Hare Krishna. The Kerala Story: A Bhagavad Gita Perspective

The Kerala Story is a recent movie that has attracted significant attention and controversy. It depicts the story of several young women from various religious backgrounds in Kerala, who were misled, mistreated, converted to Islam, and ultimately abused as sex slaves. On a human level, the story is horrendous, and regardless of the specific statistics that have become the center of controversy, the fact that something like this happened—even to one person—should be a matter of concern to all of humanity, irrespective of one’s religious or secular affiliations.

From the Bhagavad Gita’s perspective, I would like to address this issue through the lens of the “Four C’s.” The first C is conviction. We see that young people, particularly in India, are often exposed to a culture that is a deeply ingrained and omnipresent feature of the landscape. This culture has its roots in the millennia-old teachings of the Vedic literature. Unfortunately, in today’s world, the educational infrastructure that provided the philosophy and worldview behind this culture has largely been lost. Older generations have continued to follow the culture out of respect for tradition. But as younger generations are exposed to a more liberal, multicultural society, their own culture often seems irrelevant or even irrational.

In such times, when self-interested, manipulative individuals present false arguments, these may appear logical, even though they are actually pseudo-logical. Logic is like a sword or a machine gun—just because someone wields a weapon doesn’t mean they are on the right side. Similarly, just because someone uses logic doesn’t mean their reasoning is true. Logic must be used properly, and those who are targeted by improper logic need to be equipped to defend themselves.

Thus, conviction in the cultural practices and beliefs must be instilled within society today. Srila Prabhupada, one of the greatest teachers of Indian spirituality, emphasized that temples should be like universities where spiritual education is offered. Given how easily people can be misguided in today’s world, movies like The Kerala Story can prompt spiritual leaders and concerned groups to share spiritual knowledge and a philosophical worldview more extensively and rationally. Parents and other responsible adherents of the culture must create forums and pool resources to make such education more widely available. Young people themselves must develop intellectual curiosity and not dismiss their culture. “Why has this culture lasted for thousands of years? Let us try to understand it better.”

The first C is conviction, and its urgency is demonstrated through the manipulation seen in The Kerala Story. The second C is consistency. Let’s look at three specious or false arguments presented in this movie and see how they can be refuted with logic drawn from Vedic wisdom.

One point made in the movie is that the deity considered God in the Hindu tradition, Lord Ram, couldn’t protect his wife Sita from being abducted by the demon Ravana. The argument is that if Ram could not protect his wife, how can he protect us? Here, the C of consistency applies. If this is the argument—that God should always protect us according to our expectations—then let’s consider the Islamic tradition itself. The first generation of Muslims, who were the most celebrated followers of Allah, had to flee from Mecca to Medina. Why didn’t Allah protect them at that time? The expectation that God should protect us according to our demands and expectations is not supported by the theology of any of the theistic traditions of the world. Such an expectation reduces God to a 24/7 bodyguard.

This reasoning must be applied consistently. Consistency is the second C.

The third C is completeness. Any story can be ridiculed if it is taken only partially. For example, if a movie shows only the part where the hero is beaten repeatedly, it may seem like a horrible film. But if we look at the entire story, we see that eventually, the hero triumphs. Similarly, in the story of Ram, although he initially fails to protect Sita, in the end, he does rescue her and frees the world from the tyranny of Ravana.

There’s another example of Lord Shiva, who is depicted as lamenting and wandering in a graveyard because his wife, Sati, passed away. While it’s true that his wife died, if we look at the story in its completeness, we find that Sati reincarnated as Parvati and was always with Lord Shiva. When Shiva is in the graveyard, it is not because of his wife’s passing, but because of his deep compassion for those suffering from grief. This illustrates his inclusive compassion.

Great personalities like Lord Ram or Lord Shiva endure suffering to teach us that no one in this world is exempt from distress. However, by living a life of purpose and principles, we can minimize the distress we face and ultimately triumph over it. If we view these stories in their fullness, we see that the divine arrangement ensures things will be okay in the end. And if they are not yet okay, this is not the end.

So the third C is completeness.

The last C is concept. In the movie, it’s suggested that Krishna is too busy dancing with his girlfriends to have time to protect us. How could he protect us? First, we must understand the concept of lila (divine play), which is inherent in the Sanatan Dharma’s understanding of God. God doesn’t revel in displaying his power and forcing everyone to submit to it. He delights in the reciprocation of love. To facilitate this, he subordinates his divinity and plays various roles, as if in a drama.

In this drama, a powerful military officer may play the role of a weak civilian, and a child may take the role of an aggressor. But if the child is in danger, the military officer will rise to protect them. Similarly, Krishna may play the role of a small child, but when his devotees are in danger, he can lift an entire hill to protect them.

Krishna reciprocates love in various ways with his devotees, and the Gopis are also his devotees. It is a lila, a divine drama. Just as Krishna can be a loving child, he can also protect his devotees. God is not limited. It’s not that because Krishna is with one person, he is unavailable for others. Even when Krishna is with the Gopis, he is still with everyone. When Krishna goes as a cowherd boy, he is with every cow. Similarly, Krishna resides in the hearts of everyone.

When we understand this concept of God—a God who doesn’t seek to flaunt his godhood, but who delights in the reciprocation of love—it becomes clear why we are attracted to him. We are not drawn to Krishna because he will protect us, but because loving him fulfills our hearts.

To summarize, The Kerala Story movie can inspire us to gain greater conviction about our cultural practices and beliefs. If any arguments are to be made, we need to ensure consistency, completeness, and an understanding of the underlying concept. By doing this, we can achieve a holistic understanding of the situation.

Thank you.