Lele, Why Gods Drink Milk

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WHY GODS DRINK MILK?

On the miracle of a milk-guling Gane!h

Jayant K. ele

!ueen"s #niversity

Kingston$ %ntario$ &anada

'A() *'nternational Association for the (istory of )eligions+

,#)-AN ///

0''' !uinquennial &ongress2 ,ur3an$ 451 August ///

A paper for presentation at the Panel2

P6)7P6&8'67 %N '9A:6 ;%)7('P 'N 8(6 ('78%)< %=)6':'%N7

Intro"uction

%n 8hursday$ 7eptem3er 1$ 1>>4$ in a temple on the outs?irts of

,elhi some devotees claimed that the mil? offered to a statue of :anesh$

as an o3lation$ had actually disappeared. 8he word spread immediately

around the world and :anesh statues everywhere not just in 'ndia 3ut in

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7ingapore$ (ong Kong$ Nepal$ 8hailand$ ,u3ai$ the #.K.$ the #.7.A.

and &anada started guling mil? offered to them 3y their devotees. As

one report claimed$ Never 3efore in history has a simultaneous miracle

occurred on such a glo3al scaleB.

Non3elievers dismissed it as a hoaC$ perpetrated 3y well5funded

and organied groups with access to widespread and eCpensive channels

of communications. 7cientific eCplanations were offered$ such as

capillary attraction 3y which a liquid is drawn along a narrow tu3e

*:anesha"s trun? in the present case+B. 8here were other$ similar

rational eCplanations. 7?eptics pointed an accusing finger at powerful

godmen li?e &handraswamy and the 7angh ParivarB. 8he 3elievers$ on

the other hand$ were offered authoritative eCplanations$ 3y astrologers

and presidents of temples run 3y N)'s *Non5resident 'ndians+ in #.7.$

&anada$ and #.K. %ne said$ our (oly -oo? says that wherever evil

prevails on earth then some great soul will descend to remove the

3ondage of evil .... we 3elieve this miracle may 3e a sign that a great

soul has descended$ li?e ord Krishna or Jesus &hristB.


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=ive years later$ since the :reat 7oul$ if it did actually descend on

7eptem3er 1$ 1>>4$ has made no further discerni3le moves to remove

the 3ondage of evil and since that fact does not seem to have put a dent

in the ever5growing credulity and image worship among 'ndian

housewives$ 3usinessmen$ industrialists$ 3ureaucrats$ lawyers$ doctors$

teachers and young students$ at home and a3road$ who queued up to feed

the :anesh idols$ it may 3e opportune to place the event in its 3roader

conteCt to see? an understanding of its significance.

'n this paper$ ' would li?e to chart the larger glo3al conteCt within

which one can meaningfully situate events such as the mil? miracle. '

hope to eCplore not the scientificB *in+validity of the event 3ut the thirst

among the middle classes$ of which this is seen an instance$ for

miraclesB. ' shall ma?e an attempt to understand the actions$ not only

of the interpreters$ justifiers or eCplainers of the event 3ut of those who

want to stage$ enact or participate in such miracles. ' hope to loo? at

why$ glo3ally$ under the condition of post5modernity$ the middle classes

in general are hoping that through miracles$ the evil world is coming to

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an end and may3e the :ods are here to help usB.

i?e the middle classesB everywhere$ those in 'ndia live in a

world dominated 3y a restless$ speculative system. 8hey confront fear$

and uncertainty and a sense of a loss of control$ unleashed 3y the

dematerialiation of money and the ephemerality of fashion. 8hey also

confront a glut of simulation and the well5stoc?ed$ indeed overstoc?ed

Eimage53an?s". 8his sense of uncertainty and fear they must share with

the majority that is relatively untouched$ as yet$ and is unli?ely to 3e the

equal 3eneficiary of the rewards dispensed 3y the most recent miracles

of modern technology. ;ithin this scenario$ the privileged and relatively

privileged 'ndians are showing an urge to somehow reenchant the world

and to eCperience the %ld ;orld without actually having to go thereB.

