River Sutra Essay

Many people believe that religion is the result of some supernatural or mystical event, but in relatiy religion is based upon the essence of humanity. This idea of religion is best showcased in Gita Mehta’s A River Sutra, in which she studies religion through myth, music and ritual to reveal to the reader that religion exists not because of supernatural occurrences but that it exists to fulfill the human need for an understanding of the world and ourselves, and as a guide in the face of difficulty.

One way that Mehta makes this point is by examining the mythology that is intrinsic to religion. A prime example of Mehta’s examination is her telling of Nitin Bose’s story of possession in which Mr. Bose aims to mollify the angry serpent “goddess of desire” (141). In this story Mehta reveals to us that the goddess is not a supernatural entity, but that “the goddess {represents} the principle of life, {that} she is every illusion that is inspiring love.” (142) In other words, Mehta says to the reader that religion and God are not based off of supernatural phenomena but that they are representation of human concepts, that they serve to teach us something about life. The lesson in Mr. Bose’s case being that “without desire there is no life” (142). This story ultimately serves to teach the reader that gods and religion are means for man to understand ourselves and the world around us. Mehta further examines mythology when she references “Kama, God of love” (93) and how the god’s power of desire even consumed Shiva, the Destroyer of Worlds. This reference shows the reader how Kama exists as a way to make people respect the idea of love and desire, therefore gods are ways to teach individuals to meet their psychological needs, for instance Kama teaches one to not become enveloped in desire but to practice it in moderation. Mehta’s reference becomes even more interesting when she describes Kama as holding “his sugarcane bow strung with honey bees and {holding} his five...