January 8, 2025
A Tale of Two Encounters: From the Gita to the Goat
As I walked along Kumarakrupa Road for the first time in all of my existence, I experienced many things familiar, and not. I believe this is the crucial balance required of an enriching experience, and as fits my personality, I place the highest importance on the perspectives gained through conversations with strangers. The most striking interaction of my many that day was that with a bookseller (of a kind). Walking as slow and open minded as one does at an art market, I was handed a copy of Bhagavad Gita in English and launched into an unexpected spiral of thoughts.
I was teleported for one millisecond to a distinct corner in Seattle, outside the red-bricked Johnson Hall with a view of Drumheller Fountain looming in the background. I am in my fourth year of studying at the University of Washington, and I have never once stopped to talk to those who stand at this corner with Bibles. In the cold and in the rain, they are always there, and I never stop. I am on my bike and I am going too fast: hence, the millisecond.
With the warmth of the sun on my face and the excitement of my third day in India, I took the Gita into my hands and finally took the time to listen to someone who uses their energy to share their beliefs on the street. The cover, adorned with a colorful depiction of Krishna guiding a chariot into war, intrigued me. I am curious about the stories behind these recurring images I now see daily in temples and artwork. I asked if the two figures on the cover were Rama and Krishna, as I have seen many a Ramayana ballet, and that just about summarizes the extent of my knowledge of Hinduism. This was incorrect. As explained to me, these two incarnations of Vishnu could not physically be at the same battle. The Bhagavad Gita centers on Krishna advising the warrior Arjuna during the Kurukshetra War, while Rama’s story is from a different era. The conversation touched on duty, economics, and spirituality, prompting me to realize how little consideration I have truly given to polytheism, shaped as I am by American culture and my personal agnostic views.
On one hand, it can feel saddening to be categorized after one glance, handed a commodity in English, and urged to make a purchase. However, this was an instance in which I most appreciated a well-placed Hollywood reference and a person who ensures that the physics and science of the world are still accounted for. My newest acquaintance likened the spiritual enlightenment described in Hinduism to the blockbuster movie Lucy, in which Scarlett Johansson unlocks 100% of her brain capacity. I actually saw this movie some time ago and found it impactful. Lucy not only “ascends human existence” but also ceases to exist in a way that the 10% of my brain capacity can only describe as “dying tragically.”
Although it may have taken lavish art and a well placed film reference, I am happy to be given the push to research more into yet another aspect of a lifestyle foreign to me. For comparison, the most heartwarming interaction of my day was with an artist from Calcutta who, even amidst the bustling crowd of the senior citizen corner at the Chitra Santhe market, sought me out to strike a deal on a painting of a goat. I did love this painting, and a mere bargain was all it took to settle on a piece that I will love and cherish forever. Attached is a photo of the artist’s other works, acrylic renditions of beautifully adorned cows, as the painting of the goat is one that’s mine. Nonetheless, as is the human condition, I will forever be stuck on the more confusing of the two interactions, the one offering a gentle level of friction to the tuning of my mind.
By
Kelsey
