The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy, #2)

by Amish Tripathi

the masculine way is very clear. Laws are unchangeable and they must be followed rigidly. There is no room for ambiguity. Life is predictable because the populace will always do what has been ordained.

the people of this way of life live by the code of Truth, Duty and Honour. Since that’s what they need to be successful in this system.’

‘The feminine way of life is “life by probabilities”. There are no absolutes. No black or white. People don’t act as per some preordained law, but based on probabilities of different outcomes perceived at that point of time.

If there are laws in such a society, they are malleable. The same laws can be interpreted differently at different points of time. Change is the only constant.

the code for success in such a system? Unmistakeably, Passion, Beauty and Freedom.’

Change is difficult for the masculine. They will cling even more rigidly to their laws, even though those laws may be unsuitable for the new age.

‘So when fanaticism causes rebellions born of frustration, the openness of the feminine brings a breath of fresh air.’

The feminine way incorporates all differences. People of varying faiths and belief can coexist in peace. Nobody tries to enforce their own version of the truth. There is a celebration of diversity and freedom, which brings forth renewed creativity and vigour causing tremendous benefits to society.

as it happens with too much freedom, the feminine civilisations overreach into decadence, corruption and debauchery.’

Standing by and doing nothing while a sin is committed is as bad as committing the sin yourself.

the only way to prevent a grave wrong is to commit a small wrong.

Because sometimes, nothing clarifies and focuses the mind except fear. Lord Rudra needed to inspire fear to achieve his goals.

‘Is the salt all right?’

‘Lord Ram said humility is the mark of a great person.

You don’t live with the consequences of other people’s karma. You live with the consequences of your own.’

‘Lord Ram ordered his followers to obey the rules.’ ‘He also said rules are not an end in itself. They are made to create a just and stable society. But what if the rules themselves cause injustice? Then how do you follow Lord Ram? By following those rules or breaking them?’

Lord Ram had said his laws can be changed for the purpose of justice.’

one of Lord Ram’s commandments was that laws are not important. What is important is justice. If the purpose of justice is served by breaking a law, then break it.’

‘When the people in the clan believe a woman in their community has insulted the honour of her family, the clan has the right to kill that woman and everyone else with her to avenge their loss of face.’

Lord Manu had said it’s not people who are evil. True Evil exists beyond them. It attracts people. It causes confusion amongst its enemies. But Evil in itself is too big to be confined to just a few.

Evil is a power as strong as Good. That it doesn’t work by itself, but uses people as its medium. These people, maybe even good people, find purpose in serving Evil.

If anything appears random, it only means that we haven’t discovered its purpose just as yet.

Lord Hanuman was called Sankat Mochan for a reason. People believed he always helped his devotees in a crisis.

nobody is good or bad. They are either strong or weak. Strong people stick to their morals, no matter what the trials and tribulations. Weak people, many a times, do not even realise how low they have sunk.’

‘If a man has been good all his life despite the unkindness he has faced, if he has helped others, we should try to understand why he committed what appears to be a sin. We may not be able to forgive him. However, we may be able to understand him.’

Lord Manu had said that Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin,’

the opposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy. When you don’t care a damn as to what happens to the other person.’

‘Om Namah Shivaiy.’ The universe bows to Lord Shiva. I bow to Lord Shiva.

sometimes the mind makes you believe what you want to believe.

‘New philosophies today blame desire for everything. Desire is the root cause of all suffering, all destruction,

‘Because desire creates attachment. Attachment to this world. And, when you don’t get what you want or get what you don’t want, it leads to suffering. This leads to anger. And that to violence and wars. Which finally results in destruction.’ ‘So if you want to avoid destruction and suffering, you should control your desires, right?’ asked the teacher. ‘Give up maya, the illusion of this world?’

‘But the Rig Veda, one of our main sources of philosophy,’ continued the teacher, ‘says that in the beginning of time, there was nothing except darkness and a primordial flood. Then out of this darkness, desire was born. Desire was the primal seed, the germ of creation. And from here, we all know that the Prajapati, the Lord of the Creatures, created the Universe and everything in it. So in a sense, desire is the root of creation as well.’

‘That is the purpose of desire. It is for creation and destruction. It is the beginning and the end of a journey. Without desire, there is nothing.’