Socyberty » Arjuna

Karna, My Son: Chapter Four

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:22:58 +0000

Time is a great healer, they say. Nanny and my companions ensured I was never left to brood in seclusion. My mind slowly came out of the turbulence it was sucked into. My dreams were no longer about shrieking babies. The dreams now had a chubby baby, smiling and stroking my cheeks or tugging at my saree. I would sigh on recollection, but wipe away the tears when somebody turned my way. Slowly even that faded away.When the girls playfully joked about the princes from neighboring kingdoms or teased that I would forget them in my husband’s loving arms, I started being bashful, and not tearful, like before.

My father then arranged a ‘Swayamwar’ for me . You know what I mean – a social function where I could choose a man amongst the gathered suitors and marry? Having heard of my peerless beauty, many kings had come there from far away lands.

I went around, garland in hand, with maids following me. I would stand in front of each of the kings, and the ministers who accompanied the kings would introduce them and sing their glories. None of them caught my imagination. I would move on, leaving them crest-fallen.

Then I saw Pandu, the king of Hastinapur, sitting majestically like a lion. Hastinapur was an ancient kingdom, and its glory was at the peak when Pandu’s grandfather Santanu was the king. After Santanu’s death, you would have expected his son Devavrata to become the king, but he had sworn he would never become the king, and to prevent his progeny from laying claims to the kingdom, he had also vowed to remain celibate. After this terrible oath, Devavrata began to be known as Bhishma. Bhishma, meaning terrible, was revered, and feared, by all.

I didn’t have to think twice. Pandu was the handsome man any woman would want as a husband. His valour was well known, and it was a matter of time Hastinapur would regain its former glory.

With my heart fluttering wildly and my head bent coyly, I garlanded Pandu.

My father Kuntibhoja was elated by this alliance with the powerful Kuru dynasty. Soon I arrived at Hastinapur amidst much fanfare, carrying all the gifts my father had generously showered on me.

We were given a rousing welcome when we arrived at Hastinapur. I reverently touched the matronly Satyavati, Pandu’s grand mother and Santanu’s wife. She hugged me warmly and said, “May you be the mother of hundred sons.”

1st painting: Satyavati and Santanu; 2nd: Bhishma’s oath to Satyavati’s father; Wikipedia

Waiting to hug me were two beautiful women. One was Ambika, and the other, Ambalika, daughters of the king of Kashi and wives of King Vichitravirya, son of Santanu. Pandu was Ambalika’s son, and Dhritarashtra was Ambalika’s son. Both of them blessed me with the same customary may-you-be-the-mother-of-hundred-sons.

In those days, kings had to have sons, the more the merrier. Wars and strifes could wipe out lives, so having a number of sons would ensure the continuity of rule of a country. I suppressed the smile that sneaked in on my face, and looked suitably bashful.

Pandu and I entered the inner chambers of our palace. Before I could relax, the messengers announced that Gandhari wanted to visit me. Pandu explained that Gandhari was his brother Dhritarashtra’s wife.

I was taken aback when I saw her. Gandhari was very beautiul. Her face radiated a kind of magnetic charm that only people with inner beauty can have. She had tied a silk scarf around her eyes. Pandu explained that Gandhari had blindfolded herself when she came to know she was to be married to Dhritarashtra who was born blind, saying she wanted to see the world the way her husband saw it.

Gandhari was the princess of Gandhar, the Kandahar region of the modern day Afganisthan. It was rumored that Lord Shiva, pleased with her devotion, had blessed that she would become – what else – mother of hundred sons. When Bhishma heard this, he sent proposals for the marriage to Subala, Gandhari’s father. The king was greatly pleased with an alliance with the powerful Kuru dynasty, but a little disappointed that the proposal was for the sightless king. But he didn’t dare to say ‘no’ to Bhishma. He consoled himself that Gandhari’s children would rule the empire one day.

I marveled how well Gandhari kept herself abreast of the happenings in the court. She was kind, compassionate, and righteous. Above all, she and I got along fabulously well.

Still, all was not well. I found Pandu a mixture of contradictions. Tender and romantic otherwise, Pandu would get very stressed during those intimate moments. He could never let himself go. He’d make an angry exit before climax and for hours later, you could sense a silent fury in him. Not that he would show it on me. And I would maintain a discreet distance. I could never bring myself to speak to anybody. Who could I speak to? To my mother-in-law Ambalika or to her mother-in-law Satyavati? Modesty was one reason. And again, I was expected to show reverence, not discuss these sensitive matters with them like an equal. Besides, the doubt that constantly nagged me was, ‘would they understand’?

