Dahal - 1 Divinity: Reified in Luxurious Formality and Merchandised Commoditization

[Published in Molung Research Journal, Vol. 3, No 1. Kathamndu: Molung Research Centre, January, 2012] Atindra Dahal In course of time schedule, every dimension of society, either visible or abstract, faces a tremendous amount of changes. Irrespective of public opinions or without taking an account of others analysis, these changes, infallibly and persistently, mask every spheres and aspects of society in regular ways. We human have no option than to adapt with changed milieu and to keep on internalizing those as integrally social aspects of newer dimension and recent formation. Besides politics, fashion, culture, economics, human codes and ethics, such changes can be vividly sketched even in field of religion. Candidly speaking, transformation of religious concept and activities from desire of divinity attainment to the mere persistence of culture and world of consumerism are aspects of changes to be noticed fairly in these days. In past, divinity was the issue to worship, praise for miracles, and attempt for attaining it provided that was instructed or assumed as possible work through any of activities. In past, leading an austere and aseptic life for pleasing the divine and attaining such were understood as the completely and lucratively charming domain of livings among people. Reciting the name of gods and goddesses then organizing the different types of rituals in expectation of appealing them would count a great role to have been growing as a disciplined, cultured and exemplary citizen. Substandard devotion or negligence to gods/goddesses or attempt to either boycott or attach the divinity in any other things or ways except holy and pious activities or notional works would be regarded as sheer mockery and profuse defamation of both: the divine and divinity. Such cases would never be accepted; or even those would drag the person in circle of severe penalty since those would be regarded as sinful acts. But today, the world has reeled under a profuse change; and there has been capacious modification in attitude of people. People have started to regard divinity as human construct rather than being an almighty and an institution needing or deserving the prodigious piety. Irrespective of visiting the prototypical institutions of divinity and garnering their blessings by pleasing them through rituals and rites, the concept of divinity is extremely reified and merged in field of either quenching the thrust of fulfilling the luxurious formality or in field of business for advertising commercial products as well as extending other services. Now the notion of religion-especially divinity has been- commodified. Religious icons and names having connotation with strength, righteousness, power, invincibility and victory are in a great deal commercialized or used with commercial motives in order to ease, assure and finally endorse the business promo and brandings. Infomercials and infotainments broadcasted and released on behalf of business houses dutifully exhibit the reification of divinity in business products and their names. Divinity icons and notions, once regarded as the highest point of holiness and to be worshiped, have been used as an appealing tool by entire business sector for advertising their products at present. They desire to allure customers towards their products and create an

Dahal - 2 impression among customers with name they choose. At present, the trend of naming the business products with such names, which are of having connotation with greatness or divinity or religious significance and symbol, has taken a new height in this complexly commercialized and complexly growing consumerist mode of the world. Similarly, in next scene, if any one does paying esteem to deities or tries to offer visit to religious shrine or offer any functions to them, that would be mere for culture or formality than having or exhibiting any of sincerity, piety and honour to divine .

Luxurious Formality and Act of Haggling: Nepali society is strongly religious minded since a long time back. Religious association has impressed people bountifully in course of their lives. Various religious ideas are ingrained into different aspects. The scenes and instances have rightly vindicated that religious ethics and principles made people fall in that and made them failed to come out of it for long time. High veneration was paid to religion as if it was central key for every other aspects of life. Journey of life, from cradle to crematorium was directed as per religious beliefs and concepts. Only religion was assumed to be the solace for every pains or difficulties. Gods and Goddesses were deemed as the first, foremost and the final truth on the earth. Success and pitfall on individual would be analyzed as the marker of their religiosity and association with religion or profanity and blasphemy, respectively. Our ancient mythology lucidly portrays that religion was means for salvation and rectification of errors or means of expressing good apology as well. The author of the book Ganchakar , one of the famous modern Nepali fictions, even hints that Laxmi Narashing Malla, an ancient king of the Nepal, worshipped God to beg pardon for his evils and brutish murder of Bhim Malla (Upreti:108). Miraculous strengths of deities, what was strongly perceived by people in past days gets proved with the line Gods and saints could assume several forms at a time (Ki: 69). Hindu religious books explain as worshipping of Gods and Goddesses make people gain the state and get the situation that they desire by holy benedictions. Book named story of Sri Swasthani narrates that Nabaraj was blessed for kingship and Chandrawati was blessed for reunion with husband when they worshipped the Goddess Shree Swasthani. They regard her as almighty: possessing caliber of liberating people. Kripamaya in Geeta says: the holy has infinite and innumerable powers and miraculous capacity as well (31). It means that people even praised and tried pleasing gods to get their wishes addressed. Religious books were functioning, as major document for governance where worshiping the god and goddess were prime duties of every individual. On contrary of it, today the strong religious influence is impeded and even crumbled. People are exhibiting religious association only for persistence of culture or as a luxurious formality. The aim of worshipping god or goddess is reversed. They are not worshiped for either salvation or rectification of errors or even for an apology. Those were almighty in past; and these days people deem as human construct and conventional practice rather. No any special reason or result is projected for worshipping them; but if they adopt it accidently, mere cultural persistence is logic that people forward to explain their act of religious activity. Suspending the old concept of

