One day the boss asked me “why are you?
taken aback, meekly I replied Sir to serve you.
Seething in anger and frustration,
Sat I on reflective contemplation.
In our consuming fascination for “how am I”,
Alas the natural corollary is but “why are you”.
If only all of us learn to ask “why am I” instead,
Even the “how are you” poser would be un-needed.
Sadly though being the creator of my present “how”
He also frustrates me by asking the same “why are you”
That it is to make me realize he, you, and I are but one,
Sounds hollow sans His grace and is understood by no one.
A feeling of helplessness envelops my cognition,
In a kind of shoonya which by its very definition,
Remains unaffected in addition, & in subtraction,
Nay will not ever change by even multiplication.
The same shoonya is actually divided by Him to become infinity,
Which does nothing to relieve me from my void in perpetuity.
As this division brings about infinitesimal variables,
Sans a constant, like a math problem stays un-solvable.
Will God ever feel condescending enough to bless,
Or being in eternal bliss, leave me in perfect mess?
In that merged stage I hear there are no why and how,
All questions such as these cease to exist somehow.
Unexplainable, inexperience-able, is that stage of oneness
Known as the Tao or supreme spirit, or non-dual Brahmn.
This brahmn is that which manifests itself by itself from itself,
(Shoonya dividing itself by shoonya as it were)
In the process creates me, you, and countless individual self.
In that well and self -made process of a spontaneous play,
It is for me to understand, revel, and get back in ecstasy.
The question “How are you” therefore addresses the body,
While the “why are you” reminds me to think of the soul.
My contemplation is now broken and even as I awaken
I begin and try to come to terms with that only reality.
That while “how are you” keeps me enjoying in bondage,
The “why are you” is a call for liberation in freedom.
How and why kind of debate will lose all its meaning
Even as He decides and I ripen in understanding.
Ekalavya alias Vichu
No wonder people will take offence if anyone greets 'Why are you' instead of 'How are you'!
ReplyDeleteA good ego veil envelops you at this plane to take that as offence.
Thus if anyone rebukes you with a 'why are you', should we actually be grateful that he did....
'I' can't stand anyone saying anything offensive to me. Probably because there is a perceived offender and offended. How conveniently, 'How' remains, as long as the ego sustains.
Thank You for a wonderful poem.
Vichu,
ReplyDelete"Why are you" from the boss could leave the reader wondering what that is supposed to mean. Adding,"instead of the customary how are you" may have helped.
I can deeply sense the pathos in those lines though I am not sure many would.Or perhaps they would.I don't know.If someone should care to ask,I think the theme needs to be explained.This is ooncha stuff and deserves notice, sharing and explaining.
The "why" of creation is at best explained as IT's leela though IT does not take part in it etc.Much as many fortunate beings enjoy this leela or sport either out of "ignorance" or from a state of "enlightenment"(very few and very fortunate ones)there are many more among whom are "seekers", who find themselves"trapped"by life as well as the wise lesson taught by scriptures that striving to escape being trapped again is life's only purpose.That indeed may be the game,inane as we see it in play, but that tells us only the how of it all,our question is why?Why did the all knowing,omnipotent
eternally in bliss,indivisible,indescribable entity of which we can only say IT IS,choose to split itself into ignorant,powerless,countless limited and fleeting parts struggling without end to regain their only identity as the original IT?What IT has done is "perfect" we are told but WHY, for IT's own sake!!We are told again by the wise that the answer lies merged in the "realm of the Absolute" where there are no Q's and no A's.
Until then ignorance is truly bliss and it would be silly to chase liberation,so let us ease up and have some fun.
Can I have some more of aaloo cholay please!
Gulpa
The comments column has a restriction on number of words it can take. So my response will be in two or three parts as I want to say quite a few things. Gulpa has rekindled the angst which I had been trying to rid of (though not very comfortable as angst and therefore blasphemy seems to bring out better stuff). Let me try and do some justice to all that is triggered by that excellent rejoinder by him.