Then I discovered more strange news. About how my my mothers-in-law Ambika and Ambalika became pregnant. Yes, they had become pregnant after their husband Vichitravirya’s death. And their father was Sage Vyasa, Queen Satyavati’s son, born before her marriage to King Santanu.

This wasn’t unheard of in those days, and the system was called ‘Niyoga’. The royal throne needed to have a male heir, it couldn’t be left empty. Bhishma had sworn he wouldn’t be the king of Hastinapur any day, but would always maintain allegiance to whoever ruled as the king of Hastinapur.

Charged with the task of finding the next ruler after both her sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya died, Mother Queen Satyavati became desperate. She sent for her son Vyasa and asked him to give a child to the widowed girls.

Both Ambika and ambalika were averse to the idea, and one of the reasons for the aversion was Vyasa’s wild appearance. But they had do their bidding. Ambika closed her eyes in Vyasa’s company, which is why her son Dhritarashtra was born blind.

Ambalika was warned to be careful; still, her face became pale when she saw the rough and bearded sage. Pandu, the result of their union, was born pale.

Satyavati sent Vyasa once again to Ambika, but Ambika sent her maid to meet Vyasa, because she couldn’t subject herself to the torturous encounter once again. The maid went happily, and served sage well enough to be blessed with a healthy boy named Vidura.

Vidura became well versed in the running of royal affairs. Because he was born to a dasi or a slave, he couldn’t be a contender to the royal throne. He remained all his life a loyal brother to Dhritarashtra and always gave him good counsel, even if the king would ignore it more than often.

One day I confronted Pandu with these stories I had heard. I thought Pandu would be angry, but it appeared as though he was waiting for such a moment.

For all the outward appearances of a strong invincible warrior, Pandu was a frustrated man. That day he poured his heart to me. He talked about his lonely childhood, about the hushed talks going on in the palace and the tormented life his mother had endured, and about how she remained robot-like throughout his growing years, haunted by those traumatic moments of losing her husband and then giving in immediately to be impregnated by an austere and insensitive sage.

I could well understand what must have gone inside the queen’s head, and I stared at Pandu, not knowing what to say. I thought the idea of mating with strangers for the sake of producing royal progeny as morbid, but Pandu tried to ease my mind. “It’s all about duty. Think what will happen to our country and our people – don’t we owe them a stable rule? That’s our dharma!” He dwelt at length on dharma, but couldn’t conceal the distaste its adherence had produced in his mind.

“Strange are the ways dharma works. No one knows how it works. There is no absolute right or wrong. It all depends on how we interpret it. No, we don’t even interpret it, we let our elders interpret it and then simply follow their instructions,” mumbled Pandu dejectedly.

I couldn’t agree more. The image of a new blemish-less baby floating in the backwaters flickered before my eyes

To be continued…

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Links to Other Chapters

Main Characters/ Glossary

Kunti – the narrator of the story, the mother of Pandavas

Karna – Kunti’s son born before marriage through Surya, the Sun god

Pandavas – the five sons of Pandu: Yudhishtra, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva

Pandu – Husband of Kunti, and Dhritarashtra’s younger brother

Dhritarashtra – The blind king of Hastinapura, who cedes his kingdom to Pandu because of his congenital blindness

Hastinapura – The land King Dhritarashtra/Pandu ruled

Gandhari – Dhritarashtra’s wife who voluntarily blindfolds herself to commiserate with her blind husband; mother of hundred sons, commonly knows as the Kauravas

Draupadi – Common wife of all the Pandavas; also the mother of the hundred sons of Pandavas

Santanu: Father of Bhishma (born to Ganga), Chitrangada and Vichitravirya (born to Satyavati), and grand father of Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura.

Ambika and Ambalika: Mothers of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, respectively.

