During a recent lecture, a thought-provoking observation was made: about 20,000 years ago, gods roamed the Earth, endowed with immense powers yet unable to record or pass on their wisdom through a structured language. Their stories, instead, became part of folklore, eventually crystallizing into mythology. Today, we are no longer bound by such limitations. With written language, technology, and the pursuit of immortality, are we becoming gods ourselves?
To delve into this idea, one cannot ignore the richness of Hindu mythology, which offers numerous examples of divine beings who lived among humans, transcended death, and possessed abilities far beyond mortal comprehension. Yet, despite their near-omnipotence, gods like Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, and even the celestial beings in the Vedas did not transmit their knowledge through written words. Their wisdom was passed orally or through metaphysical experiences, limiting the full comprehension of their capabilities.
Take the case of Lord Vishnu’s avatars, from the mortal struggles of Rama to the divine heroism of Krishna. Each of these incarnations carried forward lessons—dharma, karma, and the cyclical nature of life—but much of their deeper knowledge was lost in translation over time. Mythological stories like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana became vessels for this knowledge, woven into intricate narratives passed through generations orally before they were documented centuries later.
Today, the ability to record, store, and transfer knowledge through writing and advanced technologies has eradicated many of the barriers our ancestors faced. Not only can we preserve ancient wisdom, but we can also expand upon it infinitely. We now possess the means to archive our thoughts digitally, ensuring that they will live on long after we do. With the advent of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and biotechnology, we are even on the cusp of transcending mortality itself, exploring ideas such as longevity and digital consciousness.
In this light, one might wonder whether we are evolving into gods ourselves. What once seemed the exclusive domain of the divine—immortality, omniscience, and limitless communication—is now within the reach of humanity. Hindu mythology offers several examples of immortality, such as Aswatthama, who was cursed with an eternal, wandering life, and Hanuman, blessed with eternal youth and life. Yet their immortality was laced with burden and isolation. However, our path to god-like existence seems devoid of these same limitations. Through science, we may achieve not just eternal life but a conscious, interconnected one.
In the digital age, we are now capable of creating our own avatars, storing knowledge across the world in real-time, and potentially even transcending death. We do not require divine intervention to be omnipresent—technology has made it possible for our knowledge, ideas, and even emotions to be immortalized. Our ability to create, innovate, and share with the world is what will differentiate us from the gods of the past, whose legacies were carried through myth and folklore.
As we march toward the future, we are defining our own mythologies. The very tools that empower us—language, script, and technology—make us god-like creatures with more advanced capabilities than any being from ancient lore. The real question that remains is: what will we choose to do with this power? Will we follow the path of responsibility, wisdom, and enlightenment, as many deities in Hinduism sought to teach, or will we be seduced by the darker aspects of divinity, as exemplified by some mythological figures?
Our journey toward becoming “gods” in this digital age is a double-edged sword, one filled with potential but also fraught with the need for responsibility. As we unlock the powers once attributed only to gods, the ancient wisdom found in mythology—of balance, karma, and dharma—may serve as the grounding principles that guide us in this new era of boundless capability.
In the end, we may not just be inheritors of divine power, but the creators of a new age of gods: immortal, interconnected, and enlightened beings, with far greater knowledge than even the gods of the past could have imagined.
Conclusion
From the gods of 20,000 years ago to the modern human being, our transformation is both extraordinary and sobering. Armed with language, script, and technology, we are poised to become the new bearers of knowledge, outpacing the gods in both power and potential. Yet, it is through the lessons from Hindu mythology—of balance, wisdom, and humility—that we may truly understand how to wield such power wisely. Will we, the new “gods,” rise to the challenge?
