The world of intuition and wisdom requires patience: Amish
Author Amish Tripathi has undoubtedly made the best of 2020 both as a reader and a writer.
At the peak of the lockdown period, the author released Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India and despite his admission that he more often than not reads only fiction, these days, he finds himself spending his time delving into the quirky world of Sudha Murthy’s writings.
“As a reader, I am thoroughly enjoying her delightful books,” he quips.
Tripathi’s latest titled Dharma: Decoding the Epics for a Meaningful Life, has been co-authored with his sister Bhavana Roy. A product of “long periods of gestation” as Roy calls it, the work, she says, began at the dinner table when their conversation veered into philosophy.
“We began talking about the philosophy behind Amish’s books: dharmic ideas of balance, self-understanding, and the philosophical basis of murti pujan,” she recollects.
Although a step away from his usual forte — historical fiction, Tripathi’s latest continues to be rooted in ancient India and tries to decipher the meaning of dharma through ancient Indian epics and brings to fore the long forgotten ideals and concepts of Indian philosophy.
Tripathi quotes author Rajiv Malhotra when he says that Dharma is what Malhotra christened one of the many “Sanskrit untranslatables”.
He explains, “They do not find a fit among the words, or even phrases, of the English language. Maybe, we should root for these words to be incorporated into the English language. It is very difficult to give the last word on some concepts.”
Attempts to translate dharma into a singularly insular concept in order for the West to understand it has been happening for ages. But to maintain the term’s subjectivity, and yet retain its ability to explain its intricacies is a herculean task, but the attempt is not new.
“The attempt has been on for millennia! Philosophical concepts are such. The lens itself must shift from the egoic impulse to provide clincher arguments, to an effort to understand and share our exploration. The world of intuition and wisdom requires patience,” explains Tripathi.