Vyasa: Son of Satyavati and Sage Parashara, born to Satyavati before her marriage to Santanu

Vidura: Born to a royal maid and Vyasa

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Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:11:50 +0000

Hello Fellow Living Beings, Please accept my respectful greetings cum the Almighty Blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. As a matter of fact, this so-called explosion that created such a massive annihilation is very painful to… bear. But at the same time, I offer my respectful homage unto the Supreme Lord for everything, because He says in the Gita, that He is the cause of all causes. However, if somebody has done this great action, and was found, the only penalty would have been death sentence. Fortunately or unfortunately, nobody could figure out who did this dangerous and sinful action,so to say, that took many lives without mercy. My question is, what are the people saying about this incident? Are the learned and intelligent people trying to find out the cause of this great havoc, or are the masses simply crying, guessing in ether, pitying the people affected? As a civilized human beings with five senses, it is expected of us to enquirer, Who did this thing?, why did this happened?, how did it happened? Is this caused by a human being, animal, demigod, or the Supreme Lord Himself? What should be done to avoid this type of action in future?, this is the inquiry of a civilized human beings. ”In the Bhagavad-gita 9:10, Lord Krishna says, This material nature, which is one of my energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, producing all moving and non-moving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again”. Again Lord Krishna told His dear most disciple Arjuna, ”But what is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe” So, from the above quotations from Bhagavad-gita as it is, we should understand that Lord Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead is responsible for this great work, of destruction. The next question is, Why did He do that, if God should be Merciful? The answer is, God took this action, to protect us from gliding down into the hellish condition of life. It is like when people become averse to the law, the government try to put embargo to stop it. Similarly, when people become irreligious, the Supreme Lord puts a stumbling block to check it, by making people to re-establish their lost to religion and become religious again, and if they still neglect the law of the Supreme Lord, again and again they have to face this type of calamity ever after. Therefore, let this be a very great lesson to the whole world, that with a single fragment of God’s energy, He creates, maintains and annihilates. In order to avoid this type of problem in the near future, let the whole world chant congregationally this Holy Name of God; Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, and the whole world will become happy and blissful, Hare Krishna! Thank you very much, may God bless all–Amen! N.B: In the Vedas, it is said that a learned Sage, sees a living body, a dead body, a dog, a cat, a rich and a poor persons same, he sees not the body he sees the soul. We are not this body, we are the soul. The soul is not born and never dies, the spirit soul is part and parcels of God. God is eternal and His part is also eternal. If the soul is what we are and not this body, why then should people mourn for the ordinary body or our dress? This body is as good as the dress the soul is wearing. That means, nobody knows what he is, or who is his relatives, or his Mother or Father, nobody knows. Everyone is acting absolutely in ignorance without knowing where he belongs, this is illusion. Even the cows and the hogs, do not know who they are, OK, that’s no problem, because their instinct have not developed above that of eating, sleeping, defending and mating. But our instinct have developed above this animal propensities, therefore, why can’t we utilize our developed consciousness for higher realization, instead we still imitating the dogs and cat acting on a lower consciousness. This is our misfortune. As a matter of fact, we do not belong to this world, we all belong to the spiritual world, where there is eternal life, no birth and no death, but full of blissfulness.This material world is a prison house we are put into,in order to realize our eternal nature and go back to home back to Godhead.
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Ascending to Heaven in Body

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:44:21 +0000

I have always wondered about the truth in the story of Pandavas going to heaven in their mortal body. Not because it is a myth. From time immemorial in our country we are brought up with the belief that we are not his body but a soul.

Just like a Kannada mystic has said in his verses “ಅಲ್ಲಿದೆ ನಮ್ಮನೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬ೦ದೆ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ” meaning there(heaven) lies my home, I came here(earth) just like that.

Just not that, belief of reincarnation reflects in our daily conversations which are abound with is janamme, agle janamme, janam janamme, sat janmome etc. The concept of janma means ‘you’ are the same but only ur ’shareera’(body) changes and the experiences with it. We are left with conclusion that once we were always souls and we got a body, and thus must be prepared to leave this as well and not fool ourselves that we ‘are’ the body. In the case of Pandavas’ story especially since they were always associated with Krishna, and not only that Arjuna had received Geetopadesh which obviously deals with karma, soul and reincarnation.

In my opinion the Pandavas story must be just an addition for preaching the laws of Karma.

Same applies to the story of Satyavrat of Suryvansh(solar dynasty) who approached Vasishtha who turned him down, but I dont know the exact reason. Later on when he approched Vasishtha’s sons to do the same they were angry at his audacity and cursed him to become a chandaala. Then he approached Vishwamitra who out of rivalry entertained him instead of advicing him against the idea.

