As you know, Hindu scriptures are overflowing with rich and highly intricate symbolisms. The beauty of these symbolisms is their applicability across space and time. Statements made thousands of years ago can still be applied to newer circumstances and situations. Of course, the core Vedic metaphysical truths of Hinduism are eternal and always applicable even without the need of any interpretation of symbolism. Even the core metaphysical symbolism in the Vedas has been thoroughly and safely canonized by tradition.
The wider ecosystem of symbolisms in Hindu scriptures
that exists around and outside the core metaphysical symbolism is very amenable
to being interpreted and reinterpreted. A great example of recent times is the
poem Sāvitri by Aurobindo, which is an adaptation of the story of Sāvitri that
occurs in the Mahābhārata.
My present endeavor is to attempt to provide a
lighthearted interpretation of some scriptural statements for the case of the
Chinese coronavirus. In the midst of doom and gloom of daily news of the death
and devastation caused by the Covid-19 virus that originated in Wuhan, China, I
am attempting a bit of comedy to lighten the mood. Of course, there are also
important and beautiful lessons to be learned from other symbolisms.
Whether we like it or not, viruses exist in the same
universe as we do, and their origin is just as shrouded in deep philosophical
pondering as our origin.
But one thing is for sure – the virus is nothing but
Brahman. How is that, you ask?
Take a look at the descriptions of the virus in the
various Upaniṣads –
Īśāvāsya 5:
तदेजति तन्नैजति तद्दूरे तद्वन्तिके ।
तदन्तरस्य सर्वस्य तदु सर्वस्यास्य बाह्यतः ॥
“It moves, it doesn’t move, it is far away, it is
nearby. It is inside everything, and it is outside everything.” – What else but
the virus is being described here?
Kaṭha 1.2.25:
यस्य ब्रह्म च क्षत्रं चोभे भवत ओदनः ।
मृत्युर्यस्योपसेचनं क इत्था वेद यत्र सः ॥
“That for which even brāhmaṇas and
kṣatriyas (i.e. the big and mighty) are like a dinner main course, and death
itself is like a condiment, who knows where it is.” – The virus is claiming the
lives of everyone indiscriminately, and nobody can tell where it is spreading.
Kaṭha 1.3.15:
अशब्दमस्पर्शमरूपमव्ययं तथारसं नित्यमगन्धवच्च
यत् ।
“It makes no sound, it cannot be touched, its form is
imperceptible, it has no taste, it has no smell.”
Similarly, Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3.8.8:
अरसं अगन्धं अचक्षुष्कं अश्रोत्रं अवाक् अमनो
अतेजस्कं अप्राणं अमुखं
“It has no taste, no smell, no sight, no hearing, no
speech, no mind, it is not luminous, it doesn’t have a breath or a mouth.”
Of course, this is a perfect description of the virus!
And loss of sense of taste and smell are also symptoms of getting infected with
the virus.
Moreover,
the fact that the virus has realized its oneness with Brahman is also well-documented
in the Upaniṣads.
For example, Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1.4.10:
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्तदात्मानमेवावेदहं
ब्रह्मास्मीति । तस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवत्तद्यो यो देवानां प्रत्यबुध्यत स एव
तदभवत्तथर्षीणां तथा मनुष्याणां … । तदिदमप्येतर्हि य एवं वेदाहं ब्रह्मास्मीति स इदं
सर्वं भवति … ।
“Brahman was indeed all this in the beginning, hence
it only knew itself as “I am Brahman”. Hence it became everything. Whoever
among the deities, rishis and humans also realized the same, they became it…
Hence, even today, whoever realizes ‘I am Brahman’ indeed becomes all this…”
Clearly, the way the virus is entering everywhere and
becoming everything, it has realized it is nothing but Brahman. It has beat us
in the race for spiritual enlightenment!.
This is also corroborated by Taittirīya 2.6:
सोऽकामयत । बहु स्यां प्रजायेयेति । स
तपोऽतप्यत । स तपस्तप्त्वा । इदं सर्वमसृजत ।
“He desired, ‘May I become many, may I reproduce and
multiply’. He created heat. Having created heat, he made all this.”
So clearly the virus after realizing its Brahman-ness,
is finding it very easy to spread and multiply. With that intention, the virus
causes heat i.e. fever and high temperatures in people. Having caused the
symptoms, the virus made all this devastation.
Further evidence of the thriving virus comes from
Aitareya 2.1-4, where the three births of the virus are discussed. These
“births” are nothing but the original strain, the double mutation variant
strain B.1.167 and its next mutation.
Finally, the fact that the virus achieved liberation
is clearly referenced in Aitareya 2.5 (also same as Ṛg Veda 4.27.1):
गर्भे नु सन्नन्वेषामवेदमहं देवानां जनिमानि
विश्वा । शतं मा पुर आयसीररक्षन्नधः श्येनो जवसा निरदीयम् ॥
“Even while I was in the womb, I knew of all the births
of all the deities. A hundred iron fortresses held me down, but I swiftly
escaped like a hawk.”
