The most primitive sense
Smell the Flowers by Kirsten Star Smell, to me, is the most primitive sense. When most mammals are born, they immediately can recognize their mother’s smell and form an attachment to that smell. Mammals like puppies are almost entirely limited to only the sense of smell until they develop more of their other senses. The sense of smell also becomes the most primitive when considering humans and the phenomenon of perfume. For years, humans hunted certain animals for the purpose of obtaining the musk produced in the anal gland. This musk in small doses can act as an aphrodisiac when put into a perfume even though it has incredibly primitive origins. Though most of Western culture has an aversion to smells considered gross or undesirable, the wealthiest of women are still willing to pay heavy prices to spray a smell once obtained from the anal glands of other animals. The sense of smell is not something that humans can control and adjust but rather it is only changed by evolution over
I think your analogy of gods to celebrities in the context of darsan is spot on!
ReplyDeleteI also think this comparison you have drawn is so compelling. I would take it a step further and say fan culture in and of itself is developing to be a new kind of religion, with various celebrities mimicking the stance of a deity. This is most prominent in the music industry, where fans buy apparel and merchandise pertaining to the artist and their latest albums and even have specific chants (the songs created by the artist). Its very interesting to see how this phenomena has gained traction over the years, and how as we as a modern society as smoky moving away from traditional ideas of religion, are unknowingly adopting a new version of it.
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