ReplyDeleteFirst:The why are you - expansion; In many of the Steel Furnace companies which were predominantly run by lalas with money, (in those early seventies) the MD would rarely treat any employee with any kind of respect. In fact there were many who would even abuse the guys even in front of other officers like for instance "Woh gadhe ko bulao, when he is referring to a senior officer. So the joke in those days was the boss never ever asked you how you were. He was only particular that as an employee you exist only to his job. Hence they were referred to as the "why are you" gang. In other words to translate in Hindi the refrain was "thum kisliye ho?" and not tum kaise ho? The poem is referring to this.....To be continued........Vichu
Continued.....
ReplyDeleteAfter I wrote the poem "positive vibes" which was a very conscious effort to abjure all negative sentiments, I had tried not to bring in any kind of my angst or blasphemy in any of my pieces from then on. Just to capture a couple of negative points in earlier poems. The one was titled "blasphemy" and I compared God's creation being akin to a garland in the hands of a monkey. And in "predicament" this was more subdued, but I still referred to His un-understandable/tearing hurry to start His creation.
The temptation to get back to my innate angst in this poem especially on the "why" was enormous but I decided against and ended quite positively I guess. Now that Gulpa has brilliantly brought my own inner turmoil, let me try and get my response thru ........Contd.... Vichu
Contd......
ReplyDeleteWhile I can think of a sentiment like "why am I" kind of inquiry to prevail on all of us, my immediate query was to why God should be an exception? If for a moment he can reflect on "why am I" poser, probably the creation would not have been such an un-understandable turmoil for ordinary folks like me was my blasphemous thought. Then remembering my own resolve to think only on positives, the contours of the poem took a different route which on the face of it appeared pass-able and so I blogged it. Though I do not have a convincing answer to the "why" of His creation, and in the light of very deeply ponder-able response, I want to offer my immediate reflections...... Contd......
Contd......
ReplyDeleteAs I had earlier said in one of my poems I am akin to that black carbon an inanimate "moron" and I know nothing about Science to attempt something which probably touches this aspect.
The Brahmn to my mind is pure "mass". When it divided and manifested itself there was massive energy; the creation as it were. You I and everything else are "energy"; none of which has an independent identity. All are part of that Universal mass, manifesting in this material world as energy but are but part of that mass. At pralay all these "energy" coalesce and merge into that Mass and there is "shoonya". The only witness to this shoonya is "brahmn". ...Contd....Vichu
Contd....
ReplyDeleteThis energy, with every extreme polarized sentiment,are again innate in Brahmn. The division or multiplication or whatever term one is familiar with, is a spontaneous conversion of "mass" to energy. If this does not happen we will have only shoonya and that brahmn as witness.
The upanishad calls this as manifesting itself by itself and I seem to be so mesmerized with this upanishadic doctrine, that I cannot imagine it to be otherwise. There is no "Why" .... IT IS THUS.
Every Energy source can realize that its only part of that "mass" and re-merge. Otherwise allured by "maya" another temptress and His manifestation, you can continue in "Energy" stage, as it is beautiful/ugly/fearsome/kind/and thoroughly enjoyable/or miserable and everything you can think of.
Or yet still you can be humble, surrender, and pray that you become one in saranaagathy (Coming Home) from where you can be part of this whole wonderful Self/well made "Su-Kritham" creation.
This is a direct Blog witten piece unlike a word one where one can think, correct, marshal thoughts, more cogently. I do hope however I make some sense. Love to all .... Vichu
Vichu chitappa: In secondary school, when the teacher explained a difficult poem, I used to wonder if the poet himself would have thought of all that explanation! Many Hindi poets of the past wrote व्यंग (parody, satire, irony) and we learnt them in school. Guess that extreme sad feelings lead to poetry.
ReplyDeleteAgain, when there is a critical appreciation of a painting, different eyes perceive different elements of fascination and describe them.
Here, for a change, you have yourself gone to a great length to explain your feelings and thoughts about the poem! I can see that you are getting more and more passionate every day. I look forward to more and more positive feelings and constructive debates and less of satire and helplessness.
If such remarkably warm and understanding kind of responses keep coming, positive vibes have a better chance of finding an expression. That you could find time to go thru, and better still respond so beautifully, gives enormous satisfaction and a further urge to continue. This is what I imagine a "satsangh" is all about, an exchange of views and thought processes.
ReplyDeleteLong live our Jignyaasaa...... Love Vichu