जन पळभर म्हणतील, 'हाय हाय

May 07, 2024

जन पळभर म्हणतील, 'हाय हाय

जन पळभर म्हणतील, 'हाय हाय

भास्कर रामचंद्र तांबे

जन पळभर म्हणतील, 'हाय हाय!' मी जातां राहील कार्य काय।।

सूर्य तळपतील चंद्र झळकतील। तारे अपुला क्रम आचरतील।। असेच वारे पुढे वाहतील। होईल कांहिं का अंतराय।।

मेघ वर्षतील शेतें पिकतील। गर्वानें या नद्या वाहतील।। कुणा काळजी कीं न उमटतील। पुन्हा तटावर हेच पाय।।

सगे सोयरे डोळे पुसतील। पुन्हा आपल्या कामी लागतील।। उठतील बसतील हसुनि खिदळतील। मी जातां त्यांचें काय जाय।।

राम कृष्णही आले गेले। तयां विना हे जग ना अडले।। कुणीं सदोदित सूतक धरिलें। मग काय अटकलें मजशिवाय।।

अशा जगास्तव काय कुढावें । मोहिं कुणाच्या कां गुंतावें।। हरिदूता कां विन्मुख व्हावें । कां जिरवुं नये शांतींत काय।।

Understanding how the universe works can change our view of life at many levels. Each of us tends to view the world from a central point that lies within us. There is a tinted glass called our mind and our view is through that glass. Few people reach a vantage point where they can see from a center outside of themselves. They can recognize the tint within their own mind as well as that in other minds while seeing the world without a tint. Such state of neutrality is rare and indeed special. The saints and enlightened poets had it in them.

The aforementioned poem by celebrated Marathi poet Bha Ra Tambe has been known to me since I was a teenager. For several years the connotations it created in my mind were about disillusionment with love and the world in general. It spoke about a person who had loved and lost. The image was of a sensitive person who suffered the indifference from others. Who dealt with the sadness of being insignificant in the scheme of things. And then turned to God for solace after sensing the futility in the world. I will admit that until not too long back there was a subconscious identification with this image of the narrator (of these lines).

Today however when the lines ran through the mind they suddenly appeared from an entirely different angle. The personal viewpoint seemed to have been displaced and changed to a more objective one. It carried a more matter-of-factly recognition of the truth in the words. Sentiments of disillusionment, disappointment, abandonment, dejection, sadness etc were entirely absent. The dark element was missing. It was in fact replaced by immense illumination. My brain seemed to nod with a peaceful acknowledgement that yeah, indeed that’s the reality. That makes perfect sense. There is no reason to feel sad about it.

जन पळभर म्हणतील, 'हाय हाय!' मी जातां राहील कार्य काय।।

When I die, people ( who know me) will grieve momentarily. But no work will be inconvenienced by my absence.

Love between people can be real. Grief after loss of a loved one is real. Mourning is natural. But it doesn’t last forever. Time has its way to make people move on. Some may take a bit longer than others. Yet most will get over the loss and keep going and at some point life will normalize for them.

No one is indispensable in the world. With or without any person the activities of the world will continue just the same. If anyone believes or hopes otherwise it is delusional. It is the ego that is misleading them.

The sun will scorch the earth and moon will shine brightly. The winds will continue to blow. Nothing will change in the cosmos.

Cosmic events will continue as long as time and space exist. Human life is very minuscule in the entire scheme of things.

The purpose of these lines is to put things in perspective. Our ego often tends to contort reality and paint a picture of self importance. This vanity has no standing in the reality of the universe.

Clouds will bring rain. Crops will grow in the fields. The rivers will swell and flow proudly. Who would care or worry if (my) two feet don’t leave their marks in the sand ?

Earlier we looked at cosmic events. Now from the perspective of life on earth, seasons will succeed one another. Earthly activities such as cultivating crops and such things will continue alongside. One person’s passing away is not going to stop the cycle on the planet. People will have other things to worry about.

Near and dear ones will cry for a while, then dry their eyes and get back to work. Soon they’ll be carrying on with normal living, laughing and enjoying like before. My absence will not be noticed.

How many of us worry about our loved ones, what will happen to them if we die, how will they manage without us etc etc. ? All these presumptions are laughable if you look carefully. Everyone learns to live without another person who at some point may have been a source of support in any way.

Even if there was genuine love during life and real grief after death, life calls for attending to duties. No one can afford to take the mind off from duties and brood over losses forever. Slowly with that disengagement, grief subsides and people find joy again. What’s the point in feeling bad that your loved ones will not miss you forever? That certainly doesn’t mean they are ungrateful or that you were not loved. It just means that each one must keep flowing with the currents of time.

The divine incarnations like Ram and Krishna also came to earth and bid adieu. The world went on without them. No one continued to mourn indefinitely after their departure. Then what can I expect after my passing?

Here again it is a matter of getting a better perspective of things. Where does any ordinary person stand ? If incarnations of God were confined to limited time on earth and nobody continued to mourn for them indefinitely, what can any ordinary mortal expect in their case? This realization must suffice to overcome any delusions of self importance.

What is the point in fretting over the world and its people when such is its reality? Why be infatuated with anyone? Why shun the messenger( or message)of God and not seek solace in eternal peace?

Once the brain completely understands the realities of life and the universe and comes to terms with them, there remains no room for delusions and false hopes. The intellect can filter out the mischief of the ego and thereby steer clear from false expectations as well as undue emotional investments.

Contrary to what one may tend to infer, withdrawing selfish emotional entanglements can actually improve interpersonal relationships. It will set you free, make you self sufficient and also allow other people to enjoy more freedom. Emotional neediness creates bondage and invites suffering. Recognizing this and correcting the error puts you back into the free state you really deserved.

हरिदूता कां विन्मुख व्हावें ।

This line is of great significance. As also lies a deep meaning in the concept of Hari Doot !

When our attention is turned outwards and invested in the visible world we are automatically facing away from the spiritual realm.

Having understood the insignificance of our physical existence in the visible universe it makes a case to explore the spiritual dimension. What’s the point to ignore this side of existence anymore than we already have due to our ignorance?

When you go deeper in search of your spiritual center you come across finer elements like empathy, love, hope and most importantly peace. All the unrest of the mind is related to its business with the outside world. That unrest stops at the threshold of its contact with the outside world. To free oneself from the turmoil it will require to find a permanent home inside the spiritual plane. Even while the physical body exists. Only then that highly elusive commodity that we call peace can be experienced. Until then it is of momentary nature and mostly imaginary.

As another illustrious Marathi poet, Ga Di Ma wrote in his abhang Indrayani Kathi:

उजेडी राहीले उजेड होवून

The ultimate goal is to find the light within and become that light ourselves.

“Rest in peace” that phrase that people frequently use after someone dies can become a desirable and possible reality even before we die.