Musings: When the "Seeker is the Sought"

Does the cooking vessel understand the sweetness of the dish it has cooked? It does not. One Tamil Siddhar compared human being to this stating that we are all like cooking utensils who do not understand the divinity within us.  I have given this beautiful poem in Tamil at the bottom of this blog with meaning.

In another instance attributed to mystic Sufi woman Rabia Al Adawia, she lost something inside her house and was searching for it under a street light outside her house. When asked how she can find what she has lost inside the house by searching it outside the house and why she is doing it, she quipped that there is light here and there is no light inside the house. To me, this parable has  great significance since the seeker is seeking something outside while what he / she has lost is deep inside.

We are continuously seeking something. The emphasis is on the direction of the search which is always directed outside but at one of point time in our life has to be be redirected within us. This is the journey inside when the Seeker seeks and realizes that seeker is the sought.

Not sure why such philosophical thoughts emerge when you are physically and mentally tired, but it surfaced yesterday when i was waiting at Mumbai airport taking the 20.20hrs flight to Bangalore which was delayed by over an hour. The working day was very hectic and I was brain dead. Its then the above 2 thoughts surfaced and i quickly scribbled the following lines as i settled inside the aircraft... Hope you like them.

"What did the seeker seek?

and

Where did the seeker seek?

As the seer peeks out within the seeker

Yet the sought is seen outside the seeker

In a materialistic world, marching to death

The seeker seeks the sought, that isn't worth

For what is lost is deep inside

Yet the lost is sought since there is light outside !

Lost somewhere, yet its sought elsewhere

A search so wrong, however hard leads nowhere

With love as the goal & life as the journey,

With the eyes closed, the wise tame the (mind) monkey

The blind search in the darkness lay

The brightest light showing the natures way

As the sought is seen

Beyond the soul of the dark night 

The wisdom dawns in us
Not by the seeker getting to his sought

But by realizing that
"The Seeker is the Sought"!

Yes,

May the wisdom dawn

That "The Seeker is the Sought"!"

Happy reading

PS:

This is a poem by Siddhar Sivakkyar. His compilation of about 400 odd poems is one of the best i have read. The line is consistent that the divinity is within us and lets not waste time and energy in rituals and idol worship. The following poem is a classic if you can read Tamil and understand the multidimensional power of these words. The last line of the poem is generally quipped by the wise when they come across some adamant or idiotic characters that they can't get them to see the truth / beauty.

நட்ட கல்லை தெய்வம் என்று நாலு புஷ்பம் சாற்றியே

சுற்றி வந்து சொல்லும் மந்திரம் முணு முணு என்று ஏனடா 

நட்ட கல்லும் பேசுமோ நாதன் உள்ளிருக்கையில் 

சுட்ட சட்டி சட்டுவம் கறி சுவை அறியுமோ! 

The meaning as i understand is as follows:

"You have installed a stone, calling it an idol / god and you are decorating it with flowers,

You are going around the idol and chanting mantras, why?

When the god is within you why are you expecting the installed stone to speak with you,

Does the cooking utensil know the sweetness of the dish inside.  

For those who like tamil siddhar poems check this out which was blogged by me some time back. http://ragsgopalan.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-post.html

You may also like another blog http://ragsgopalan.blogspot.com/2009/01/musings-when-doer-disappears-yet-doing.html "When the doer disappears yet the doing continues"