Re: [INDOLOGY] Gāyatrī and Scifi

Sun Apr 5 20:16:08 UTC 2020

Ted Chiang published a collection which has other absolutely amazing
stories: *Stories of Your Life and Others*
Much recommended!

jonathan

On Sun, Apr 5, 2020 at 10:13 PM Jeffery Long via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> Wonderful examples, Robert!
>
> “Arrival” is based on a 1998 short story by Ted Chiang called “Story of
> Your Life.”  It’s available in Brian Aldiss, ed. ‘A Science Fiction
> Omnibus’ (Penguin Classics, 2007), which includes a wide array of excellent
> stories by masters in the field. “Sole Solution,” by Eric Frank Russell,
> comes close to articulating an Advaitic conception of the nature of
> existence.
>
> With warmest regards,
> Jeff
>
> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
> <https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS>
>
> On Sunday, April 5, 2020, 2:55 PM, Robert Goldman <rpg at berkeley.edu>
> wrote:
>
> There is, of course Roger Zelazny’s 1967 Scifi novel, *Lord of Light *and,
> perhaps tangentially, there is the 2016 sci-fi film “Arrival”in which  the
> actress Amy Adams plays an expert linguist and translator, Louise, who,
> because of her earlier assistance to the military with a translation from
> Farsi, is recruited by an army colonel to decipher the language of some
> extra-terrestrial visitors. When asked about other experts who might help,
> she says of a colleague at Berkeley, “Ask him the Sanskrit word for ‘war,’
> and its translation.” When the colonel reappears, he says the other
> linguist said “gavisti” means “an argument,” whereas Louise translates the
> same word as “a desire for more cows.”
>
> Bes to all. Be safe Stay well.
>
> Dr. R. P.  Goldman
> Catherine and William L. Magistretti Distinguished Professor in South
> and Southeast Asian Studies
> Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies MC # 2540
> The University of California at Berkeley
> Berkeley, CA 94720-2540
> Tel: 510-642-4089
> Fax: 510-642-2409
>
> On Apr 5, 2020, at 11:02 AM, Jeffery Long via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear Antonia,
>
> Yes, I think you are correct.  The Gāyatrī mantra and other features of
> the show are no doubt meant to create an "atmosphere" as much as anything,
> and to build up to the idea that several ancient cultures of earth could
> plausibly have been descended from the culture of the humans who fled the
> Cylons.  (I think I just dropped a huge spoiler!  But the show is
> absolutely worth viewing to see how all of its various themes and character
> arcs play out.)  And yes, it is definitely significant that Glen A. Larson,
> the creator of the original series, was Mormon, and consciously included
> aspects of Mormon thought in it.  (The important planet Kobol, for example,
> is a clear anagram for the planet Kolob described in a Mormon text called
> the Book of Abraham.)  The re-envisioned *Galactica* series is much less
> tied to Mormonism than Larson's original, but certainly contains nods to it.
>
> As I argue in my piece on Hinduism and *Star Wars*, the creators of most
> of these successful sci-fi series are typically not trying, consciously, to
> communicate specific religious themes so much as they are trying to tell an
> interesting and entertaining story, with at least as many hints of a deeper
> cultural background as needed to evoke what Tolkien called the "inner
> consistency of reality."
>
> Cheers,
> Jeff
>
> Dr. Jeffery D. Long
> Professor of Religion and Asian Studies
> Elizabethtown College
> Elizabethtown, PA
>
> https://etown.academia.edu/JefferyLong
>
> Series Editor, *Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical,
> and Philosophical*
> Lexington Books
>
> "One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all
> difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of
> life."  (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)
>
> "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." (Carl Sagan)
>
>
>
> On Sunday, April 5, 2020, 01:30:36 PM EDT, Antonia Ruppel <
> antonia.ruppel at ling-phil.ox.ac.uk> wrote:
>
>
> Michael's post made me google around a little bit, and the answer to how
> we got the gāyatrī mantra in the credits may lie not with the creator of
> the show, but with the composer of the score, Bear McCreary. It seems that
> he likes the trope of 'ominous Latin [sic] chanting', and has used it in a
> variety of languages:
>
> Ominous Latin Chanting
> <https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OminousLatinChanting>:
> Chanting in Anglo-Saxon <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjPAx5-vD_A>,
> Armenian <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9CqxkuSldY>, Gaelic
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGcMPp7TNo4>, Greek, Italian
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWxric37OyA>, Latin
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DDs6yZ4dbs> several
