Reading Notes: Week 12: Seven Secrets of Vishnu Part E

So despite being very discouraged by my last two weeks with this material, I've decided to trudge on just to finish it at this point. I didn't want to not finish it considering I've already made it this far. I definitely kind of regret doing it. I was hoping against hope that this piece would be slightly more accessible. I know the Calandar art set has notes so I'll check those out next week. At this point, the series has been very informative, but it is extremely dense.

The content here is very good though. The discussions on the various warring factions involved in Indian folklore is extremely interesting because they focus not on the most obvious elements that I'm used to seeing in literature. The narrator explains how the battles either vertically or horizontally for different groups. It's a very interesting dynamic that I hadn't really considered before and the way it's explained is actually one of the better pieces in this series.

Again, humanity is held as high above all other earthly creatures which makes sense for the time and place. It's a pretty common trope in religion and folklore - humanity is always the most powerful being on the planet excluding the occasional godly visits. It is interesting though that the focus here is how humans are held to a certain standard to try to maintain the more noble qualities of mankind and the earth itself. It's very interesting on how the battle between the more baser natures and higher natures is portrayed as an actual war.

Bibliography: Seven Secrets of Vishnu, link

(Valmiki Ramayana, wikimedia commons)