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Interesting points from ‘The Brahdarankya Upanishad’
with
reference to
T.S.Eliot’s
‘The Waste Land’
Abstract
India has infinite and rich cultural heritage
and philosophical content. Indian philosophy includes both orthodox and
unorthodox systems depending upon the readers. It deals with various kinds of
philosophical problems and leads us nearer to salvation, the self. Buddhism and
Jainism, Upanishads and Vedanta are at the heart of Indian philosophy. Indian
thoughts and philosophy provides the historian of Western philosophy with a
point of view that may enhancement that gained from Western thought. A
study of Indian thought, then, reveals certain inadequacies of Western
philosophical thought and makes clear that some concepts and distinctions may
not be as inevitable as they may otherwise seem. In a similar manner, knowledge
of Western thought gained by Indian philosophers has also been advantageous to
them.
This Research explores some of interesting points from ‘The
Brahdarankya Upanishad’ with the reference to ‘The Waste Land’ by T.S.Eliot.
Key Words: The Brahdarankya
Upanishad’, The Waste Land, Indian reference, The Modernist Literature, T.S.Eliot
Preface
Upanishads and Vedanta transactions with nature, human body yet
not to speak of moral and ethics or social philosophy. There is also a conflict
within India for its concepts as it is multicultural. Religion has divided very
basic point of spirituality and followers think that it defers from not foreign
countries but even of their own country. It can never be so.
The variety that we see in the world can be
explained only as the outcome of men's diverse past work. Can knowledge remove
ignorance? Reading of The Brahadarnakya Upanishad not only answers so many
questions but leads down to many questions which are unanswered even today.
For the salvation or ‘Moksha’ relation between two encloses deeper
significance, yet it focuses upon self rather than person.
Buddhist philosophy stands at the top along with Upanishads as it
does not believe in concretized idea but in metaphysics. The Buddha criticized
all concepts of metaphysical being and non-being as truthful views caused by
reification, and this critique is involved from the formation of
Buddhism.
Now let’s discuss these
points with illustration with both the text in detail.
Influence
Misconception which many Indians serve today is,
India is great just because it has great culture, Upanishads, Vedanta and etc.
Does it really so? No. Many say Eliot also has to come to our Indian Upanishads
for ultimate solution of salvation from prevailing modern anxiety and when
Eliot gives it from “The Brahadarnakya Upanishad – Om Shantih Shatih Shantih’ says India always gives extend way of salvation and spirituality
which other can’t. The question is, ‘Where we were when Eliot was referring to ‘The
Brahadarnakya Upanishad’? Most of us are well aware about ‘The
Brahadarnakya Upanishad’ and its Shanti mantra just because Eliot has
discovered. Hence, it can be said that Indian spirituality lacks the touch of
Indians and grasped well by westerners. Spirituality is of no one. It consist
universal human laws. It is for the self but not for any particular society or
to country even. It belongs to humanity, for the humanity as ultimate solution.
The concept of atman or soul, not overall
absent-minded in Western thought, corresponds in a certain sense to the Western
notion of a transcendental or absolute spirit self—important differences
nonetheless. The concept of moksha as the concept of the highest ideal has
likewise been one of the concerns of Western thought, especially during the
Christian era, though it probably has never been as important as for the Hindu
mind. Most Indian philosophies assume that moksha is possible, and the
―impossibility of moksha‖ (anirmoksha) is regarded as a material fallacy likely
to vitiate a philosophical theory.
Eliot writes the modern Epic – The Waste Land influencing from
‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’ and ‘Adittaparayaya Sutta’.
Concept of Moksha in
Upanishadas and Buddhism
It believes that locating valid knowledge was the only way to gain
release from suffering, and took great pains to classify valid sources of
knowledge and distinguish these from mere false opinions.
According to Moksha, there are exactly four sources of knowledge:
(1) perception
(2) inference
(3) comparison
(4) testimony.
Knowledge obtained through each of these is either valid or
invalid. Moksha developed several criteria of validity. Following this, moksha
is probably the bordering Indian equivalent to analytic philosophy.
Chatterjee and Datta explain that our understanding of philosophy is fragmentary, based
largely on criticism of its ideas by other schools, and that it is not a living
tradition:
"Though materialism in some form or other
has always been present in India, and occasional references are found in the
Vedas, the Buddhistic literature, the Epics, as well as in the later
philosophical works we do not find any systematic work on materialism, nor any
organized school of followers as the other philosophical schools possess. But
almost every work of the other schools states, for refutation, the
materialistic views. Our knowledge of Indian materialism is chiefly based on
these."
