Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The festive spirit of man

The festive spirit of man is one of his basic instincts, both at the levels of flesh, mind as well as soul. Festivals satisfy, that deeply embedded need of joy, pleasure, merriment and enjoyment of which, the basic is in the need and requirement for bliss....

Sukhavasane idamev saaram.... This small Sanskrit phrase can be interpreted in many ways...In the end of joy, this is the conclusion, or that...the death of a human being in joy and pleasure is the only conclusion... can be the other interpretation.

Its surprising to note how infectious this festive spirit can be, and for a heart broken, how equally devastating can it be as well.

The best part about it however, is that, it lets man be in touch with his surroundings, in harmony with culture, environment, society, internal pleasure, celebrations, and even environment as in scientifically.

For eg. Diwali is one such festival...
Spiritually:it signifies the triumph of truth,
Mythologically:The return of Rama, back to His Home,
Socially: The festive spirit of man, and his keeping in touch with friends and family
Culturally: the lighting of lamps to destroy the darkness
Environmentally: The destruction of pests and insects by the process of white-washes...etc....

Not to say of course, that the festival equally affects the economics of the country and the politics (specially when it is governed by the religious sentiment of the people), as well.

This is a typical example of how a festival permeates its essence in all aspects of human life, and how it portrays the all-pervading festive spirit of human beings.

Till later,
Love

©anu (Exploring Myself)