These thoughts are bouncing around in my head for some time. I have been listening to classical music for over 50 years, and have known many musicians well. I can be called crazy about Carnatic music.
The wonderful Barbra Streisand has a website called 'Art in the pursuit of Truth'. The following is a quote from Einstein:
The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.Why are children so beautiful? Because they seem to be in an innocent search of life, beauty, truth or whatever you wish to call it. In fact Tagore says that
Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.Is there some deep drive within man that makes him pursue art? I believe the answer is yes. The impetus for creative arts is in my opinion a deep-seated search for truth, or bliss, or beauty, call it God or whatever, and this search begins in childhood.
Definitely the ultimate inspiration for great art cannot be just fame or fortune or success. The lure of success and wealth and fame comes to artistes no doubt, at some stage of their lives, but that is not what made them start their journey.
There are many skilled, workman-like practitioners of art, who have been pushed by parents or teachers or even some circumstances to pursue artistic careers. I am not talking of them here. I am talking of those who stake all, who pursue art with a madness of excellence, and who think it is above everything else. To me, their search begins with that search for beauty, or truth, or bliss, that beckons to them early, and makes them strive for it, through the medium of art.
Now, along the way, in fact I think in 100% of the cases of artistes, I have also myself felt in them, and heard them talk about a deep feeling of an unfinished journey. That is even the title of Yehudi Menuhin's autobiography. I have read about such feelings expressed by great poets like Milton and Tagore. By even scientists like Einstein, who demonstrate an artistic creative genius. No artiste has ever said, 'I have achieved all and my journey is finished.' I am not talking of mystics, I am talking of artistes.
In their journey, the artistes are followed by their audiences and avid followers whom I call rasikas, who find in them an unassailable charisma and an irresistible aura of even divinity. That is because, I believe, even rasikas are in the same quest. Their quest for truth or bliss or beauty is silent, whereas the artiste is gifted with the power of expression. It is a blissful, sometimes stressful journey, but according to me that journey is never finished.
That means that ultimate goal is never reached.
That is because, according to my hypothesis, art is a mirage. It promises truth and bliss, but never delivers it. It draws you far and away, with the chimeral, charismatic attraction of the magical golden deer, who lured Rama in hot pursuit. Rama, the artiste, ever devoted to truth and bliss and beauty called Sita, who pursued art to fulfill Sita.
Lakshmana was the rasika, equally devoted to Sita, or truth, and in total adoration of Rama, the artiste. When he heard the call for help by the feigned voice of the artiste, he ran to help him. That was also a magical trick of the golden deer.
What finally happened? Sita, or the allegory for ultimate bliss, truth, or beauty, was abducted. By Ravana, who stands for the worldly lure of existence. In hindsight it is maya. But in that moment, the world conspired with art to lure the artiste away in a path that promised fulfilment. Of course, truth is never abducted, but the artiste and the rasika both lost sight of it until the big battle to overcome worldly lure afterwards.
So Rama is the artiste, Lakshmana is the rasika, Sita is the ultimate truth or bliss or fulfilment. Mareecha is the allegory for art, that makes the artiste rise to extraordinary effort.
In other words, according to me, art never delivers the ultimate fulfilment for the artiste. Unless he becomes the mystic and gives up the 'practice' of art and surrenders to Life, or Existence. In Zen, they say that the artiste finally breaks his lyre, and attains Nirvana.
So Ramayana, the greatest epic, narrates the story of the artiste, art, rasika, and worldly lure, in an interplay for the pursuit of truth or bliss.
What do you say?
PS: did I hear 'Lakshman Rekha' mentioned? Sorry, the original Ramayana had no such thing. Read Valmiki.
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