Business of Life

Poems and Poets

12. Business of Life

What is life and how do we go about it?

Well sir, this is what philosophers have  been breaking their heads on all these centuries and I raise this as if I have found an answer! This is the question all religions are trying to address, and so far have only succeeded in quarrelling among themselves . And philosophy and theology together have ensured that no one will be certain of any thing any more! To which outcome, our great scientists have added their might.

Most of us ordinary people want to be correct both in the eyes of God and the ways of the world. Only, we do not know how to go about it. The world is such a curious place, often what 'good' we try to do produces an unintended effect, as when a 'poor' man we help goes out to pick some body's pocket with renewed energy, or gets another dose of his drink or drug.

There is a curios story about this. Vivekananda's father was a prosperous lawyer and was given to helping people generously. Observers told him that the beneficiaries often used the money to buy their pegs. But the lawyer replied that after all the world was such a miserable place, and how could we fault them if the poor fellows went out to have a drink to drown their sorrows! No wonder, a Vivekananda was born his son!

This is such an ideal situation for a song in our Hindi movies! So we have one. A drunkard sings:

Lyrics by Shailendra,1957

Zindagi kwab hai,

kwab mein jhoot kya,

aur bhala sach hai kya?

          Sab sach hai!

Dilne hamse  jo kaha,

hamne vaisa hi kiya;

phir kabhie pursat mein sochenge

bura tha ya bhala.

Ek pyali bhar ke main ne 

gham ke maare dil ko di;

zahar ne maara zahar ko

murde mein phir jaan aagayi.

Ek katra mai ka jab

patthar ke hoton par pada;

uske sene me bhi dil dhadka

ye usne bhi kaha-

           sab jhoot hai!

    zindagi kwab hai.

Free rendering of meaning:

Life is a dream. What is false or true in a dream? Everything is true!

I acted as my heart dictated. Later on , when we get time, let us think about whether it was bad or good.

I took a cup, and countered with it  the sorrow of my heart. One poison has removed the other. The man got back his life.

If a drop of the drink falls on lips of stone, even that stony heart will throb! And it will say-

everything is false!

Well now, don't ask me how a drunkard can utter such philosophy! This is where we need "willing suspension of disbelief" so necessary to appreciate poetry, as Keats laid  down. Or maybe the old adage is true: When the ale is in, the wit is out! 

Of course, most of us  must have heard about Master Zhuangzi and his dream of the butterfly: whether it was Zhuangzi dreaming that he was a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming that it was Zhuangzi? What is Reality?

The question of life is of course serious business. That is why we are all here in this world- to solve the puzzle practically. In the Mahabharata, we have some nice situations. At the beginning of the war, Arjuna arrives at the battlefield ready to fight, but the moment he realises that those ranged against him are all his kinsmen and friends, he develops distaste for the war and doubts his own understanding of right conduct. He turns to his friend and charioteer Krishna for an answer. The Gita is the result. Krishna teaches him that one is the eternal spirit and not  the body, one has to do one's duty, without identifying oneself with the body or ego,  surrendering to God completely and leaving the results to  Him. Arjuna carries out his duty. Years later, he forgets the lessons and asks Krishna again; Krishna chides him for being such a poor student that he forgot an important lesson and does not repeat it!

Yudhisthira, his elder brother and the King, is considered an embodiment of Dharma- he is the son of the god of Dharma. He never has a doubt about dharma- it is in fact in pursuance of his conception of kingly dharma that he even plays the game of dice and loses the kingdom! Any way, they win the war and he is crowned king. His doubts start then! He is troubled that the war was fought on his account, and so many lives were lost; was it after all righteous? Was it not mere selfishness? He loses sleep.

Krishna who knew his psychology directs him to Bhishma , lying injured awaiting an auspicious time to give up the body, to  seek clarification on dharma as Bhishma was considered an authority. Bhishma launches on a long discourse on all types of dharmas imaginable. Now, after listening, Yudhisthira gets confused and tells Bhishma:

"Enough of this. Tell me decidedly that one dharma which will save me." Bhishma then advises him to surrender to God and take refuge in Him as the supreme dharma.

Thus, for the believers, there is no doubt. Fear of the Lord is the beginning, and end, of all wisdom.

But even such people, what should they do in practice?

