Monday, September 05, 2011

Tabula rasa

Adi Parva © Amruta Patil 2011

Every pearl in my paintings would be a prayer...
~ Kim Water (illustrator, 'Illuminations from the Bhagavad Gita')

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Like Button ~
Seriously!

JC said...

BACKGROUND of Hindu belief regarding human form (contrary to clean slate theory of the West):

The Yogis / Siddhas realised man as model of the universe, ie, the smaller scale model of the infinite dark space that continues to grow or expand indefinitely, while it also holds innumerable galaxies, including ours that holds our solar system in its outer periphery, the individual members of which also grow...

In the west, similarly, man was indicated as an image of the GOD... Which can be visualised as the lone point source of infinite energy at the centre of the infinite void (where earth, relatively speaking a point, Nadbindu Vishnu/ Shiva the All Knowing is located)...

The innumerable forms of life that the earth, ie, Vasudha supports, the variety generated with the help of Super gravity concentrated at the centre of our galaxy, and components of energy in each of the eight members of the solar system, from Sun to Jupiter. All, relatively speaking, are points that believably act as 'shakti peeth', or energy centres along the spinal column in vertabrates, whereas the essence of Saturn is indicated utilised in the Nervous systems, Central and Sympathetic ones...Which are called Nadis, and connect the seat with the head...

The essences of these nine planets were realized utilised in different proportions for displaying the apparnt hierarchy that's apparent in Nature...

It is also realised that a component of the original infinite energy at the centre of the universe/ Earth, has undergone a natural cycle whereby the human form is attained for the first time after the energy or soul has passed through 8.4 million animal forms, and thus human form contains total energy/ knowledge stored divided in these eight energy centres or chakras in different proportions in each and every human being...

The game or task assigned to each is to lift the total energy on to the head, in the brain... It's like an examination where time allowed is one life term, which varies from one individual to another and is unknown, unlike the known time in exams conducted by the human system... Obviously, if one fails in one life time, one would have to repeat from whatever level one had last achieved... and the cycle continues life after life...
(The characters in Mahabharat are reflections of what one might get to see in one's life time...One therefore needs to judge a characters action based on the background history)...

Anonymous said...

Hey, great! Really like this. More of these need to be posted. :-)

R.K.Sameer said...

Miss Amruta Patil,
I just finished reading your book today and came online to know more about you. I fell in love with you and your imagery and storytelling. I felt very close to it, not only the story but also the visual imagery. I cannot draw for shit. My since a young age I wanted to express myself in some art form or the other. The only modes I found suitable for me is writing and photography. I have written a few stories, and heeding Rilke's advice I haven't sent them to any magazines. I turned 24 year this year and I couldn't resist the temptation. I sent one to Glimmertrain and Agni journals. Both of them rejected it. May I send you that story so that you can give me a little feedback as to how to improve or refine my writing? Coz I'm at a loss, as no one around me even reads books, forget writing. And I do not know who to show them to. I found your imagination creativity or whatever a little close to mine. I mean the way we think (its just my opinion). It is 28 page long story. If you have the time please email me at rksameer87@gmail.com. I'll send you the story.
Thank you
Sameer

amruta patil said...

Sameer:

I understand the desire to seek affirmation - it never quite goes away but never is it as fierce as earlier in the process - but am unsure that seeking feedback from one/many is the best way forward.

What is the calibre and intent of those who venture suggestions for improvement? I, for one, feel ill at ease and deeply under-equipped for such a responsibility. Right now, in any case, and perhaps for a long time to come.

You're welcome to send, though, and I can be an empathetic, if noiseless, reader.

This quote from Marge Piercy comes to mind: “The real writer is one who really writes. Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire. You have to like (work) better than being loved.”

Take care.
Amruta

amruta patil said...

@ Joshi ji: The clean slate referred to in the title isn't the human soul, but something far more specific: the process of being honed (not 'honing oneself') into a state of improved coherence wrt image-word-voice.

JC said...

Amruta, regarding background of Mahabharat's character Gandhari, powerful King Subala's daughter and sister of Shakuni, she was married to Dhritrashtra, without her knowledge that he was blind!

And, as it is prevalent even today, Astrology then must relatively have been much more advanced.

She must have been a 'Mangalik' (that is, at the time of her birth, planet Mars present in certain houses in the horoscope that are considered malefic to certain character(s) in the adopted family.

And, the bride therefore, as in Gandhari's case, not known to the Kaurava king, was first married to a goat that was then sacrificed...

The Kauravas, therefore, were reportedly infuriated when it would have come to their knowledge. And as a result thereof there ensued a battle in which Kauravas won and put all her family members in prison...Shakuni, however, survived and had only one goal in mind, to take revenge from Kuru kings...

With this background maybe one can try to visualise Gandhari's mental status and resultant indifferent attitude towards life, depicted as her covering her eyes with a piece of cloth!...

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your comment. I sent you an email. I will remember the quote.

Sameer

amruta patil said...

Joshi ji: Gandhari was a devotee of Shiv. When Shiv's eyes were covered in a playful moment by his beloved; all turned to darkness and ash in the world until his third eye snapped open. If such were the power of the guru; surely the covered eyes of a devotee would amount to something terrifying too.