Posted:
Hi all - Lola here. I've been watching the show and so far I have mixed feelings. There are moments that give me chills and (more) moments that make me roll my eyes. For better or for worse, the show's definitely been on my mind a lot. I've also been skimming through clips/written updates of Paramavatar Shri Krishna on &TV (which most of you seem to have skipped, given how empty the forum is, and you're probably better off for it). In this week's episodes, their Vishnu and Lakshmi brought up a theme that was quite similar to the one that is the focus of this show - that of self-sufficiency. Just as the first 4 episodes have shown Mahadev repeatedly tell Parvati that she's on her own and assure other Gods/Goddesses that "naari shanka tyaag de to swayam Shankar ban jaati hai", the Krishna show also had their Vishnu assuring Lakshmi that not only Krishna, but all human beings have unlimited power within them and need no divine assistance or revelations to save themselves from the likes of Putna. Just like this show's Parvati, that show's Krishna is unaware of his own divinity.
I have no issue with that whole concept of self-discovery with a God/Goddess's journey being a representation of our own, accurate or inaccurate as it may be. My question/concern is around the message they're giving. If the Goddess/God at the center of these series represent ordinary human beings, is it really true that every woman and and every toddler has the ability to physically diffuse a threat that is maybe 2-10 times their size? Does it really empower ordinary people to be told that you don't need any help, just fight back and get yourself out of this? Does it not invite victim-blaming in cases when fighting back doesn't work and the perpetrator overpowers you anyway? Showing Lakshmi and the other devis as mute victims in need of the pep talk to turn them into warriors too made it seem like this was the message they wanted to give - that if you can't/don't fight back, it's your fault.
I am fully on board with the idea of making people aware that God dwells within them as do his gifts of untapped, unimaginable spiritual strength and virtues. However, I think that lumping this together with physical strength is unrealistic and can even lead to dangerous misinterpretation. Yes, everyone regardless of age or gender should learn how to defend themselves, but when something bad happens, there's no 100% guarantee that those techniques will help, and when they don't, it's definitely not the victim's fault. Crimes against women and abductions of children don't happen because the victims/survivors aren't fighting back or fighting back correctly. The onus is not on them to change, it's on the criminals. Empowerment is in society banding together and telling the survivors that whether or not they fight back, what happens to them is not their fault - and not letting the perpetrators get away with it.
I think it's important for these shows not to be so blunt in their messaging and invite misconceptions. Not every woman can manifest a tiger-woman like Narsimhi when she's at risk, and that she can't does not make whatever ensues her fault. The journey to self-discovery and self-empowerment can be shown in a better way that is more applicable to people's lives.
Curious to know what you guys think - is this empowerment, and if not, how can a balance be struck between showing true empowerment and acknowledging and respecting the realities and limitations we face as ordinary human beings?
Tum Se Tum Tak
