An afternoon insight

Today I was listening to a Lata Mangeshkar CD and one of my favourite numbers was playing. The melody of the song, Lata’s smooth golden voice scaling the heights, laden with emotion, the lyrics and the bansuri-vaadan never fails to bring tears to my eyes and send me into raptures. ‘Agar tum ho sagar, main pyaasi nadi hoon’, how else can the Lord be described but as an infinite ocean and our longing like that of a thirsty river seeking to be one with the oceanic vastness. ‘Agar tum ho saawan, main jalti kali hoon’, when our minds burn with the fire of ignorance then the grace of the Lord like the monsoon, rains down and washes away the soot and the dirt.

Tumhein dekhti hoon ...


Great music has that alchemic effect on us. When the notes rise in perfect cadences, our mind drops and in the ensuing stillness, the music seems to rise and reverberate within us. We are aware only of oneness as barriers vanish. We become one with the music, one with all, one with the universe.

Nature had a similar effect. Lying on the grass under a tree, looking up at the sky through the lattice of leaves, the warm earth pulsating beneath ..... Or standing outside in the night looking up at the moon, the sky scattered with stars, the universe stretching out into infinity, we get a glimpse of our own magnificence, our mind-made barriers drop, our concepts vanish and we feel our own essence, our infinitude, our oneness with the whole.

Introduce a human being into this scene, may it be anyone, a spouse, parent, child, close friend and instantaneously the mind jumps up, puts up barriers of concepts. We step into our roles, our self-made cages, we become separate, we and the other. The mind starts humming out rules, codes, expectations, desires... In an instant, the world closes in, we become bodies with minds, oneness slips away, the glimpse of our soul is lost.

It takes diligence to remain in the world and still hold on to the knowledge that we are the soul. Anything that aids in dropping the mind should be pursued. Music. Being in nature. Any activity that requires focus and is done with love and at the same time gives immense joy. Watching a baby. Watching a flower. Ceasing from mindless, needless and endless activity. Solitude. Being in silence, not only verbal but stilling the mind too. Being in Being, being in the soul, in oneness, in bliss is the only treasure worth seeking.......