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3QJObI711U> times
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMzkuKAIoL4>, Samoan
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIvppNWZUtc>, Sanskrit
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3YVq0Hvd8k>, Sinhalese
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eON5O5MRz5M>, and Icelandic
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoT2MgT2LVI>.
>
> Go to https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/BearMcCreary for links
> to each of those languages in action.
>
> That does not explain the non-musical Sanskrit/Indic elements in the show,
> but given that there is copious Greek mythology present as well, I suppose
> maybe the unifying theme here is 'ancient' (and thus 'mysterious' etc),
> rather than a specific culture? After all, the series as a whole is meant
> to be taking place in an ancient past.
>
> (And then of course there are the various Mormon bits inherited from the
> original series, which one could argue are 'ancient' or at the very least
> 'old' by US cultural standards.)
>
> Antonia
>
> On Sun, 5 Apr 2020 at 18:47, Jeffery Long via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> P.S. Vasudha Narayanan's following article is also of great interest in
> regard to the larger question of Hindu influence on Western popular
> culture, as of course is Philip Goldberg's *American Veda: *
> Americans may not know it, but they’ve long been embracing Hindu philosophy
> <https://qz.com/india/1199543/americas-long-and-complex-relationship-with-hinduism/>
>
> Americans may not know it, but they’ve long been embracing Hindu philosophy
>
> Vasudha Narayanan
> The story of America’s relationship with Hinduism is long and complex.
>
> <https://qz.com/india/1199543/americas-long-and-complex-relationship-with-hinduism/>
>
>
>
>
> Dr. Jeffery D. Long
> Professor of Religion and Asian Studies
> Elizabethtown College
> Elizabethtown, PA
>
> https://etown.academia.edu/JefferyLong
>
> Series Editor, *Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical,
> and Philosophical*
> Lexington Books
>
> "One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all
> difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of
> life."  (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)
>
> "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." (Carl Sagan)
>
>
>
> On Sunday, April 5, 2020, 12:43:18 PM EDT, Jeffery Long via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>
> I am delighted that the topic of science-fiction, my favorite genre, has
> come up on this list!
>
> Michael, the Gāyatrī mantra, or a version of it, is indeed used in the
> opening credits of the re-envisioned *Battlestar Galactica* (a series
> which is a huge improvement on the original, on which I grew up in the
> seventies, but for which I still have a sentimental fondness).  The word
> *pracodayāt* is mispronounced as *prakodayāt*, presumably because the
> creators of the series were not aware of how the unaspirated 'c' is
> pronounced in the standard international transliteration system for Indic
> languages.  But it's clearly an attempt to sing the Gāyatrī mantra.
>
> The series is rich with fascinating themes, including a problematizing of
> monotheism.  The mainstream human culture depicted in the series has
> multiple deities, and other interesting resonances with non-Abrahamic
> faiths.
>
> Though it diverges from the topic fo the Gāyatrī mantra, others have
> posted on relations between aspects of Hindu thought and ideas found in
> popular sci-fi series.  My own humble contributions to this discourse are
> as follows:
>
> A piece on Hindu themes in *Star Wars*.  It's the second part of a
> two-part series, the first being on Hindu themes in the music of George
> Harrison and the Beatles:
>
> Hindu Themes in Western Popular Culture: A Tale of Two Georges, Part Two
> <https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2018/04/09/hindu-themes-in-western-popular-culture-a-tale-of-two-georges-part-two/>
>
> Hindu Themes in Western Popular Culture: A Tale of Two Georges, Part Two
> By Jeffrey D. Long Introduction In the first part of this two-part series
> on the ‘two Georges’–Harrison and Luca...
>
> <https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2018/04/09/hindu-themes-in-western-popular-culture-a-tale-of-two-georges-part-two/>
>
>
> A live early draft of the previous article, presented at the Vedanta
> Society of New York in May, 2017, and called 'The Yoga of Yoda.'  I have
> updated and expanded both of these as I have given them repeatedly in
> various speaking venues:
>
> The Yoga of Yoda by Dr. Jeffery D. Long
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V5mp_yVe1E>
>
> The Yoga of Yoda by Dr. Jeffery D. Long
> Guest Speaker Dr. Jeffery D. Long speaks on “The Yoga of Yoda” at the
> Vedanta Society of New York on May 28, 201...
