A whisper from the autumn Leaves
I love to see autumn leaves falling to the ground. A sudden gust of wind makes them rise and fall like a little tornado, rustling together as they do. While green, they draw life energy from the sun to nourish the tree. And when their task is done, they depart gracefully without a fuss. Then again, with the arrival of spring, new leaves come to adorn the empty branches with fresh green.
Old leaves fall to bring new leaves, flowers blossoms to give birth to fruits. The tree gives shelter and shade to so many homeless birds and tired travelers. While standing in the sun, rain and cold, all through, they do their duty silently, as it their life’s mission is only to give not to take. This silent yet constant cycle of coming and going in nature inspires me to do life’s duty silently, and without any expectation of appreciation from anyone.
Ancient Indian scriptures compared human life with nature - a tree with its fruits, branches and flowers. In Bhagwat Gita’s 15th chapter, we find a unique and unusual metaphor of an inverted Ashvatta tree, which is upside down with the roots above and branches and leaves below.
In reality, such a tree does not exist, but it can be seen as the reflection of a real tree on the calm surface of a lake. The metaphor is for itself, whose physical manifestation is a reflection of a deeper self, the roots. Through this metaphor, physical life – leaves and branches are shown as a reflection of the source of creation, the roots, and making that connection, as the eternal purpose of life. Both theists and atheists have expressed the same understanding in different ways. Tagore, the modernist voice of Indian spiritualism describes his connection to God in is poems from Gitanjali; “Your wish resonates in my life in strange manifestations. Despite being king of kings… you came in various guise of captivating manifestations.” On the other end of the spectrum Stephen Hawking, the late renowned physicist says; “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”
All worldly manifestations that we perceive with our senses look so real. We spend our life, to get permanent happiness and security from this impermanent world and soon to realize the empty hollowness of it. So Bhawat Gita says; “remove the ignorance of taking unreal as real, by cutting the make believe reflection with the sword of knowledge, detachment and determination.”
Yogananda said; “though this cosmic movie of delusion came from God, but He did not intend that we take it as real.” He also said; “just as the worldly man living under the thick leaved tree of sense pleasure and egotism does not perceive the skies of liberating cosmic consciousness, a sincere devotee by discrimination and the practice of yoga strikes a mortal blow to material desires.”
Our karmic entanglements that brings us back to the circle of life and death, again and again, are beautifully compared with the lower branches of the Asvatta tree, which when touching the ground make become the roots for another new plant. Leaves that draw energy from the sunlight compared with Vedic hymns, which can show us the path of liberation, and enlightenment.
But surely, life is a journey that has a purpose. One that can create joy and lead us to the right destination when one learns to understand the connection of the present with the eternal purpose of being. The river must flow to meet the ocean but all through its journey it helps plant life blossom, quenches the thirst of all creatures, and enriches life for those who encounter it on both its banks.
The time to be inspired by the silent song of nature and live for a greater cause is always now. Cracking the hard shell of self-centeredness, we may follow the path of unity shown by Rig Veda. In the pithy phrase of ‘Sangacchadwam samvadadwam’ it encapsulates the connection between action, word, and intent; “May you move in harmony, speak in one voice; let your minds be in agreement”
Edited by Prodeep Bose
