Power)

Disruption and Chaos

(This article was published in Business Standard Weekend, Feb 1 2014) 
Picture this: If we were to line up the tumultuous events that wracked the ancient world -floods, wars, creation of new cities and civilisations and that of the universe itself - there would be one thing in common. They were all seeded by the actions of disrupters. A disrupter was at times a hero, at times a god and in the most ancient of times, a natural phenomenon.

The great flood, for instance, was a universal fomenter of change about 3,000 years ago; unleashed by the gods who sought to destroy the old order because (take your pick) people had grown too powerful, too cruel or simply disrespectful of the powers that be. However, from the receding waters of the deluge stepped out heroes such as Noah, Manu, Utnapashtim and Deucalion; survivors and architects of a new world.

An act of creation is always depicted, in mythology, as that of bringing order out of chaos. A disruptive force wreaks havoc and, from the debris it leaves behind, emerges a world that is completely unlike the one that preceded it. A hymn in the Rig Veda says: there was water everywhere. In that primeval water the gods were already present. They danced in it and a particle of dust (Renu) was created. This was the earth (Towards Understanding Hindu Myths by S A Dange) and the Earth Goddess was thus named Renuka. Similarly, in Egyptian mythologies, the Sun God, Ra, appeared in the primeval ocean (also referred to as chaos) called Nun. From their tumultuous union emerged the gods of air, earth and sky. In Sumerian myths, Tiamat ,the chaos monster, is the creator of all gods. She has to be killed by Marduk, a storm god, who creates the heavens and the earth from her body. In some mythologies, the struggle between creative order and destructive chaos is formalised into a cycle where new worlds are brought into existence and thrown into the junk heap with recurring regularity. Aztec mythology, for instance, has had four worlds thus far. We inhabit the fifth one.

As in nature, so is it with the gods. Among the oldest disruptive gods in Indian mythology is Rudra. He is the god of storms whose worshippers pray for his mercy. He is later redefined or morphed into Siva who is both creator and destructor incarnate. He swallowed the poison that emerged from the churning of the ocean; he dispels darkness and disposes of demons with his tandava and also breaks the fall of the river Ganga when she is brought down from the heavens. Rudra's Greek counterpart, according to Richard Seaford (Department of Classics, University of Exeter) is Dionysus.

Buddha was another disrupter. He challenged and provided an alternative to Hinduism, the ruling religion of his times. His teachings threatened the establishment forcing them to try and put an end to his sermons and to his existence. For Joseph Campbell, the Orient was blessed by the teachings of Gautam Buddha just as the Occident was by Moses. The world changed but the transition was not smooth or peaceful. For the Greeks it was Prometheus, who by bringing them fire, changed their lives, and for the Romans, it was Aeneus, the founder of their civilisation. Heroes today, they were the disruptive forces of their age. Their actions threatened chaos and unleashed fear before restoring peace and order.

Scholars have struggled to arrive at a unanimous view of the ancient stories but what is understood is that myths weave an invisible web of ideas that have helped shape the world. Of these, the notion that disruption is a precursor to creation is an especially powerful one. We have seen it play out when new nations have had to be carved out of old ones or when revolutions have sought to throw out established power structures. In the world of business, the global financial meltdown which had a domino effect on economies around the world makes the case in point. On a different note, technology is a big disrupter, overturning accepted norms and standards in several industries. Companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Square are disrupters too. The people who led these organisations dismantled the messy marketplaces and workplaces of the past to build new structures.

Anarchy has always marked the shift from the old to the new, and as our political system gets set for a shakedown, we may well have to get used to chaos on our streets. As will countries across the continent. It will take a while and, perhaps, the intervention of a modern day storm god to restore balance under a new world order.

