Ancient verses on fire

By Arun Gupto

Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad, about the act of offering the gift to fire, sings of its power that purifies breath, speech, eye, ear, mind and semen. And the most frequently quoted verse is from Chandogya Upanishad: One who seeks to guard oneself. This is the verse: The plunderer of gold, the liquor-drinker, the invader of a teacher's bed, the Brahman-killer and he who consorts with them.

The person, who knows the five-fire doctrine (Panchagnividya in Sanskrit), is never stained with evil. The person becomes pure, clean and possesses the sacred world.

From the Vedas to modern literature of Hindu traditions, fire has been a major object of reverence. Agni is the god of fire. He is the earliest of Vedic gods and only next in importance to Indra, the King of Heaven. Agni rules the south-east. In later times, in Puranic texts- the mythical narratives- he occupied subordinate positions, and still retains his significance. Agni is identified with fierce form of Shiva, and in this form he is called Rudra. He is the protector and purifier of all ceremonies. Sita, wife of Ram in the Hindu epic Ramayana, has to go through an ordeal of fire to prove her chastity. The fire worship was systematically developed by the Aryans when they settled in the Indus valley.

Fire is regarded as the son of heaven and earth, and in some Puranas he is believed to be the son of the Hindu God Brahma, the creator. In other accounts, he is regarded as the son of Saint Kasyap and his wife Aditi.

In some earliest Hindu accounts, Agni along with Marutas and Indra are believed to be the three creators of the universe. Bhrigus, the descendants of mythical saint Bhrigu, are said to have established the tradition of worshipping of fire on earth. Hindus have havan, hom or sacrificial fire because Agni witnesses and cleanses their ceremonies, rituals and events. According to the Vedic texts, Agni has three forms: fire on earth, lightning in atmosphere and sun in the Heaven. Agni was once called upon by gods to kill flesh-eating Rakchhas (demons), known as Kravyads, and he defeated them by consuming them. Swaha is Agni's consort. Once, Agni developed a strong passion for the wives of the seven saints called Saptarishis. To satisfy his desire, the rejected Swaha (Agni) took the forms of the six virtuous wives of the seven saints. Out of her (Swaha) six meetings with her husband, a son Kumara or Kartikeya was born.

In artistic manifestations, Agni is seen as a red man with three flaming heads, seven arms and wearing a garland of fruits and riding on a ram. Various images of  flame, one of the weapons of Shiva and Agni, can be seen in shrines of Nepal.

During the last month's festival, Dashain or Dashahara and Laxmi puja (Laxmi is the goddess of wealth), fire was an important object to purify  religious ceremonies. It is frequently used in almost all  religious rituals of the Hindus.

In the Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad, an oblation in the fire is sung in these modes: "To the chiefest, hail! To the best hail! - he makes an oblation in the fire, and pours  the remaining in the mixed potion. A hail to breath!"

"To the most excellent, hail! - he makes an oblation in the fire and pours the remaining in the mixed potion. A hail to the eye!" "To attainment hail! - he makes an oblation in the fire and pours   the remaining in the mixed potion. A hail to the ear!"

"To the abode, hail!- he makes an oblation in the fire and pours the remaining in the mixed potion. A hail to the mind!"

To procreation, hail! - he makes an oblation in the fire and pours  the remaining in the mixed potion. A hail to the semen!"

The interesting irony is that Agni consumes everything and yet preserves his purity. The power to remain pure comes from the metaphoric act of godhood to accept all that is there in the Universe. The consummation can be symbolically interpreted as a divine acceptance of both good and evil, though acceptance does not mean approving the both. Such divine purpose does not discard evil as an alien. The consummation connotes that such act can purify everything, the good to the level of perfection and the evil to good. Such consummation are referred in many other mythical tales in the Hindu myths. The killing of the buffalo demon by Goddess Durga with a smiling gesture, the playful dance of Lord Krishna over the hood of a huge snake who was poisoning a pond and the lying demon in a privileged position under the dancing feet of Shiva can be just a few examples of treating evil with a divine acceptance. The acceptance itself transforms the evil into purity. That is why Durga smiles when she "kills" or consumes the demon; Krishna plays and Shiva dances, and yet they remain pure. Agni, too, consumes everything, and yet remains pure, purifying the other simultaneously.

The ancient Hindu verses also refer to the sound of fire that can be heard ,when one closes his or her ears. Fire, thus, closes off the sound of the outside world, and creates a sound of fire that purifies thoughts. Listening to the sound of the fire after silencing the external world, one engages oneself in the act of inner purification.

