Hinduism Followers

G.I. Gurdjieff once said, “Conscious faith is freedom. Emotional faith is slavery. Mechanical faith is foolishness.” Throughout the movie Water we witness then internal struggle between what is religiously right and what is consciously right. Through Chuyia we see a religion that is being shaken to its core by Gandhi and the ever-changing belief system of the world. By discussing what Hinduism is, how through the movie Water the ancient ways of Hinduism is being challenged from within its own people and finally how still today we as a world struggle with similar concepts that the movie portrays.

Hinduism is the oldest religion with over billion followers. This makes it the third largest religion in the world today. It is not just a religion, but also a way of life. Its people believe in “reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths” (Das, 2014). It is within the Hindu concept of following the path of righteousness that the movie Water explores. Shakuntala is deep rooted within the Hindu religion; she has done what is expected of her. Once Kalyani and later Chuyia enter the ashram they friendship and the relationship that is formed between Kalyani and Narayan makes her, the dutiful widow, question what is right and what is strictly political religion. The term political religion is an oxymoron. We find out through Narayan that the only reason why women are still deposited in ashram is more economical than anything, just as the prostitution of Kalyani and later Chuyia. In fact the Guru tells Shakuntala that a law has been passed that would benefit widows, but yet no one seems to recognize it, due to the economic strain it would place on families. It is at this point that all of the previous events and questions that were thought but never asked by Shakuntala that made her make her decision. In the end Shakuntala chose what was right in her heart over what was right by her religion.

Narayan is another Hindu follower, but from a different caste. He is worldly and a follower of Gandhi. In addition to his name, which means The Supreme Being, the movie uses a number of symbolisms to portray Narayan as a Godly like figure. The flute for example is an instrument used by Lord Krishna. Krishna is the model of divine love. The divine love expresses itself by entering into man and filling his