No Rest for the Wicked

The story of Erysichthon gave me a very bitter sweet feeling. For one thing, I was glad Erysichthon was punished for his evilness. I have always felt there has to be some kind of punishment for people who are evil. Somehow, evil people always seem to get away with their schemes with impunity, so I was glad at least this time cruelty was punished. I felt like the spirit of the tree which said, "My pangs of death are eased by one thing-That you will never get away with this." (pg. 34, act?, scene ?). The problem is I felt really sorry for him when he was attacked by hunger. I can say for experience that there is no worse feeling than hunger or thirst (my mother has a hidden fear that we may become fat-thanks to my grandfather's absurd comments-so she decided we should eat very little. Even today she will do the impossible to stop us from eating a little more than necessary). That terrible fate he was punished with was so terrible I wouldn't wish it to the dirtiest scum that has ever wandered the face of the earth. I think any death is worse than starvation, and certainly reaching the point of eating yourself must be terrible. For me, there couldn't have been a worse punishment for Erysichthon. I still wonder why he sold his mother. I'm sure there were plenty other things he could have sold and gained a lot more money than selling an old weak woman, especially because she was the one who took care of you and raised you for as longs as you can remember. That was very stupid indeed.

Fear thy Family-in-Law!

As I read Alcyone's warning over her father's power, I couldn't help but connect it with my own family. Alcyone is daughter of Aeolus, master of the winds. Ceyx thought his trip was safe because his father in law would protect him, but he didn't know Aeolus wouldn't give him the special treatment he expected. The winds were too wild and they heeded no orders. Ceyx, Aeolus' son-in-law perished in the sea. It is a similar case with my father and my mother's parents. He frequently tells stories of how he had to endure terrible conditions in order to be accepted in the family. My father used to take my mother from college to her home. He invited her to the finest restaurants in the city and did her college homework (I still can't get over that). If this wasn't enough, he had to be approved by my mother's family! I really don't want to be mean, but I have never met a worst family than the Guarin's. To begin with, my grandfather, who is a 94 year old man but seems like if he were like 80, is exactly as troublesome as he was 30 years ago. Everything he says is sacred law, and every single detail that happens around the house has to be approved by him. My grandmother, on the other hand, is only there to obey to anyone's orders. She has had to endure living with my grandfather for 52 years! If I were her, I would have killed myself by now. My mother has five more siblings: Three sisters and two younger brothers. To this point, I still don't know which one is the worst of them. All of my cousins agree my mother is the least problematic sister of the family (imagine how bad the rest of them are!). My father had to withstand these people, always with a smile, in order to get married with my mom. One of the funniest stories my father has of his terrible experiences was when he got invited to Girardot. I think dad would've thought twice to go if he had known he was invited exclusively to wash dishes, clean the kitchen and attend mom's two brothers while she was out playing tennis. Honestly, I think my grandfather only let my mom date my dad because he was such a good mechanic. Dad said that almost all dates ended up in my grandfather making him fix their cars (he loves saving money, and he had earned a free mechanic that couldn't whine for worker rights). Miraculously, my dad finally got to marry my mother, and they have lived happily ever after for 23 years and hopefully counting.

The Creation of the World

This version of the birth of our world is just like every other version I have ever heard. The world was a dark inhabitable place, but then a god came and decides how everything should be arranged. What amazes me of this version is the science involved in the story. They even refer to some elements that make part of the periodic table. He mentions something about the heavier elements that sink to the center of the world (this would be iron and silicon, which are what make up the Earth's core. The water stays in the middle holding the Earth together, while fire and air, the lightest of the composers of Earth, go to the heavens with the god (water in the oceans and air in the sky). He also mentions that the center may not be dwelt in because it's too hot, the upper layers aren't habitable either because of the cold and snow, but the center could be lived on because god gave it a temperate climate. Indeed, it was a very scientific review of the creation of the Earth (even if it was written so long ago). The rest is very similar to the other versions. The god forms the shape of the surface (the mountains, the forests, the valleys the rivers and the lakes) and then leaves everything perfect, just as we see it now.

Again, I think Fantasia can make the scene of the inhabitable beginning very vivid (obviously, it skips the part of the god making things better and goes directly to the scientific version of the beginning of life in the next part of the video).

