Interlaced with the scientific truths the statue of the Dancing Nadaraja conveys are the basic spiritual principles that relate to all that exists. Above all, this greatest of all symbolic works expresses, in mute eloquence, the primary concept that everything in existence is Eternal Cosmic Energy. That Energy, as every student of Hindu thought knows, is Shiva. Now man, with his imperfect knowledge and perverse ambition, seeks to modify that Cosmic Perfection with genetic engineering. Its promoters laud their mischief as great scientific advancement. Vivekananda Naicker writes to his grandson Niven about the beauty of the work of the Dancing Nadaraja and the perversity of genetically modifying Annam Brahma, food is divine.
Lord Shiva danced.
But why would God dance?
Simple. This is the poetic way of the Hindus of describing the creation of the Universe from its basic building blocks – the atom and its component molecular elements, protons, neutrons and electrons.
The nucleus of every atom is surrounded by constantly whirling molecules. This constant motion of atomic elements was encapsulated by some ancient Tamil genius in the now world-famous form of the “Dancing Nadaraja” statue of South India.
“Nadaraja” means “dancing king” a euphemism for God, for Hindus have always known that all matter in the Universe is in constant motion or “dance”. God, or Shiva in His aspect as Brahma is the Creator; as Maha Vishnu, the Preserver of all life, as Shiva, the Destroyer (of maya- illusion).
In the Dancing Nadaraj, the unknown genius-sculptor had succeeded in conveying an arcane scientific truth in easily-understandable visual form. Wordlessly, the statue speaks volumes.
Firstly, it establishes God as King of the Universe. Secondly, it attributes the creation of the Universe exclusively to Him. The statue’s very stance and every gesture convey either a scientific or spiritual truths. Its extra pair of arms is not some weird deformity as western scholars once surmised, but merely an artistic device to help convey these truths.
This endlessly-copied statue has nothing to do with religion, for the simple reason that there is no such thing as a “Hindu religion”. That is an invention of misleading foreign religious proselytisers. It has everything to do with science and the atomic structure of all matter within the universe. Hindu spiritual and scientific thought have always been intertwined.
Interlaced with the scientific truths that the statue conveys, are the basic spiritual principles that relate to all that exists. Above all, this greatest of all symbolic works expresses, in mute eloquence, the primary concept that everything in existence is Eternal Cosmic Energy. That Energy, as every student of Hindu thought knows, is Shiva.
Now man, with his imperfect knowledge and perverse ambition, seeks to modify that Cosmic Perfection with genetic engineering. Its promoters laud their mischief as great scientific advancement.
What immature petulance, what madness! What travesty of the Eternal Truth!
Now, in the face of this insanity, Mahavishnu has stepped aside. Shiva girds his loins with His accoutrements of destruction. Once more, His awesome dance as Nadaraja is about to begin. The firmament on which He dances, do not forget, is this Earth.
The Dance of Creation has long ended. It is the other, of dissolution, that is about to begin.
With these thoughts in my troubled mind, I wrote the letter, below, to my grandson Niven. After all, it is he and his generation that will inherit this insanity.
My dear Niven,
While I was in South Africa, we spoke about genetic engineering and the dangers it posed for mankind and the world in general. In the name of profit, a handful of very wealthy men and women are playing Russian roulette with mankind and the future of all life on this planet.
So far these unbelievably selfish people have advanced their sinister plans without let or hindrance simply because of two reasons. The first is the fact that they control the greater portion of the total wealth of this planet and therefore, quite understandably, wield almost unlimited power. The second is that most people on this planet, even in advanced countries such as America, are largely scientifically illiterate and are therefore quite ignorant of the dangers posed to this planet and all life by genetically-engineered seeds.
In this deluded age, with incredible amounts of that most effective lubricant and facilitator that can make anything work exactly as they want it to – money – they are bringing to fruition with impunity, largely with the connivance of corrupt politicians and civil servants in governments around the world, their immoral plans for total control of this planet and its denizens.