8he poor o3viously do not have that option.

'n this effort a mil?5guling :anesh offers a special advantage to

the middle class. 8he paper will eventually argue that for the 'ndian

middle classes$ desperately adhering to 3rahmanic practices$ the daily

ritual ofpujaprovides a unique opportunity to recreate the old world at

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involving educated 'ndians and the N)'s around the world. 8hespeed

and the scale with which the news of the first occurrence was

disseminated and the rapidity of the massB*ive+ outpouring of the

devotees around the world that immediately followed$ were

unprecedented.

iii+ ,espite its apparent instrumental value for the hindutva

advocates$ the responses from the two main hindutvaparties in power$

the -haratiya Janata Party *the -JP+ and 7hiv 7ena *7.7.+ were

contradictory or am3ivalent. 8hey ranged from total avowal to total

dismissal.

# hindutvacon!$irac%?

A newspaper investigation claimed that this could easily have 3een

an event orchestrated 3y (P. 8he plausi3ility of this claim comes

from the fact that two recent earlier attempts at mass mo3iliation 3y

(P had 3een non5starters. 8hese included the 9athura programme and

an attempted anti5-7P *-ahujan 7amaj Party+ agitation following its

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rally to honour Periyar$ an iconoclast and an atheistB. (P was also

anCious a3out the li?ely failure of its neCt nationwide campaign$ the

ekatmata yatra*to cele3rate the worship ofganga$ the cow and bharat

mata+. 't was to start within some ten days of the miracle. Not

surprisingly$ therefore$ :iriraj Kishore$ the President of (P$ claimed

that the miracle will reaffirm and strengthen 3elief in (induism and as

a result$ will develop moral character of our societyB. (e also claimed

that this was a divine slap on the face of the atheistsB. )eferring to the

leader of -7P$ the media secretary of (P was even more eCplicit when

he said 8he more atheism is hailed 3y Kanshi )am the more frequently

will such miracles occur to unite (indu samaj$ especially the dalitsB$

who are the most god5fearing lot among the (indusB. 8his reference to

Egod fearing dalits"$ ' may add$ can 3e understood in different ways.

(aving had the history of wrea?ing havoc on helpless dalits$ whenever

they dared to step 3eyond 3rahmanic injunctions$ (P was telling them

that it could also mean$ we ?now well$ how to inject the fear of god into

dissenting minds.

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8he international lin?s of this plausi3le conspiracy were identified

in another report$ which claimed that most mil? guling :anesh statues

in the #.7. and #.K. were from temples 3uilt or supported 3y (P. 8he

report also claimed that the &entral :overnment was planning to

investigate the role of (P overseas in the staging of the miracle

through its intelligence agencies.

6ven if we were to discount the conspiracy thesis we should not

ignore the capacity of thesanghparivarfor rapid dissemination of its

message. ong 3efore the so called communications revolution had

ta?en root$ the )77 had perfected the technique of spreading rumour

through its nation5wide networ?$ using telephones$ telegraph and the

word of mouth$ as during the 6mergency$ when it was 3anned. 't is also

said to have disseminated serious anti57i?h rumours around the nation at

the time of the 1>IF anti57i?h riots. %ne may question the conspiracy

thesis also in view of the news that the &entral government$ a -JP5led

coalition$ had ordered an inquiry a3out the role of (P. 8he credi3ility

of that news item and any outcomes of such an inquiry$ if it was ever

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held$ need to 3e eCplored further.

