1036. Puranas and Willing Suspension of Disbelief!!!!!!

The stories from Puranas can be viewed from different viewpoints like that of a folklorist, anthropologist, sociologist, and psychologist. Though we do not agree many consider them as Mythology. Myth is understood on the basis of the perspective we apply. The folklorist observes the migrations of peoples and the folklore attached to it. An anthropologist wants to know about the culture of the people. The sociologist watches how the society on the whole gets the advantage from it. The psychologist studies its effects on the mind of people and their aspired approach to live in the society. For an occultist and spiritualist it is regarded as a tool to help them achieve their goal, whether it is union with the divine or self realization from within.

Mythology is a part in the history of most, if not all, human traditions and communities, and is a basic ingredient of human culture. It helps a community to have a common agenda in understanding the most mysterious and unanswered question like why the world is the way it is. It also advices them as to how one should behave in certain situation and why they should behave in that manner; why their society is structured the way it is, and what will happen if one break cultural prohibitions.

Mythology provides the moral values of the culture. Many of our moral values come from the mythology, for example: The story of Druva points out the requirement of endurance to achieve the goal. The story of Satya Harishchandra inspired Mahatma Gandhi to be truthful in life; likewise the Mahabharata and Ramayana are great epics that are even today emitting the fragrance of motivation and inspiration in many lives.

Mythology can yield lessons to lead a wonderful life if we drop arguing about its logic. It is advised to keep our intellect at a respectable distance when we read mythology. Logic becomes a hindrance to the reader and will delude him. If we shun arrogance and vanity and show a bit of love towards imaginations and appreciate the deep flow of poetic feel, with a free heart we become childlike and will embrace the stories of mythology. We can grasp the great truths revealed in mythology by penetrating into the hearts of the Rishis and Munis who wrote them. We will really enjoy it then. As per human psychology a statements is better understood and remembered if it is in the form of a story or a poem.

Mythology answers all the questions of mysteries, though it may look little bit fancy, if the process is kept in willing suspension of disbelief then the core of the mystery gets unfolded. For example: if one has doubt as to how could Lord Krishna, right in the middle of battle field give lecture to Arjuna, and what were others doing at that time, then the person will never get to know the important aspects of Bhagavad-Gita and he is stuck there. He can understand Gita if he keeps all those questions in willing suspension of disbelief.

Mythology works in transforming an individual and shedding him from his confined historical and cultural condition, and leading him to some kind of inexpressible experience. It provides a direct bridge between an individual’s consciousness and universal consciousness and closes the gap between him and Godhead, providing a path that one may use to become aware of the Absolute Truth.

If a person on spiritual journey questions the need of mythology, it would be like a Calculus professor disapproving the need of Tables book. Yes to talk about Calculus one has to go beyond the Tables book. But there are many who need them as they have just started to explore………… Right???