To make matters easier for them, they own the major media instruments of this planet and can therefore manipulate public opinion. Those sinister forces have, through perhaps even your favourite daily newspaper, magazine or television programmes, brainwashed you without you even knowing it. Consequently, you might even believe that genetically-modified seeds are a great scientific advance.
Yet those with a scientific bent and love for natural wonders know that seeds created by nature through natural selection took untold millions of years to evolve. Their genetic structure and diversity even within the same species is a marvel of engineering – and forethought. Every element within each seed serves a definite purpose. Nothing within it, not the last molecule, is extraneous, no element within that tiny living miracle is without meaning and purpose.
Throughout my adult years, I have been awed by the marvel of micro-engineering that goes into what seems an ordinary seed. Yet that humble seed is far from ordinary; it is the sacred vestibule through which life emerges, the marvel, in microcosm, of the wondrous pageant of life in its varied forms that animates this planet. A seed has always been, to my mind, living proof of God’s love for mankind and Mother Earth.
In this demented age, powerful multi-national companies with precious little interest in the long-term welfare of mankind, to say nothing of morality and the ethos of civilised society, are succeeding in marketing their diabolical, genetically- engineered seeds not only to mostly scientifically illiterate Americans but also to poor, struggling farmers in so-called Third World countries including countries in Africa, the Americas and Asia.
Please open the attachment to this letter for a most thought-provoking essay. It is an extract from the book, “Small Wonder” by Barbara Kingsolver and can be read quickly by even the busiest people. It appeared in an American magazine to which I subscribe, “Mother Earth News”. I took some time from my other tasks today to edit and further truncate the essay without losing the gist of it. It is a readable work that even a complete layman can understand and appreciate.
Please look for Ms Kingsolver’s book on Amazon.com and add it to your fine collection. For you with your intense interest in natural foods and sensible diets, it would be indispensable. Hopefully, this book could become your stepping stone to other outstanding works on this subject.
Make the essay your bedtime reading for tonight. Then send it and this covering letter to as many of your professional friends as you can and ask them to pass it on in turn to their thinking friends. Start with the medical doctors and scientists in your circle. But do not forget others with a lively interest in the world in which we live.
This is a most moving essay in view of what is going on here in India and in many other countries including South Africa and other parts of that unfortunate continent. All are under the threat of genetically-modified seeds being peddled by powerful modern-day equivalents of the old American snake-oil salesmen with the most sinister motives.
Even though my time is heavily committed and I have deadlines to meet, I cannot sit by and do nothing in the face of this grave threat to future generations and this small planet that is our only home in the unimaginable vastness of space.
I am hoping that by sending this letter and its attachment to you and others who would take the trouble to circulate it, we might be able to raise the awareness of more people to the dire threats to all life that are being propagated right under our noses.
Perhaps Providence would smile on our humble effort and make it become the trigger that starts an avalanche of protest against the introduction of this monster into countries where poverty makes scientific illiteracy an even greater curse than it is in America and elsewhere in the more advanced countries of the world.
It is hoped that circulation of this mail would lead to thinking people contacting various interest groups in their countries for further information and perhaps even involvement in their protests against GMO products including seeds. Their lives and that of their children depend on their active involvement. We do not have the luxury of time before irreversible disaster strikes this planet. In this respect, it is not five minutes to twelve: it is high noon.
As many people as we can possibly alert need to know that, all because of the greed of a small gang of evil Fat Cats and complicit politicians and civil servants, our lives, the future of civilisation and the fragile ecological balance of this planet and its myriad life forms are in grave danger. The pun, by the way, is entirely intentional.
When you read the book and hopefully other outstanding ones on the subject, you will realise that I am not overstating things. Believe me, the situation is that bad.
With love and light always,
Uncle Vivek
India
VivekAnanda Naicker
Shivarathri, Puttaparthi 2015
