From playschool to graduation, the ministry and the state board of education has put in multitude of efforts to educate its pupils on “Our Universe” implying the Cosmos to be a penny plain consequence of a random event labeled “Big Bang”, based on the research and discoveries so far in the field of science. From childhood until now, the world’s religious institutions have put in relentless effort to educate its pupils on “Our Universe” implying the Cosmos to be a wondrous consequence of Intelligent Design by God, an omnipresent benevolent supreme being.
The flag bearers of Cosmos of Randomness has made a dull-witted peace with the hard problem of consciousness and the flag bearers of the Cosmos of Intelligent design have wrecked the world peace in the game of thrones fighting for the claim of their respective House Lords to the Seven Continents as “First of his name, King of the Andals and First men, the Unburnt, Breaker of Chains, Khal of the Great Grass Sea, Father of Disdained and Protector of the Realm”.
Caught in the tug-of-war between the schools of Contingent Creation and Cognitive Creation and contemplating on where the belief in either schools got its believers to, some found it pragmatic to relinquish belief and settled for sense and sensibility that goes something like “I don’t know…I probably will not know…but I will be open to life and its possibilities”.
One such open road led to a realm in the the elevated land of Karnataka State in Incredible India. The realm is Pattadakal and Aihole that hallmarks its temple pillars with ancient wisdom of epic Mahabharata. Before we probe the prudence in this epic, some practical details.
Pattadakal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a highlight of Chalukyan architecture during 5th and 6th Century CE. It was the political captital of Chalukyas of the time.
Aihole is on the pending list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. It was the first capital of Chalukyas which was later shifted to Pattadakal. It features a several temples that were used by Chalukyan artisans as experimental structures which was the reason Aihole earned its title of being the “Cradle of Indian Architecture”.
Best time to visit: Throughout the year
Getting here:
- Nearest International Airport: Bengaluru
- Nearest Domestic Airport: Hubli
- By road: Pattadakal is 450 kms from Bengaluru ( 8.5 hours)
- By train: From Yesvantpur Junction, Bangalore to Badami (nearly takes 12 hours). Pattadakal is 22 kms from Badami and Aihole is 14 kms from Pattadakal.
Recommended Stay: Stay in Badami at The Heritage Resort
Pattadakal and Aihole can be done as day trips from Badami. It can be planned as a long weekend getaway or clubbed with visit to nearby Heritage sites viz Hampi and Badami, making it a week long extravaganza.
Pattadakal
Countryside: Pattadakal to Aihole drive
Aihole
Reflections
Mahabharata is an epic that is an odyssey of a royal family saturated with dramatic episodes of dignity and deception, virtue and vanity, courage and cowardice, malevolence and benevolence, remission and retribution, greed and generosity, spite and spirituality, leaving a pedigree of prudence from the wars fought on the battlefield and those fought in the field between the heart and head.
The beauty of this bountiful epic is, it demands no belief and respects one’s free will and experiential evidence to appreciate the veracity of its premise. Here is perceived drop of rationality from this epic.
Self Awareness
The source of all creation from matter to man is one. A man is an amalgamation of five elements, five senses, a unique combination of guna traividya meaning three inherent characteristics viz satva( wisdom), rajas (narcissistic ego) and tamas (ignorance) and life energy. Life energy is that intelligence inherent to life and its consciousness.
- Based on the laws of conservation of energy (where energy can neither be created or destroyed but can be converted from one form to another), this life energy in a man is indeed a fragment of the larger creative energy and universal consciousness. Just like a drop of ocean has every property of the ocean in itself, every life too has the characteristic and power as that, in the source of creation.
- The Guna Traividya is the root of human nature, human behavior and human action.
Every illustration above is indeed in human experience or logical reasoning. There is no refute to the claim to the source of creation being one from any thriving school of thought from science to religion. Guna Traividya offers a coherent explanation to why there has been no time and there plausibly shall not be a time in future too, when we can move the entire humanity to “all good”. The play of varied levels of wisdom, narcissistic ego and ignorance in every human is the ground to the multiplex of virtues we see and experience. Even within ourselves, we are more grey than black or white.
What is the significance of this wisdom of Self Awareness?
