“A Hindu will realise that, since everything in the universe is cyclical, the durability of foreign control, of attempted empires, is likely to be governed by the movements of the planets. Could the life of an empire average about 300 years plus or minus 60 to 120 years? Something to do with Saturn’s trajectory? My elders therefore expected that the British Empire, probably the least brutal of the European empires, would soon end. Our civilisation would simply outlast the dominance of our temporary overlords.
Indeed, were history to be read in rolling 500-year periods, a much clearer perspective might present itself. All the great empires of mankind are no more. Were they great because they possessed some new technology? For example, did China’s 7 ‘treasure’ fleets under Admiral Cheng Ho in the fifteenth century reflect ship-building, seamanship, and organisational, inventive, and scholastic skills far exceeding the capabilities of all the other nations at that time? Were the horsemanship and strategy in battle by Genghis Khan’s fighters significantly superior to that of the people they vanquished?
Was it not the superior weaponry of the European nations which enabled them to acquire empires all over the world? Or, was it also the influence of planetary circuits at play? Is the life of an empire thereby limited, as is human life? This has implications for the newly-risen modern-day emperor.
Our colonial rulers did leave, albeit reluctantly. As they left, they reportedly expressed great regret (shedding crocodile tears) that they had not been able to teach us about democracy, Western democracy that is. Very soon, Eastern versions of democracy, based on communitarian, instead of individualistic, social values surfaced – much to the dismay of those who had forgotten that we are not only born into a collective but are also an integral part of a number of collectives throughout our lives.”
(The above extracts are from ‘Empires gone and going’ in ‘Musings at Death’s Door.’
Since everything in the universe appears to be linked to everything else, is it not probable that planetary movements and their influences may be credited in part with the rise and fall of cultures and civilisations?
More relevantly, are such brutal experiences as colonial control of technologically weaker peoples intended to offer opportunities for learning – for both parties?)
RAJA ARASA RATNAM 