Shri Krishna and Shri Vishnu: a celestial yet contemporary dialogue
The following is a mythological story based on a conversation between two Indian Gods, greatly venerated by the Hindu’s, who met each other in their celestial abode. They were both taking a sabbatical from their normal duties. Whilst they were strolling around the cold and lofty heavens they both took occasional glances down below on what was happening to the world below. Earlier the Gods had a much smaller area to look into which was limited to the area of the Asian subcontinent . However of late the population of Indians had spread alarmingly, and Indians had migrated to all parts of the world, from the Antarctic to the Tundra and from the Sahara deserts to Siberia. It was said that - in the planet below every fifth person in the world was an Indian. So this spurt in the population of the Hindus resulted in an extra workload, and a larger area which had to be managed carefully by the celestial masters. The Gods in turn had to hear the prayers and dispensate blessings and boons , over a larger surface , wherever the Hindus were – whether it was the United States of America, South America or even China.
The two Gods were Shiva, the ruling God of the Himalayas , known as the ascetic God of destruction and the other being Krishna , the God of Brindavan , the God associated with the love of nature and dancing with the cowgirls and playing pranks. The following is a dialogue recorded to prepare the other Gods on the current scenario on Planet earth :-
Shiva: Hello Krishna , I haven’t seen you for a long time how have you been
Krishna : I have been busy trying to clear the rivers of the horrible plastic bags. Indians have a particularly nasty habit of throwing everything outside their houses. They have so little civic sense. Its only when they live in foreign countries that they conform to some extent to the civic rules prevailing in those cities.
Shiva: Yes I have heard that this is a very acute problem. Thankfully the Ganges when she starts from my base in the Himalayas is crystal pure and clean. My big problem is that Global warming has caused the temperatures all over the world to rise and because of this, the glaciers around me have started melting. All the wonderful shrines in the Himalayas are now in grave jeopardy!
Shiva continues : Have you heard the latest Bhajans ( prayer songs) that are being sung to us today ? They are based on disco themes and tunes. I don’t know where the piety and silence in religion has gone to. Right from the entrance to the temples when the devotees ring the bells , there is so much noise everywhere .
Krishna: Yes I know you are so right , devotees now have stopped reciting mantras and saying their prayers, they just play the tape recorders and CD players now. Frankly I don’t mind to much as long as people remember me, I don’t really mind whether they pray to me with their own voices or they do it electronically. I keep hearing a phrase I have never heard before called a “MP3″ .
Shiva : You must have gone deaf by now Krishna from hearing the velocity that the Indians play their devotional music. Sometimes I cannot make out the difference between the devotional songs and the disco music. It sounds all the same to me !
Krishna: Yes I know what you are saying , there is a changing trend in the Indian culture. Things have changed drastically . I don’t think you can blame the western influence as much as you can blame the Hindi film culture . I think they have coined a name based on Hollywood. Since the centre of the Indian film industry is in Bombay, the thriving Hindi film industry is nicknamed ‘ Bolly wood !’
Bollywood has taken over the world and it is not only Indians, but people from numerous countries that flock to see the latest Bollywood stars with their six pack abdominals and bulging biceps and triceps. May be our younger Gods could try some exercises and work on their muscles which have not been used for hundreds of centuries!
Shiva: Do you know that some time ago , I came across a priest who was doing penance and when I asked him the reason he said it was “because he had spent several years taking bribes from his customers”. I was surprised by what I heard – why should he take bribes from his customers when they employed him to do certain prayers for them. He said that there were always someone in the crowd who wanted the prayers to be recited and said in half time.
Krishna : But don’t the customers pay the priest for the prayers that they do on their behalf
Shiva : that is what I am trying to explain to you. They pay for the whole puja and then the children and the husbands come and bribe the priests to finish the same prayers in half the time !
Krishna : How very strange , that these customers should do this and not want to reap the full benefits of our blessings.
Shiva : That is not all, these days there is a new phenomena called the “internet” which is actively used over the computers and laptops. If you are traveling , or you have a small flat and you don’t have space to establish a temple, then you can actual do a virtual ceremony or puja. You have to take something called a ‘mouse’ which moves a cursor on the computer screen and you move the cursor over a symbol like a candle and when you ‘click’ on it the candle will light , or when you ‘click’ on the flowers and move your ‘mouse’ it will shower petals over the deities
Krishna ; How strange , I have never heard of this type of “mouse” or “clicks” . What is the world coming to today!!
Shiva : There is another phenomena in India that I must tell you about . It is called “Call Centres” Indians have now started learning the accents of those who live in North America or the UK. And then the Indians sitting in India in one of the Call centres answer telephone calls from all over the world and guide and help people who call and even make medical transcripts etc” . I have received so many requests from so many devotees that their children should be employed in these call centers
Krishna : Really Shiva there are too many things that we Gods have to learn how to cope with. How strange that even the Gods have to learn about the way the world is changing today ! Who would have thought that man has started outwitting us …. The sign is not good . Where are the good old days when people were frightened of our wrath and our punishments ……..?