How Adulation Degenerates Into Deification: When Shivaji Becomes A God
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
14 November
2022
Controversy
is going on in Maharashtra regarding a movie Har Har Mahadev, which is
fraught with factual errors.
In a
particular scene, Shivaji is shown taking Afzal Khan on his lap and tearing his
stomach like (god) Narasimha. Now Shivaji has become an incarnation of 'Lord'
Narasimha!
The famous
sociologist Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) explains in his seminal essay, "
Deification of Humans " as to how certain humans in flesh and blood become
gods as time marches on.
This
tendency of deification is quite prevalent in the Pagan and polytheistic faiths
which tend to anthropomorphise their deities. Since polytheistic faiths are
already teeming with a large number of gods and goddesses, further additions
(of 'evolving' gods) isn't that difficult a task. That's why, Dr Ambedkar is
already a god to neo-Buddhists because neo-Buddhism is nothing but a variant of
Hinduism, which deifies not just humans but all and sundry.
Shirdi's
Sai Baba, who existed just a hundred years ago, is a god to legions of (Hindu)
devotees. A consummate fraud like Rajneesh, who called himself a god, is indeed
a god not just to his followers but is worshipped by a large section of people.
The same is happening in the case of Shivaji. I've been observing Shivaji's
'rise' and 'evolution' into godhood since 2012.
An ordinary
chieftain Shivaji became a mandatory Chhatrapati a decade ago and today, he's
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and to many Marathas, he's already a god who now
figures in a pantheon of Hindu deities. He's being worshipped like a deity and
people have gone to the extent of believing that goddess Bhavani gifted him a Chamatkari
sword to slit the throats of Muslim invaders! Jay Bhavani! Jay Shivaji!
This is how
the deification process goes on and religions assume political undertones and
overtures. Otherwise also, religion and politics always make a fatal
combination. When I see the idols and statues of Shivaji adorning the walls and
alcoves of Marathas in Maharashtra, I remember the words of Parsons, " an
impoverished society with a dire dearth of real heroes, frantically searches
for one and clings on to a quasi-hero and turns him into a god." So very
true.
Lastly,
mark my words. Erelong, Bal Thackeray (calling him Bal Thackeray is
sacrilegious in Maharashtra, he must be called Balasaheb Thackeray!) will soon
become a god in Maharashtra. He's already on his way to becoming one. This
underscores the fact that humans are awfully gullible and collectively
devolved. They also cannot live sans their battalion of gods whom they
themselves concocted and fabricated.
-----
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/adulation-degenerates-deification-shivaji-god/d/128391
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