Culture as a valuable mediator

Main Page » COMMUNITIES » .. Debashish Banerji » Editorials Jyoti Editorial - February 2006 by Debashish on Tue 14 Feb 2006 06:21 AM PST Permanent Link Jyoti Editorial - February 2006 by Debashish

Since the last issue of Jyoti appeared in 2004, much has shaken the worlds, both global and local. Tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides and floods have fissured our complacent formations, spewing the denizens of earth's bowels - the djinns, ifrits, balrogs and other distortions - into our midst. These amplified groans from the torture chambers of the deep have suddenly pulled our attention to the uncontrollable chthonic forces under our feet, the fragile reality of our human condition - just when the crust of civilization seemed thickest , and science and technology seemed ready to proclaim the victory of the Mind, western white man's special "enlightened" prerogative, to the four quarters, heaven and earth and the underworld. The psycho-sphere is no less shaken and in spite of the confident gestures of superpower presidents, a subconscious fear spreads its slippery grains through the elaborate infrastructure of our global dreams - have we failed as a race? is it only a matter of time before the "civilized world" falls prey to the anarchy of the dispossessed, the chinks in its armor all too vulnerable and never foolproof?

In early times when the Indian nation was being forged by the gods after the subcontinental drift had pushed its land mass into the continent of Asia, a similar instability was an everyday fact. Of these times, there is a myth, which tells of the encounter between Shiva and the ten-headed demon king, Ravana. What may be perceived as an earthquake in the Himalayas revealed itself to the inner sight of the seers as a psycho-drama involving the gods and the rakshasas, a lesson we would do well to take to heart today. Ravana approached Shiva in Mount Kailash and sought his audience for a boon. Shiva at the time was immersed in the blissful manifestation of the divine worlds, his sport with Parvati. But the impatient and tortured Ravana sought an immediate response and dug under the enormous icy mountain to shake it from the roots with his hundred hands. The denizens of the mountain scattered like dust off the back of a convulsing elephant and the heavenly damsels fled for fear. Even Parvati, Mother of the worlds, was alarmed and held fast to her Lord . Extending his palm outwards in the gesture of fearlessness, Shiva, seated in lalitasana, took a moment to push down lightly with his right foot. The pressure was just enough to pin the limbs of the raging demon, shut in tightly under the mountain. Ravana, thus painfully incapacitated, sent up a great cry of agony to the Lord and Mother of the world and proceeded to sing the praises of Shiva in a hymn that lasted a thousand years and expressed every creature's awe and wonder in the glory of the Divine. At the end of this period, Shiva relented and released Ravana, granting him the audience and boon that he sought.

The Ariels and Calibans call on us to take up Prospero's wand. But what power will emanate through this wand? Is it the power of Technology, the false Enlightenment of the European 17th century or is it the Enlightenment of Shiva, the supramental Lord of the mountain of Creation. To differentiate between these two is a first essential step. But to do the Divine Works which alone is the demand of the Time Spirit, we must ask for preparation, for the Yoga of Self-Perfection, so that we may acquire the Skill to master and transform - Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam.

It is to this Skill-in-Works, the special gift of Mahasaraswati that this editorial, written on Saraswati Puja Day, 2006, is dedicated. Her Grace through Shiva and Vishnu and Brahma, through the Shining Hosts and the human instruments, will alone rivet the infrastructure without fear, the technology of the Spirit. Appearing under the auspice of SCIY, with its emphasis on the dialog between Science and Yoga with Culture as a valuable mediator, this issue of Jyoti is naturally focused on these issues. We hope it provides food for reflection and more importantly, helps to kindle the aspiration which brings Dynamic Knowledge, Skill in Works. Keywords: Publications