Not many centuries ago Tukaram is believed to have gone to heaven in Narayana’s Garudavahana which had come to receive him. Is this possible that Tukaram an ardent devotee of Pandurang whose conciousness was always filled with Pandurang Vittal who even neglected earning food for his wife and children because of being immersed in chantings and composing verses suddenly became very concious of his body and ascended in mortal body?

Males in Leading Roles

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 10:01:44 +0000

Most patriarchal societies are used to men as leaders, and certainly you need–even with feminism–to continue to have masculine leaders. Feminists have a right to challenge masculine leadership, individually or collectively. Nevertheless, if you have feminine leadership, you must also have masculine leadership.

Similarly if you have Western leadership and Western-style leaders, you must likewise have Eastern leadership and Eastern-style leaders. This provides balance in any material, political, intellectual, spiritual/metaphysical society.

Masculine style leadership is often very different from feminine style leadership.

Men and women need to maintain their different leadership styles. We mean as a generalization.

Battlestar Galactica is very excellent at showing the different leadership styles of men and women, even during wartime.

There is a feminine leadership style during wartime and there is a masculine leadership style during wartime. Sometimes they have the same style and sometimes they have a different style.

It is problematic as we have noted when women go into roles, especially warrior roles that are traditionally masculine. Mostly when men identify women in these warrior roles men feel that they must play these roles like men. Female warriors can have a feminine style of warfare, while learning the basic techniques. Women can if they choose to, or they can tell men that when they are in the roles, these roles are feminine roles and they connect to the feminine. Women can do the work of men, if necessary, but they can determine their style and how they do that work.

We note for example there is Western and Eastern martial arts. They can learn from each other, and they can maintain their independent styles.

For example, let’s say you have masculine generala and feminine generala. Suppose the men generals tell the feminine generals that they hav to do the same things that men do at war and in the same manner. Of course, female generals can learn all the masculine principles and strategies of warfare and women can follow these guidelines, or women might decide as female generals, individually or collectively, to go to war in their style(s) or not to go to war at all. Certainly, masculine generals can make similar determinations, if their societies allow generals to make this determination.

This is the same with ethnic groups in this role. It’s very easy to convince an ethnic person that if they don’t do the role the way that whites have traditionally played this role that they are wrong.

When they are in the role, if possible, they can determine their own honorable manner of playing that role. We can imagine wars that ethnic warriors might find dishonorable according to their ethnic identities.

However, when men go into leadership roles, then the leadership style is generally a masculine style. Men have the right to define that role. Perhaps women agree, perhaps they disagree. If they want the leadership played the way that women play leaders, then women have to become leaders and they have to be qualified and they have to deserve to be leaders. There must be masculine and feminine guidelines for leadership. They can be similar or different, according to masculine and/or feminine style.

Women have to determine the values, principles, and goals of leadership. So do men. Or they must agree to similar values, principles, and goals of leadership. Those who study traditional masculine and feminine leadership styles, however, recognize a difference.

Men and women can work together in wartime or peacetime as leaders and/or supporting role people.

Leadership people in wartime or peacetime assume leadership roles. Supporting role people in wartime or peacetime must assume supporting roles. There must be a means of determining who is who.

Peaceable people can be forced into war, and/or they can become consciencious objectors.

Whoever assumes the role of leader must define that role, or they must agree to follow the rules and guidelines of their election or appointment to leadership. Certainly they can decline the roles based upon these rules and guidelines.

Almost every American president has a presidential style in wartime and/or in peacetime.

President Clinton has been refered to as a peacetime president. He just happened to be president during a time a peace. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s truly a peaceful type or that he truly has anything to do with being a peacetime president. He just happened to be president during peaceful times, and/or he’s very good at avoiding war and negotiating with people. Or he’s very good at conflict resolution.

Economic times also can influenced the presidency and leadership. Sometimes presidents are presidents in good economic times that have nothing to do with them personally. Or sometimes they are very good at dealing with economic problems and have the right experts to be involved.

Masculine leaders must be qualified leaders, and they must know how to connect to the appropriate experts when necessary.

Leaders, whether men or women, don’t know everything. They are not qualified for everything. They have to understand where their limitations are and where their qualifications are. When to take the responsibility themselves, and when to defer to others. Leaders must also know when to delegate responsibility.

Leaders must study leadership, public or private. Must understand the role. Supporting people must understand their roles also.

If you have several people who are all leaders, of course, it’s very difficult for these people to work together, because they are all leaders. That’s why it’s very easy to “set up” leaders, because they are all leaders. It’s very easy for leaders, masculine or feminine, to get into competitive mode.

