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Aldous Huxley - was he influenced by Hindu Mythology?
By Aneeta Sundararaj
Aldous Huxley was a great story teller and author of the highly acclaimed novel, Brave New World. Widely read, it came as no surprise to analyse his novel and conclude that perhaps, he was influenced by some ideas and theories depicted in Hindu Mythology. In particular, there are two things that this novel, Brave New World and Hindu Mythology have in common - the caste system and soma.
The novel is set in the future and in the world created by Huxley, World Controllers rule to ensure the stability of society. To do this, they have a five-tiered caste system. The ruling castes are the Alphas and Betas. The labour force comes from the lower three castes, known as Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. The members of these castes are also denoted by their colour; for example, the Aphas and Betas are generally quite fair. The Deltas are green and finally the Epsilons are black.
Hindu Mythology consists mainly of two great epics, one of which is The Mahabharat. In this epic, one discovers that in Hindu culture, there exists four castes arranged in a hierarchy. The highest caste is that of the Brahman. Members of this castes are priests and the educated people of the society. Next, are the Kshatria, whose members are rulers and aristocrats of society. Then come the Vaisa - the landlords and businessmen of society. Sudra are the last of this system and they are the peasants and working class of the society who work in non-polluting jobs. There is one further group of people who are called the outcasts and often referred to as 'the untouchable' These untouchables worked as cleaners of night soil and so on. According to Hindu Mythology, a form of colour coding in their clothing is used to identify the members of each caste - it is said that the brahmins are fair, the kshatriyas are reddish, the vaishyas yellow and the sudras are black.
In Brave New World, soma, a drug is dispensed to the people regularly to ensure that no one ever feels pain or remains unhappy. Social stability is further ensured through the use of pre- and post-natal conditioning.
In Hindu mythology, Soma is actually identified as a deity; however, there are various levels of consideration where soma is concerned.
1. Soma, is firstly a plant which may be a species known as ephedra vulgaris to botanists. Its sap is brewed into an intoxicating drink and perhaps this is the strongest of links between the Brave New World and Hindu Mythology. Considered the ambrosia of the gods, it is said that this was what gave the gods immortality. For mortals, this drink caused hallucinations and ecstacy for those who drank it. It is said to have been given to warriors to overcome their fears in battle.
2. Soma is also Inspiration to those who seek it and is considered the God of poets
3. Soma is also the god of the moon, the dwelling place of the dead and a divine cure for evil. As the moon, Soma became equated with the god Chandra, who originally was the moon deity. The moon was considered the cup which held the drink Soma for the gods, and one reason that the moon waxed and waned was due to this fact. When the moon waned, it was because the gods were drinking down all the Soma; as it waxed, the god was re-creating himself, only to be consumed again once the cup was full.
4. There is a reason for this waxing and waning. It has to do with a curse that was pronounced on Soma. Soma had twenty-seven wives (who correspond to the twenty-seven stations of the moon). They were all the daughters of Daksha. Daksha felt that Soma was paying too much attention to one of his daughters, thereby neglecting the rest. He cursed Soma to die a withering death. But Soma's wives intervened, and so the death became only periodic; during half the month, the moon slowly dies away, but is reborn and comes around again to full vigor.
Much about story telling has to do with taking ideas from the past and applying it to suit your own story. Creating something original, exciting and entertaining all at the same time takes talent and this was exactly what Aldous Huxley seems to have done in Brave New World!
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About the Author
Aneeta Sundararaj, a storyteller, is the creator of the bestselling program "How To Tell A Great Story". Aneeta's technique and famed “R.P.I. Principle”© has been used by many people and offers simple, cutting-edge strategies applicable universally. She is also the author of two 'traditional' books The Banana Leaf Men and Mad Heaven: the biography of Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr. M. Mahadevan. Visit http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com to learn more.
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