A poet, novelist, and travel writer, Vikram Seth was born in Kolkata on June 20, 1952. He was raised in India and London, attending exclusive schools and graduating from Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He then went on to study at Stanford University in the United States and Nanjing University in China, before returning to India and settling with his family.
Seth is known for his verse novel The Golden Gate, published in 1986, and his epic novel A Suitable Boy, published in 1993, which is one of the longest English-language novels published as a single-volume work.
Commemorating his birthday, today’s quote of the day is an excerpt from Arion and the Dolphin, a children’s book that he published in 1994. The quote reads: “It’s not the gods / But our own hearts / We need to fear. / The evil starts / Against all odds / Not there but here.”
What is the meaning of Vikram Seth’s quote?
Vikram Seth’s quote stressed the importance of introspection. It can be divided into two parts. The first, “It’s not the gods / But our own hearts / We need to fear,” tells us that one need not worry about the greater beings and things beyond their control. Tragedy is rarely brought about as a form of divine punishment.
The second part of the quote, “The evil starts / Against all odds / Not there but here,” shifts the blame of tragedies onto humans. Evil is born of humans; tragedies are the result of human vices such as cruelty, greed, and malice.
When analysed together, the quote seems to be a warning against humans engaging in self-deception. Actions have consequences, and we are often left dealing with the fallout of not just our own actions, but of the actions of the people around us. Therefore, to discover the source of evil and avoid it, we need to look at ourselves instead of searching for Satan.
What is the relevance of Vikram Seth’s quote?
Over the centuries, there have been many examples of both human greatness and wickedness. However, there has never been a time when some humans have been as powerful as they are now.
Technological advances paired with widening economic inequality have brought the world to the stage where the few control the fates of the many. And as such, the quality of introspection in us as a species is needed more than ever, for people to recognize evil and cruelty within ourselves and work against it.
