68 killed in terrorist attack on train

[MRT144]

I suppose in a land with the caste system, nothing is beyond the imagination

[Drake Tungsten]

Only in India would the four-armed lion/snake dude be the hero and the normal-looking guy be the demon...

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Only in India would the four-armed lion/snake dude be the hero and the normal-looking guy be the demon...

He's not a hero, he's God incarnate!

[Drake Tungsten]

"God incarnate" couldn't think of a better thing to appear as than a four-armed lion/snake dude? Or did he just let the demon choose his form, like Gozer? Appearing as a lion/snake dude is way lamer than appearing as the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, but at least God wouldn't be personally responsible for the gay choice in that case...

[aneeshm]

You didn't read the story behind the incarnation, did you? I posted in in the same post where I posted the pictures. It explains why taking such a form was necessary. And yes, the choice of form was necessitated by a boon granted to that demon.

And anyway, it's a kickass incarnation, you've got to admit that much. You, Drake, would piss your pants if God appeared in a form like that in front of you, unless you knew the story (and probably were a devotee, too).

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
"God incarnate" couldn't think of a better thing to appear as than a four-armed lion/snake dude? Or did he just let the demon choose his form, like Gozer? Appearing as a lion/snake dude is way lamer than appearing as the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, but at least God wouldn't be personally responsible for the gay choice in that case...

God appearning as the marshmallow guy would be ****ing awesome.

[Drake Tungsten]

True dat.

[MRT144]

Originally posted by aneeshm
And anyway, it's a kickass incarnation, you've got to admit that much. You, Drake, would piss your pants if God appeared in a form like that in front of you, unless you knew the story (and probably were a devotee, too).

I bet mecha-whatever the **** it is would win

[MRT144]

why are there bars over the windows on the trains?

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by MRT144
why are there bars over the windows on the trains?

No reason. They're there on every train that runs in India.

[Fake Boris]

Cut an article on the event, stick it in a folder, and come back here in 50 years to wonder why it hasn't made history books.

[aneeshm]

If we get our way, it will be in the history books, along with a list of all the other terrorist attacks in India.

[DaShi]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: 68 killed in terrorist attack on train

Originally posted by aneeshm


*sigh*

It's difficult to converse with someone with such a different idea of God.

The reason that God incarnates as an avatar is either to fix something that has gone terribly wrong, or to provide an example to humans how to behave, or both. Rama and Krishna are examples of this. The Narasimha avatar incarnated simply to kill Hiranyakashipu, to fix the problems he had caused, with no other purpose.

Like Greek mythology. And you didn't answer my question. Or maybe you did.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by aneeshm


Yes, he is.

And that "someone" is a guy who, through penance, gained all sorts of powers, and then started misusing them to oppress the three worlds. He repeatedly tried to kill his son, even tried to burn him and fry him in boiling oil, but every time God intervened and saved the child. Finally, God had to incarnate as half-man, half-lion to kill this "someone".

Sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by DaShi


Sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

So does the entire basis of Christianity. Ever read about the Islamic view of the world? It's much more unrealistic than anything we could dream up.

At least our myths and epics have a solid philosophical foundation. At least our epics are internally consistent - there is a hierarchy and order to all things. We didn't make up our theology and philosophy after the fact. Our entire cultural mythology is composed to bring out the principles which were expressed by our philosophers. In out land, theology and myth bow to philosophy, not the other way around.

That is why I expect that in the next few decades, there will be a second Puranic period, where new mythological stories and new stories bringing out the new and the changed in the religion, showing the direction in which we must proceed in order to progress, will be written. It's already begun - you can see Ashok Banker's and Samit Basu's work as the heralds of that new age.

We can renew ourselves by "updating" our mythology to make it relevant again and again and again. Can anyone else do that?