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Poetry and Mantra POETRY
and mantra are not one and the same thing. I shall try
to point out the difference between the two. Poetry can turn into mantra; not
only that, poetry must needs be so. The highest form
and the most perfect perfection of poetry lie in the mantra. Likewise a mantra
can manifest itself in the shape and form of poetry. But that is a thing we
hardly meet with. Let us now focus our attention on something else. When we study the
Gita or the Upanishads or the Vedas, the idea never flashes across our mind that
we are reading poetry; our consciousness enjoys a delight which surpasses that
of poetry. Here is a clear proof. When we speak of genuine poetry, we hardly
think of the Veda-Upanishad-Gita. To serve our purpose we immediately resort to
the works of Valmiki, Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti. Yet, as a matter of fact, the
Gita, the Upanishads and the Vedas can easily stand on the same footing with
the greatest poetry. However natural or mundane may be the delight in poetic
creation, it can never surpass the poetic greatness of the mantra. Neither the
ancient poet Valmiki nor even Homer or Shakespeare are an exception. It is said
that "the highest art is to conceal art". The famous poets of to-day
cannot so easily conceal themselves in their poetic creation as did the poets
of the Veda-Upanishad-Gita. When the Upanishad says, "This
is the highest Refuge, the Refuge supreme, When one realises it, one shines in the
status of the Brahman",
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107 or when the Gita says, "Unperturbed in the midst of sorrow, Undated in the midst of happiness," we do not at first or at all discern
that we have come across one of the highest pitches of poetry. But this is the
type of poetry that we would like to call mantra. What is poetry? It is delightful speech. There can hardly be any
better definition of poetry than this. Admitting this fact I would like to say
that the definition of mantra is the Brahman manifested as sound. At both the
places we see the glory and greatness of vak (speech). But there is
a subtle border-line. On one side vak grows into the mantra, on
the" other vak grows into poetry however beautiful and great
it may be. The real thing is this: when vak does not assert itself
in the least, when it does not hanker after displaying its own skill, remains
self-enamoured like a deer with the fragrance of its musk, having no other
object than to possess inner delight, then only it amounts to a mantra. When vak
abounds in mere words; it simply comes down to the category of poetry. But it is not that mantra means something solely dealing with spiritual
disciplines or religious practices. Even the experiences and realisations of this
terrestrial world can reveal themselves through the mantras provided their
fundamental truth is the truth of delight. Take the famous utterance of Shakespeare: And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, or Dante's: Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch' entrate,
(Abandon hope, all ye that enter here,)
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109 or Valmiki' s : Apahrtya sacim bharyam sakyam
Indrasya jivitum. Na ca Ramasya bharyarh mamapaniyasti
jivitam. (Even after stealing Sachi, the consort of Indra, one may remain
alive. But kidnapping me, the wife of Rama, one cannot retain one's life.)
In these phrases we observe nothing of so-called spirituality. Here we get the
utterance of common men like you and me. But I place them on the same footing with the
mantras, or here speech is not the dress or outer garb of an experience, but
the realisation of an inner delight, and it has become
inseparably one with that inner delight. That is why mantra sublates speech,
unveils its inner potency and gives a concrete shape to that reality. Speech
does not retain its normal free individuality here it becomes faithful by
obedience to the truth beyond speech. There is a type of form that retains its
own uniqueness, its own independent value. There the manifestation of the
Spirit is secondary, however beautiful and charming it may be; it is based on
ignorance or partial lesser knowledge and it is perishable. The beauty of Greek
sculpture is of this type. The Greeks wanted to express this lesser beauty and
charm of life. But there is another type which surrenders its independent
existence and becomes the vehicle and embodiment of Immortality. I believe
herein lies the secret of Kalidasa is a great poet – he stands in the vanguard of the world's
greatest poets. He really deserves this place. Yet he is only a poet and does
not seem to be a seer or creator of mantras like the poets of the Upanishads. What Matthew Arnold said of the poet Wordsworth we all know. In
places where Wordsworth's poetry, he says, reaches the acme of perfection one
feels as if the poet has
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110 disappeared: Nature herself has used
his pen. I would like to say that the speciality of all the mantras lies in
this impersonality. The poet cannot claim to be a seer or creator of mantras
so long as there is the stamp of an individual ego in his creation. In such a case
he is nothing more than a poet. When the poet is fully conscious of himself as
a poet and nothing more, he rarely forgets the excellence of his creation. That
is why with a heart full of pride Bhavabhuti could declare: "Whatever may be their knowledge, my
efforts are not for those who look down upon me. I believe I have some equals
on earth, and if not I will have some from the womb of future, for time has no
end and the earth too is boundless." From this point of view Milton and
Virgil may be looked upon as mere poets. Those who consider Shakespeare, Homer
and Valmiki superior to Milton, Virgil and Kalidasa come to such a conclusion
from a subtler consideration. One group of poets makes use of vaikhari
vak, while the other of pasyanti vak. Seer as poet and poet as poet are different, because of their
difference in speech. Vaikhari vak is the word that stands in
its own value and glory, maintains its own separate dignity and greatness,
giving free scope to the inherent power of sound, voice and articulation. Hence
the inner Being, the true Being of delight, does not always relish even the
sweet noise – as Hamlet speaks out: it is all words, words, words – or as Jayadeva declares: Mukharam
adhiram tyaja mañjiram (Take
away your restless garrulous anklets.) Pasyanti vak is the spontaneous voice, the soundless sound of this inner Being; it is the truth-vision's own lovely streak. Vaikhari vak is predominant in Bengali poetry. Pasyanti vak is hardly available, rare, nay, it will be no exaggeration to say that it is totally lacking. No doubt, beautiful poetry
Page – 111 has been written in Bengali. It may be said that the creation of beautiful poetry in Bengali has been considerable. But, as a contrast, what about the seer-poets? Rabindranath? Perhaps the power of poetry has reached its acme in Rabindranath. But what about the mantric power in his creation? In spite of having Rabindranath, it may well be asked to what extent we get the true Aryan speech in our varied and rich creation.
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