Historical Rama Book review

The Ramayana is one of the best-known epics of India and has inspired thousands of generations throughout the world. I have taken great inspiration from this work and produced several drawings inspired by scenes from it. So when I saw the book Historical Rama by D.K. Hari and D.K. Hema Hari I was very enthusiastic to read it. I had wondered about the historical roots of Indian epics such as The Ramayana and The Mahabharata when I read them. Both works have immense spiritual depth and profound knowledge. But the seemingly fantastical imagery of some scenes in these works might make their historicity unclear to the reader.

Historical Rama is an in-depth look into the question of whether or not Rama was indeed a historical king of ancient India. The authors of this work use an exhaustive inter-disciplinary approach to addressing this question. These scholarly disciplines include Literature, Geography, Archaeology, local traditions/lore, and the newly emerging science of Archaeo-Astronomy- which involves determining a date based on planetary alignments input to a software called Planetarium. The research conducted by the authors present a solid argument that Rama was indeed a historical king of India, who is determined to have lived approximately 5000 BCE.

One of the strongest arguments in favor of Rama being a historical king come from the existence of a bridge between India and Sri Lanka known as the Nala Setu, also called Adam’s Bridge. This bridge is believed to be a manmade structure, and the only account in all world literature or history that describes such a bridge being built is The Ramayana. Those familiar with the story would know that Rama’s wife Sita was abducted by the demon Ravana, king of Sri Lanka. Rama sets out with his brother and an army of Vanara, who are described as monkeys. The question of whether or not Hanuman, Rama’s ally, and his Vanara brethren were literally monkeys is addressed in the book, but is not the focus. It is this army that builds the Nala Setu bridge to Sri Lanka.

The authors believe that because the Nala Setu is the oldest known manmade structure on Earth it should be recognized as a World Heritage site. Not only is the historicity of Rama’s kingship proven in the book, but this work also explores newly developed and fascinating new research methods- such as Archaeo-Astrology- that will most likely affect the way research regarding ancient history is conducted in the future.

For anyone with an interest in ancient history, world cultures and heritage, academic research, literary epics and the way they relate to the world, or even the lives of persons who are believed to be Divine, I would recommend Historical Rama. It is a work that can be appreciated by anyone with a love for learning about the roots of the world’s richest cultures.

Elements of Harmony

Most people want to be happy and have peace in their lives. But so many people have trouble doing this. Their lives and their minds are ruled by discord, and this brings sorrow and misery, often causing them to project these things onto others- even when they don’t mean to. Is there anything people can do about this? How can an individual overcome discord and find harmony in life?

All of the world’s religions and spiritual institutions offer steps to attain peace and happiness in life. Unfortunately many times these values and ideals get distorted by individuals, and turn what could be a very useful and beneficial thing for people into an instrument for suffering. This really is an unfortunate occurrence. People who wish to pursue spiritual endeavors must look within themselves and follow a path that works for them. There are many out there, and I would whole-heartedly encourage anyone to pursue such things if they have an interest in doing so. Understanding deep spiritual principles and profound knowledge is far beyond me to teach at the moment. Still, I wish to use my writing- both in and outside this blog- to help people in some way, even if it is only a small and simple way. So it is with this article I hope to discuss different elements that can help a person maintain happiness and peace in their lives. Here are six ideals that can help with this:

Kindness- What happens when we show kindness to someone? How does it make us feel? How does it feel when others show it to us? Making a habit of kindness will help improve the quality of life.

Loyalty- Doesn’t it feel good to give continued support to people, ideas, and principles you believe in? Maintaining loyalty to good things helps increase motivation and enthusiasm.

Generosity-  It has been said that when we give freely to others, we are the ones who gain. Have you ever experienced this? If not, try it out. You’ll be glad you did ;)

Honesty- The truth shall set you free. This doesn’t always mean just making statements that are true. This can be part of it. Living with sincerity is important. Be honest and true to yourself and others. Others will respect you- or at least the best of them will.

Laughter- Having good humor and the ability to laugh is invaluable. So many people lead productive and industrious lives, but lose their smile in the meantime. Don’t let this happen. Think of that one friend who always livens things up and keep in regular contact with that person. Don’t have a friend like that? Find one, or even better become that person yourself.

Friendship- All of the things listed above will foster good and lasting friendship, and this is a good thing. It has been said, “Your company can make it hell for you even in heaven…or heaven for you even in hell.”

I am not a philosopher and I really did not make up any of the statements listed above. These values have been around forever. They transcend time, as well as race and culture and background and income levels. So many people compare themselves to others and judge themselves harshly through superficial means. My advice, for what it’s worth, is- don’t judge yourself at all. Instead, just keep the values listed above in mind. Sometimes even just thinking about them and what they mean can be helpful. Give it a try and see for yourself. You may be surprised at how much nicer life becomes.

As always, thank you for reading.

Mike

Was Odin Racist?

A thought occurred to me that I thought would make the basis for a good article, so here goes. As many people who know me are aware, I’ve had a continuing interest in world mythologies and ancient religions. I always found the Norse lore to be very interesting as it is quite unique, yet still has some definite similarities to other ancient world literature. This fascination is widespread, and the Norse lore has inspired artist throughout the centuries, even after the indigenous religions of Europe were no longer commonly practiced. From Richard Wagner to J.R.R. Tolkien to Marvel Comics, the Norse lore has had a definite influence on world cultures. However, the imagery and motifs that appear in the ancient Norse literature have been used by racist movements in (relatively) recent times. This begs the question of whether or not this is appropriate. Do the stories of Odin and Thor that have come to us from ancient days actually condone racism?

