(c) John, Rekesh 2004-2008. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without the author's permission
16. War
Aliyah on war, the hidden meaning of the Mahabharata, and the forgiveness of sins.
“The madness of war!” exclaimed Eloise, gazing at the endless rows of gravestones and crosses that stretched from where she stood, seemingly all the way into infinity. “How can it even exist in a spiritual universe? Yet many religious scriptures are steeped in war!”
Eloise had attended a candlelight vigil the previous day, on the anniversary of an act of war on her country.(1) She had found herself highly emotional throughout its proceedings, and greatly perplexed as to the logic of it all. A subsequent visit to the national memorial cemetery did nothing to improve her morale.
“Some say it has to do with the so-called eternal conflict between good and evil,” replied Emma, taking her hand. “Scriptures use them as illustrations to tell you what you should and not do.”
Emma still frequented Aliyah’s family, and had even become a mentor to the young girl.
“Yeah? Well, some of those illustrations are simply disgusting! Read them and you wonder why people consider them holy scripture at all! Don’t you think a lot of evil in the world has come from religions?” Eloise questioned.
“Shh!” admonished Emma.
Aliyah placed her offering of roses in front of the grave. The white tombstone had a name etched on it, which was slowly fading from the onslaught of the elements through the many years it had stood there. She hung her head, whispered a prayer and stood in silence for a while. Sunlight poured through the trees and reflected on her hair, highlighting streaks of grey and white amid lush tresses. Then she turned away slowly from her father’s grave.
Aliyah walked towards Eloise, gathered her in her arms and the pair retraced their steps towards the chapel, followed by Emma close behind. They walked in silence till Emma caught up with them. Then Aliyah said in a low tone,
“I heard your question, Eloise!”
“I’m sorry, Mom! I couldn’t help it!”
“That’s okay,” Aliyah smiled, “perhaps we can talk about some of your questions on scriptures and war.”
“You will? I mean, why religions cause war and all that?”
Aliyah paused for a moment, considering her daughter.
“Scriptures are accelerators of what we carry within, Eloise, like the acceleration we talked about earlier!"(2) she said gently. “They provide an impetus for many natures within us to develop faster, those seeds of what you might call good and evil.”
“Oh, they are not promoting only good? I thought they were supposed to!”
“Well, I am going to be really melodramatic here! What you’d call the forces of good and evil or of order and chaos, they have equal rights. Otherwise it wouldn’t be fair, would it?”
“Fair? Why should it be fair towards evil? Why can’t everything be of the light?”
“Well, one of the reasons for us to be here is to discover ourselves and our natures, Eloise! Without expressing, understanding and even cleansing many of those, a soul cannot make progress. But how can we even discover and cleanse negative impressions if there is no opportunity?”
Eloise did not respond.
“Scriptures help express many of our natures, by accelerating their development. A lot of good and a lot of evil that we see in history are a result of that acceleration. It’s not the scriptures that are at fault; we are simply meeting ourselves.”
“I thought scriptures were meant for our edification!”
“They serve that purpose, yes. But the same scripture which provides inspiration to those who seek higher wisdom, can also feed a religious fanatic and a rabid terrorist. Many viewpoints you carry can be accelerated by scriptures. If you prefer to go lower, that is available. Any time you are ready for a higher viewpoint, the selfsame scripture can also show you the way.”
“Mom, that may be! But there are plenty of scriptures that talk about the wrath of God, how He curses people and takes revenge. You see so much of bloodshed and cruelty in these stories. And the same thing happens in the world today. Surely God cannot be like that?”
“Does that really bother you?”
“You bet it does! I think any rational person would wonder about it!”
“But there are millions who find it perfectly acceptable!”
“I don’t understand it, Mom! They may find it acceptable, but not me! God cannot be wrathful, jealous and punishing!”
“Eloise, both viewpoints are correct, yours as well as theirs!” said Aliyah, as they approached the chapel.
“Mom! What are you saying? The two are like night and day. How can both be right? That would be incredible!”
“Really? That’s because truth is beyond good and evil. Our perception of truth makes us see it in one of many ways, as good or evil in some cases.”
“Well, maybe, Mom! But you haven’t answered my question. How can both be true?”
Aliyah studied her daughter silently for a moment.
“Eloise, it’s not difficult to understand at all. I did tell you about the law of retribution, of sowing and reaping, didn’t I?” (2)
“Yes.”
“Do you have complaints about that impersonal law of justice?”
“No, Mom! It makes more sense than a vengeful and jealous God! You have also said that it is a force that brings us progressively closer to the Godhead.”(3)
“See? Many of us think of these laws as impersonal and we have no problems with it. But we need not always consider them as impersonal.”
“What do you mean, Mom?”
“If you had a personal relationship with what you consider as the Godhead, how would this law be expressed in that relationship?”
“I don’t understand, Mom!”
“What I mean is that the laws can also become personified when you establish a personal relationship with the Godhead. The laws are then expressed, depending on the nature of the relationship!”
“You mean the laws become a person?”
“Well, the laws are not separate from the Godhead. When expressed in a relationship, a law could find expression personally as ‘I will destroy your wives and your children and I will give your land to an invader, unless you turn away from your ways!’”
“Such messages always came through prophets,” continued Aliyah, “who had a personal relationship with the Godhead. Their experiences were dependent on the nature of their relationship, and intensely personified. The expressions of the laws then became prophetic warnings of doom and disaster, and of a wrathful and jealous God.”
“You mean they were wrong in their perception, Mom?”
“I didn’t say that, Eloise! Only that both viewpoints are correct. You must learn to make your own choices! Now let’s sit down here for a minute.”
They settled down on the neatly trimmed lawn in front of the chapel. Eloise regarded her mother curiously and considered this new viewpoint. It seemed to have some validity, as she could view the laws as impersonal or personal, depending on her preference.
“Maybe you have a point, Mom!” she replied thoughtfully. “But I still find it difficult to see anything good in any scripture that is peppered with bloodshed and war!”
“It depends on what you observe,” replied Aliyah. “A scriptural story of bloodshed and war can have higher meanings beyond the literal reading.”
“Oh, really? Then show me even one scripture where bloodshed and war can mean anything higher!”
Footnotes:
1. Consider the 9-11 attacks on US soil