The title of our blog today may make you wonder if I am talking of human beings. Yes, indeed, most human beings are THE real dangers on/to/for this earth. No, though! I am not talking of such pernicious creatures.
Which day is it today? To begin with, it is Nag Panchami today. Now, can there be any other creature that appears equally deadly? Yes, the very look of a serpent is so dangerous that our ancient texts talk of the "sarp-rajju nyay". In the darkness, a mere string may appear like a serpent, and terrorise you. A great metaphor it is when it comes to explaining the confusion between perception and reality.
In fact, in the "Hitopdesh" as well as "Panchtantra", there is this story in which a harmless serpent and a cobra seal a deal. They enter the current of a river, and swim near human beings, and bite them. Those, who see the cobra nearby, die of fear even when they have actually been bitten by the other harmless variety, while those, who see the harmless one nearby, continue to swim happily even when they have been bitten by a cobra.
The story tells us how our minds construct, our perceptions create our realities. Beyond that though, a serpent is supposedly a farmer's "fast" friend, keeping rats, breeding faster than rabbits, under control. These days, on the Nag Panchami Day, there are not any snake charmers, at least not in the big cities.
Nature, in other words, must be conserved in its various manifestations. The second animal celebrated today would confirm this belief. Yes, July 29, the World Tiger Day, is dedicated to the tiger, our national animal, re-turning from certain extinction.
Extremely attractive, almost hypnotic, truly agile and yet hugely dangerous is this animal. Jim Corbett's tales would confirm the truth of this assertion. Unlike a lion, this big cat appears extremely shrewd and manipulative. May be, Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book" and Aesop's tales have prejudiced us much too much against this majestic animal, yet again hugely necessary for the life chain in the forest, and in the final analysis for the human habitat, too.
Here is hence wishing that such wonders of nature survive the human lust for power over nature. Otherwise, life would itself be a danger. Hence the need may be to revere them. In this spirit, let me end by saying that I hope to visit the Battis Shirale Nag Panchami some time as it is supposed to be a great symbiosis of nature and tradition in a humane way!
Pratima@Tiger and Serpent, slithering smart/in the forests that dense are not/ that immortal hand that their fearful symmetry made/hope, would not allow mankind to render them dead!
Please do forgive me, Dear William Blake!
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