Avatar is just Dance with Wolves in space. Or maybe there’s more to it that can only be seen with a new set of eyes. Are you ready to open them?
Avatar is a franchise that grows on you. You perceive it differently depending on your cultural background.
Every element of James Cameron’s Avatar has a double meaning, and not in a bad way.
1: Direct and meant to be taken at face value.
2: A symbol of a deeper metaphysical philosophy.
So, let’s understand the symbolism in Avatar. Starting off with the major question.
Why So Blue?
Hear it from the man himself. James Cameron has stated in multiple interviews that he’s inspired by the Hindu culture. Even the title Avatar comes directly from the Sanskrit word avatāra, meaning “descent,” the incarnation of a divine force into the material world.
Lord Vishnu and his incarnations, like Ram and Krishna, are widely depicted in blue. The blue skin color of Na’vi is an intentional correlation. The Na’vi represent Hindus. So, who do the humans represent?
The Mirror of Colonialism
This symbolism is the most obvious one and is widely known and accepted by many. The human conquest of Pandora is a direct representation of the conquest of the Indian and African subcontinent and Africa by Christian countries like England, France, Spain, and Portugal. One of the reasons for the invasion was gold, which Unobtanium and Amrita symbolize.
This could be a major reason why the Avatar franchise is hated. More on that later.
Eywa & Parmatma
In Avatar, Eywa is a globally distributed consciousness. A network of energy that flows through all living things. The spirit of every living being on Pandora subsides into Eywa after death and is reincarnated into a new body in an eternal cycle. The Na’vi believe that the soul is different from the body.
This is directly taken from the concept of Parmatma, a divine presence in all living beings, from Hinduism. As mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita (2:20), and in many other verses, the soul isn’t born and will never die or be destroyed. Once a person rises above desires, the soul will subside into the ultimate consciousness and become free from the endless cycle of birth and death.
“Our Great Mother does not take sides, Jake… she protects only the balance of life.” – Neytiri.
In Hinduism, the physical representation of Parmatma is Lord Vishnu. He’s the one who creates, maintains, and destroys. Whenever the balance of life tilts and there’s a rise in unrighteousness, Lord Vishnu steps in to restore the balance, just like Eywa does in Avatar and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
This concept is also present in Chinese philosophy as Yin and Yang.
The Forest and the Living World
The Na’vi respect and maintain all living beings on Pandora, be it a small plant or a Tulkun. They see everything as a part of Eywa, just like Hindus, and most of the indigenous cultures respect nature and sustain it. They know that Parmatma is present in all living beings.
The Way of Water
“The way of water has no beginning and no end. The sea surrounds and is within you, serving as your home before birth and after death. Water connects all things, from life to death and darkness to light.”
The way of water echoes the concept of Brahman in Hinduism. It’s the ultimate consciousness and reality present in every molecule of the universe. All individual consciousness is ultimately part of one unified cosmic reality.
Multiple Clans, One Consciousness
There are multiple clans on Pandora, each with their unique lifestyle, occupation, traditions, and way of worship. However, even amidst this diversity, they’re all connected to Eywa.
This is very similar to the various communities found in Hinduism. The traditions change in every village you visit. The ways of worship are different. But they all lead to Brahman.
Kiri: The True Avatar
Kiri is the only character in the Avatar franchise that exemplifies the concept of incarnation in Hinduism. She was born from Eywa and holds a deep connection that gives her supernatural powers.
In Hinduism, when one connects with the ultimate consciousness, one becomes free from worldly desires and pain. One is free from the rules of the mortal world and can bend the rules of reality. A very recent example of this is Yogi Prahlad Jani, who was able to live for 70 years without eating or drinking anything.
What Is Reality?
“Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream.” – Jake Sully.
The first Avatar film poses a big question. What is reality? How can you differentiate between reality and a dream?
According to Advait Vedanta philosophy, which believes the soul is not different from the ultimate reality, or Brahman, this world we’re living in is Maya, an illusion. The purpose of life is to wake up from this dream.
The Advait Vedanta philosophy is explained beautifully in the Matrix trilogy. If you want to know more, read my article on: Why Matrix is the most disturbing and truly life-changing film ever.
Amrita: The Nectar of Immortality
In Avatar: The Way of Water, Amrita is produced by Tulkun.
“This stuff just happens to stop human aging, like… stops it.” – Mick Scoresby.
In order to extract Amrita, the RDA has to enter the sea, kill a Tulkun, and drill its brain.
The word “Amrita” is actually a Sanskrit word that means “immortality.” In the Hindu Puranas, Amrita was extracted by churning the sea, which is remotely replicated in Avatar: The Way of Water.
Happiness Is Simple
“There’s nothing that we have that they want.” – Jake Sully.
The Na’vi are very happy with what little they have. On the other hand, most of the humans are still unsatisfied even after having all the technology and flashy things.
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, the RDA has been systemically extracting Amrita for a few years. But the desire to get more and earn billions of dollars leads them to their demise.