The beauty of this illustrious articulation of self is that, it is at a very elementary level, universal and in human experience. The identities we pick up, be it of gender, geography, grade, group etcetera are merely contextual and a veil we force upon ourselves. This self awareness also evokes:
- a sense of empathy which aids in calibration of our goals of an idealistic society of “all good”
- a brotherhood without banners in mankind that kindles compassion towards every animate and inanimate on earth
- a clarity of thought on born identities vs acquired identities which aids in an introspection if it is worth harboring empathy and brotherhood for all mankind or sabotaging our lives and of ones around us fighting for acquired identities we are not born with or have no consequence in the larger context of cosmic living.
Conscious Action
As per theory of “Cosmos of Randomness”, entire universe evolved out of nothingness, a black hole. Hence there is no divine purpose whatsoever in being but a game between life and death. As per theory of “Cosmos of Intelligent design”, universe evolved out of nothingness too where at one point there was a supreme being with no specific characteristic that can be attached to this being( hence referred to as Nirguna Brahman) and creation was an act of game indulged by the creator with every move and rule determined by the creator and every player being the creator too. It is like one playing chess on both sides.
There are four aspects to the game and as illustrated in the epic:
Player: Every life is a player here. The role one takes on of being a child, student, spouse, citizen, friend, lover etcetera, are all like the roles we take on in a game. At every stage in the game, know that this is a game and play the game with full involvement true to the role but knowing its a game. Do not let the roles define you or consume you as its only a role in context of a game. Anchored to this larger metaphysical reality, brings out the best of one in every role not strayed in the melodrama of emotions.
Play field: This world is a play field. Enter it knowing its a play field and don’t be surprised of foul play from fellow players. Be realistic in expectations on play field and your sphere of influence with regard to what part of the play you can control and what is beyond control. Also be ready to be witness excellence of highest order from fellow players and let it inspire you but not consume you. Adrift to either polarities disturbs the internal equilibrium of life energy.
Rules: There are only two rules. First is: Give your best…be your best. Play fully engaged and have fun! Secondly: You cannot run away from the game.
Result: In a game, exhibit sportsmanship for results. Results orientation is great and play to win! But do not let the final result affect you!
The Karma Theory articulated in Mahabharata is essentially summarized above using the a surmise of Game – which is a guide to conscious action. Whilst Guna Traividya determines human behavior and action, the power of consciousness is a man’s flight to transcend the entanglement of the three inherent gunas. Reminisce that the consciousness is a fragment of universal consciousness that is pure and bereft from any specific characteristic but a sublime power to transcend the limitations that enslave human action. It is key to bring that consciousness into human action.
Power of Love
It is indisputable that it is the colors of love we experience that makes life beautiful. The field of science has proclaimed “Good health” as being a cultivation of chemistry(in the name of hormones – serotonin, dopamine, endorphin, oxytocin) in human from this state of love. The Harvard University in its longest study conducted ever in history of mankind as concluded that ” Good relationships are the foundation of human happiness”. The Mahabharata epic illustrates the colors of love and the contrast of how these colors of love exhibited by a Self Aware Yogi and those who are entangled in the nets of Guna Traividya.
The rasas or colors of love are five fold
Vatsalya Rasa : Parental love
Dasya Rasa: Servitorship
Shakya Rasa: Friendship
Santa Rasa: Detached from materialistic entanglements or in state of total devotion to mystical power of source of creation
Madhurya Rasa: Conjugal love
Every form of love has its polarities and the epic clearly shows with splendid examples on how love can be a road to spiritual emancipation or a desperate desolation of life. The episodes of Lord Krishna is a testimony to the exhibition of love by a Yogi of highest order and how it enables one to raise the consciousness to pass through the process of life like a dance. Whilst the episodes of deluded expression of love are shown through the episodes of following characters who vandalized the peace and future of a nation crushing the innocent in their heedless indulgence of alleged “love”.
- Vatsalya: Dritharashtra and Drona
- Dasya – Bhishma
- Shakya: Karna
- Santa: Pandu
- Madhurya: Shantanu
Pattadakal and Aihole has the whole of Mahabharata inscribed as an art and it it worth getting this on your travel plans for sheer ancient wisdom.
Very nice presentation.😃
Very well articulated Archana.. I’ve been to this place many a times… You said it differently..