(The essay on Nepali literature is published in the first week of every month and is coordinated by the Literary Association of Nepal)

Bane of bandh

By Shama

Even as the Nepalese economy is on a course to compete in the global market, the scourge of bandhs - a major stumbling block to globalization and industrial growth - still exists. Bandhs not only result in a colossal loss of production, but also make foreign investors and tourists wary.

A series of protests kicked off in Kathmandu and in other places of Nepal to protest the price hike of POL products. All opposition parties have announced protests against the increase in the price of petroleum products. One of them,  already  announced by a grouping of nine communist parties, is to culminate in a two-day nationwide strike on 16 and 17th November. The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) says it incurs a loss of Rs 10 per litre of subsidised   kerosene, which means that the subsidy burden could be as high as Rs 900 million, if 40,000 families are provided the subsidy. Last year, NOC supplied 319,158 kilolitres of diesel and 298,351 kilolitres of kerosene.

Recently, the main opposition ,Communist Party of Nepal (UML), has called for strikes and demonstrations, but  have offered no solutions to rein in the so-called oil price hike. The recent price hike of the petroleum products received criticism from all  political parties and organisations. Even if the opposition succeeds in bringing about a price revision through time-tested methods, they cannot put off the inevitable. If not today,  people will have to bear the burden tomorrow, and the burden will be heavy. So, it is better to bear the pain today than be crippled tomorrow. Who knows future? This is the time to realise this.

The oil sector has always found it difficult to convince people that revisions are something to be undertaken in their stride. Among various reasons, is the ugly fact that a rise in oil price triggers inflation. It is not only the transport sector that is being hit, but innumerable products that get affected by a chain reaction in price hike. Even if by some quirk, the crude oil price slides down, it will make no difference because, as the saying goes, "Oil prices may wane, but users don't gain".

Despite efforts by Asian countries to insulate their economics from the pain of rising oil prices, their growth is likely to be crippled, which will further depress their already battered currencies. "Asia is more vulnerable than most other regions of the world to rising oil prices because it is hugely reliant on imported crude oil, and is the manufacturing hub of the world,"  says Mr Pieter van der Schaft, economist at Barclays Capital.

The proposed two-day bandh will no doubt paralyse the movement of goods and result in  a loss of millions of rupees. The bandhs call for the complete halt of all transportation, closure of educational institutes, factories and market places to protest the government's failure to address the issue of petroleum price hike. A study has shown that a day's closure of business can cause losses of Rs 30 million in Kathmandu alone. Only the rickshaw pullers enjoy the steady demand of their venerable service.

Bandh has come under criticism from   tourism sector as well. With the tourist season just round the corner, a two- day closure means four days off, including official holidays. It is high time for a law to be enacted to regulate bandhs so that the freedom guaranteed under the Article of the Constitution can be restored.

Bandh calls, especially by political parties, mean that people are not expected to attend  their offices and  travel   agencies  to carry on with their trade. There is a threat - expressed or implied - that any attempt to ignore a bandh call would endanger  life and property. Fear would be instilled in  citizens, which precludes them from exercising their fundamental rights.

It would, therefore, be naive to say that a bandh call does not necessarily involve threats or creation of fear psychosis. Politicians often openly proclaim that those who ignore bandh calls would be dealt with severely.

In the past, there are umpteenth instances of bandhs having resulted in losses of human life, violence and damage to public property. When a citizen is prevented from attending to his work, profession or business, it is undoubtedly a violation of his fundamental rights.

 A bandh is distinctly different from a general strike or hartal. It gives  warning to citizens that if they carry on with their normal activities, they would be  physically prevented from doing so. And if any citizen defies this warning, he has to risk injury or  property damage.

It is therefore, the duty of the state to either prohibit or curtail bandh. Against this backdrop, it is the duty of the government to either prohibit or curtail bandhs by enacting a legislation so that the fundamental rights of  citizens guaranteed under the constitution  could not be   encroached by political parties and organisations which, in any case, owe a responsibility to the well -being of  citizen on whose support their existence depends. Though there has been much resistance while the government banned  torch light processions, keeping in view the hazards it might create. Let us fight against demonic bandhs with all the force at our disposal.

Garbage vs heritage

By Oj Man Singh Shrestha

As the only Hindu kingdom in the world, Nepal indeed has her own unique identity where the deities co-mingle with the people. We believe and worship our "33 crore Devi and Devtas with great  reverence". Fortunately, even the current number of the population and the growth rate have not exceeded this number and in the future a new Citizenship Act might flood this tiny nation.

