Saturday, February 18, 2017

ANGUISH AND RELIEF.

The Upanishads explain that the highest bliss or Brahmananda far exceeds all joys attainable by all beings - from the smallest insect to the celestial Brahma - in this wide range of creation. The grades of joy available in the celestial and worldly realms may seem to be attractive, prompting one to strive for these. That jivatma is fortunate who realises the worthless nature of these ephemeral joys at some point of time in the course of his journey through countless births, and longs for permanent bliss. "Blessed is he who attains to this supreme wisdom in this very life; if he does not, he has lived in vain", says the Kena Upanishad. The poet Kamban equates Sita's overwhelming experience that Rama's signet ring brings about in her when she takes it from Hanuman to this highest level of joy and ecstasy that a jivatma experiences on attaining salvation at the end of his life tenure.
Knowing that the common jivatma steeped in worldly concerns may not vibe with this superior state of joy, the versatile poet also captures the levels of relief and joy that different situations in life cause in people. The relief experienced by the near and dear when the head of a family survives a heart attack that could have been fatal is the first level that most people can empathise with. In another metaphor, the poet visualises a situation experienced by a seasoned and renowned speaker when he realises that he is unable to recall the apt words at a crucial moment in his lecture and then after a brief moment of uncertainty continues his talk with the usual punch and flow. The extent to which he would feel grateful to divine intervention at the nick of the moment to save his face is indescribable.
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