Envelopes of Abstract Thinking.. sArupyam.. sAlokyam.. sAmeepyam.. sAyujyam

On Mirroring, Shape of Thoughts and Inner Worlds.. Some musings..

Was listening to a Shankaracharya chant and came across these magical words. It was in the context of an inner prayer.. And it made me reflect.

Perhaps it also fits into our normal lives. Perhaps it defines the shape and forms of our learnings and inner experiences. A few illustrations that came to my mind.

sArupyam.. sAmeepyam.. sAlokyam.. sAyujyam

सारूप्यं.. सामीप्यं.. सालोक्यं.. सायुज्यं

sArupyam.. Feeling the form
sAmeepyam.. Proximity and Closeness
sAlokyam.. In the same World
sAyujyam.. Merger and Union

In my hostel days.. It seemed like close friends almost mirrored each other.. Say sAroopam.. Like rubbing and influencing interests and personalities into each other. The friends were close sAmeepyam..And in a common world of nothingness and Joy .. sAlokam

After many years of marriage, the spouses rub off some personality. Some of their worlds become common. And there will be moments of closeness and union in the ups and downs..

With the passing years, when friends get seperated by distance.. Some friends at physical proximity.. Some connected virtually, and by mutual interests, and levitate in similar worlds.

And in the realm of learning.. It felt like greatest of teachers were like actors opening up doors to the unknown worlds. They would put a topic on high pedastal and limelight. And on that stage, students would absorb into that space.

My High School Science teachers.. Circuit Theory of Engineering Days.. The Magical Oration of Kalidasa’s Meghadootha.. Chanting teacher’s flawless articulation..Mom’s customised Cooking Hacks.. Graceful moves of Dance Teacher..

Inspiration perhaps drives this closeness and moving to another world and merger kind of feeling. As though donning the cloak of the teacher.. And later on, the voices and snippets and diagrams and visuals somewhere linger and speak here and there.

My Biology teacher’s voice and gestures comes to my mind.. With almost devotion, she would help us unravel the Greek etymology and her words like Veda-vaakyam as though revealing the mysteries of the inner worlds..

“Prophase metaphase anaphase telophase are the stages of cellular division.” “Superior Venacava.. Inferior Venacava.”

The chemistry teacher would make organic chemistry look so simple.. As though everything fitted into a magical formula and a structure.

The physics teacher’s words on a topic like Temperature Conversion. The Ability in conveying the first principles.. And that would make a lasting impression .

Kelvin, Fahrenheit, Celsius or whatever new system you fancy.. They are all different ways of seeing the same thing.. Their endpoints and slopes are different.

My Yoga Professor would seed the form of this Curious student Brigu.

Who am I? I am my Body and Matter..
Who am I? I am perhaps my breath that sustains me..
Who am I? I am perhaps my mind that entertains different thoughts and emotions..

And in a realm of abstract ideas.. Examples, Metaphors, Narratives give a form to the profound thought. Like in the colorful stories from Scriptures and the deep rooted messages. For it is easy to consume a story and later process the thought. If only Einstein’s theory of Relativity could have been spun into a more interesting fable!

And in a realm of thought works.. In a state of bewilderment and fascination, one thought pulls in another parallel thought, as though substantiating, and giving the abstract idea a shape.

And seeing repeating patterns in the world..And sometimes, a dream would totally transform an abstract daytime thought into a science like fiction form.

As children we mirror the gestures and speech. As adults we mirror the lifestyle around.. As we watch an interesting show or read a intriguing book, a quote, there is a proximity and fleeting union.. Sometimes, the characters and plot leave a form. Perhaps, mirroring is the easy and unconscious way of picking up stuff.

And as we listen to appealing music, the voice form dances in the ear.. The music transports us to another world and causes a silence, perhaps joy or a fleeting union..

And it makes me wonder. In the world of chemistry and bonds.. The world of alkalis, fluorides, rare gases, heavy metals mirrored each other in forms.. They came in proximity and formed various bonds and unions. In the world of sounds.. they morphed like the elements in the process of bonding and word forming.

O Wow!! As we keep moving.. Our ability to enjoy and image the world.. to perceive greater depths.. to mirror and transport into different zones.. to feel proximity.. to merge..

Like Kabir Das ji says.. O Wow! Does not everything unfold from this pot? The gardens, the oceans, the countless stars, and the creator? इस घट अंतर बाग-बगीचे.. इसी में साईं हमारा

As the many illustrations pour into my mind, I’m amazed at life and the potency of these words and frameworks .. for they reveal the fabric of life and the connected minds and the connected Universe. I shall stop. Perhaps writing itself an envelope and form of thoughts.

With ardent pooja, visual form सारूप्यं is reached.. Taking your names, your proximity सामीप्यं is reached..
By constant association with like minded people, you world सालोक्यं is reached. By contemplating that you are indeed in everything and that you are also in me, the union सायुज्यं is reached.. [28] — ShivanandaLahari