May the Trinity prevail...

Hmm, another piece written ages ago...in the year 2002 to be precise. You might like it!

Ever wondered why in Indian households the number 'three' is considered ominous? I had the occasion to chance my thoughts upon it recently while tracing some memories. My grandmother used to say…."Arey teen log saath mat jao, kaam nahin baneyga." We readily obeyed. We were small little children then….too obedient to defy her (or any body else's) dictates. Besides, 'logic' had not taken roots. Today, when I am past the juvenile age, I try to find the logic (if there is/was any) behind considering the number of 'three' as a bad augury. Strangely, I find none…I fail completely. On the contrary, I am able to give numerous instances of it being a good/relevant sign/symbol.

An average Hindu, whom I consider as averagely religious, has firm faith in the Trinity. It is believed that Brahma, the creator, created this beautiful Earth, all replete and complete with resources; Vishnu, is the lord responsible for preserving it; and Mahesh is the lord of destruction. Three Godesses viz. Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati ably support them as their consorts. Devalok, Mirttyu loka and Pataal lok are believed to be the abodes of Deva's, Manushya's and Asura's respectively.

Speaking of the Trinity, I would like to add the significance of the mythical third eye of Lord Shiva. ('Trinetra' is often used as a synonym for the lord.) Opening of this third eye signifies 'pralaya', Hindu equivalent of an apocalypse.

All 'matter' on this Brahminical creation i.e. Earth exists in three states….solid, liquid and gaseous. 'Atom', the basic constituent consists of three parts- proton, neutron and electron. Physics, Chemistry and Biology are the three main streams of Science. Winter, summer and rainy season constitute the climate cycle on Earth.

Leaving aside Earth and coming to earthlings…the human beings, supposedly the smartest crearures to dwell on this Planet…Three basic traits- personality, perceptions and priorities define a human being, and differentiate him/her from another of the same species. All jobs taken by this human being may be classified into three categories- mental, manual and menial. (And this time, let us leave aside the hypocritic claim "ke koi kaam chota ya bada nahin hota"…. that no job is menial if it proves to be OK on the touchstone of honesty. Urban metropolis life is surely oblivious of the plight of scavengers and night soil removers who take up the job due to helplessness/social stigma and extreme poverty. Their job is menial by all means and standards. Their presence even after nearly 55 years of independence mocks at State efforts. It is also indicative of how cruelly slow and grossly inadequate the process of social change has been.)

Coming back to the theme of the article, the prefix 'The Great' is associated with three great men about whom we read in history-Alexander, Ashoka and Akbar. Those who are not so great strive to attain three basic necessities of life- roti, kapda aur makaan. Litigation in India is concentrated around three matters-zar, zoru and zameen.

The point of similarity and perhaps the only point between these great and 'not so great' men is their faith in the Almighty. Religion might be different though. Buddhism for instance gives the mantra of 'Buddham sharnam gachchami, Dhammam sharnam gachchami, Sangham sharnam gachchami.' Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha being the three goals or destinations. Amongst Hindus hardly any would be able to deny the significance of Triveni Sangam, the point of confluence of three great Indian rivers- Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Then….Bhakti, Gyana and Karma are believed to be the three paths to attain mokhsa. Satyam Shivam Sunderam is another Hindu belief.

The Lion Capital at Sarnath has three visible lions in the sitting posture. We have adopted it as the National emblem.

Poverty, population and pollution sum up the anathema with which our planet is afflicted.

Many more examples can be added to the above list. They may verge from silly to serious. Infact some of the above examples might occur to be exaggerations, but there is a difference. They all have logical bases. They are rooted in mythology, religion or reality. The point in writing this piece is to counter a belief, to which no logical interpretation can be given. (At least I could not find any). I asked my grandfather once. His answer can be summed up in the proverb- ' Two is company, three is crowd.' While two can be in agreement, three will always be in argument. The philosophy makes some sense. 'Some.' Frankly, it does not occur to me as so great a logic so as to justify a complete ostracization of three! (Dated: January 9,2002)/ Sunanda Bharti.