Myth & Reality

To reach to the senses of a newborn, the mother uses the warmth of her touch. As the child grows, humming and then lullabies are sung, and then come stories! These stories feed to the inquisitiveness of a child and nurture it also. It is these stories that are one of the best and most often used methods to teach. Stories help the young minds to understand right from wrong by examples, the cause and effect can be grasped. So, whether it is a mother, man or God, the preceptor has to stoop to the level of the pupil to reach him, like one has to bend to catch the tender finger of a young child to guide him. When a child is introduced to letters of alphabet, they are drawn large and clear. A size that we do not normally use in our day to day writing. Similarly children are taught stories of superheroes who have superhuman powers to  make them understand various virtues. By making them larger than life a visual impression can be created in the young minds, which is a known and easy route to reach the depths of the brain. Our mythology is that only! These are the stories that exemplify that why what is right is correct. Like the big letters of alphabet, there are supernatural situations that create a pictorial impression to reach the realm of cognition. In spite of understanding broad principles, we may not be able to apply them to the countless situations that we face in life; that is why we have such a voluminous mythology. One that can spring almost a similar situation as a man may be in, to help  decide which course to take, what action to perform. 

Another lesson that mythology tells us is that the dilemmas we face are the same that man faced thousands of years ago. The way we live and conduct ourselves may have changed drastically but the values do not change as the instincts of human behaviour do not change over time.  Also does not change the way we perceive various situations. This perpetuity of perception is what keeps the mythology pertinent forever. 

However, our mythology is that large alphabet from which the child is gradually taken to more practical script by the teacher. Imagine, what would happen if the grown up child continues to use large letters! For various reasons, as a society somewhere we have failed to grow up and correctly interpret the mythology as applicable to our day to day life. Whether these are linguistic barriers, ability to decipher, financial constraints or even the awareness that such an asset exists, these pearls are not within the grasp of everyone. A guide, a bridge is needed to understand and interpret our mythology correctly. 'Myth & Reality' is that guide! The series 'Myth & Reality' brings our mythology to the threshold of our cognition. Written in simple English, each chapter succinctly narrates an episode from our Epics & Puranas and has unswerving interpretation. As one goes through the book, becoming familiar with our own religious literature feels like the smallest gain. The episodes that one might have hardly hitherto known, after reading one is soaked in its essence. While being a part of the continuum, each chapter is complete in its message, its revelation. The first three volumes dealt with various avtaars and perspectives of Vishnu and Shiva, the present volumes delve deeper into less well known aspects and are more evolved philosophically.
What seems impossible, if performed, is referred to as magic in modern stories. As one goes through this series one realizes that there are impossible feats almost in all episodes yet they are never called magic. One observes that either 'Devas', who are the beings with positive qualities, are endowed with seemingly supernatural powers or others like Human Beings or Asurs, Daityas and Rakshasas can acquire them through hard penance. The given interpretation makes one understand that these supernatural powers are nothing but good qualities that are so difficult to adhere to by a mind that gets inveigled by smallest of pleasures. To practice controlling one's own senses is the penance and thus any mortal being can have powers that may seem out of this world by reining in mind. That is why these seemingly supernatural feats are not called magic in our mythology.
This series, by coupling 'myth' and 'reality' has the potential to enlighten us, the common people, so that we can perceive the supernatural ensconced within all of us, and awaken its energy to perform feats that are considered to be impossible in the mundane way of life!