Many leaders, because of the psychology of leadership, all perceive themselves as equally or better qualified than other leaders. Supporting role psychology is able to perceive others as better or greater. This psychological different can be right or wrong, as well all know.

If you try to get genuinely supporting role people to go against leadership, it’s more difficult because they perceive these people as leaders and often as greater than themselves. You must convince them that the leader is not qualified for leadership, then they seek a new leader. Most of them do not try to become leader themselves, unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Leaders assume leadership. Supporting role people seek a new leader, and/or they just stay independent.

Most of the time if you try to get supporting role people to go into a leading role, most of them object, unless absolutely necessary, and then they find out if anybody is supportive of them as leader. Usually people are not supportive of them as leader, or very few people, and/or they must prove themselves worthy.

Conquerors often work at discrediting the masculine and/or feminine leadership of the conquered, and playing them against each other. This is historical.

As for masculine leaders, there are different ways of determining masculine leadership, public or private.

You can elect masculine leaders. However, there is an election process in which they prove themselves worthy by whatever standards you set as a people or civilization. Perhaps they have a debate. Who wins the debate? They have to give speeches and appeal to the people. They have to raise money. They have to learn to deal with the media, the press. There are many requirements that you put to elected masculine leaders (or any leaders.) Then you evaluate them. Likability and charm are qualities that some people look for. Others don’t concern themselves with how likable their leaders are; they want competent and honorable leaders. What is the agenda of these masculine leaders? What are their opinions? Many things you decide upon as a people. Are they good at problem-solving? Are they good managers? Do they know how to work with a “team”–since presidents must be able to work with others. Do they assume responsibility themselves or delegate responsibility to others? Many things we look for and study in masculine leadership models.

For others, do they just look like masculine leaders? Are these masculine leaders manly?

Some people choose masculine leadership really just based upon appearance: Gregory Peck, Edward James Olmos, Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood?

You have many people that select masculine leadership based upon a manly appearance. Then, along with that, they must prove themselves. But for many, it’s just that.

A man like Audey Murphy for example, a more diminuative type of man, a manly but small man, had to prove himself heroic in a war. Nevertheless, in the movies, he’s not generally the type that we associate with heroism in terms of appearance. If he hadn’t proven himself as a hero in war, certainly he wouldn’t have gotten to play the hero, including himself, in the movies. This appearance problem is a problem for many men who are qualified for leadership roles intellectually and/or metaphysically, but their small stature or their race or their religion tell people no we don’t accept this great man as leader.

This is certainly also true of female leaders. What are the qualifications that societies look for in female leadership and in what type of role. What are the appearance qualifications for females? We continue to debate the appearance question in assigning leading roles to both males and females.

Most of us do not have the ability to perceive intelligence and spirit directly, and so we are all seeking worldly proofs, and most people are spending their time gathering worldly proofs for people.

For those who can perceive directly these proofs are not necessary.

The Great Teacher is our best example. Many have played the role of Great Teacher in various civilizations, some recognized, some unrecognized.

When the Great Teacher made an appearance in ancient Persia, Rumi, the great mystic poet, recognized the Great Teacher immediately. He didn’t need any proof. He was able to perceive intelligence and spirit directly. The Great Teacher didn’t have to prove anything.

There are tales of others on this level. Certainly, there are those who had the ability to recognize Moses immediately without any proof. However, because Moses came into the material world, Moses had to prove himself to a world of material people. Those perceiving the intellect and spirit of Moses directly already knew Moses. The prophets already knew Moses and of Moses. For others there had to be material, political, intellectual, and spiritual proof.

With the help and insistence of the Divine Spirit, Moses was able to provide this proof, or these proves.

There are some spiritual historians who believe that Moses was not allowed to continue with his people into the Promised Land because he began to think that he himself was the actor and not the Divine Spirit working through Moses.

Perhaps this is so. There are many other interpretations of this divine history.

We certainly celebrate Moses and continue to do so. However, spiritual history also lets us know that there is a divine agency that can work through human beings in the ancient, modern, and postmodern worlds. Moses had to prove worthy to that divine agency, and so that divine agency was able to work through Moses as a worthy human agency.

Those who have leadership roles and who believe in this divine agency and especially when they have leadership over many people, should try to connect if possible to this divine agency that is greater than any human being.

