Asura’s Wrath might be garnering considerable acclaim worldwide for its fast-paced action, but the game has apparently not gone down well with the Hindu community. The President of the Universal Society of Hinduism has issued an announcement which criticizes Capcom’s new offering for ‘trivializing’ and ‘reimagining’ certain highly revered symbols and concepts from the religion, thus upsetting its devotees.
Rajan Zed, the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, has gone on advise the game’s developers to stay away from pointlessly dragging Hinduism into the picture for commercial gains. He has also stated that developers are welcome to employ themes related to the religion, provided they use the information based on its actual ancient texts.
One of the issues that has upset the Hindu community is that Asura’s Wrath shows Durga as the wife of Asura, whereas according to ancient Hindu scriptures, Durga is one of the major deities who is honored as savior of the world from evil. And it is also said that she’s the one who killed the buffalo-demon named Mahisasura, a well known asura.
Contrary to these texts, Asura has been portrayed as a hero in this game. Moreover, a number of Hindu concepts and symbols of Brahmastra (Brahma’s missile, which appeared in epics), Mantra (Vedic hymn) and Naraka (hell) are said to have been refashioned within the title. Asuras like Mahisasura have been mentioned in ancient Hindu texts such as Rig Veda, Brahmanas, Puranas and Epics.
Zed is of the opinion that religion is one of the most complex and powerful forces of human life, and hence, it should be taken seriously. At the same time, he agrees that freedom of expression is important as well. However, faith being a sacred idea, trivializing it can hurt devotees. Zed has also urged developers to be more sensitive while handling subjects related to faith, citing that such games leave a lasting impact on the minds of children, teens and the youth in general.
While closing his comments on Asura’s Wrath, Rajan Zed has declared that the gaming industry is welcome to take inspiration from religion, as long as it’s treated seriously and respectfully.