&o!t-mo"ernit% an" '(ime-S$ace )om$re!!ion*

#nli?e in the past$ this miracle was clearly restricted to the ur3an

centres *including$ of course$ many smaller towns and cities+. 8he speed

with which the news was communicated 3oth within 'ndia and

internationally and with which mass response occurred *or was

mo3ilied+ were unprecedented. %ne is reminded here of (arvey"s

characteriation of the post5fordistB"post modern" era as mar?ed 3y a

space5time compressionB in which$ among other things$ images can 3e

mar?eted instantaneously over spaceB. 7uch time5space compression

was o3viously at wor? in the mil? miracle. 8his glo3aliation of a

miracle is in contrast to what has 3een routine and normal for centuries

in 'ndia. )eports and tales of eCperiences of miracles have always 3een

associated with specific individuals or specific shrines. -ut replication

of this nature was unthin?a3le. ;ith the possi3ilities for near perfect

replication of the miracle$ in private homes and across continents$ such

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phenomena have acquired an entirely new meaning and can 3e

employed to meet an entirely new set of needs. A nostalgic journey to

the original sites of worship now 3ecomes entirely possi3le without

leaving one"s des?. %n hearing a3out this paper$ a friend has sent me an

email attachment called ashtavinayaka darshan$ which contains

authentic colour portraits *all coated in red$ of course+$ of the :anesh

idols at the eight most potent shrines in 9aharashtra. ' could easily

choose to feed mil? to any or all of them$ on screen$ as long as ' do not

worry a3out the mess that might occur if ' fail due to my lac? of piety.

Notice also$ another su3tle shift2 the idea of feeding mil? to a god$

with a spoon. 8o the 3est of my ?nowledge$ it has never 3een part of the

normalpujapractice either at home or in a temple. )ituals of offerings

to gods involve presentation of food or drin? as an o3lation on a platter

or placed directly in front of the deity. 't is then ta?en away at the end

of the ritual$ for distri3ution among the devotees asprasad$ 3lessed 3y

the deity. No proof of god"s involvement in the ritual is required. 8he

spoon5feeding innovation is therefore suspect$ at least on two counts2 as

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an unorthodoC practice and as something for which an easy Escientific"

eCplanation *capillary action and surface tension+ was readily availa3le.

-ut let us loo? at some other dimensions of this innovation. 'n the

most unprecedented way$ a mass miracle of this nature opens up the

opportunity for an individual 3eliever to eCperiment$ within the home$

with the possi3ility of a direct two way communication with the god of

worship$ on any day$ at any time and without any eCternal mediation.

8he temptation to test one"s status with one"s favorite god or (is or (er

potency for miracles could stri?e at any odd moment. )epeated failures

could severely test one"s credulity. =aith in the potency of faith and

worship is 3uilt over a long duration$ from childhood to maturity and

seems to withstand our dual eCistence in the worlds of worship and

Escience". 6Cperimenting with it$ following the post5modern model of

spoon5feeding$ could spawn a widespread disenchantment with the

traditional daily rituals prescri3ed for3y specific gods and goddesses. A

colleague of Professor Anderson tells the story of a family in -havnagar

which traded in its non5performing :anesh for a more pliant one. At the

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time of the :anesh festival in 9aharashtra$ one already has a highly

product5differentiated$ 3ar3ie5doll li?e choice of :anesh images.

=urther innovations can now follow with suc?ing idols fetching a much

higher price than the non5suc?ing ones.

8he difference$ however$ is that in the past$ :anesh was the god of

fun and innocent mischief. Now he is going to 3e on trial$ as a good or

3ad performer of immediate and replica3le miracles. ;hat :iriraj

Kishore claimed as an affirmation of faith and 3elief in hindutvacould

easily turn into a farce.

