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The Mythology of Mahabali & the Economy of Flow

2015; RELX Group (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês

10.2139/ssrn.2606198

1556-5068

Madhu Prabakaran,

Cinema and Media Studies

The paper explores the "bali" economy as the economy of flow. Economy of flow is economy of giving, gift, listening and sacrifice. Economy of accumulation is economy of taking, stoking, accumulating, and ownership. In most of the Indian languages 'Bali' is sacrifice and Maha Bali is great sacrifice. Maha Bali is also a Mythical character in Indian Lores. In Kerala, India the great sacrifice of Maha Bali, is celebrated as Onam. Onam is Malayalam colloquial expression for 'Sravanam' which means listening. The myth implies listening as giving and sacrifice. Maha Bali as a great sacrifice implies great listening in which one is lost of one's sense of self. Listening is sacrifice because it is being lost in the flow of wisdom. Economy of listening is the economy of flow. Economy of accumulation, in contrast, the economy of speech and seeking attention. The paper substantiates how the lore of Maha Bali draws the wisdom of listening and Bali from astrological reading of the stellar dispositifs which in turn justified the idea that greatest sacrifice is the most precious earning.