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Avtaar and similarities to Vedic concepts.

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anandb

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I watched this movie in 3D yesterday and what an experience it was? Sitting through the movie I was amazed with a lot of stuff which probably derived inspiration from our Hindu concepts. I am sure this wacko James Cameron (supposed to beat his heroes with a stick4 to extract work) should have done some reading on Hindu mythology though he has not said anything about it in interviews. I will name a few below which I noticed.

1. The title of the movie itself is a Sanskrit word and probably denotes the human being born as a Navi in the planet Pandora.

2. The souls of the humans (Sam Worthington, Susan Sarandon) transporting themselves into the bodies of the Navi (கூடு விட்டு கூடு பாயறது).

3. The bodies of the Navis is the colour of blue and in one scene the General says "kill the blue monkeys" - a kind of reference to the vanara sena in Ramayana.

4. Some of the Navis has a mark on their forehead like a Naamam.

5. When Sam in the body of the Navi was being taken for the first time by Neytiri, all the Navis are engaged in a ritual fire worship (Yagna)

6. The Navis are shown to love and worship nature including non-violence to animals, an essential Vedic society trait.

7. In a scene, the scientist Susan Sarandon says the Navis believe they are all inter connected including the nature as one single consciousness. Again very similar to the Hindu belief of one single Universal Consciousness.

8. There is this central sacred place in Pandora shown as a Mother Goddess being worshiped by Navis. Again the concept of a Mother Goddess is inherently Vedic.

There could be a lot more I may have missed. Apart from the dazzling CGI, this movie has a lot of interesting messages. It is a slap on America's so called War on Terror. There is a scene where the General having landed on Pandora for purely commercial reasons calls its inhabitants, the Navis, as terrorists who should be wiped out. There is also this message that the humans should respect the environment and live with nature as against it. So while the Navis looking like savages and doing weird rituals are shown as the ones more civilized in thought processes and loving nature, the humans with their ugly looking war machines and fire power and commercial interests come across as barbarians.

In my opinion, a very good film but watch it in 3D.
 
You know i also actually thought of the same thing.
I feel as if it is loosely based on the Mahabharat also.
You see the main character is Jake Scully he is sent as a mediator to get the Navis to move out (Pandavas) becos Humans(Kauravas) want their resoures (land and undeplutonium i think).
Jake Scully is almost like Krishna being a mediator for the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
Jake scully fought on the side of Navis becos there were the righteous ones.
Jake is blue in colour too.
Its as if Jake being a human takes an avataram to help the Navis.

You know the general who died in the scene was killed by arrows that pierced his heart that too shot by a female.
Remember in Mahabharat Bheesma will fall when arrow shot by Sikhandin( who was born female) but its Bheesma who will say that its Arjunas arrow that made him fall.

Also in the movie they talk about Prana.
Its mentioned that every living thing has energy which is common and goes back to source when a person dies.
Its like a contionous cycles of prana.
It was also mentioned that the Mother Goddess does not takes sides.
Just like Vedic concept, God is the eternal witness.

Dear anandb how did you read my mind?
 
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Excellent, Renuka ji. Very valid observations. Also the way the Navis bonded with animals. We have read that during the Vedic period the humans bonded with animals in such a way they could even understand their language. I also think the scene where Scully subdues the big red monster and lands as Tarek Moto (or whatever) to the Navis has a parallel in our mythology. I am not able to recollect. May be there are more. I think I may have to watch it carefully for a second time.

Coming to think of it, why can't the Ramayana or Mahabharata be made in Hollywood? Apart from the extraordinary messages it can convey there is also enough scope for masala in the form of romance and wars to make it a good commercial prospect. Seriously, I think someone should invite Cameron to study our epics and make movies out of them.
 
You know AnandJi,
Scully rides the big red flying bird like creature and everyone bows down to him for doing so.
Lord Vishnu rides Garuda isnt it?
Thats the answer.
 
The article in Vijayavani is the authors opinions. I have not come across any interview in which James cameron talks about going through Hindu mythology for his charecters, story line etc. Who knows? Cameron may completely deny the whole article; he may have some other source for his charecters and story line. I am sorry.

Cheers!
 
"Avatar" may be subconsciously linked to India - Cameron

Finally, he has given the interview where it is due.

"I didn't want to reference the Hindu religion so closely but the subconscious association was interesting and I hope I haven't offended any one in doing so," the filmmaker said.

Cameron said the title of the film was a subconscious reference to India. 'Avatar' in Sanskrit means reincarnation.

Link

Cheers
 
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