According to Hindu philosophy, external, materialistic things will never give you eternal happiness. The more you try to chase money, lust, and cravings, the deeper you’ll go into the rabbit hole of depression.
For now, getting a million dollars or a sports car may seem appetizing. But after a point, they’ll become normal, and you’ll end up back in square one, craving more.
That’s why the Bhagavad Gita, and almost every other Hindu philosophy book, promote the renunciation of bodily desires and rising above them. It advocates staying one in times of happiness or adversity, as those are phases of life that’ll pass.
Kuru & Shikha
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, it’s stated that cutting the Kuru, the hair, is worse than death for Na’vi. Their hair contains a biological appendage that allows them to connect with other living beings and Eywa.
In Hinduism, saints never cut their hair on the back of their head. It’s believed to be connected to Brahmarandhra, a gateway to higher consciousness.
Sea & Sins
“The people say the sea washes you clean of sin.” – Lo’ak.
This concept is directly taken from the Hindu belief that immersing yourself in the Holy Ganga will cleanse you of sins.
The Train Raid
In Avatar: The Way of Water, the Na’vi, led by Jake Sully, raid and destroy trains created by the RDA for transporting construction materials. That scene is an homage to events like the Kakori train robbery.
The British also built railways in India and Africa. While it was for their personal objectives, they portrayed it as an act of kindness in developing the so-called backward Indian and African civilizations. While many freedom fighters fought against it, many people, including Indians, still believe that British colonialism was actually for India due to the narrative they built. And how exactly did they build that narrative?
Old School House
The Old School House is an English school opened by the RDA with Grace Augustine as the teacher. While this school wasn’t portrayed negatively and doesn’t draw direct parallels, the British did open schools in India.
For the past 2,000 years, Christians have successfully wiped out multiple civilizations from Earth, be they Greek, Inca, Maya, or Nordic. However, the Indian civilization was still standing even after constant invasions for almost a thousand years. The Turks tried and failed, and so did the Mughals.
After researching, the British realized that it was India’s education system that produced civilians who would die to protect their culture. Civilians who had absolute control over their minds and desires and were totally dedicated to their culture.
So the British burned the existing libraries and universities, putting an end to the Gurukul education system. Then they established their own, where:
Flat Earthers taught that the Indian culture was backward.
The ones practicing witch hunting taught how Indians burned women under the act of Sati.
The ones who think of non-believers as animals are taught how Indians practiced a so-called caste system.
And sadly, they were successful to a great extent. Many Indians who are brought up through the British education system actually believe that their culture is backward and whatever the West does is progressive.
Finally, when a globally successful film breaks that narrative, it’s sure to be indigestible to some. Let’s now dissect the unwarranted hate for the Avatar franchise.
Why the Hate?
Maybe the Christian conservatives today couldn’t digest how a mainstream film exposed the reality of colonialism and became so successful when they spent a century covering up their brutalities. However, the films only expose 50% of the reality. It doesn’t get into religious conversions, which were the primary reason for colonialism, and just lingers on the gold-digging narrative.
And neither do the films promote communism, feminism, hookup culture, hatred against traditions or the family system, smashing patriarchy, or any LGBTQ+ propaganda. So, the liberals also don’t have any reason to hype it to the moon.
And then there are those paid reviewers who say Avatar films have no depth. They’re too simple with no plot. Where do you pseudo-intellectuals disappear to when any MCU movie comes out? How do you find maturity, depth, and philosophy in movies overloaded with bathos jokes and larger-than-life superheroes acting like 10-year-old kids?
The Avatar films are a copy of Pocahontas and Dance with Wolves, but the MCU movies definitely don’t have a goofy superhero and his comic relief sidekick going against a villain who wants to destroy the world.
Most of the hate against Avatar definitely stems from paid Marvel shills not being able to accept the fact that their beloved franchise, with dozens of movies and millions poured into brainwashing people to like it, is still not able to touch the creation of a single man.
Anomaly Inc has dissected this baseless and illogical hate in great detail in an 8-hour-long video.
Open Your Eyes
The Avatar franchise is one of the very few films that’s been able to package deep metaphysical philosophy into a cinematic narrative in a very easy-to-understand way.
If you’re a part of the Hindu or any indigenous culture, you can find out the deeper meanings behind each element and understand it thoroughly.
Or you can take it at face value and still enjoy it. Even then, it’s quite comprehensive in terms of word building. James Cameron literally invented a new language and multiple different species. Every plant or insect you see on screen has a detailed bio, which you can find on Pandorapedia.
Avatar is a franchise that almost everyone can connect with. That’s why, even after the hate, people still flock to the theaters whenever a new one comes out. It’s simple and complex at the same time.
Most importantly, it proves that you don’t need to add a joke every minute to make a film successful.
I See You. This phrase isn’t just about sight; it’s about recognizing the divine spark in the other. In a world increasingly divided, perhaps that’s the most “radical” philosophy of all.