The Matrix of Indian Philosophy reloaded - Maya????

[Guest guest]

The Matrix of Indian philosophy Reloaded

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2003 03:39:40 AM ]

 

 

Imagine. The world is an illusion. The universe is composed of

computer codes... a virtual fantasy force fed to us. The most over-

analysed movie since film critics were invented, The Matrix: Reloaded

abounds with theological references. Christianity, Buddhism... all

streams jostle for space, even as a hefty dose of Greek philosophy is

thrown in.

 

 

 

 

But the very premise on which the movie is based — the illusory world

versus the real world — recalls the concept of `Maya' in

Hinduism. ``Maya has several levels to it of which illusion is one

level. The foundation on which The Matrix is based assumes that ours

is a computer-coded world — hence, it is an illusion. In this regard,

there is a parallel,'' says sociologist Ashish Nandy.

 

 

 

The Vedas state that whatever is happening all around is Maya, a

dream which Lord Vishnu sees as He sleeps. Maya shields the truth or

Brahman from the self or Atman. ``Maya, as a concept, is both fluid

and unstable. It exists but, at the same time, it is fictitious,''

says Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of sociology at JNU.

 

 

 

This explanation is analogous to The Matrix philosophy, which states

that we live in an illusory world and only an unplugged/awake world

is the real world. In the movie, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity often

leave the real world behind and, by computer wizardry, enter the

Matrix. But it is not their physical beings, but their mental

projections which fight all the battles. This recalls the Vedanta

concept of `mithya', the belief that only the Almighty is real.

 

 

 

The Vedantas say that humans live in a world of illusion and, when we

comprehend this reality, we realise that man and the Almighty are

one. ``Acceptance of the `real world' can be linked to Brahman — the

supreme consciousness. Sankara asserts that the individual Atman and

the universal Brahman are one and the same and the concept of a

creator distinct from the creation is a cosmic illusion,'' says

spiritual guru Sudarshanacharya Maharaj. Moreover, Neo's realisation

that the world is a computer programme is compared to attaining

nirvana.

 

 

 

In one scene, a boy bends a spoon by sheer will-power and tells

Neo, ``To bend the spoon, you need to realise that there is no spoon.

The spoon does not bend, you yourself bend.'' When Neo realises the

truth about illusion, he becomes omnipotent — he is even able to stop

bullets! ``Hinduism propounds a similar belief. It talks about

nirvana and how, when man attains divine knowledge, he conquers all

fear; he experiences eternal peace,'' says Sudarshanacharya Maharaj.

Moreover, as with Arjuna in the Mahabharata, Neo, is caught in a

dilemma at the hour of reckoning — of having to choose between saving

the world and saving Trinity.

 

 

 

Neo chooses the latter, thus deviating from his `duty' as interpreted

by Lord Krishna in the Gita. However, his prior exchange with the

Oracle is insightful. ``You already know my choice. How is it a

choice then? What if I do not choose?'' he asks her. ``Even that is

making a choice,'' she tells him. ``Knowledge is the only truth.

Knowledge is power — the power to make a choice. And this power helps

good in its fight against evil — be it in the Mahabharata or The

Matrix,'' says TKV Subramaniam, dean of social sciences at DU.

 

 

 

Behind the metaphoric blitzkrieg perforating The Matrix: Reloaded is

the unwritten word of Indian philosophy, which has influenced man and

mankind since time immemorial. Ironically, it has taken the box-

office success of a blockbuster movie based on illusion to reload a

universal truth — Indian in spirit —once again.

 

delhitimes

 

http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?

[Guest guest]

You will hear upanishat chanting in Matrix-3 (Revolution)!! Its in the end

of the film.

 

asatomA sat gamaya

tamasomA jyotir gamaya

mRRItyormA amRRItaM gamaya

 

But the background music given is techno !!

 

Hari Om

 

-

"adi_shakthi16" <adi_shakthi16

 

The Matrix of Indian philosophy Reloaded

[Guest guest]

Thank you for adding this!

 

yes! It was not too long ago, Pop Diva Madonna popularized THE Guru

Invocation to Patanjali the guru of Ashtanga Yoga Song in her Ray of

Light Album. Although she was criticized for her sanskrit

pronounciation, she did make this Little known sutra (even among the

hindus) popular.

 

written by Madonna and William Orbit

Adopted from the text by Shankra Charya, taken from the Yoga Taravali

 

Vunde gurunam caranaravinde

Sandarsita svatma sukhavabodhe

Nihsreyase jangalikayamane

Sansara halahala moha santyai

Hala hala

Ahahu purusakaram sankha cakrasi

Ahahu purusakaram sankha cakrasi

Dharinam dharinam sahasra sirasam

Dharinam dharinam sahasra sirasam

Vande

 

Om Shanti, Om Shanti

Shanti shanti

 

I worship the gurus' lotus feet

Awakening the happiness of the self revealed

Beyond comparison, working like the jungle physician

To pacify loss of consciousness from the poison of existence

In the form of a man up to the shoulders

Holding a conch, discus and sword

Thousand headed, white

I bow respectfully

Peace

 

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well, Ranjeet, as you know , in U.S.A, alternative medicine like

Ayurveda , Yoga, Vegetarianism, indian music, dance , even 'Mehendi'

(henna on the hands) etc have become popular more so in the last

decade.

 

and then to think , our own Indian youths are turning to the west for

inspiration -

 

Was it Rudyard Kipling who said

 

"East is East and West is West and the Twain shall never meet."