When you are caught between faith, intellect
Faith is like electricity, you can’t see it but you can feel the light. I realised that while reading Raja Rao’s Kanthapura. Each and every deity of Hindu mythology has miraculous stories that leave one wonderstruck. Clapping, swaying, inhaling the serenity of spiritual fervour, the people of Kanthapura sang, “Goddess Ken ch am ma, benign and bounteous, mother of earth, blood of life, harvest queen.” Reading it made me think how an agnostic and a believer are present in each one of us. Though I believe in God, apart from my family, God has been the other love of my life. Yet the war between faith and intellect has been there since time immemorial.
We vacillate between mindnumbing conviction of faith and the nerve-wracking realisation that it may turn out to be a myth. The tussle carries on in the present when we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and Godlike technology.
Intellect overweighs faith and its overbearing grasp forces us to conclude that the world is being run by a superpower randomly without any meaning or purpose. But is this just reflection of our thoughts? Whatever our thought process may be, the opposite raises its head and rebelliously asks, “What is the truth? Is knowing the truth, meandering through a labyrinth invisible to open eyes worth the journey to our inner self?”
In need of peaceful stillness, my steps move to a nearby temple to focus on the deep-seated apprehensions growing bigger in my mind. The radiant and resplendent sculptures of deities, the blowing of the conch, the scent of camphor, the sound of soulful hymns, the waves of positivity transmitting in the air, and the feeling of oneness with devotees suddenly becomes an occasion for a breathless encounter with hope and happiness.
Sitting among strangers immersed in the mystic renditions of the devotional songs, I feel light and let go of my doubts. I find myself actively singing and thanking God for his countless blessings. With emotions trickling down my face, I share the divine presence with devotees sitting there and realise that faith is never identical with piety.
Myth and faith are so intricately woven that separating them is an arduous task. Faith becomes stronger when it is based on mythology. Once mythology and faith are associated, one rises to another level of existence and veneration. Resentment and regret fall off.
Washington Carver, once an African slave, became a world famous scientist and discovered 300 products that could be made from the humble peanut. Asked how he had done it, he replied that God has given us the brain, we have to use it to find our answers.
This illustrates the relationship between, myth, faith and intellect. I feel faith is an inspiration for tapping into spiritual laws. I ask myself who is that someone who steers me through the darkest road of l ife, and accomplishes my goals? Is it my reason? My conscience? Some selfless supreme power?
I come out of the temple realising that spiritual spaces are not confined to a prayer room, they are everywhere. I look up and see the divine in the blue sky. I bow my head with tears of joy as I’ve had a glimpse of the divine delight, which affirms my faith.
WE OFTEN VACILLATE BETWEEN MINDNUMBING CONVICTION OF FAITH AND THE NERVEWRACKING REALISATION THAT IT MAY BE A MYTH.