If one studies the Norse myths, they may notice that various races of beings live throughout the cosmos and influence the lives of humans on Earth. This concept is nothing new- just about every mythology and religion contains some type of spiritual entities that exist beyond the physical plane. These types of beings are usually categorized as “angelic” (positive; good) or “demonic” (negative; destructive), but the lines within the Norse literature are not as clearly defined. Odin is the ruler of the gods of Asgard and their rivals are the Jotuns(also called Giants). Many Jotuns are enemies of the gods and humanity, and are often kept at bay by the Norse thunder god Thor. However, not all of the Jotuns are hostile toward the gods or humanity. In fact, some of the Norse gods even intermarry and start families with the Jotuns. The god Frey gives up his prized sword to marry the Jotun princess Gerd. Thor has a family with the Jotun woman Jarnsaxa and has sons with her before he marries the harvest goddess Sif. Some anti-racist sects of New Age spiritual movements have cited these details from the Norse lore as strong evidence that this literature does not condone racism, because if it did the gods would not intermarry with the Jotuns who are a different race. This argument makes sense, but perhaps the Norse literature has other ways of addressing this issue.

The racists often use a specific Norse myth as evidence of segregationist racial ideology existing in ancient Norse literature. This myth involves the god Heimdall, a son of Odin who guards the rainbow bridge Bifrost (entrance to Asgard, home of the gods) and is credited with being the progenitor of humankind. A story exists in which Heimdall descends to Earth and spends a night at the home of three separate couples. The first couple is crude and stupid, and the offspring that come from them share those characteristics. The next couple is less crude but not quite sophisticated enough for Heimdall’s tastes either. This couple also has children. The third couple is beautiful and intelligent, and Heimdall favors the offspring of this couple most. This myth explains the basis of the social structure of ancient times- which every ancient civilization has had in some manner. It is difficult to deny that this myth has a slight tone of elitism, but it does not state in any way that the three couple were different races. In fact, it seems much more plausible that each of the couples were all the same race, but of varying degrees of sophistication. This can occur in any society, anywhere in the world. Racists may try to use this myth to fit their agenda, but to say that this myth is evidence of racialism existing in ancient Norse literature is a weak argument at best.

Perhaps the strongest proof that ancient Norse literature did not endorse racism, but possibly even supported positive interracial relations, comes from the relationship between Odin and Loki. Odin is the king and forefather of the Aesir, the race of Norse gods, and Loki is from the Jotun race. Despite this, Odin swears an oath of brotherhood to Loki. This was described in Norse literature as a blood oath. If Odin was a racist, would he really have mixed his blood with a Jotun? One could argue that Odin’s oath to Loki eventually brought about the downfall of the gods, and that this is evidence of Norse literature warning against having interracial ties. But to make this claim would deny all of the other relationships between the Aesir and Jotuns that benefitted both parties- such as the union of Frey and Gerd, and the union of Thor and the Jotun Jarnsaxa. The latter produced the sons of Thor, who survived the final battle of Ragnarok. This means that Loki is the exception, not the rule. His betrayal of the gods stems more from personal issues of his own rather than tensions between their backgrounds. Last but not least, the dispute between Odin and Loki triggers the battle of Ragnarok in which most of creation perishes before it is born again. This can very well indicate that tension between peoples- regardless of their race, religion, etc. – will cause great chaos and destruction. This may very well be the Norse lore’s way of telling humanity the importance of getting along.

Ultimately, I find no evidence to suggest that the ancient Norse literature endorses a racist viewpoint. If anything, it seems there is more evidence to the contrary. Anyone interested in this topic is of course free to read the literature and come to their own conclusions. I just wanted to publish this article to show that individuals with a specific agenda should not be allowed to monopolize ancient literary texts, which I believe to be a valuable part of world heritage.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Book Review for "Stumbling Into Infinity: An Ordinary Man in the Sphere of Enlightenment" by Michael Fischman

For anyone interested in spiritual topics and engaging autobiographies I would strongly recommend the book Stumbling Into Infinity: An Ordinary Man in the Sphere of Enlightenment by Michael Fischman. This book gives a first-person look at what it is like to know and interact with an Enlightened master on a personal level. Michael Fischman is an Art of Living teacher and former President of the United States branch of The Art of Living Foundation. This book is much more than a novel-length advertisement for the Art of Living, however. This is the story of a modern man trying to find his identity and a higher purpose in life. Michael Fischman comes from a middle-class Jewish family from New York, so he did not start out with any close connection to Eastern philosophies or spiritualities in his early life. He came to discover these things as he pursued his hopes of finding fulfillment and happiness.

One of the best aspects of this book in my opinion is how relatable Michael Fischman’s story is. His fear of mortality, anxiety over living up to high expectations, and difficulties in experiencing unrequited love make him someone any modern person can identify with. The author of this book had an interest in meditation, and through the Transcendental Meditation movement eventually came to know and follow Sri Sri Ravi Shankar- the spiritual Guru and founder of The Art of Living. The story is very moving and thought-provoking. It is also inspirational as Michael is accurately described as “an ordinary man” in the title. He is a modern-day American whose journey many people – even those not directly affiliated with the Art of Living – can identify with on many levels.

I admit that because I am affiliated with the Art of Living, I would naturally be drawn to a book like this. But the scope of this story transcends one distinct ideology, religion, or philosophy- just like the Art of Living Foundation itself. Stumbling Into Infinity is a book that can be appreciated by anyone with an interest in spirituality and discovering a deeper meaning to life. I believe that the biggest draw of this book is simply because it is a very human story with a positive message. So if you’re looking for something interesting or different to read, consider Stumbling Into Infinity: An Ordinary Man in the Sphere of Enlightenment. Once you start reading, you won’t want to put it down.

Jai Gurudev! (Hail the Inner Light!)

Mike Babbish