Joyeeta is Assistant Teacher, English and Education, at Nikunjapur High School in Bankura. She reflects on how her deep admiration and love for the works of both J Krishnamurti (K) and Tagore has led to a better understanding of both. K has become so much clearer to me and I keep discovering his teachings in different ways. Read on.
I attended an online Bengali Dialogue program on15th August. I would like to share some of my reflections as these came to me even as I was in the dialogue program.
I first came to know about J Krishnamurti in 2009 when I was pursuing my post graduate studies in Education. Later, the interest was rekindled when I met and discussed with my uncle who was already reading and absorbing the teachings. But the real understanding of Krishnamurti ( henceforth referred to as K) began after I attended the workshop ‘Educating the Educators’ in 2019. I started reading K and tried to fathom the essence of his talks given over the years.
Several K groups engaged in understanding K’s teachings also helped me. But then came a phase when I was unable to relate K’s teachings to my daily life. Frustration followed and I stopped reading K and also participated less in dialogues or groups related to K. This continued for some time and then came what I would call my aha moment !
I came across a song written by Rabindranath Tagore which seems to be very relevant during these ‘new normal‘ times. One day, as I was busy trying to listen to the song, my eyes fell on a slim book where K had mentioned about the ‘falseness of our effort to change’. I read a few lines of the booklet and both Tagore’s message and K’s message unfolded before me as though in unison.
From then on, K has become so much clearer to me and I keep discovering his teachings in different ways. I want to share with you the essence of a song by Tagore which led me to understand K better and vice versa. I researched the history of the song at geetabitan.com and found that the song was written in the year 1922. Here below is the broad essence of the song expressed in simple words (not a translation). The words used may not be perfect but hopefully they convey the broad message that Tagore wanted to get across.
ESSENCE OF THE SONG
The mind unrelentingly creates it’s own shackles
If one is broken, many more spring up
How can you ever unburden your mind,
When it is so, so full of fear?
The darkness of night is removed when you light a lamp
But the darkness of the mind is darker than the night
The boat may be saved from storms and waves
But who can help if the boat itself is riddled with holes
The world is full of countless human beings like you
It is the arrogant self that looks at them as ‘enemies’
Though the prison guard is absent, freedom is nowhere in sight
Because you yourself have shut the door from inside
With empty hands, why do you make demands
You can only receive when you learn to give
With greed and anguish, you want everything without qualm
The sharpness of your own scimitar drills a hole in your palm
P.S. To listen to the song, visit the link below.
https://www.google.com/…/amp/moner-moddhe-nirobadhi.html
J Krishnamurti once said: ‘In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself’. Isn’t this so true?
Lovely thought, connected so nicely by Joyeeta. Thx
Nicely relate & combine both the Icons.
Really motivate in broadening or awakening our narrow self.
Translation (essence) of Tagore is also beautiful.