Wednesday, August 17, 2011

who will declare with audacity their secret sins?

 In response to a query as to why the great Pativrata's of Indian lore like Draupadi, Thulasi, Ahalya were depicted as blemished at some point of time.

There was evil in human beings at every point of time. The epics and lore first reported honestly what had happened. Then people tried to tamper the facts by superimposing the moral rules of different eras.. Social values change with the progress of time.. Right and wrong are relative and not absolute. Right and wrong also depend on the person who executes an action. Indra and Pandavas and other characters were strongmen of their era...so they could purchase praise for their actions. We have only to praise our chroniclers for reporting truth more or less intact. Interpretation is anybody's choice.
Kalidasa said in मालविकाग्नि मित्र, I believe "
पुराणमित्येव न साधु सर्वं नचापि काव्यं नवमित्यवर्यं।
सन्तः परीक्ष्याभिनवत् भजन्ते मूढः परप्रत्यनैकबुद्धिः॥
puraaNamityeva na saadhu sarvaM nachaapi kaavyaM navamityavaryaM.
santaH pariikSyaabhinavat bhajante muuDhaH parapratyanaiikabuddhiH..
‎"Nothing need be justified because it is mentioned in a Purana and novel ideas need not be rejected just because of their recent origin. The discerning people apply the test of logic before accepting anything, but the idiot simply follows things just because there were precedents." We have to congratulate the honesty of our ancient chroniclers rather than trying to justify wrong things, which would militate against reason. Indians never expected such blind following. We can just remember that cultural revolutions would have removed such objectionable parts from the lores in many other societies with artificial sophistication. Respect Krishna the geethacharya, respect Indra the leader of the Gods, respect Panchaali for her heroic upraise against oppression of females which ultimately created the epoch  of Mahabharatam. Is there any great person in this world without skeletons in his cupboard?  Puranas are there to read and understand the varying perspectives and cultural cross-currents and nobody need particularly like or dislike or emulate any puranic character. All must have been persons with flesh and blood at one point of time and also subject to the temptations of that period. Ahalya or Thulasi, might have erred on rare occasions and have paid the price for such errors. But who is perfect even today in this terra firma? And who will declare with audacity their secret sins?

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