There are only two aspects of the problem: how to relate to oneself, and how to relate to others. The second question is important for, humans have to live in society; the 'others' will include the whole of nature, for we are not alone here on earth. But this cannot be solved unless the first question is solved: what are we? Socrates prescribed: Know Thyself!

A whole forest of ethical and moral principles have been raised, but if we can have our way through all this, there are just two simple steps:

1. Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. Walk in their moccasins to know how they feel, as the Native Americans say.

2. What goes round, comes round. What you do to others comes back to you. So any good or bad you do, you are ultimately doing to yourself!

Remember, every action elicits an apposite reaction. This is broadly called Karma. Edgar Cayce, the 20th century American Seer identified it as the basic law of human conduct.

One can follow any philosophy or theology. One can believe in any God or any number of gods and goddesses. One can chant or sing anything. One can dress any which way one likes. When it comes to behaviour these are the only two laws of the universe. 

The world is a mixture of good and evil, pleasure and pain. The God who created the lamb also created the tiger, as Blake remarked. Those who believe in a merciful God or benevolent Nature are free to do so. Only, they should not tell " in mournful numbers, that life is but an empty dream". Or say " life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing".

The human brain cannot solve the mystery of Creation. Better to accept our limitation and begin from there.

Philosophy has not answered any questions yet. It has not solved any problems. Theology has not solved the mystery of the world or clarified its contradictions. But it has given us practical codes of conduct, which are, on the whole beneficial. If man failed to keep the law, law is not at fault. "Those who take the sword shall perish by the sword"- this is a basic Biblical lesson. But if those people who are avowedly followers of the Book disregarded it and engaged in two World wars, or even now indulge in selling arms to other countries, are they fulfilling the two basic laws of life?

What is the world? What is life? Let us see how some poets look at it. We begin with the Bard.

Shakespeare

"I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano,

          A stage where every man must play a part "

                                (The Merchant of Venice)

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players.

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

Then the whining schoolboy with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slippered pantaloon

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide,

For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,

Turning again towards childish treble, pipes

And whistles in the sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

                     (As You Like It, II.7)

The world is a stage, we are to play our parts. But here, Shakespeare does not tell us about the nature of the world, but only the 7 ways a person adapts or reacts to it. Of course some parts are more pleasant or agreeable than the others. Each actor has to prepare for his role to play it well.

We Hindus had our idea of the 4 aims, 4 Varnas (occupations), and 4 Ashramas ( stations)  of life. This is not the place to go into details.

Here is a poem, author unknown, which describes life as a game.

Life's A Game

This life is but a game of cards,

Which everyone must learn;

Each shuffles, cuts, and deals the deck,

And then a trump does turn;

Some show up a high card,

While others make it low,

And many turn no cards at all-

In fact they cannot show.

When hearts are up, we play for love,

And pleasure rules the hour;

Each day goes pleasantly along,

In sunshine's rosy bower.

When diamonds chance to crown the pack,

That's when men stake their gold,

And thousands then are lost and won,

By gamblers young and old.

When clubs are trump look out for war,

On ocean and on land,

For bloody deeds are often done

When clubs are held in hand.

At last turns up the darkened spade,

Held by the toiling slave,

And a spade will turn up trump at last

And dig each player's grave.

Describing life as a game of cards points to a great mystery:

How do  we explain how a player gets what he happens to get? Is it Chance? Is it the work of God? This question cannot be answered at all. That each one begins with a different set of cards ab initio is the given. We have to live with it.

Asia (Hindus, Buddhists and Jains) believes in karma and rebirth, which seek to address this problem. Those who believe in only a single lifetime find it difficult  to answer, and reconcile the inequities  of life with a just and benevolent God. Edgar Cayce, a pious Christian, believed in karma and rebirth. ( I am not arguing, one way or the other; I am merely pointing out the different belief systems).

Hindus too use the word Leela - game- to describe the world; but that is not from our point of view. We say the world is God's leela, His game. We do not understand it fully.

Whatever may the objective factors, not two people experience life in the same manner. Objective  nature may be the same, but each one's internal nature makes him / her react to it in different ways. Hindu systems of psychology, which are very refined, address this problem. Jungian psychology, and later humanistic and interpersonal psychology also consider this. This is an important aspect  of addressing one fundamental question: what does a person do with him/her self?

When it comes to experiencing the world, or life, we experience it mainly as pleasure or pain, joy or sorrow.

