Prime time Comedy

Dante, Dante, that was the word flashing in my mind - in my subconscious mind if you say so. 

Well, last night was one of these semi hallucinating nights. I think that if I sleep on my right side, I get these strange dreams - I go to my childhood many of the times - to those people and places but strange circumstances. Why? I should ask my physician or shrink, not the unfortunate readers. But I don't bother, as it is harmless.

So I was hearing the word Dante, among other things. Might have heard his name in numerous podcasts I listen to. Who is Dante - some kind of Western writer, I think.

 So early morning, I googled him. He is an Italian poet from 13th century, who wrote in Divine comedy. He wrote in vernacular Tuscany language instead of traditional Latin. 

Divine comedy has three sections - inferno, purgatorio and paradiso. The names tell it all. In Inferno, he explains how sinners are punished according to their sins in great details. Dante walks with Virgil through this inferno. In Purgatorio, he ascends the mountains of purgatory, where he is cleaned of his sins. And then finally he reaches nine celestial spheres of heaven.

I thought, wait, I have heard this description some where. Raurava naraka, kumbhipaka naraka for the sins you commit. Aha, Garuda purana in Indian scriptures. 

Of course there is a paper in comparative analysis of these two - Divine comedy and Garuda purana by Surya Simon from Kerala in India. 

Reading the paper I thought this must be popularized - how you will be tortured in hell for the different types of sins you commit. May act as a deterrent.  :)

I also googled about a work by Plato called Gorgias  . Apparently it is a Socratic dialogue between Socrates and others regarding the merits and demerits of Rhetoric.

Ah, talk about demerits of rhetoric. We are surrounded by it. We hear so much of it in TV debates. 

Yesterday, instead of running away from TV, as is my routine, I sat and overheard the conversations in these debates. It was hilarious - the way they were praising divisive politics, the way they talk about the only interest in the nation and its people. How are people and the nation get benefited when you topple a government by sama, dana, danda, bedha, and try to establish another government in its place? What are you sacrificing here? Other than suitcases filled with moola, of course. 

Wow, awesome. I laughed a lot.