Chap 14 A Cultural Matter

by Shin

 

 

 

Krishnan sat in the interrogation room and waited for the detectives to commence questioning. Frank and Herbert from the public/domestic disturbance section handled the investigation.

“Mr. Krishnan,” Frank began, “ we have two possible suspects for the destruction of property at your yoga center. At this point, we simply want to establish the most likely of the two....for our further investigation.”

“I understand,” Krishnan replied.

“We have a recorded statement from the local chapter of the Klan denying any involvement in the said incident. What we would like to establish now is any evidence or information regarding your wife and her possible part in the same incident.”

“I understand,” replied Krishnan.

“Have the two of you been having any problems lately?” Frank asked.

“The usual issues,” Krishnan replied, “ no more than any other family.”

“Was there anything in particular recently?” he asked.

“Not particularly,” Krishnan replied. Then seeing the look of frustration on Frank, he added,” Indians say they are a thousand things between a man and his wife, meaning a person cannot know them all or fully come to discern all the issues. It is a matter of privacy between man and wife and comes out quite meaningless to anybody else.”

“Go on,” Frank suggested.

“Well, it is a matter of individual pride that is related to the sexual function. Our laws suggests that a man and a woman are equal but the congressional laws do not legislate the sexual relations and its associated characteristics in a relationship, whether that is high or low. Hence the sexual partners create their own rules in a relationship.”

“Okay,” said Frank with anticipation.

“In such a event, the individual is fully responsible for maintaining their own in a relationship. It is a primal force and relates as much to the nature of the individual as an animal.”

He paused to collate his thoughts and then continued.

“It's inevitable in such a situation for one individual in the relationship to take the lead and preserve the the other partner in the relationship. Mesa, comes from a background that is highly cultivated in this regard. Her people from the south had a highly evolved culture before the founding of America. In many ways it shares a common heritage with the Indians.”

He continued.

“Yoga, is an Indian instrument that regulates the mind and will of the individual. In her culture it is the epistemology of the iron butterfly. When we met I found that we complimented each other but later my yoga practice, together with my human nature came to emphasize the relation to the physical phenomenon of the world. Her practice continues on the basis of a universal precept. She resisted any attempt on my part, the way she saw it, as influencing her own personal beliefs.”

He groped for a specific analogy.

“A common complaint among couples is the way an individual continues with the universal attitude of Cepheus, the King or Cassiopeia, the queen. It is the quality that we sacrifice in ourselves in the imperative of the human condition. But when a person first comes to do that, they experience a fall and find in their common man nature an experience of insignificance in relation to all else. But that is the beginning. It takes some culturing to raise that to some significance in the human practice.”

He paused for breath.

“She couldn't continue with it any longer. It became too stressful, but in giving it up an individual feels hypocritical and bigoted in their attitudes. That's like saying others are not capable of a great many things when we ourselves cannot achieve the same.”

Frank and Herbert had grown very attentive.

“About three days ago, the straw finally broke the camel's back. She said she couldn't put up with listening to my voice any longer. I reminded her that her cultural training involved giving up her heart to the sun god, which fortunately, they undertake as a metaphorical experience today.”

“It's a submission,” said Frank.

“Everyone submits to the sun god,” responded Krishnan. “It is the nature of our will in relation to physical reality. But frankly, I don't think her problem is with me. It's political, in relation to the American experience. You folks need a better cultural response to the issues. I couldn't reach her, even with a personal relationship.”

He looked at Herbert.

“There's an Indian temple in Yuma with American novice priests. I made a consecration to the deity there and asked them to help her. She's somewhat troubled.”

“We' asked the Yuma police to talk to her. They're probably doing it about now. I take it you will not be pressing charges?”

“No, that won't be necessary. The law cannot provide satisfaction in these areas. The individual must live and realize his just responsibility.”

“Okay,” Frank continued, “ do you have any problems with any of your students?”

“Not that I know of,” he replied.

“That's just fine Mr. Krishnan. If you could wait outside for a while we'll have a statement for you to sign.”

As Krishnan rose, Frank suddenly asked,

“By the way, we understand you are staying with Akron Foley. Akron is with our traffic division. Are you guys having a gay relationship?”

“Akron is one of my students,” Krishnan replied. “ He's helping me out for a while but no, we don't have a gay relationship. His mother left, so I figured its something of a mutual benefit. I need a place to stay and he needs the company.”

“The father left about six years ago. Now she left the son and went back to the husband.” He spoke to Herbert.

Krishnan sat on the bench in the squad room and lapsed into a meditative seance. He pondered on his karma. The Indian Vaisnavite practice continued to owe debts to the Mayan people of Mexico, he determined. In the meantime, in front of him,the Jefferson public was making specific complaints on issues.