The Matrix ....... and Hinduism

Topic started by Anbu (@ 210.186.51.66) on Sat Jun 14 06:34:19 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Here's an interesting critique of the movie
'Matrix Reloaded' recently released. In between
the special effects and barely understandable
dialog, the plot revolves around some profound
Hindu philosophy. Reading this article first and
then seeing the movie may make the experience a
little more enlightening.



The Matrix of Indian philosophy Reloaded

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2003 03:39:40
AM ]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=47915199

Imagine. The world is an illusion. The universe
is composed of computer codes... a virtual
fantasy force fed to us. The most over-analysed
movie since film critics were invented, The
Matrix: Reloaded abounds with theological
references. Christianity, Buddhism... all streams
jostle for space, even as a hefty dose of Greek
philosophy is thrown in.



But the very premise on which the movie is based
— the illusory world versus the real world —
recalls the concept of ‘Maya’ in Hinduism. ‘‘Maya
has several levels to it of which illusion is one
level. The foundation on which The Matrix is
based assumes that ours is a computer-coded world
— hence, it is an illusion. In this regard, there
is a parallel,’’ says sociologist Ashish Nandy.



The Vedas state that whatever is happening all
around is Maya, a dream which Lord Vishnu sees as
He sleeps. Maya shields the truth or Brahman from
the self or Atman. ‘‘Maya, as a concept, is both
fluid and unstable. It exists but, at the same
time, it is fictitious,’’ says Imtiaz Ahmed,
professor of sociology at JNU.



This explanation is analogous to The Matrix
philosophy, which states that we live in an
illusory world and only an unplugged/awake world
is the real world. In the movie, Neo, Morpheus
and Trinity often leave the real world behind
and, by computer wizardry, enter the Matrix. But
it is not their physical beings, but their mental
projections which fight all the battles. This
recalls the Vedanta concept of ‘mithya’, the
belief that only the Almighty is real.



The Vedantas say that humans live in a world of
illusion and, when we comprehend this reality, we
realise that man and the Almighty are one.
‘‘Acceptance of the ‘real world’ can be linked to
Brahman — the supreme consciousness. Sankara
asserts that the individual Atman and the
universal Brahman are one and the same and the
concept of a creator distinct from the creation
is a cosmic illusion,’’ says spiritual guru
Sudarshanacharya Maharaj. Moreover, Neo’s
realisation that the world is a computer
programme is compared to attaining nirvana.



In one scene, a boy bends a spoon by sheer
will-power and tells Neo, ‘‘To bend the spoon,
you need to realise that there is no spoon. The
spoon does not bend, you yourself bend.’’ When
Neo realises the truth about illusion, he becomes
omnipotent — he is even able to stop bullets!
‘‘Hinduism propounds a similar belief. It talks
about nirvana and how, when man attains divine
knowledge, he conquers all fear; he experiences
eternal peace,’’ says Sudarshanacharya Maharaj.
Moreover, as with Arjuna in the Mahabharata, Neo,
is caught in a dilemma at the hour of reckoning —
of having to choose between saving the world and
saving Trinity.



Neo chooses the latter, thus deviating from his
‘duty’ as interpreted by Lord Krishna in the
Gita. However, his prior exchange with the Oracle
is insightful. ‘‘You already know my choice. How
is it a choice then? What if I do not choose?’’
he asks her. ‘‘Even that is making a choice,’’
she tells him. ‘‘Knowledge is the only truth.
Knowledge is power — the power to make a choice.
And this power helps good in its fight against
evil — be it in the Mahabharata or The Matrix,’’
says TKV Subramaniam, dean of social sciences at
DU.



Behind the metaphoric blitzkrieg perforating The
Matrix: Reloaded is the unwritten word of Indian
philosophy, which has influenced man and mankind
since time immemorial. Ironically, it has taken
the box-office success of a blockbuster movie
based on illusion to reload a universal truth —
Indian in spirit —once again.



delhitimes@indiatimes.com

Responses:

  Tell your friend about this topic

Want to post a response?

Post a response:

Name:

E-mail:


Please Reload to see your response

Back to the Forum