– From the archives –

I had written this article as a confused teenager approximately 7 years back. There are a few edits here and there. But more or less the article remains the same.

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Life is a journey. It is a journey to the rich heritage of the thoughts that is the inherence of the soul. It is the quest for the truth. It is something that has a value, a high esteem and has its own sustenance in the world. Mine is also such a trek through the winding roads of life to the cradle of truth. Like exiguous rain is the truth in the midst of vast Sargasso of imposture. Even though scarce, its ember shines in the whole of the universe. The beat of life lies in its existence. The unwashed of today who are immune to the divinity of truth are themselves being immure unknowingly.

One who waits for his tryst with destiny to find the hidden meaning is often pulled into the whirlwind of knowledge. The ocean of wisdom that one has to cross to understand the untold often is tiring. In a similar expedition a few years back I ran into a very successful Scientist. So, there I got this old wise man to spell out his beliefs and views on life. He told me, “According to me it is truth that created the universe and what makes it tick. In every atom it is there. According to the Big Bang theory, universe was formed due to the explosion of a super dense material and is said to be expanding continuously. I believe truth itself got created due to the concentration of evilness in the whole world. The explosion of these thoughts caused truth to manifest in this world every second expanding. I consider “Satya” to be a  pure while light ray traversing the universe and vanquishing the darkness in the depths of this universe.” “What is Black Hole then ?”, the confused explorer in me quizzed him. With a smile the scientist answered, “I was like you a few years back, constantly searching for answers to the basic questions of life, trying to link science with God. I was in search of the one single truth that buds the world when black holes caught my attention. It failed to fit into my theory of truth. Later, I came to realize that the Black holes are those balancing acts played by truth. If forces of nature or the fight between one matter with another, one hue with another goes to proportions that can’t be controlled then it is time to end those dangerous force by pulling them into a black hole. Imagine black hole as a self-destruct switch built into every light carrying source. It is obviously for the good of the universe. With every work of mine I try to be closer to the light source that I seek.” I thanked the devotee of science for sharing his beliefs and ideas with me. I walked further ahead.

Hospitals, temples, cemetery all passed by before I met a Saint who was told to be a great scholar and preacher of Hindu religion. He happened to be giving a lecture on Moksha. I asked him about his belief in truth and Nirvana. “Son, Universe came into being a long time back. We, a small group people inhabit the world — our green planet as living beings with soul. At first we were loyal to God. We could then be called the sons of God. But as time passed we stepped into a path of darkness and ignorance. The devil in our mind arouse. We forgot the path to righteousness. We became so valorous as to run down the very God who gave us a life in here, on earth. We threw away our cloaks of purity and wore darker shades. To me all this is occurring because of one main reason. We have been sent to this world with an individual aim. By achieving and fulfilling one’s destiny we will enter the world of enduring happiness or Nirvana. A state of contentment where we can then live forever. But the path to achieving this is not so easy. It is strenuous and tiring. But one is hardwired to search for shorter and easier paths to success. This induces evilness in his character. Another reason for this behavior is that our mind as a whole is divided into two halves — one having the disposition of God and the other that of the devil. When a thought about our course to heaven stimulates our brain, the impulses cause both these halves to act. The quick but shot lived devilish ideas vanquishes the slow but steady true actions. This momentary joy ends in sorrow and not in enduring zest. Thus we lose track of truth and righteousness, and forget Nirvana.”

The journey back home was tough. Relentless sun beat down on the me. For want of food and water, I had to plead to the villagers in a forbidden land across the mountain. The only one who offered to help me was the Prostitute. I quenched my thirst from the earthen pot outside her house. Thanking her I braved to ask, “Why do you do this? What does truth mean for you?”. “I never wanted to end up in this profession. But then it is not always with you the decision as to where your feet would take you once you start walking,” she responded with veiled tears down her cheeks. A bit hesitantly I asked her, “Do you believe in truth, God and divinity ?” She thought for sometime, washed her face and hands, then narrated her life, “I have he courage to admit that I am doing something that this society would never accept. My birth brought joy to my family, and my life gifted them shame. The day I was seven years old I fell into the grips of sin. There was no return. Today, I feel that I am surrounded by an epiphyte feeding on my blood. For me truth is all but harsh, God for me is nothing but a picture, and divinity a dream less dreamt. But then one day I want to come out of all this darkness and seek the light at the end of the tunnel. Till then I am content with the reality of life and the truth about my destiny.”

I realized that the universe began with me and ended with me. Truth may not be uncontaminated but it is finding contentment in the impurity of life that takes you to divinity than chasing unknown gods. God may or may not exist but isn’t it the faith that really matters? Truth is not to be sought outside but it has to be searched inside oneself. If God or a faith drives you, then it lives inside you. Through that power source you will surely get to where you seek, that is where the quest for truth begins and ends.

He who lights my heart is truth,
He who guides my mind is truth,
He who drives my thoughts is truth,
And truth takes me to heaven !

~Trilok~