Experience is the path most elaborated in early Buddhism. The
doctrine on the other hand was kept low. Majorly it deals with emptiness and
silence yet this silence does not indicate misology or derision for philosophy.
Rather, it indicates that to view the answers to these questions as not
understandable by the unenlightened, prejudiced or the ignorant.
Overviewing the other views
In his work entitled as T.S. Eliot’s Poetry and Plays: A Study in
Sources and
Meaning Grover Smith analyses the self-admitted statement of Eliot that ‘The Waste
Land bears the release of tension in the mind of the creator.’
Eliot firmly believed that sexual perversion and spiritual degradation can only be erasing out with the help of salvation. F.R. Leaves writes in his work, New Bearings In English Poetry that the conspicuous theme of The Waste Land is none but the remoteness of the modern civilization. The researcher is resolutely agree with this view points of critics and Upanishad ‘you can never know one thing by knowing another.’
Hindu-Buddhist
Influences Critics Dr. Dwivedi who is of the opinion
“The Waste Land has an unprecedented
amalgamation of disparate experiences and the wisdom of ancient India is an
essential ingredient of this ‘amalgamation’
Thus, researchers wants to discuss here is, what is implied in the
surrounding text that one can pass them by without losing the general tone or
main emotion of the passage. Here, text is The Waste Land and general tone is
regarded as ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’
Connection between The
Waste Land and the influence of ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’
Dwivedi has rightly observed,
‘It is known to all that two out of the five section-headings of
the poem are borrowed from the Indian sources. One may interpret the poem in
terms of the five elements that constitute life on earth according to
Hinduism…the very title of the poem, the sense in which Eliot used it can be
traced In the course of time, as Mr. G.N. Rao points out man’s search for water
came to symbolize his metaphysical quest. Thus, the expression ‘waste land’
comes to signify a state of existence devoid of this quest. The title Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad is an example of such usage. This Upanishad contains six
chapters and is called Aranyaka, as being spoken of a desert forest, and
Brihad (Great) from its extent. Like the Upanishads. Eliot’s poem
is a secret, wise message to the people living in the waste land to liberate
them from the bond of flesh and to pursue to metaphysical way of life.’
Since his childhood Eliot was highly absorbed of
Indian philosophy and Upanishad. Researcher has found out unusual connection
between ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’ and The Waste Land. It can be
co-incidence but it would be unfair to scholar and great literary man like
T.S.Eliot to refer is as co-incidence. As a result, researcher wants to conclude
with the view point is, ‘Where Eliot gives final line of the modern epic poem –
The Waste Land ‘Om Shantih.. Shantih.. Shantih..’ is actually the very first
shloka of ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’. In spite of being intellectual and
high scholar of Indian Philosophy and Upanishad, though he gives ultimate
solution of agony within is nothing other than salvation and way to salvation
too.
We know, Eliot has used so many mythical and literary references
to bring relief and way to salvation and for appropriate examples he did so. In
The Waste Land, Eliot rounds not only the bareness of present world but also
gives solution of three Da and shanti mantra ‘Om Shantih Shantih Shanih’. With this spiritual
aspect, Eliot wants us to convey that though he is giving the solution, is just
kind of touching upon of Upanishad. It is not the finishing line but the very
opening lines. He just flashed his light on spirituality is yet remaining to
think upon.
What dissimilarity shares The Waste Land and
‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’ is, Eliot ends this modern epic with a kind of
solution or suggestion. It brings way to come out while reading of this
Upanishad seems it’s a kind of loop, one can never help to another to come out.
The Waste Land unties with qualms and finds way to salvation or solution but
Upanishad releases with this Shanti mantra and ends with no any kind of
particular solution as one him/herself needs to find out. Eliot has found out
his own and suggesting readers to find their own if they don’t want to find,
yet there is much more needs to know. This is just a beginning.
Evaluation
The Waste Land is sub-devided into five parts. All parts are
deeply rooted with ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’, not only the central
idea of salvation which is believed to be of ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’ Indian
Philosophy. From Upanishadic point of view there are five elements sky, air,
water, space, earth, and fire beneathing the life. These five are also known as
Panch Mahabhut.
Eliot’s use of various
‘I’
Among the five parts, Eliot uses different ‘I’s.
It very difficult to place any I at any definite place except the end readers
may find touch upon the tone of poet himself. Now, this very concept of I also
belongs to ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’. Upanishad deals with
objections and replays and thus center also keeps on changing. Eliot has used
this idea of changing center for his fragments. Of course, Upanishad doesn’t
rounds the fragments yet is not linear.
