Down to Earth in the Divine

 Earth symbolizes all the domestic cares, concrete values, immediate concerns and inevitable necessities. Earth is rooted in our senses. None can differ in these objective conditions, which are quite independent of our subjective acceptance. But the human soul, is it of this earth alone? If it would have been such, will we be talking like this now? Nay. The human soul, even though it stems from the soil yet fulfills itself in the transcendent beyond, perhaps symbolized by the sky.

That transcendent flight is hatched deep in the consciousness. Meanings cascading meanings measure out the symbolic sky of Chit or Consciousness. That is what is called Atmikam, may be you translate it as spirituality provided you sterilize the linguistic moorings. Otherwise we are left with a dichotomy, earth vs sky, matter vs spirit. But the ancient Hindu goal as visualized by the sages has been the integral vision of Abhyudaya and NisrEyasa. Mind you, not Abhyudaya 'vs' Nisreyasa, but 'and'. Pulling oneself out of the society, achieving in the inner reach finds its fulfillment only by ultimately taking the society along up the path and by bringing the eternal waters back to the parched earth!

Mahakavi Bharati sings in a poem -

‘கனவென்றும் நனவென்றும் உண்டோ? - இங்கு

காண்பது காட்சி அல்லால் பிறிதாமோ?

மனையில் இருப்பது வானம் - அந்த

வானத்தின் வந்தவர் தேவர் முனிவர்

நினைவது செய்கை அறிவீர் - எந்த

நேரத்தும் தேவர்கள் காப்பது வையம்

வினவிற் பொருள் விளங்காது - அக

விழியைத் திறந்திடில் விண்ணிங்கு தோன்றும்.

தத்தரிகிட தத்தரிகிட தித்தோம்.’

Dream and wake never two apart

Here what is seen from vision never depart

In our courtyard is the heaven

From Dyaus descend Devas and Munivars

Thought fabricates action

And ever anon Devas protect our Earth

Querying no meaning dawns

If inner eyes open manifests the Beyond

Tattarikida tattarikida titthom'

And does not our great Nammalwar say, 'Never is seen That Form by the eyes of embodiment but by the eye of Inner Awakening That is verily seen in intuition'? - ’என்றேனும் கட்கண்ணால் காணாத அவ்வுருவை நெஞ்சென்னும் உட்கண்ணேல் காணும் உணர்ந்து’

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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