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  • পরবাস | Rabindranath Tagore | Essay
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  • Selections from Santiniketan: Seeing the Truth [Satyake Dekha - Santiniketan Vol. I] : Rabindranath Tagore
    translated from Bengali to English by Jyoti Prakash Datta , Edited by Nandan Datta
    Introduction | In the morning | Night | Three Storeys | The All Pervading Presence | The Abode That Ever Abides Within | Stregth at Work | Seeing the Truth | Creation | The One Commandment
    We meditate on the Creator in the midst of His creation. Let us meditate on the process of the universe being created by Him; the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars being expressions of Him; our consciousness being sent out to us from Him; we meditate on everything that reveals Him to us.

    This is truly seeing the Truth. Everything that happens to us we perceive only as outward events. We find no joy in them. We become as used to them as the clockwork movement of toys. The events of our life flow over us just like the waters of a river flowing over the pebbles on its bed without affecting them. As an outcome, our minds do not respond to these events, scenes around us appear trivial and the passing of days do not signify anything. Because of this, we create artificial excitement for ourselves by indulging in purposeless activities for recreation.

    This is what is the outcome of our gazing at outward events only; they do not provide any sustenance to our minds. They only succeed in occupying our senses and our feelings for the time being and up to a point and no further. Whatever sustenance they are thus able to provide dries up on the surface itself without nourishing the consciousness deep within us. We see the sun rising every morning, the river flowing on, the shrubs and trees growing, everything is seen to be going on as usual. Yearning for something which we do not see every day, we are curious to witness some event which is different from those usual ones taking place daily around us.

    But when we see the Truth in the events, our souls are satisfied. Truth is ever new, its inner significance everlasting. We are blessed if we are able to perceive the eternal Truth in all the fleeting events touching our lives. Then all is filled with sublimity, wonder and joy.

    This is why at least once a day we meditate on the Truth that is behind all events fleeting through the universe. We look within ourselves to realise the Power residing within all these events. Then the veil of matter enshrouding our vision is removed and the universe does not appear like a machine fuelling our daily habits. Our consciousnss is filled with the sense of a conscious Truth being expressed through the universe at every moment. Then standing amidst the fire, water, shrubs and trees around us, we are able to proclaim that we have perceived the infinite knowledge of God exresssed in joy and immortality.

    We shall not dismiss any event as insignificant, but shall perceive the infinite Truth residing within us as enjoined in gayatri - the ancient prayer for mediation:
    "We meditate on the Power that has created all the worlds and has also bestowed on us the wisdom to comprehend this ourselves through our own meditation."

    (Chaitra 3, BE 1315)



    Published in Parabaas May 7, 2020
  • Introduction | In the morning | Night | Three Storeys | The All Pervading Presence | The Abode That Ever Abides Within | Stregth at Work | Seeing the Truth | Creation | The One Commandment
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