P.L.Dunbar: LIFE

A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in,

A minute to smile and an hour to weep in,

A pint of joy to a peck of trouble,

And  never a laugh but the moans come double;

                            And that is life!

A crust and corner that love makes precious,

With a smile to warm and the tears to refresh us;

And joy seems sweeter when cares come after,

And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter;

                            And that is life!

Should life be one long cry of pain? Why do poets express such pain? Is it that they can only give what they have earned or learned?

I will now give two instances when our Hindi poets have sung of these ideas.

Rajinder Krishan, 1951

O beta ji

O betaji, O babuji

Kismat ki hawa kabhie garam kabhi naram

Kabhie naram-garam!

Duniya ka iss chidiya ghar mein

    tarah tarah ka jalwa

Mile kisi ko sookhi roti,

    kisi ko purie halwa

O betaji

Kichdi ka mazaa kabhie naram, kabhie garam

Dard diya to thoda thoda

    Kushie bhi thodi thodi

Wah re Malik,

Dukh aur sukh ki

    khoob banayi jodi

O betaji,

Jeevan ka nasha kabhie naram,

     kabhie garam

Free rendering of meaning:

O son, O sir,

Destiny blows sometimes  hot, sometimes cold

O destiny blows hot and cold!

This world, that is like the cage of birds,

  holds people  with different faces!

Somebody gets just dry bread

  and somebody all sweet delicacies!

O the food is sometimes hot, sometimes cold!

  that is how you enjoy it!

O son, O sir,!

When you give pain, you give it some

  and  you measure out  also the pleasure, 

O God, Master, what to say!

You have made such exquisite pair

       of pain and pleasure!

O son!

The intoxication of life-

  sometimes it is hot, sometimes, cold!

Majrooh Sultanpuri, 1955

This is advice given by the girl to her beloved.

Buraa duniya jo hai kehta 

Aisa bholaa tu na ban,

Jo hai karta wo hai bharta

Ye yahan ka hai chalan,

Tadbeer nahi milne ki yahan

Free rendering of meaning:

Don't you become such a bum

That you blame the world,

   saying it is bad!

Whatever you do here- 

       that is what comes back to you!

Your prudence and forethought

                  will not work here!

The sum of all this is that we do not understand life fully. We have to so conduct ourselves that we evolve personally, and also help the world around us. How will one live such a life?  Let me show what a Hindi poet Shailendra says about it.

Shailendra: 1959

Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nissaar,

Kisi ka dard mil sakhe to le udhaar,

Kiai ke vaaste tere dil mein pyaar-

Jeena isi ka naam hai!

Maana apni jeb se fakir hai,

Phir bhi yaron  dil ke hum amir hai;

Mite jo pyar ke liye o zindagi,

Chale bahar ke liye o zindagi,

Kisi ko ho na ho hamen to aitbaar-

Jeena isi ka naam hai!

Rishte dil se dil ke aitbaar ka,

Zinda hai hami se naam pyar ka

Ki marke bhi kisi ko yaad aayenge,

Kisi ke aasnsuvon me muskuraayenge,

Kahega phool har kali se baar baar-

Jeena isi ka naam hai!

Free rendering of meaning:

To offer yourself to someone for smiles,

( feel their happiness as yours)

To share someone's grief,

To have love in your heart for others-

This is the meaning of life.

Admitted, we are poor, measured by our pockets,

Even so are we rich at heart!

Life is love- we are prepared to perish for it!

Life is Spring- we crave to bring it!

This I believe, though others may not ,

That this is the meaning of life!

Relationship we establish heart to heart-

     that is founded on heart's trust,

The name of love lives because of us ( this)

So that even when we die-

        someone may remember us!

So that somebody will care to smile

       even amid his tears.

So a flower will tell the bud- on and on-

That this is the meaning of life!

( The bud will have to blossom into a flower- this is how it can become a perfect flower)

(These poems are real gems. Recited in the original Hindi and Urdu, they have a stunning lyrical quality. These particular pieces are clothed in melodious tunes and can be listened on YouTube.)

A man of love feels a kinship with all the world, which is God's handiwork. Who better to express it than St. Francis?

St.Francis of Assisi (13th Century)

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master!

Grant that I may not so much seek

  to be consoled as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Let Shakespeare say it once again:

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio

     Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

    

                                           (Hamlet 1.5)