Dahal - 3 supernaturalism with gods or goddess and their power to cause remarkable peril or progress in lives of people, these days, people simply regard those as human construct, developed during social evolution. All religious practices are, these days, not done for achieving something supernatural or excepting something good because of or by pleasing Gods/Goddesses but just to continue with established tradition and go a head with formality or maintenance of the conventions. In queue of people at temple, most of people expresses that they like to enliven the culture initiated by their ancestors so they visit temple and put faith on deities but not because they believe that those icons are almighty and powerful. Similarly, they intend to worship almighty not as human duty or to honor their significance, rather they do so to haggle something or beg for some achievements. They long to plead for some gains and benefits to self than offering anything altruistically to almighty and its icons. Or some people even visit them because they feel enjoying or having some leisurely activities out of their hectic schedules. Reification as Commercialization The exquisite commercialization of supernatural concept can be sketched in various business and infomercial activities, which are basically designed to pass information to the customers, on behalf of business houses. An advertisement of cement broadcasted by NTV reads Bishwakarma cement as the most trustworthy and powerful in field of construction. It brags that no other can outsmart it in its category. The infinite power associated with god Bishwakarma is assumed to have been transformed to commodity properties of that particular cement. Hence religious concept floods away from supernaturalism to consumerism hoping that naming the commodity with name of God helps consumption of product go up or makes consumer have an impression that the product is such a strong one as like the symbolic name given to the product was in world of religion. Hindu mythology conceives God Bishwakarma as God of infinite and an invincible power. Then the name Bishwakrama is transformed to industrial product cement and named as Bishwokarma with interest of making reference that the cement is as powerful as Bishwokarma God in Hindu pantheism. It aims to advance the business of the cement at all. Equally, religious concept of Shiva is transformed to indicate eroticism in Nepali folk pop music .The song Hare Shiva, Hare Ram (trans: Hello Shiva, Hello Ram) by Bombay Vikings treats Shiva as a mediator who can work to manage lady for young boys. With reference that Shiva had erotically appealing and charismatic personality in such way that even sagas wives followed him being impressed with his penis, same name is adopted in public pop folk music, which intensifies boys aspiration to girls. It equally hints the next aspiration of the use of god Shiva as mediator in the deal. The other lyrics of Neplai folk song like Hare Shiva Hare Ram, Tyo Keti Maile Paun (trans: Hello Shiva, Hello Ram, Let me take that Girl) shows that striking personality of Shiva for influencing girls branches out the divine names and icons run out of theological discourse; then they capture the interest of musical industry as well. Taking about the same caliber of god Shiva, Guy writes: Shiva is celebrated throughout India as supreme god from whom all life emanates the cosmic progenitor (1). The same may be reason why the folk song tries to appeal god Shiva in order to facilitate self for getting a girl. Since he is supposed to be creator, preserver and all, people may have pleaded him seriously to assist them on their interest, through music. However, divinity is merged to business and religiosity is injected in commerce.

Dahal - 4 So it is so very visible enough to trace the transformation of supernatural concepts and religious deities to different dimensions of normal socio- lives; and basically that is more common for commercial campaigns and business bonds. One of the home appliances to kill mosquitoes produced by Koshi home Nepal has been named Surya Red Octa Coils. With the name, the company wants to associate and compare the service of this product as equal with service of the sun which is regarded and often mentioned as one of significant almighty, in many of Hindu theological discourses. Some of those religious teachings hint its readers to worship sun as God because it enables us to transcend the boundary of darkness and then to enter brightness. And the business product, by naming the products after deity, wishes to lead people at the understanding that its coil is as equal as to the worth of sun. The latest trend that people can worship God at the temple Pasupatinath in a quick by paying 1000 Nepalese currency, on the day of Shivaratri, bypassing the huge number and crowded devotee being in queue for long, hints the influence that amount of property someone has makes a control upon religious domains. Religions, and religious icons or institutions have been influenced by money. Even the e-worshipping of deities through internet has digitalized and commercialized religions and icons of divinity. The religious sites have been tagged with prices; and those are forwarded for a form of consumption after paying the cost. Justifying the situations, Yang says: Satellite technology works best with the large transnational audience, and this goes against the grain of current system of nationality protected by media space (608) Talking about divinity and infinite power gods and goddesses have, Hawley says, these goddesses are characterized by their supremacy over all forms of the life, whether animal, human or divine (472). To indicate the similar supremacy, even business products are named with the same words; and even to construct the justification about characteristics and significance of products, similar phrases are cited. The advertisement on behalf of steel house reads Laxmi Steel as the most powerful, trustworthy and supreme in field of construction reveals the interest of business house on trying to project similarity between goddess Laxmi and the very Steel. Naming a product as Tri-shakti Cement is another attempt that tries to commodify the divinity in greater scale. The great and super-powerful three Gods in anthology of Hindu religion i.e. Bramha, Bishnu and Maheswar are indirectly hinted in the promotion of product; where as the product wants to pass the message to people that their product is as strong as combined and unified strength of these three gods in theological discussion. Even the institutions to cater various types of services to people either for business or service motive have fascination to name themselves from these powerful names which have connotation to divinity. Bhrikuti consultant, Om Sai Ram trading concerns, Purnachandi Borading School speak a lot about the situation of commercialized divinity with their names. They are in search of making their brand as powerful as the gods or goddesses, whom they have named and cited, were; and they have burrowed the same word in process of naming the institutions.