Essentially, as Hindus, people have great respect, spiritual attachment and affinities with  rivers like  Bagmati and   Bishnumati; places like Gokarna, Bauddha, Guheswori, Gaurighat, Pashupati, Kalmochan, Teku and  many more. A river is considered holy and divine and an ablution in the Bagmati is taken as  purification of  body, mind and soul. Honestly speaking, the river Bagmati and all the above sites are closely associated with our daily life, culture, and heritage. Our identity is based upon our culture which incorporates many aspects like values, attitudes, customs, lifestyles, and has deep- rooted connections with the past. It is that integral part of the culture which is transmitted from one generation to the other.

The recognition of Kathmandu Valley as one of the World Heritage Sites is in  fact  very closely linked with all these.   There is a chain relationship with disciplines like art, literature, architecture, history and archaeology. Our forefathers created all these in the past, which at present is our  part and  parcel of life. The process and the cycle is continuing and will continue in the future as well. 

The origin of Katmandu Valley, according to the historians, is linked with the sacred river Bagmati, the boon from Lord Shiva, the one associated with the "Speech". This river is the religious and cultural vein of Kathmandu and the whole nation where  sage Ne Muni had performed devotion and practised austerities. Likewise, there are still  many beliefs and myths, but one of the most significant of them at present is: "She is one of the major source of drinking water for the wailing Kathmanduites".

Hindus and Buddhists all believe river water as "Jal" and it is believed to have immense spiritual power to purify ,as well as to carry the soul of the deceased  to Heaven. River Bagmati, in this regard, is considered as one of the most sacred  rivers wherein the Kathmanduites perform all major religious rituals from birth till death. The holy water was supposed to have curative power, and therefore, the sick and the dying people were brought to the river banks for treatment.

We have read and heard many times that those, who have  been given  hopes, often revive and return home. The last wish of the dying man was to be placed on the "Brahmanal" (a slopped stone slab) so that their feet could touch the holy water and  allow the spirit pass away easily. River water is  poured into the mouth of the dead before cremation. Once the body is cremated, the ashes are washed away in the river. We believe this because it is our tradition. We also believe that the river carries the departed soul downstream through all   holy shrines , and finally, to the Heaven.

All above mentioned facts are not my personal imagination and illusions, but the truth based upon our religion and  faith. It is also true that river Bagmati and her sister tributaries 50 years ago were so clean that the people at present can hardly believe it. She had plenty of water, sand and   greenery on the banks, providing shelter to birds. Also, it  had many aquatic animals. But the present state needs no mention here. Although the dead body is taken to   riverbanks, the  water is not poured into the mouth of the dead before the cremation. The holy water has now become "untouchable". This is the reality and everyone knows it including the prime minister. Many projects have been developed and some dignitaries have even laid the foundation stone with the proposition of the UN Park. Still more, affluent and benevolent people are showing interest to clean certain areas and rename the place in the  memory the deceased .

River Bagmati is an open book of our Nepalese nature, environment, culture and heritage. She has been allowing everyone to do anything he or she likes- from mixing  the untreated public sewage to the effluents from factories and  motor garages. She is tolerant. She has been constantly providing sand at the cost of her life. Surprisingly, she does not belong to anyone although everyone belongs to her. Therefore, encroachment from    various sectors, has become a trivial matter.

 The Bishnumati river has already been used as a dumping site and access road built with good engineering skills.  Without future vision, Bagmati and Bishnumati cannot be purified. But now, the time has come for our bureaucrats,  planners and mayors to make the river bank  "the dumping site" and then build metallic road over it.

It is quite embarrassing to mention that the riverbank is being used as a dumping site. The whole gamut of  story tells   that dumping site and solid waste management is one of the most favourite "hot cakes" of  our politicians, planners and  bureaucrats. It is a matter of shame and sorrow to read and know about the decision of the dumping site. Until there is lack of strong will and determination, matched by political honesty and high morality, nothing will happen and change.

The present scenario depicts   irresponsible people in responsible positions.  Moral value of   politicians,  attitudes and the behaviours of the growing number of population towards unaccountability is definitely a set back to the Katmandu's heritage. Whatever precautionary measures are taken, the dumping site near the river, at the threshold of 21st century is a mockery of human rationality. This is an open challenge to  people. As  we are Hindus and  Buddhists,  , we  have still not been able to construct electric incinerators for the cremation of  dead bodies. The idea and planning of these might have struck  many, but it has still been a far-fetched dream.

Our river is our responsibility,   culture and  heritage. The time has already come to be aware and analyze the mistakes done in the past decades. Repentance in  future cannot improve the situation.  Rather, it may be aggravated. Instead of watching and remaining silent to government's decisions, it is high time we  united to understand  problems and voice against the evil. This is for our own good and for the sake of our future generation. The people did not initiate People's Movement to worsen the situation. Before   someone lambasts our inexcusable mistakes and  unaccountability, let us realise our duty.