What more proof do we need? The virus knows who to
infect because it is all-knowing. Despite all the lockdowns and quarantines and
restrictions, the virus has escaped again and again!
The solution is also indicated. Taittirīya 2.7:
यदा ह्येवैष एतस्मिन्नुदरमन्तरं कुरुते अथ
तस्य भयं भवति
“When a person creates even a small separation, then
it has fear”.
So basically, this is saying that if physical
distancing is implemented, the virus will fear for its survival, and hence we
can control its spead!
Well, all joking aside, the above exercise also
demonstrates that the highly symbolic Vedic statements can be very easily
twisted and misinterpreted. Hence, the only safe path is to follow the
traditional understanding of the meanings of the words.
Now coming to the wider ecosystem of symbolism that also
has great potential in giving us beautiful messages for contemporary times.
The story of Rāma’s victory over Rāvaṇa and his rescue
of Sītā, and her subsequent banishment has eternal messages for every era.
My humble attempt at capturing the spirit of courage
of Rāma:
येनैव रामस्तवसा सयूथो जित्वा दशास्यं प्रमुमोच सीताम् ।
तेनैव मारीं महतीं तु चैन्यां जित्वा हि मुञ्चेम निरामयत्वम् ॥
“By which courage, determination and strength Rāma
along with his troop defeated the ten-faced Rāvaṇa and liberated Sītā, by the
same courage, determination and strength may we defeat the great Chinese
pandemic and liberate our well-being.”
The symbolisms are quite evident:
- Just as Rāma’s was a team effort, our fight against the virus should also be a team effort, with everyone taking equal responsibility and not pointing fingers at others.
- Just as Rāvaṇa has ten heads, the virus is emerging in ever new variants and mutations. Until the virus has been completely eradicated, we cannot rest and we cannot become complacent.
- Sītā is a symbol for our well-being. She needs to be treated with care, concern and respect.
- When, after her rescue, she was tested with the ordeal of fire to be pure, it was similar to our temporary well-being in late 2020.
- However, subsequently, we became too careless and reckless with our well-being, just as Sītā was subsequently sent to exile. Thus, due to our disrespect for our own well-being, in early 2021 we saw an unprecedented surge in new infections.
- But, there is still hope of recovery if we follow the wisdom and advice of experts. Just as the wise Vālmīki took Sītā under his care, and eventually she gave birth to the twins Lava and Kuśa, who went on to prosper in Rāma’s lineage.
Another great symbolic story is that of the demon Raktabīja and his destruction by the goddess Kālī.
Just like the virus is continuously mutating into
newer strains, every single drop of blood of the demon Raktabīja that fell on
the ground spawned hundreds of new Raktabījas. This army of demons completely
overwhelmed and devastated the population.
In such an extreme and dire situation, only the
all-powerful and all-resourceful goddess Kālī carried out the extreme and
extraordinary feat of extending her own tongue over the entire ground and then
killing the army of demons, so that not a single drop of their blood fell on
the ground. This is the most extreme and most effective quarantine ever!
Similarly, such an extreme and dire virus infection needs extreme and extraordinary measures to control the situation.
The one unique aspect of the Hindu Manu story that is missing in other versions, is that the Seven Sages (Saptarṣis) also accompany Manu on his giant ark. This is very significant. Knowledge gathered painstakingly through thousands of years is extremely precious, and should be preserved and protected at all cost. The Saptarṣis are the symbols of all-round knowledge. Not only are they repositories of spiritual knowledge, but also all kinds of worldly knowledge. The symbolism that we can extricate from the Saptarṣis, is that they were capable of surviving the complete and utter destruction of the universe because they were also worldly-wise, and knew the laws of nature and pragmatic living. They knew how to protect themselves from disease and destruction by intelligent and appropriate codes of conduct and living according to the context of contemporaneous environmental conditions. Only they can be called truly enlightened. The same pragmatism is seen in the Manusmṛti (Codes of law and living according to Manu). Chapter 4 verse 176:
“परित्यजेदर्थकामौ यौ स्यातां
धर्मवर्जितौ । धर्मं चाप्यसुखोदर्कं लोकविक्रुष्टमेव च ॥”
“One should forsake wealth and pleasure that are
against Dharma. One should also forsake the Dharma that causes pain and
suffering, and causes distress to the world (i.e. populace).”
So the Hindu view of worldly affairs has always been
one of pragmatism and practicality. Dharma is to sustain us, not torture us.
Hinduism teaches us to adapt our external lives to the changing world around
us, while re-casting the ancient core fundamental truths into newer forms.
The current pandemic can be compared to a mini-Pralaya.
In such a dire situation, many of the current
so-called Sādhus ignored all common sense and knowledge and participated in the
Kumbh Mela despite knowing that the highly contagious virus is lurking around.
They got infected and died from the virus. These people cannot really be called
enlightened because they lacked even basic awareness of the current situation. They
are not following the wisdom tradition of the Saptarṣis.
(Originally published on my mirror blog on May 23, 2021, at https://goldenreed.wordpress.com/2021/05/23/a-lighthearted-look-at-the-coronavirus-through-the-symbolism-of-hindu-scriptures/)