In the traditional heritage of India the human
body is considered the combination
of the Pancha Maha Bhootas because of its being made up of
the five elements of Nature. The concerned five elements are the earth, water,
fire, air and sky. The researcher would like to highlight the belief of who
held the view that the body takes a longer time to get converted into the five
elements in the case of burial. This is also spiritual concern which is also
being referred by T.S.Eliot with modernist aspect, in the second part of The
Waste Land,
That corpse you planted last year in your garden
Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?
Use of many animals in
the Waste Land
Cat, rat, dog, wolf etc. serves profounder role in The Waste
Land.
The Fire Sermon
According to Upanishad,
When
the fire has gone out, speech serves as the light. 'Speech' here means sound.
Object of hearing, stimulates the ear, its organ; this gives rise to
discrimination in the mind; through that mind a man engages in an outward
action. Thus, to which we consider as light, keeps on changing. Constantly
changing, Fire is light. One or another way, it presents in every object, it
exists even within. Researchers points through this, ‘it is the light of that
sites, goes out, works and returns. The light, the fire we are speaking of must
be body and within it. It is invisible.
Fire is the extreme force of the self not just
for perversion as Eliot also signifies much deeper. This light, fire keeps on
changing and ultimately reaches to the self.
Mutual
understanding of Jar
Jar is used not to just cover but also to discover. This
explanation reminds John Keats for his Negative Capability as ultimately it is
not negative but at the extend level of positivity. Where the depth of spirituality
lies than this!
Death by Water and The Fire Sermon, both the
parts are at the height of agony within the self only. Water is too not symbol
of peace, it just seems. Concept of using fire and water gets clear here as
Eliot uses in The Waste Land, influenced by The Brahadarnakya Upanishad.
Very interesting idea is water is too not peaceful and always
prudent same as fire is also not all time burning. Eliot uses fire and water as
metaphors that one can come out from the agony of fire but is far difficult to
come out from the agony of water which is not looking perhaps the agony or
anxiety itself. Titles of both the parts are also symbolic as Death by Water
and The Fire Sermon.
The researcher feels
that by referring to The Fire Sermon of Buddha that is intimate
indicative of the shoddiness of the urban pleasures, Eliot has ardently
expressed the universality of the theme of passion.
As it has been indicated in the conclusive comments
of the section, the researcher opposes the significance of water as a means of
purification and rebirth. It itself referred as a fire itself. The researcher
feels excited to see that the same line of thoughts has been passed forward in
the fourth section also.
Way of salvation
through the self
End of The Waste Land suggests that it is not
rudimentary outline which is given. ‘The Brahadarnakya Upanishad’
defines the self of which Eliot simultaneously talks about.
Never move slightly with the feeling of self-importance, as it
invites predicaments of pain. Thou wilt be offered the ultimate death
sweet-ball made of flour and water; every other thing will go directly in vain.
What
is self?
Though the self has been
proved to be other than the body and organs, yet, owing to a misconception
caused by the observation that things which help others are of the same class
as they, cannot decide whether the self is just one of the organs or some-thing
different, and therefore asks: Which is the self!'
The misconception is
quite natural, for the logic involved is too subtle to grasp easily. Or,
although the self has been proved to be other than the body, yet all the organs
appear to be intelligent, since the self is not perceived as distinct from
them; so I ask you: Which is the self? Among the body, organs, vital force and
mind, which is the self you have spoken of-through which light, you said, a man
sits and does other kinds of work? Or, which of these organs is 'this
self-identified with the intellect' that you have meant, for all the organs
appear to be intelligent?
Here is another reason why the self should be
known to the exclusion of everything else. For example, A son is universally
held dear in the world; but the self is dearer than he, which shows that it is
extremely dear. Similarly dearer than wealth such as gold or jewels and
everything else, whatever is admittedly held dear in the world? Why is the
self-dearer than those things and the organs?
This is being explained here is innermost. The
body and the organs are inner and nearer to one-self than a son or wealth, for
instance, which are external things. But this self is nearer than those even. A
thing which is extremely dear deserves to be attained by the utmost effort.
Life in death &
death in life
In this section the entire circle of The
Waste Land that had begun with the
unfavourable April in the very first section gets accomplished.
Here in the midst of the waterless days of April have been delineated by Eliot
once again. Eliot has expressed the agony in the following words:
He who was living is now dead.
We who were living are now dying
With little penance
DA DA DA
In the follow-ups to The Waste Land the
poet has shown the insinuation to The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. As per
the Upanishadic story, in the aftermath of the total failure of rain in India
the gods, the men and the demons in the perplexed and confused state of mind go
to the divine soul known as Prajapatiji and request him for the
knowledge of the path of salvation. The Lord appeared before them in the form
of thunder and uttered a mythical mantra as the key to the spiritual
renaissance. It was DA DA DA, also followed by T.S.Eliot as ultimate solution
for the salvation.
