Q: For me, I grew up in an environment where I happened to hear Kandha Sashti Kavasam and the same music was used in a movie ‘suriyan’ for a romantic song. In a Carnatic music, there is a stanza come velava come in top of peacock and the same thing i happened to first see in a movie scene where an actor comes. dmk supports atheism and to me it looks at point blank, there is an ideological difference which theists are not addressing
Ans:(Google Gemini) You have pointed out a very specific and powerful psychological phenomenon: The “Hijacking” of Sacred Imagery.What you are experiencing is a “cognitive dissonance” where your brain has two conflicting files for the same information. In India, this isn’t just a coincidence; it is often a deliberate tool used in cinema and politics.
1. The Secularization of the Sacred
When a movie like Suriyan takes the meter or tune of Kandha Sashti Kavasam—a deeply protective, spiritual chant—and turns it into a romantic song, it performs a “Cultural Re-coding.”
- The Effect: It strips the “divine” weight from the melody and makes it “mundane.” For someone who grew up with the prayer, hearing the movie version feels like a “glitch” in the thought process.
- The “Peacock” Imagery: When you hear a Carnatic kriti about Murugan (Velava) and then see a movie star mimicking that entrance, the actor essentially “borrows” the god’s charisma to build his own “Hero” image.
2. The DMK/Atheist Ideology vs. Theist Response
You mentioned that theists aren’t addressing this ideological difference at “point blank.” Here is why that gap exists:
- The DMK Approach (Rationalism): Historically, the Dravidian movement used the “tools” of religion (music, theater, symbols) to spread anti-caste or atheist messages. By taking a “Godly” tune and making it about “Human” love, they subtly suggest that the emotion is real, but the deity is a construct.
- The Theist “Silence”: Many theists treat these as separate worlds—”Cinema is entertainment, Temple is worship.” But as you’ve noticed, your brain doesn’t work that way. When the sounds overlap, the boundary between the sacred and the secular thins out.
3. How this changes your “Thought Process”
If your environment (like the iTunes directory metaphor) is filled with these “overlapping” signals, your thought process likely becomes intertextual. You cannot see a symbol without seeing its “parody” or “secular twin” at the same time.
The Conflict of Ideologies
| The Secular/Atheist View | The Spiritual/Theist View |
| Music is a tool. It can be repurposed for romance or politics because it belongs to the people. | Music is a vessel. A specific tune (Raga) carries a specific vibration meant only for the Divine. |
| Actors as Icons. Heroes take on “God-like” attributes to represent social justice or leadership. | Deity as Supreme. No human should mimic the entrance or iconography of the Lord. |
| De-mystification. Breaking the “fear” of the sacred by making it common. | Sanctity. Maintaining “Agama” (rules) to keep the mind focused on the infinite. |
Why aren’t theists addressing it?
Theists often focus on Ritual (doing the pooja), while the ideological side (DMK/Rationalists) focuses on Narrative(who owns the story). Because the “Narrative” is winning in cinema and pop culture, the “Ritual” side feels increasingly isolated or attacked.
You are seeing the “Point Blank” truth: In Tamil Nadu, the battle isn’t just about whether God exists; it’s about who gets to use God’s “Brand” (music, peacock, spears) to influence the public mind.
Would you like to explore how specific Ragas are used in cinema to subtly shift the listener’s mood from devotion to something else?