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V5mp_yVe1E>
> I owe the title, 'The Yoga of Yoda,' to Swami Sarvapriyananda, of the
> Vedanta Society of New York.  He knew this was a favorite topic of mine and
> was the person who first encouraged me to speak and write about it.
>
> A further developed series of reflections on this topic are going to be in
> my forthcoming *Hinduism** in America: A Convergence of Worlds*, due to
> be published later this year by Bloomsbury.
>
> Though *Game of Thrones* is technically not sci-fi, but fantasy, I have a
> piece on Hindu themes in *Game of Thrones* that is also going to be in a
> forthcoming edited volume by Matthew Brake on religion in *Game of
> Thrones*.
>
> May the Force be with you!
>
> Jeff
>
> Dr. Jeffery D. Long
> Professor of Religion and Asian Studies
> Elizabethtown College
> Elizabethtown, PA
>
> https://etown.academia.edu/JefferyLong
>
> Series Editor, *Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical,
> and Philosophical*
> Lexington Books
>
> "One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all
> difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of
> life."  (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)
>
> "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." (Carl Sagan)
>
>
>
> On Sunday, April 5, 2020, 07:10:21 AM EDT, Nagaraj Paturi via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>
> There is this book:
>
> The Jedi in the Lotus: "Star Wars" and the Hindu Tradition
> https://www.amazon.in/dp/1907166114/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_wMrIEb1A00P8Q
>
> ,.........    ........ .......... .....
>
> Look at the first Matrix movie,” says producer Peter Rader. “It’s a yogic
> movie.
> It says that this world is an illusion. It’s about *maya* – that if we
> can cut through
> the illusions and connect with something larger we can do all sorts of
> things.
> Neo achieves the abilities of the advanced yogis [Paramahansa] Yogananda
> described,
> who can defy the laws of normal reality.”
>
> How movies embraced Hinduism (without you even noticing)
> https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/25/movies-embraced-hinduism
> .......     .......... ............
>
> On Sun, Apr 5, 2020, 1:44 AM Antonia Ruppel via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear Michael,
>
> There are various bits of Sanskrit throughout Galactica - at the end of
> the mini-series, Elosha chants the 'asato mā sadgamaya' (helpfully
> subtitled as 'priestess chanting in foreign language':-)); the surname of
> Roslin's aid Billy is Keikeya (close enough to Kaikeya to make me
> think:-)); Roslin's medicine is kamala extract - and so on.
>
> I've long been wondering how this made it into the series - so far to no
> avail. Ron Moore, the creator of this Galactica remake, was a Cornellian,
> and Cornell has long had a fairly solid Sanskrit tradition - but beyond
> that I have no idea. If anyone on the List can contribute to this, I'd be
> most grateful!
>
> (And for what it's worth, I hear the intro as svaḥ, over two notes, rather
> than svāhā.)
>
> All the best,
>      Antonia (outside the US, hence syfy's generosity does not reach
> me:-(!)
>
> On Sat, 4 Apr 2020 at 22:01, Witzel, Michael via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
> We have been talking about the Gāyatrī a lot.
>
> As it is the weekend, for your amusement:
>
> The Scifi TV channel is streaming (free) all 50+ episodes of their old
> "Battleship Galactica" series now:
>  (https://www.syfy.com/battlestargalactica)
>
> Did anyone notice that the theme song of each episode is the Gāyatrī:
> "oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svāhā(!).  Tat savitur … pracodayāt"
>
> Cheers!
> Michael
>
>
> Michael Witzel
> Wales Prof. of Sanskrit, Dept. of South Asian Studies, 1 Bow
> Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
> ph. 1 - 617 496 2990
> witzel at fas.harvard.edu
> www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/mwpage.htm
>
>
>
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>
> --
> Dr Antonia Ruppel
> cambridge-sanskrit.org
> allthingssanskrit.com
>
>
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>
> --
> Dr Antonia Ruppel FRAS
> Author | The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit
> Lehrkraft für besondere Aufgaben | Institut für Indologie und Tibetologie
> LMU München
> Researcher 'Uncovering Sanskrit Syntax' | Department of Linguistics,
> Philology and Phonetics
> Junior Research Fellow | Kellogg College
> University of Oxford
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-- 
J. Silk
Leiden University
Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS
Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b
2311 BZ Leiden
The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at
https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

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