Many leaders understand this.

Moses had to combine spiritual and secular leadership. He had to be both a military and a spiritual leader. Very difficult because these things appear to contradict each other. Before Moses made an appearance, the Jewish dictate was to be nonviolent–not to go to war against anybody. Then Moses made an appearance and made it clear to these nonviolents that the Divine Spirit now said to liberate the Jews it was wartime. Moses had to gain the approval of the Divine Spirit first. He had to continue to appeal, as in other spiritual histories to that Divine Spirit. What should he do? What should he do?

Other spiritual texts and spiritual histories have similar stories.

There are many stories of leaders when human beings make an appeal to them to assume leadership, especially those who understand the Spirit, make an appeal to the Spirit–What should that leader do? What should that leader do? Should that leader even become a leader?

Some appeals are made to the people as in Treemonisha, others appeals are made directly to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit, as with Moses, then often helps to provide proof to the material world.

We have talked about the Caesar Principle as a principle of masculine (or any) leadership.

We can also include the Moses Principle as a principle of archetypal leadership, in which the leader continues to make an appeal not to the world, but to the Spirit. These masculine leaders, according to the Moses Principle–or we can use the archetypes of Eastern religion, such as Arjuna–these masculine leaders, military or spiritual, make an appeal to the Divine Spirit–to That Who is Greater Than This World.

Moses understood, like other spiritual leaders, that although he was going about in the world he was in the presence of the Spirit. He was/is both “in the world” and “in the Spirit.” Masculine leaders, who are also spiritual or Spiritual Leaders, understand this. (Feminine leaders, who are alwso spiritual or Spiritual Leaders, also understand this.) People who have a spiritual history that continues with them even into the postmodern world also understand this. That’s why they continue to have both masculine and feminine spiritual leaders and spiritual leadership. These people, even though certainly they are not on the level of Moses or Arjuna, to the best of our modern understanding, nevertheless continue to make that appeal to the Divine Spirit. Some of these masculine leaders are recognized by the world. And as we have stated previously, some are recognized by the Divine Spirit.

What do we mean exactly? There are Spiritual Leaders among the Native American people, for example, who although they might be recognized by a few native peoples are not necessarily recognized by the world. They are recognized, we assume, by the few native people who can recognized these leaders, and they are recognized by the Spirit. Whether the world ever comes to recognize these leaders depends upon the history of the world and the history of Native Americans in the world.

The people who’s spiritual texts are central to the spiritual history of the world have their masculine and feminine spiritual leaders, historical and contemporary recognized because of the role they have in the world and we all acknowledge their important roles. If these other groups begin to assume certain important worldly roles, then certainly we might begin to know and recognize their great secular and spiritual leaders. This is how the world works.

As Mexican Americans and Hispanic Americans have a greater role in America we come to recognize more and more of them and people who are central to their secular and spiritual histories. More and more Americans are learning and relearning their language. This is how the world works. The Spirit has always known these great Mexican peoples and their great histories and their great Spiritual Leaders. Perhaps the world shall also come to know them.

What do we mean? The Spirit always knew the Jewish people even when they were the lowest of the low among tribal peoples. The Spirit always knew them and had/has and continues to have a role for them. But this is true of all the different peoples. The Spirit also witnesses how the world deal with all the different peoples, from the lowest primitives, to the worlds understanding, to the highest technological peoples. The Spirit bears witness to and with all of these peoples, and continues to do so. Their Spiritual Leaders recognize this and continue to recognize this.

Before the conquerors made an appearance on the American landscape, the Spiritual Leaders of the native peoples, for example, if you believe them, were told about these conquerors, and even why they were to make an appearance to “conquer” America.

Many of the spiritual and sacred texts and scientific texts of these great peoples were destroyed. Perhaps these texts shall be restored to us, through the old messengers and/or the contemporary messengers of these peoples. Some of these texts, if they had not been destroyed, would probably be among the great and classic texts of our many civilizations. This history can be found in The Broken Speears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Translated from Nahuatl into Spanish by Angel Maria Garibay K. and English Translation by Lysander Kemp. It should be good to retell this history on film from the point of view not of the conquerors but the Aztecs.

There are many such histories and stories, secular and spiritual.

Males in leadership roles can study all of these historical and postmodern roles. Females have critiqued their civilizations in their feminist writings. However, masculine leadership must critique their own civilization, the secular and spiritual leadership roles and role-playing.