The picture shows Siva and his Pramatha Ganam, and Siva dancing at dusk of day(twilight), called Sandhya tandavam. Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandhya_tandava_murthy.jpg

 

Right and Wrong

In the Ramayana, after the battle has been won and Ravana vanquished, the epic instead of winding down to a happy ending throws up a dilemma. Should Rama allow the words of one of his subjects to influence his life with Sita? Should he, as king, listen to his people who believed that Sita's chastity had been compromised due to her abduction, or should he, as husband, stand by her. Especially since she had put herself through a trial by fire at his request! Finally he chose his kingly duties over that of a husband and would-be father, and banished Sita to the forest.

The choices that stared at Rama were the choices society was grappling with at the time. Who is a good king? Should kings be answerable to their people more than they are to their families? And what makes the perfect man? Myths, epics and other literature of the time explored these issues in myriad ways and, in a way, helped communities deal with questions that had no straight answers.

Different people offered different perspectives. The concept of perfect man, for instance, was the concern of both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. While the Ramayana offered a template for perfection, the Mahabharata seemed to say there was no such thing. Wendy Doniger explains (The Hindus: An Alternative History; Penguin/Viking) that The Ramayana says, "There is a perfect man and his name is Rama," and the Mahabharata says, "Not really; dharma is so subtle that even Yudhisthira cannot always fulfill it." Dharma was an invigorating, but extremely complex concept. It meant making choices, taking stands and adopting behaviour patterns that were at times difficult to reconcile with other societal constructs such as family, love and loyalty. The epics reflected the quandary of the people over the concept of dharma: some believed that it had to be firmly defined while others imbued it with shades of grey.

The Occident was similarly preoccupied with the concept of justice. Homer grappled with it in Iliad and Odyssey as did Aeschylus in Orestia. The concept of revenge as a form of justice was explored in great detail in Orestia. Agamemnon was murdered by his wife. As per societal norms, he had to be avenged by Orestes, his son. Orestes was faced with a dilemma: not avenging his father's killing would be a crime as would be killing his mother. The code of ethics or morality that prevailed at the time said that a son had to act on behalf of his father but Aeschylus's plays sought a new form of justice, one that freed society from the cycle of revenge and retribution. Both Homer and Aeschylus were trying to offer an understanding of justice that looked beyond the immediate concerns of the family and tribe; one that was not tethered to the ancient Greek concept of 'miasma'. Miasma is envisioned as a cloud of pollution. It was believed that miasma hovered around evil deeds and stuck to one involved in an act of crime and to anyone who happened to be around the scene at the time. This was built on the philosophy that bad things do happen to good people and the only way to explain this is through miasma. By getting their heroes and other characters to deliberate and debate different ideas around revenge and fairness, the Greek epics helped build a more nuanced understanding of justice.

The epics - Indian as well as Greek - were also burdened with the task of defining what it meant to be a good woman. A woman's dignity, her position in society and her rights were issues that were dealt with through characters such as Kunti, Sita, Draupadi, Helen and Penelope. In the Mahabharata, the disrobing of Draupadi in a court full of people was meant to evoke anger as well as to fuel debate. Among the many questions that the scene raised were: what right did her husband have to wager her on the dice board? Are women the property of their fathers and then of their husbands? Did Draupadi have the right to be offended? While the Mahabharata was unequivocal in its condemnation of the act and understood her anger and desire for vengeance, it was less definitive about the culpability of the men who allowed this under their watch. Bhishma, when questioned by Draupadi, pointed out the difficulty of adhering to dharma at all times.

Interestingly, we live in times where the concepts of justice, role of women and a host of other issues are in a state of flux, yet again. It is not just India but people in several parts of the world are being forced to confront the knotty and tangled web of choices that circle these problems. Gordon Brown, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, put it most eloquently in a lecture to students at Edinburgh when he said, "We need to underpin the development of our new society by a global ethic that makes sense of our responsibilities to each other."

It may be time for communities across the globe to go back to the treasure chest of questions raised in our myths and epics.