DA
Datta: what have we given?
First DA suggests, only by such devotion and by
donating oneself for some nobler cause, the humanity has progressed up till
now.
DA
Dayadhvam: I have heard the key
Turn in the door once and turn once only
The second DA means Dayadhvam meaning to
sympathize. Eliot felt frustrated and stunned to see the modern humanity caught
in the clutches of self-centeredness. The Indian concept of
‘paraspara-devobhava’ in this regard accentuates that the humans must not
ignore the contribution of even the handful of dust, found on their day today
way, made of the dusty particles of the earth since they might require the
assistance of everything or everybody in their lifetime. The researcher feels
that sympathy for helping hand to others or developing a kind of the spiritual
salvation. The prominent anxiety is, people are emotionally and morally dead
and physically alive. So, what is the purpose of this kind of human life?
DA
Damyata: The boat responded
Gaily to the hand expert with soul and shore
The sea was calm,
The third DA means Damyata meaning self-control
and being the disciplined individual. The poet has forewarned his readers not
to hold discipline as quiet synonymous to the loss of freedom, but instead he
states that discipline rather makes one’s journey of life easier and smoother.
Eliot has analyzed the reasons of using the
ascetic heritage of the East and the West respectively. Researcher firmly
agrees with this point that , at the convincing portion Eliot hard back the
humanity of the teachings of the Upanishad and he believes firmly that by
employing this way alone the complete Peace, the harmony which passé the
understanding can be achieved none other than Shantih Shantih Shantih.
Thus, the modern epic- The Waste Land, the poem ends on a supportive memorandum
of hope for the possibility of the human reinforcement. The researcher here
directs that Eliot has shown the Upanishadic refuge as the one, fetching the
peaceful spiritual regeneration of the wastelanders in the disastrous midst of
the decay and degeneration of the spiritual myths.
According to the researcher, it is sufficiently
acceptable to prove Eliot’s strong belief in the traditional scriptural
classics of India as the united one. It is a notable fact that Eliot has
subjugated the rich poetic possibilities of the Upanishadic mode of utterance
for the spiritual regeneration of the humanity, especially for the waste
landers.
Another thing to be highlighted over here is
that none other than devah, manusyah, and asurah (Divinity, human, demons) had
move toward to Prajapatiji, their father preceptor, after the completion of
their formal teaching and received the Gospel of Damyata, Datta and Dayadhvam
as expressed in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Eliot has presented the
gospel by the changing the words to the human beings only.Eliot made
Upanishadic DA DA DA into a single message, he made it exceptionally human and
shows his poetic intellectuality.
Conclusion
So, the researcher positively thinks that the
allusions to the shanti mantra was not just part of Eliot’s parade of information,
but a crucial component of what was to come ahead. To sum up the researcher has
to submit that Eliot being horrified with the sweeping tide of spiritual
degeneration in his contemporary era turns to the Upanishadic wisdom of the
Indian Scriptures in order to get rid of the terrible situation. Eliot unfolds,
not folds. As researcher has earlier also hypotheses and now proving that Eliot
is not subverting to end but leads towards a gigantic door of Upanishad and
spirituality, deeply rooted in Indian philosophy.
References and work
cited
(1)Chatterjee, Satischandra. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
EBook: Chatterjee, Satishchandra, Datta, Dhirendramohan, Datta,
Dhirendramohan:/Introduction-Indian-Philosophy-Satishchandra-Chatterjee-ebook/dp/B01C2IHREY.
(2)Dwivedi, Amar Nath. Indian Thought and Tradition in T.S.Eliot’s
Poetry. Bareilly: Prakash Book Depot. India, 1977
(3)Eliot, T.S. Preface. Lancelot Andrews: Essays on Style and
Order. London: Faber & Gwyer, 1929
(4)Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land & Other Poems. Benediction
Classics, 2011.
(5)Jain, Manju. “The Waste Land” T.S.Eliot Selected Poems and A
Critical Reading of the Selected Poems of T.S.Eliot. Delhi : Oxford University
Press,1997.
(6)Madhavananda, and Śaṅkarācārya . The Brhadaranyaka
Upanisad, with Commentary of Sankaracarya Translated by Swami Madhavananda,
with an Introduction by Mahamahopadhyaya S. Kuppuswami Sastri. 1965, /Brhadaranyaka-Upanisad-commentary-Sankaracarya/dp/8175051027.
(7)Zimmer, Heinrich (1, Philosophies of India (reprint 1989),
Princeton University Press
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