%ne could also speculate a3out the magnitude of pluraliation of

such entrepreneurial adventures and a3out the possi3le disenchantments$

in terms of the potential created 3y the Erevolutions" in information and

communication technology. Note that every part of the world$

accessi3le 3y faC$ phone$ modem or television 3ecame suscepti3le to the

mil? miracle. ;hat impact should one eCpect when such centrally

orchestrated events and the promises they implicitly ma?e or eCplicitly

claim$ eC post facto$ fail to deliver ;hat will stop disenchantment

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from spreading just as rapidly ;hat sustains such adamant credulity in

this age of technological revolutions

8his last question is 3y far the most interesting one$ arising out of

this event. 8he usual eCplanations2 the need for miracles and

disenchantment with the unfulfilled promises of science$ reason or

development$ loo? only at the conteCt and not the content of the

growing religiosityB of the populations around the world. 9uch of the

eCplanatory discourse characteries 3elief or faith as the opposite of

reason and glorifies it as a reaction to the failed or conspiratorial

6nlightment ProjectB. 't seems to imply that religion$ as 9arC once put

it is the sigh of the oppressed creature$ the heart of the heartless world$

just as it is the spirit of spiritless conditionB. -ut unli?e 9arC$ it rarely

eCamines the neCt question implied and eCplored 3y 9arC2 why do

human 3eings eCpress their distress and their quest for the spirit in a

spiritless world in this particular mannerB

On )ontrolling the Outcome

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8he most significant difference 3etween the miracles of the past

and the mil? miracle$ as the har3inger of an eCcess of possi3ilities for

eCperimenting with some shoc?ingly direct eCperiences of godB$ is

perhaps at the heart of the diversity of the reactions from the ruling

segments of thesangh parivar. 8he issue in essence is that of loss of

control over the outcomes. 8hose who staged or managed miracles in

the past$ in localied settings$ had an advantage. 8hey could manage$

modulate and control 3oth the access to and the reactions of the

3elievers. 8hey could dismiss the failures through rationaliations. As

it happened$ for eCample$ in the specific case of a reporter in &alcutta.

(e was told 3y ashastrijithat he was not pious and therefore did not

get desired resultsB. A woman lawyer from Patna who demonstrated

that gods preferred alcohol to mil?B was threatened 3y (P with the

fate same as that of 8asleema Nasrin$ for her E3lasphemy" and disrespect

for the faith of I// million (indus.

'n contrast to such responses from (P or -ajarang ,al$ 9urli

9anohar Joshi$ the 9inister for (uman )esource ,evelopment *in

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charge of culture and education+ scoffed at the miracle and said As a

physicist$ ' have to conclude that it is due to capillary action and surface

tension. Nothing more.B .K. Advani$ the current (ome 9inister and

contender for the Prime 9inister"s post$ on the other hand$ visited the

temple in the compound of the -JP office. (is close aide announced

afterwards that spoonfuls of mil?B were suc?ed 3y :anesh in

minutesB. Prime 9inister ajpayee$ however$ while admitting on 8

that he had offered mil? to a :anesh idol$ was equivocal as to whether it

was a miracle.

'n 9aharashtra$ where a -JP577 coalition was in power$ the 77

supremo -al 8hac?eray claimed that the miracle was orchestrated 3y

vested interests who warned priests at :anesh temples round the

country that their idols would drin? mil?$ the neCt dayB. (e also as?ed

some pertinent questions such as2 why has a lover of laddusand modaks

suddenly 3ecome fond of mil? and why only with a spoon 8his must

have caused some em3arrassment to the 77 &hief 9inister Joshi who

said the miracle had wor?ed for him and his wife. 8he -JP ,eputy

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&hief 9inister 9unde$ on the other hand$ said Neither ' nor my

government 3elieve this is possi3le.B

't is clear from these responses that the currently popular

depictions of the factions within thesangh parivar$ such as ajpayee"s

3enign$ accommodating face contrasted to Advani"s hard$ militant and

conservative face *supposedly indicative of -JP"s internal

contradictions+ or the depiction of -JP as a civilied party in power

representing upper caste$ ur3an educated interests as against (P$

-ajrang ,al or 77 as the purveyors of a ple3ian perspective$ did not hold

in this case. A careful and nuanced political analysis of the respective

constituencies of the different factions and the anticipation of their

respective responses to such forms of manipulation should give us a

3etter glimpse at the implications of such adventures for the future of the

hindutvaproject.