(This article was first published in Business Standard Weekend) http://goo.gl/lkVvC8 

Gods of War

It is the season for festivals. A week ago, the festival of nine nights or Navaratri wound down to a close and the festival of lights, Diwali, will soon be upon us. Within these larger circles of celebration, numerous small ones too will make their place as different communities welcome different gods and goddesses. In a country with proverbially 13 festivals in 12 months, the September-December period is more crowded than usual. And, interestingly, most of these festivals are in honour of great warriors.

Durga slays the powerful Asura king, Mahisha, who had begun to wreak destruction on the three worlds. Backed by a formidable army and a power to change form at will, he remained unvanquished. Helpless, the gods turned to the divine trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Durga, according to common lore, was born out of their collective anger. She sprang into being, fully clad in armour and battle-ready, like Athene of the Greek pantheon.

(Image: Rajrishi Singhal)

Durga was created to kill Mahishasura and hence her name, Mahishasurmardini. Although her male counterparts assist her with weapons and protective gear, she was a one-woman army and led the battle into the Asura kingdom. Many scholars believe that she was worshipped as a powerful and mighty warrior in a timeless time. But with the emergence of a paternalistic social structure, the Durga-Mahishasur myth had to be incorporated within the Vedic framework where the divine trinity was supreme and goddesses were defined by their relationship to the three gods. According to E W Hopkins (Epic Mythology), "Durga is a late adoption of Visnuism; originally a goddess worshipped by savages (Savaras, Barbaras, Pulindas)." Whatever the story of her origin and her position in the pantheon, there is no dispute that Durga is a fierce goddess and was feared by her male counterparts. "Durga is a warrior goddess, unapproachable by suitors and invincible in battle." (World Mythology, edited by Roy Willis, Simon & Schuster, UK) And just as Athene became daughter of Zeus when the male gods became dominant in all societies, Durga became Shiva's wife.

Sekhmet and Anat are similar warrior goddesses in Egyptian mythology. Anat - imported into the Egyptian pantheon from Syria and Palestine - is shown carrying a shield, a spear and an axe. Sekhmet is a terrifying lioness goddess and is often depicted with a lion's head in sculptures. She was deputed by sun god Ra to quell his rebellious human subjects. The lion is Durga's vahana too. Another Egyptian war goddess, Qudshu, is depicted in paintings and sculptures as a naked woman standing on a lion's back. The lion is a common symbol among war deities and is believed to stand in for the sun. (The Dictionary of Symbols, J E Cirlot, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London)

Warrior goddesses were common to many ancient civilisations and their worship perhaps predates that of male warriors. These goddesses were ferocious, a far cry from the fecund profile of a mother goddess, also a powerful mythical-religious figure. According to scholar Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, these goddesses are not compassionate; "they are generally a pretty bloodthirsty lot." (http://goo.gl/DEMMBY). When goddesses took to battle, the lines between good and bad were blurred and often had to be reined in (Kali, Sekhmet are examples) to save humanity from complete annihilation.

The narrative changes when it comes to the male warrior gods. Indra, for instance, fights Vritra the demon for the good of man. Vritra assumed control over water and refused to release it for the gods and humans; Indra slays him with his thunderbolt and cuts a channel for the rivers to flow.

Another thing about recent male warrior gods - they are presaged to deliver mankind from evil. Rama, who will be worshipped during the upcoming Diwali celebrations, fights a moral battle and is worshipped as an ideal man rather than an inspiring warrior. He goes into battle, not because he seeks the blood of his enemy but because his hand is forced when Ravana kidnaps his wife. Ravana's death has been destined at Rama's hands. When the gods had approached Brahma for deliverance from Ravana, he tells them that Rama will be born to vanquish Ravana.

The era of male warrior gods is far from over. The last of Vishnu's ten incarnations is Kalki, the horse-warrior who is yet to grace this world with his presence and is preordained to restore order to a chaotic modern world. 

(This was published in Business Standard Weekend, 25 October 2013)