Mind’s Eye

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Man and Mirror
Imagine if there is no reflection on the mirror when you stand in front of it. Eerie.. isn’t it? When we do see our reflection in the mirror we do not bother to wonder that we are much more than what we see ourselves to be.
Following paragraphs point out how the image of a mirror has been used as an allegory

Etymology -
· Drip (root word) +lyut pratyaya {suffix} combine to form the word ‘darpan’ -Sanskrit word for mirror, which means ‘the reflection of light’.
· ‘ darpan’ which is also derived from dri dhatu (root word) means ‘that which destroys ego’. Hanuman is addressed as dasha greevasya darpanaha one who played destroyed the ego of Ravana.
· It is interesting to note that a person’s eyes continuously watch others but the only way they can ‘look’ at her is with the help of a mirror. It is no co-incidence that another meaning for darpan is eyes – which look inward.
· The fourth meaning of darpan is self image

Mati darpanam kavinam, vishwam prati phalati
A poet’s mind is like the mirror for the entire world. His writings reflect what the society is. They also act as a guide for everyone to take notice of everything.

Chehra man ka darpan
Somebody said that we all wear masks in front of others. There are very few who actually get to see the real person behind this mask. But for those who can see the real person, face acts like a mirror which reflects the mind’s thoughts – especially the eyes which disclose a person’s feelings in the most lucid manner.

Tora man darpan kehlaye , bhle bure saare karmon ko dekhe aur dikhae
If face is the mirror to the mind, mind is the mirror to the soul. It makes a person aware of his deeds- guides him whenever he goes haywire, appreciates him when he performs a good action. Although the mind is our constant companion but we seldom listen to it. Layers of dust in the form of negligence and ego settle on this mirror …. Layers, which many of us are not able to remove.

In the sanctum sanctorum of many Shiva temples one can see a lamp in middle of mirrors all around. These mirrors reflect the image of the lamp symbolizing the fact that all manifest beings are the reflections of one universal unmanifest being.

I wonder at the absurd human mind. There is no one who does not want to look into a mirror and admire oneself but there are some people who enjoy looking at distorted mirrors in circus and laugh at the warped images. Well, to laugh at oneself is sometimes therapeutic and a pleasant relief from everything around.

There is a character in Dilli 6 who keeps showing the mirror to everyone. People call him mad but finally the protagonist points out that the mirror which the mad man keeps showing is a reminder of the fact that there is a common divine element at the core of everyone’s heart. External appearances might be different but deep down we are all the same.

There is a Buddhist practice in which a person is expected to look into the mirror and tell oneself that she loves herself. If done with humility and love this practice can enable one to forgive oneself and life every day on a new note no matter how the past has been but if performed with ego it can lead to hedonism.

Cinderella’s step mother keeps questioning the ‘mirror on the wall’ about who is the most beautiful woman. Her obsession with being the most beautiful woman in the world shatters, when Cinderella is born. The mirror in no more able to make the queen swell in her own beauty.

In ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ Harry confronts the magical mirror of Erised which shows the deepest and the most desperate desires of a person but his teacher informs him that ‘the mirror neither gives knowledge or truth’ and ‘the happiest man on earth would be able to use it as the normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is’.

Michael Jackson’s music video ‘Man and the Mirror’ juxtaposes images of people who have influenced the history of mankind. He calls for a change which each one of us can bring provided we look into ourselves.

At different levels of existence all of us are mirrors for each other. Sooner or later we realise that fundamentally all are same… reflections of one Superior Being.

I - Recommend

Haji Ali picked up his dog eared, grease-spotted Koran and held it before the flames. “ do you see how beautiful this Koran is ?” he asked. “ I can’t read it. I can’t read anything. This is the greatest sadness in my life. I’ll do anything so that the children of my village never have to know this feeling. I’ll pay any price so they have the education they deserve” from ‘Three cups of Tea’ --Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Inspired by infinity

Other artistic pursuits . Purva hails from a family of artistes. While her mother Kamalini Dutt’s inputs see complete expression in Purva as a dancer, her father Kuber Dutt’s influences in Purva’s growth find a reflection in Purva as a writer on issues related to arts, culture, religion and society and in Purva as an anchor and a voice-over artiste.