From the Archive
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
I read The Life of Pi recently, and loved it, but one story in particular has struck me. It just perfectly parallels one of the ongoing Inet dramas around. So here is the story.
Lord Krishna was a little bored with hanging out his usual haunts, being godlike, so he brainstormed and thought now what would be really, really different from being a god? I KNOW!
Being a cowherd! and indeed, it is hard to disagree, so being Krishna and all, he just went ahead and turned himself into a cowherd. Nowadays I’m sure he’d just go into a chat room and try to be cowherd like, but that was back then, okay?
So the god Krishna was a cowherd. Bully for him. Now, there wasn’t much to do as a cowherd. Watch the cows, sure, but you would not believe how fast that gets tired. And back then they had no honky-tonk bars. So what did Krishna do? Well Krishna, like many gods, has a sharp eye for a curvy mortal. What do cows have in terms of support staff, other than cowherds? They have milkmaids, my dear. And these were some good-looking milkmaids, too. And horny. And Krishna was like WooHoo!!! PARTY!!!
Every night he would sign on…I mean go out to the woods and dance with the milkmaids. He was a god, there was enough of him to go around. His abundance was such that there was enough of him to dance with all the milkmaids at once, and they were happy and Krishna was having a blast. This state of affairs continued for quite some time, and Krishna was by far the most popular cowherd around, rumours about his background notwithstanding, I think it was the dancing that made him so popular. But then, one night as the dance reached its height each girl felt, in her heart of hearts, as if he were dancing with her and her alone.
At that moment, he vanished forever.
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raincoaster 
I feel like I’m getting sucker-punched left and right here this week – I get it.
You get it? You were at ViggoFanBase? No way!
Nope, and I still get it.
Wow “he” really did talk to everybody!
Years ago I spent time in a hot tub and I think I met his sister – – –
I think I get it, the whole Brahman/Atman samsara thing there, but I don’t remember this in Life of Pi. What was the context for it? Does it mean if I only comment on WordPress blogs, and faithfully respond to every comment upon my comments, that I will disappear into the godhead?
I sincerely hope so. I will let you know.
Can’t recall where it was in Life of Pi, but it was only a paragraph somewhere in the middle, nothing major. But it certainly has resonance on the Internet and indeed in the context of human relationships and fame.
archie, probably truer than you know. Met anybody called Nortey?
This portends my Superbowl weekend in Vegas.
I first heard about that through Tom Robbins’ “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”
I have yet to read Tom Robbins, although everyone keeps trying to loan it to me. I don’t think you’re allowed to read it if you haven’t read On the Road first.
For what it’s worth, a friend once told me that “All men are cowherds”, I think.
The fans of Brokeback will be glad to hear it.
This was the third most popular post yesterday; I think there are more romantically fucked-over people out there than I imagined.
I do not believe in a god who doesnt know to dance-Nietzsche.
He would have loved krishna:)
Yes, Krishna may have his flaws, but he’s a lot of fun at a party.
Metro – Sam Sheperd is the exception that proves the rule
Sam is a chick? Won’t Jessica Lange be surprised!
It is wonderful that you have some interest in Krishna but please remember that His divine pastimes are completely transcendental. Even though there appears to be lust between Him and the gopies we should not supperimpose our feeling or motives to his. Because this material world is a perferted relection of the spiritual world we think the feels we have here are what Krishna experiences. Also Krishna is not a god. He is the supreme Lord( the God of all gods) and Vishnu is an expansion of Him.
Hare Krishna, Nitai
Well, I was just using him as a metaphor for internet fandom anyway. I don’t think he’d be offended.
you ppl r jealous because he got it n u ppl r dying to get it . . .i.e ladies attention
You quite literally don’t know who you’re talking to or, obviously, what you’re talking about.