The Dawn of Understanding

Today I finally was able to understand what Krishna meant from the beginning of his teachings. It took me a lot of time and effort, but after today's discussion in class I was able to see what he meant all along. Krishna wants Arjuna to choose whether to fight or not, based on his teachings. This is why he mentions the relation between action, and inaction. He mentions detachment and discipline, and how a man is supposed to live by them to be able to enter his realm of no reincarnation and no change. They were all clues to help him decide whether he was supposed to kill his friends and family. According to Krishna's teachings, he was supposed to fight because it was his sacred duty. He had to do so detached of his feelings for his family, and at the same time beseech no reward from his action. I t would all be a sacrifice for Krishna, and for his accomplished duty, Krishna would take him to the realm of no change where he would find the true joy.

I am very happy because I was finally able to crack this code, but I'm not too satisfied with the real message. How come it is justified to kill and have war because it's one's sacred duty? I really don’t like the way Krishna justifies killing under his terms, "When one is free of individuality and his understanding is untainted, even if he kills these people, he does not kill and is not bound.” (18th Teaching, pg. 137, 17). If you believe in reincarnation it isn't too bad, but for me, we just have one life, and it isn't fair someone comes and kill with the excuse that he is doing it with detachment and isn’t looking for a final reward (no, that’s not too comforting). I don't know about the period where they were living, but today I don't think that part of the teachings is very acceptable. I just hope I never have to read these types of books again. They can be really controversial and somewhat confusing. And what’s worse, they make me feel like a bad person, even if I don’t believe in what he’s saying.

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The Final Truth of Krishna

 This is basically Krishna's message. Everything has to die someday, and they will all reincarnate, so why not kill them now? What Krishna actually wants Arjuna to understand is that he is the absolute truth, and anyone who lies in his infinite spirit is free of all pain and delusion. Obeying all his teachings and being a person detached of the senses, we may achieve becoming part of his realm of  no change. "Relinquishing all sacred duties to me, make me your own refuge; do not grieve, for I shall free you from all evils." (Teaching 18, pg 144, 66)

Too Many Hands to Handle

It is so impressive that after all this time Krishna claims to have lived; it is the first time he shows his true form to a mortal. "I revealed through self discipline my higher form, which no one but you has ever beheld..." (part 47). He has so many forms that seem to be the whole universe. He does seem to be what the world is made of, “You are the gods of wind, death, fire and water; the moon; the lord of life; the great ancestor..." (pg. 105 part 39). (Although no one should forget the other gods which are just as important as he is, no matter how many hands he can pull out of himself).

Now I understand why Krishna doesn't care for all the people who are going to die in the war. He is going to kill them later on, so why not save some time and let Arjuna do it. "Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha and Karna, and all other battle heroes are killed by me. Kill them without wavering; fight and you will conquer your foes in battle!" (pg. 104, part 34). Everyone and everything is under his power of living or dying. Even he is the one who decides who stops reincarnating and lives in the realm of no change. "Then search to find the realm that one enters without returning...reach that realm without change." (pg 124, part 4 and 5). He has decided that detached people who have cut the tree of senses can find this realm and forever dwell in it. "...cut this tree that has such deep roots with the sharp ax of detachment." (pg 123, part 3). (That's curious, no one had ever asked me to cut a tree before, like if it were a harmful parasite or weed).

Based on what I have read in this book, life and death isn't very important to the Hindu culture. That's alright I guess, and every culture has its own ways to view life and existence. Still, I don't think it's a good message that a god is asking a person to kill his family and friends. Like my teacher quoted once from one of her college professors," Sure we can be open minded, but not to the point that our brains fall out!"

The Supreme God

Krishna is a very arrogant god. He says he is the highest power over all the deities, and no god can beat his power. "...great souls devote themselves to my divine nature..." (part 13). "I am the rite, the sacrifice, the libation for the dead, the healing herb, the sacred hymn..." (part 16). He is life and death; being and unbeing, and the knowledge of true peace and happiness. In other words, if it weren't for him, there would be no order in the world, and we'd live in chaos and destruction.

To this I can't be so sure. In Hinduism there are countless other gods and deities, all worshipped by different people for different reasons. They also make part of the universe and they also play a role as powerful beings that make the world go round. Krishna is not the only one to which people have to listen to. Anyway, he has nothing to brag about. He has to share power with a hundreds of other deities that are probably just as powerful as he is, and surely more popular. Ganesha, Vishnuv and Shiva are more important than Krishna in Hinduism, and I think they have more followers than he does.

Krishna said, "Gathering in my own nature, again and again I freely create this whole throng of creatures, helpless in the force of my nature." (part 8). This reminded me of the part in Fantasia 2000's Firebird by Igor Stravinsky. Since this is a story of life, death and rebirth, I thought it would fit well with Krishna's ranting of the never dying soul.