A view from the top : Part 1

 


Some time back I had written about some similarities and differences between certain words in different languages in the context of saint literature. How the Marathi word sant is so strikingly similar to the English word saint, yet they are quite different from point of etymology as well as their definitions related to Hinduism and Christianity respectively. 


The issue regarding origin of words or in a more broad sense, origin of language again came to mind rather by accident last Sunday(yesterday). It was over an hour past sunset when I was traveling on the Mumbai Pune expressway. As we got higher up in the ghats the city of Khopoli was seen lighted up in full glory. In my mind the immediate reaction was of utmost gratitude. I paid respect to the town where I grew up. Where my childhood memories are embedded. 

A strange realization occurred in that moment. The individual that was drawn to the town was conditioned by her past. Her story had roots in that place. The same town, those sparkling lights may not have evoked the same feelings in other people seeing them the same moment. It was obvious in that moment that a neutral consciousness in me was playing witness to the woman who was conditioned by her journey since birth until this point. That realization brought awareness of a broader perspective on how every person was similarly a conditioned version of their journey. The language of each person, was his/her own. By that I am not referring to the spoken language such as English or Marathi. I am referring to the entire understanding of that person, his or her way of looking at things, interpreting them, reacting to them and expressing themselves. I must add that the beauty of the universe is its diversity. And the diversity extends to the brain wiring. So not only do past experiences color the thinking, inherent brain wiring contributes as well. 

It is no wonder then why it is so hard for people to find another person who can totally understand them. 

I was reminded of an old ghazal I have been fond of.

कभी किसिको मुकम्मल जहा नही मिलताकही जमी तो कही आस्मा नही मिलता
जिसे भी देखिए वो अपने आप मे गुम हैजूबा मिली है मगर हुंजुबा नही मिलताकभी किसिको मुकम्मल जहा नही मिलता
बुज़ा सका है भला कौन वक्त के शोलेये ऐसी आग है जिस मे धुआ नही मिलताकभी किसिको मुकम्मल जहा नही मिलता
तेरे जहाँ मे ऐसा नही के प्यार ना होजहा उम्मीद हो इसकी वाहा नही मिलताकभी किसिको मुकम्मल जहा नही मिलताकही जमी तो कही आस्मा नही मिलता
More on this ghazal some other day. In the present context the mind was drawn to one particular line:
जूबा मिली है मगर हमजुबां नही मिलता
We each have a tongue/ voice but find it hard to meet another person who speaks our language! 

Obviously here the reference is to the language of the soul. 

So many realizations dawned upon me in that single moment. The language of the soul is to a large extent a product of the journey of that soul. We may not easily find another person who can understand us. But I can say with confidence that the Parmatma ( supreme or universal soul) can understand the language of every single atma or individual soul. Several times even a biological mother is incapable of totally understanding her offspring. That’s because her life journey has conditioned her differently. These conditionings impose limitations. But the pure parmatma who resides in each of us is not conditioned and hence has no barriers. It has the perfect sensitivity and sensibility to understand each soul’s needs and feelings. 

This world is a complex place. Many a soul seeks love and compassion, understanding and validation. And yet when they turn to fellow humans they find dry wells. Many die of a broken heart. Just two days back marked 25 years since the day when I lost my dear brother, a casualty of a broken heart. He is just one of many on earth who don’t manage to find the truth of the matter, the mystery of our existence, the reality vs unreality of the world and the divine purpose of life.

It is the journey within that leads to the well that is filled to the brim with love and compassion, joy and peace. But many fumble about how and where to start. You got to start somewhere however. And keep going till you reach the source. What’s amazing is that when you finally tap at the source you go beyond your conditioned self and can begin to understand the language of others, a language other than the one you’ve known all your life until that point. Finding yourself is ironically simultaneous with distancing from your old self to some degree and seeing beyond it. It is about a natural acknowledgment of other views and ways of life that can sometimes be in direct contradiction to your perspectives. Yet you realize how everything can fit into one universe. Each one can have their own space without needing to uproot another. 

It all begins to make sense at the level of the source. No language remains foreign. That’s when you realize that despite different etymological origins some expressions have universal connection. Everything in the universe has one precursor. 

Until that point however it is enough if you simply know that how you think, feel and react is based on your journey and the way your brain is programmed. Others have their own life journey and brain processing and you cannot expect them to understand you at all times. It is just impossible for them. If you remember this much it will save much agony for you and others. You can carve your own space and let others have theirs. If you want to find joy and meaning in your space then take up the journey to find the you that is beyond what was created by the journey.
 It is when that YOU meets another who has reached the boundary that separates time and space from the infinite reality you will have no difficulty understanding each other’s language. In fact you will not need to speak a word to understand each other. 


Both pictures used in this post are borrowed from the internet and belong to their original creators. Both are images of Khopoli seen from the Khandala ghat.

In the context of this post the view of the town is a metaphor for a view of each of our larger worlds. 

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