1A rough incomplete draft. Not for citation.

Please forward your critical comments and suggestions for improvement to lelej@politics.queensu.ca WHY GODS DRINK MILK? On the miracle of a milk-gu ling Gane!h Jayant K. ele !ueen"s #niversity Kingston$ %ntario$ &anada 'A() *'nternational Association for the (istory of )eligions+ ,#)-AN ./// 01''' !uinquennial &ongress2 ,ur3an$ 451. August ./// A paper for presentation at the Panel2 P6)7P6&8'167 %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

7ingapore$ (ong Kong$ Nepal$ 8hailand$ ,u3ai$ the #.K.$ the #.7.A. and &anada started gu@@ling mil? offered to them 3y their devotees. As one report claimed$ ANever 3efore in history has a simultaneous miracle occurred on such a glo3al scaleB. Non3elievers dismissed it as a hoaC$ perpetrated 3y well5funded and organi@ed groups with access to widespread and eCpensive channels of communications. 7cientific eCplanations were offered$ such as Acapillary 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 A7angh 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$ Aour (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.

=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 AscientificB *in+validity of the event 3ut the thirst among the middle classes$ of which this is seen an instance$ for AmiraclesB. ' 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$ Athe evil world is coming to

an end and may3e the :ods are here to help usB. i?e the Amiddle 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 demateriali@ation 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 Awithout actually having to go thereB. 8he poor o3viously do not have that option. 'n this effort a mil?5gu@@ling :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 of puja provides a unique opportunity to recreate the old world at

low cost. 8he ?ernel of truth that this and other rituals encrust is the naivete of human divinity$ which allows us$ as devotees to Aplays houseB with :od. 8his same ritual$ once co@ily encased in a neCus of other rituals shared with the eCpanding circles of ?inship$ jati and locality$ now lives a lonely$ asocial eCistence. 9iracles such as the mil? miracle offer a glo3al security 3lan?et$ a Atime5space compressedB community. (ence it is so easily em3raced. =or the poor$ without access to cy3erspaced miracles$ worship of idols that encapsulate the memories of a past$ in their shared myths and legends is$ perhaps$ still an authentic eCperience. 8his short summary statement is more of an agenda for research rather than a full paper. 7everal issues have emerged from my initial pursuit of the various dimensions of the mil? miracle. 8here are three ?ey features of this miracle. '+ 't has some o3vious and immediate lin?s with the propagators of the agenda of hindutva. ii+ 't occurred primarily as an ur3an and international event$

involving educated 'ndians and the N)'s around the world. 8he speed and the scale with which the news of the first occurrence was disseminated and the rapidity of the AmassB*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 hindutva parties 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.

# hindutva con!$irac%? A newspaper investigation claimed that this could easily have 3een an event orchestrated 3y 1(P. 8he plausi3ility of this claim comes from the fact that two recent earlier attempts at mass mo3ili@ation 3y 1(P had 3een non5starters. 8hese included the 9athura programme and an attempted anti5-7P *-ahujan 7amaj Party+ agitation following its

rally to honour Periyar$ Aan iconoclast and an atheistB. 1(P was also anCious a3out the li?ely failure of its neCt nationwide campaign$ the ekatmata yatra *to cele3rate the worship of ganga$ the cow and bharat mata+. 't was to start within some ten days of the miracle. Not surprisingly$ therefore$ :iriraj Kishore$ the President of 1(P$ claimed that the miracle will Areaffirm and strengthen 3elief in (induism and as a result$ will develop moral character of our societyB. (e also claimed that this was a divine Aslap on the face of the atheistsB. )eferring to the leader of -7P$ the media secretary of 1(P was even more eCplicit when he said A8he more atheism is hailed 3y Kanshi )am the more frequently will such miracles occur to unite (indu samaj$ especially the dalitsB$ who are Athe 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$ 1(P was telling them that it could also mean$ we ?now well$ how to inject the fear of god into dissenting minds.

8he international lin?s of this plausi3le conspiracy were identified in another report$ which claimed that most mil? gu@@ling :anesh statues in the #.7. and #.K. were from temples 3uilt or supported 3y 1(P. 8he report also claimed that the &entral :overnment was planning to investigate the role of 1(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 the sangh parivar for 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 1(P. 8he credi3ility of that news item and any outcomes of such an inquiry$ if it was ever

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 mo3ili@ed+ were unprecedented. %ne is reminded here of (arvey"s characteri@ation of the Apost5fordistBJ"post modern" era as mar?ed 3y a Aspace5time compressionB in which$ among other things$ Aimages can 3e mar?eted instantaneously over spaceB. 7uch time5space compression was o3viously at wor? in the mil? miracle. 8his glo3ali@ation 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 normal puja practice 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 as prasad$ 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 forJ3y 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 hindutva could easily turn into a farce. %ne could also speculate a3out the magnitude of plurali@ation 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 deliverK ;hat will stop disenchantment

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from spreading just as rapidlyK ;hat sustains such adamant credulity in this age of technological revolutionsK 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 AreligiosityB of the populations around the world. 9uch of the eCplanatory discourse characteri@es 3elief or faith as the opposite of reason and glorifies it as a reaction to the failed or conspiratorial A6nlightment ProjectB. 't seems to imply that religion$ as 9arC once put it is Athe 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 mannerKB

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 Ashoc?ingly direct eCperiences of godB$ is perhaps at the heart of the diversity of the reactions from the ruling segments of the sangh parivar. 8he issue in essence is that of loss of control over the outcomes. 8hose who staged or managed miracles in the past$ in locali@ed 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 rationali@ations. As it happened$ for eCample$ in the specific case of a reporter in &alcutta. (e was told 3y a shastriji that he Awas not pious and therefore did not get desired resultsB. A woman lawyer from Patna who demonstrated that Agods preferred alcohol to mil?B was threatened 3y 1(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 1(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 AAs 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 Aspoonfuls of mil?B were Asuc?ed 3y :anesh in minutesB. Prime 9inister 1ajpayee$ however$ while admitting on 81 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 Awarned 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 laddus and modaks suddenly 3ecome fond of mil?K and why only with a spoonK 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 ANeither ' nor my government 3elieve this is possi3le.B 't is clear from these responses that the currently popular depictions of the factions within the sangh parivar$ such as 1ajpayee"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 civili@ed party in power representing upper caste$ ur3an educated interests as against 1(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 hindutva project.

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 disenchantmentK 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 Anew 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 homogeni@ing 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 avatar of 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 AignoranceB 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$ sarkari scientists tal?ed a3out demystifying miracles through science. 8hey promised that A'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 Anew middle classB who rushed out to test the potency of different idols for performing miracles$ are also 'ndia"s Amoderni@ersB 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 Atrue ?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 Ashoc?ingly direct eCperience of godB and the associated idol worship host within itself a utopian core$ a reason for the hope leading to a 3eliefK '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 mythologi@ed. 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 dravidian origins of :anesh and the

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implications for and of its 3rahmani@ation$ $ Kane"s dismissal of the common practice in :anesh puja$ of involving the )igvedic mantra2 Agananam twam ganapatimB as a distortion$ as having nothing to do with the Aelephant5headedB$ 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 characteri@ation of :anesh as simultaneously the creator and annihilator of vighna and a mischief ma?er$ $ the strong presence of :anesh and :anesh cults specifically within shakta and tantra traditions in medieval 'ndia$ $ the fascinating differences in the emphasis in Jnanesvar"s :anesh *as adya and vedapratpadya+ from
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)amdasa"s *Amularambh$ arambh to 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.

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