On the Re+olutionar% &otential of I"ol Wor!hi$

et me 3riefly return to the question ' raised earlier. ;hat sustains

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credulity in this age of near total disenchantment 8he standard

eCplanation we encounter$ in the conteCt of the mil? miracle$ is that it is

the hope for such a miracle that hosts a quest for something to hold on

to$ as evidence of a possi3le future. 't is a nostalgia for a future in

which the intense injustices and uncertainties that surround as today will

disappear. %ne account of today"s sources of despair lists the following

as characteristic of the un?ind decade$ preceding the miracle2 Ehigh

levels of insecurity$ cruel unemployment$ retrenchments$ closures$

unafforda3le prices$ chaotic neigh3ourhoods$ 3usted dreams$ failed

speculations and the resulting volatile mindset2 aggressive$ eCplosive

and unthin?ing".

et us note the fact that the mass response to the news of the

miracle was spearheaded$ not 3y the most deprived 3ut 3y 3usinessmen$

industrialists$ 3ureaucrats$ lawyers$ teachers$ students and housewives in

affluent neigh3ourhoods. 9ost of them now constitute 'ndia"s new

middle classB. (ere the old fault lines of Eur3an5rural"$ Eilliterate5

educated"$ Eupper caste$ middle caste or %-&" have 3een o3literated 3y

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the homogeniing culture of consumption. 8hey are cosharers of an

affluence that has come a3out$ almost miraculously$ under a unique$ new

circumstance. 8his class is a product of a 1>H/s glo3al upheaval that led

to a monumental shift in the distri3ution of assets and income and

3rought into focus the stri?ingly new elements of post5modernism. 8he

most stri?ing feature of this era$ a feature that engulfs all$ rich and poor$

is the sense of near5total unpredicta3ility of the future consequences of

one"s actions$ even when they are informed and well reasoned . 8he

volatility of the surrounding world$ dominated 3y the new avatarof

finance capital and its glo3al managers$ now wrea?s uncertainty$ and

fear and a loss of trust in one"s a3ility to eCercise even a modicum of

control over one"s future. 8he super rich and the rich$ uncertain of their

continuing prosperity have therefore joined the search for miracles$ with

much greater intensity than those normally 3lamed for their credulity as

arising out of ignoranceB and poverty.

8he response of the self proclaimed rationalists to the miracle

seems rather pathetic$ in this conteCt. Presuma3ly encouraged 3y the

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emphatic reaction of their -JP minister$ a physicist who is also an arch

supporter of the )77$sarkariscientists tal?ed a3out demystifying

miracles through science. 8hey promised that 'n the la3oratory$ all

possi3le variations of idols$ temperature$ humidity and other

atmospheric conditions will 3e tried out. 8he eCperiments will 3e

videotaped and later used 3y scientists on television programmesB. 8he

mem3ers of the new middle classB who rushed out to test the potency

of different idols for performing miracles$ are also 'ndia"s moderniersB

as proponents and 3eneficiaries of science and planned development.

-eing modern is generally associated with an analytical o3jective

epistemological posture$ at the eCclusion of all others while its rejection$

for 3eing incapa3le of generating true ?nowledgeB is considered to 3e

traditional. =or a professed traditionalist$ true ?nowledge comes only

through revelation stemming from direct eCperience of the spiritual or

through reflection. 'n 'ndia we encounter some strict adherents of each

one of these positions. 9ost of them$ however$ live happily in these

artificially 3ut meaningfully separated two worlds as Emoderns" and

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Etraditionals"$ at the same time. 9ost of them have already made their

peace with the demands of science and modernity$ in the outside world

while they desperately try to retain their faith once they come home.

8hey commuter 3etween the two worlds with ease 3ut without 3eing at

home in either of them. Nor have they had time to reflect on the

possi3ilities of transcending their dualistic eCistence. 8heir accelerated

pursuit of happiness through consumption will leave even less time to

watch the scientific eCperiments de3un?ing miracles or their television

sets. 8he micromomentary commercials and occasional stories of

miracles will continue to reinforce their Ereason" and their Efaith" at the

same time.

