Stoking the Embers of A Creativity Lost
Oswald Spengler implies that the approach of most modern historians leaves much to be desired when he says, "History is the business of a poet (and) all other solutions are impure". History is more than a collection of incidents; it is also the pinnacle of a long journey of human development. That is a right configuration. In the annals of human history, if there is the thundering rumble of wars, there are also the love relations thriving under serene, azure skies. The rivers flow munificently. And, there is the feel of the epics germinating within. The undulating terrain of fear and terror is speckled with the beauty of life, too. There is the Maryada Purushottam Rama, who reached the acme point of existence, and there is the Yogeshwar, Krishna, who, right in the centre of a combat zone, uttered the eternal exis tential shloka, "Na asato vidyatey bhaavo, na abhaavo vidyatey satah" - the sat or spirit is eter- THE nal and the asat right in the centre of a combat zone, uttered the eternal exis tential shloka, "Na asato is transitory. Whether history is penned by writers or not, Heidegger has certainly indicated that true history can be seen emanating precisely in the philosophical inferences and compositions. If we look back we will find that this was an extant process in our traditions right from the beginning. We have had several yugas like the Vedic yuga that included the Upanishads, Brahman yuga, Aaranyak yuga, Ramayana yuga, Mahabharata yuga and Sutra yuga. This scheme has been followed in the history of Hindi literature to a large extent. Then emerged a trend where historians decided to sidestep our very foundations, and chose to ignore the profound wisdom of our ancestors. So some accounts are synthetic, whereas others are analytic. It was this contempt for history that made the Taliban decide one fine morning that the statues of the Buddha were a stigma and so should be destroyed. They did not want to be reminded that their ancestors were Buddhists. The same logic applies to descrators of any monument, anywhere in the world. So a very thin line divides those using sledge hammers or bombs to obliterate history. and those who present history distorted and warped. It is said that poetry is a reflection of what is mirrored in the flow of time. Adi Kavi Valmiki hide subject to work on but he was still without a suitable metre for his noble theme. One day, as he walked along the banks of the Tamasaa river, he saw a female heron grieving for her mate who had been killed by a hunter. So stricken was the poet at the sight that his feelings burst forth into a stream of metrical speech, a shloka. The impulsive lines that sprang to his lips thus are not merely a part of our collective subconscious. they are a document of our creative tradition, they are our priceless legacy. Valmiki's angst was genuine, born out of compassion. A similar sensitivity thawed the hearts of Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Vyasa, Bhasa, Kshemendra, Asvaghosha, Kamban and even Tulsidas. The Maryada Purushottam sculpted by by the aadi kavi, discounting the theory of godhood, was the figure of man. Valmiki's Rama was not merely a human, he was an absolute whole in himself. The persecution of the marginalised and the impoverished, as could not be stopped even by the gods themselves, were deracinated by Valmiki's Rama. the human Rama, during his period of self-exile. Today, we may as well dispute this fact with our sharp and reasoning mind, but if we reflect honestly and dispassionately, we will find that this landmark in our collective consciousness was possible only by a poet's tome.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Geet Sethi personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: D Geet Sethi and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Stoking the Embers of A Creativity Lost
Oswald Spengler implies that the approach of most modern historians leaves much to be desired when he says, "History is the business of a poet (and) all other solutions are impure". History is more than a collection of incidents; it is also the pinnacle of a long journey of human development. That is a right configuration. In the annals of human history, if there is the thundering rumble of wars, there are also the love relations thriving under serene, azure skies. The rivers flow munificently. And, there is the feel of the epics germinating within. The undulating terrain of fear and terror is speckled with the beauty of life, too. There is the Maryada Purushottam Rama, who reached the acme point of existence, and there is the Yogeshwar, Krishna, who, right in the centre of a combat zone, uttered the eternal exis tential shloka, "Na asato vidyatey bhaavo, na abhaavo vidyatey satah" - the sat or spirit is eter- THE nal and the asat right in the centre of a combat zone, uttered the eternal exis tential shloka, "Na asato is transitory. Whether history is penned by writers or not, Heidegger has certainly indicated that true history can be seen emanating precisely in the philosophical inferences and compositions. If we look back we will find that this was an extant process in our traditions right from the beginning. We have had several yugas like the Vedic yuga that included the Upanishads, Brahman yuga, Aaranyak yuga, Ramayana yuga, Mahabharata yuga and Sutra yuga. This scheme has been followed in the history of Hindi literature to a large extent. Then emerged a trend where historians decided to sidestep our very foundations, and chose to ignore the profound wisdom of our ancestors. So some accounts are synthetic, whereas others are analytic. It was this contempt for history that made the Taliban decide one fine morning that the statues of the Buddha were a stigma and so should be destroyed. They did not want to be reminded that their ancestors were Buddhists. The same logic applies to descrators of any monument, anywhere in the world. So a very thin line divides those using sledge hammers or bombs to obliterate history. and those who present history distorted and warped. It is said that poetry is a reflection of what is mirrored in the flow of time. Adi Kavi Valmiki hide subject to work on but he was still without a suitable metre for his noble theme. One day, as he walked along the banks of the Tamasaa river, he saw a female heron grieving for her mate who had been killed by a hunter. So stricken was the poet at the sight that his feelings burst forth into a stream of metrical speech, a shloka. The impulsive lines that sprang to his lips thus are not merely a part of our collective subconscious. they are a document of our creative tradition, they are our priceless legacy. Valmiki's angst was genuine, born out of compassion. A similar sensitivity thawed the hearts of Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Vyasa, Bhasa, Kshemendra, Asvaghosha, Kamban and even Tulsidas. The Maryada Purushottam sculpted by by the aadi kavi, discounting the theory of godhood, was the figure of man. Valmiki's Rama was not merely a human, he was an absolute whole in himself. The persecution of the marginalised and the impoverished, as could not be stopped even by the gods themselves, were deracinated by Valmiki's Rama. the human Rama, during his period of self-exile. Today, we may as well dispute this fact with our sharp and reasoning mind, but if we reflect honestly and dispassionately, we will find that this landmark in our collective consciousness was possible only by a poet's tome.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Geet Sethi personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: D Geet Sethi and Speaking Tree,Times of India