Dahal - 5 Similarly, the next practice of organizing religious ceremonies for establishing other institutions of service or profit motive businesses like schools, hospitals have slowly accepted that religion and religious concepts or divinity can be and should be reified. Such acts infallibly and irresistibly forward an idea that divine and divinity can be taken into commerce for extending its world and business. An advertisement of a product named Laxmi Dhanyantra Kawaj is next burning issue to know about using names of gods and goddesses for business purpose. The goddess Laxmi has been advertised a lot and lots of commodities, which are part of her anatomy, i.e. feet, idols and others of goddess are made for sale. Thus, the advertisement counsels people that goddess Laxmi is a symbol to buy and sale than she is an icon with great power to be worshiped. The extreme use of gods in business or negation of divinity has irked some literary figures. Feeling that trade and commerce and its rapid extension has caused people to have decline of their faith in divinity and religiosity, a Victorian poet, Gerald Manley Hopkins, criticizes human conducts in this way: The world is charged with the grandeur of god. It will flame out, like shinning from shook foil; It gathers to greatness, like the ooze of oil crushed. Why do men now then not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; (69) He states that the divinity is disfigured and spoilt because of trade. He feels that world of commerce has misused and defamed the divine and divinity in form of diurnal commodities or means of advertisements; and he has been deeply hurt with this trend. Or he accuses people not paying correct attention to almighty after evolution and expansion of trade and business. That is at a level hint of the fact that reified state of divinity in commodity and in commerce is rife. Even Gods and Goddesses names have been advertised for tourism as well. In the same, Rountree says, The paper examines the religious meanings of journeys made to sites associated with ancient goddess worship by women who belong to goddess movement. While goddess pilgrims have characteristics in common with other religious pilgrims and with other middle class tourists, especially those inclined towards ethnic tourism, environmental tourism, and historical tourism (475). His feelings really well expresses the situation that religious sites and areas have been broadly advertised for tourism purposes. Generally, most of tourism advertisements hold at least few places of religious importance. Frankly speaking, areas with legendry and inheritance of divinity and religious values are regarded as most decisive trademark to promote the tourist business; and preserving such places are less connected with preserving religious values and history; rather those are more connected with promotion of business. To focus such places for extension and promotion of tourism business is next phase of commodifying divinity for trade. Thus, the new school of thought on divine and divinity is not in form of past notion about the same. In past they were, regarded as holy places, sacred institutions and idols; and those were visited or worshiped for either for their worth praising contributions to human beings or for some

Dahal - 6 mass well beings. They were centre for search of truth, justice and divinity. But, with a huge contrast, now these institutions are visited for formality or for conventions; and those idols are worshipped for haggling; and again these icons and names are adulterated by taking into field of commerce. They are no more and no any longer left holy. These names and icons are advertised and commercialized for profit and extension of business. Devine and divinities have been injected and sprayed with interest of trade and merchandise. To sum up, divinity has been a conventional formality and has been reified in commerce. Works Cited: Avalon, Arthur. Shakti and Shakta. Newyork: Dover Publication, 1978. Bosco, Joseph. Puay Peng Ho. Temples of the Empress of the Heavens. Hongkong: Oxford; 1999. Guy John. The Devine Androgyne: Shiva, Parvati and Sexual Syncretism in Indian Art. Ardhanarishvara: India. Hawley, John Stratton. The Goddess in India. A Seminar on Goddess. Ed. Arun Gupto. IACER Course Packet. 2008. P 465+ Hopkins, Gerald Manley. Gods Grandeur: The Heritage of Words. Ed. Shreedhar Lohoni, Ramshwor Adhkari, Abhi Subedi. Nepal: Ekata Books; 2010. P+69. Ki, Foe Koue. The Pilgrimage of Hain. Trans. MM Remusat Klapreth. New Delhi: Cosmo, 2000. Kripamaya, Krishna. Shiva Baghwat Geeta Yathrup. Trans. Narayan Adhikari. India: Bhakti Vedanta, 1997. Rountree Kathryn. Goddess Pilgrims as Tourists: Inscribing the Body through Scared Travel. Sociology of Religion. Washington: Winter 2002. Vol. 63. P 475+ Upreti, Sanjeev. Ghanchchakar. Kathmandu: Jagadamba, 2007. Yang, Mayfier mei-hui. Goddess Across the Taiwan Straits. A Seminar on Goddess. Ed. Arun Gupto. IACER Course Packet. 2008. P+ 593.