8he 3elievers in the miracles have traditionally included those

whose daily eCperiences of idol worship has not suffered such a

fragmentation. 8hey are the one often dismissed 3y the commuters as

acting out of E3lind faith". 8hey do not yet have access to the miracles

of modern technology and are unli?ely to 3e a3le to master or control it$

ever. 't is in their idol worship that one may have to loo? for an answer

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to the following question2

1. ,oes the quest for and the hoped for possi3ility of a shoc?ingly

direct eCperience of godB and the associated idol worship host

within itself a utopian core$ a reasonfor the hope leading to a

3elief

'n my previous eCplorations of bhakti$ ' have argued that

Etradition" is capa3le of generating from within$ a critique of an

oppressive social practice$ as a critique of its legitimating ideology. '

have also suggested that idols and rituals as much as fol? tales and songs

har3our in them$ in an encapsulated form$ memories$ hopes$ aspirations

and disappointments$ arising out of past struggles against injustices.

;here appropriate conditions for their regeneration$ through

interpretations relevant to contemporary times$ have not yet ripened$

they remain mystified and mythologied. Not scientific demystification

3ut only a critical hermeneutic and shared reunderstanding$ that ma?es

sense for the changing times$ can 3rea? their ideological crust. 8hat

crust ma?es faith otherwise amena3le to a hegemonic$ antithetical

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appropriation 3y forces that see? to perpetuate and create oppressive

practices. 8his hypothesis continues to drive my quest for a

reunderstanding of tradition.

8his is something ' hope to eCplore further with respect to :anesh

in the final version of my paper. %ne must notice in the 'ndian idols$ in

their iconography and in the myths and legends associated with them$

layers of accumulated eCperiences and memories of diverse peoples who

have lived through equally diverse epochs. A critical hermeneutic

eCcavation of such layers and of the pastiche that accompanies the image

of :anesh will$ perhaps$ give us a glimpse of some of his entirely

different miraculous powers. (ere ' must conclude 3y merely listing

some of the promising clues that ' have discovered$ so far. 8he lin?s

3etween them and their critical hermeneutic implications are at the

moment unclear. 9y eCcuse for presenting this paper$ in this form$ to

this unique and discriminating audience$ is that ' hope to 3enefit in this

quest from your eCpertise. et me list these clues in a point form2

$ the possi3le dravidianorigins of :anesh and the


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implications for and of its 3rahmaniation$

$ Kane"s dismissal of the common practice in :anesh

puja$ of involving the )igvedic mantra2 gananam twam

ganapatimB as a distortion$ as having nothing to do with the

elephant5headedB$ rat5riding$ pot53ellied :anesh of the

medieval teCts$ who finds no reference in the vedic teCtsB$

$ the verse attri3uted to 9anu claiming 7hiva as the god

of 3rahmans and :anesh as the god of shudras$

$ :upte"s claim that :anesh is Ethe lord of the harvest"$

$ the dialectic in the characteriation of :anesh as

simultaneously the creator and annihilator of vighnaand a

mischief ma?er$

$ the strong presence of :anesh and :anesh cults

specifically withinshaktaand tantratraditions in medieval

'ndia$

$ the fascinating differences in the emphasis in

Jnanesvar"s :anesh *as adyaand vedapratpadya+ from

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)amdasa"s *mularambh$ arambhto nirgunachaB$

$ the 3roader question of the validity of the theories of

presumed transitions in 'ndian idols$ from theriomorphic to

therianthropomorphic to anthropomorphic *in view of ,.,.

Kosam3i"s eCplorations and eCplanations+.

et me conclude with my deep apologies to you for this unfinished

and often incoherent draft without notes and references and with my

deep gratitude for your patience and for Professor ,ua"s generosity in

agreeing to read it for me.

F

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Lele, Why Gods Drink Milk

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