by Kunal Thakore

APARANTA (Beyond the Beyond)

This phantasmagorical world we live in
Full of wonderment
Sparking the imagination
Captivating the senses
A mirage of moha* and maya^
An experiential delight

The things we do
In pursuit of challenge and achievement
Elusive dreams and obsessive desires
Yearning and fulfilment
A treasure trove of temptation
A chakravyuh** of covetousness

The people we assemble around us
Marionettes, like us, with attachments and entanglements
Societal siblings similar in thought and milieu
Indulgent acolytes, eager to please
Or preening, pretentious and paranoid
Insufferable but inseparable

The lives we lead
A Gordian knot
Chasing  insatiable happiness
Arc lights and accolades
Vacuous pursuits, inane, ephemeral
Oblivious to the beauty around or within

When beyond it all
Beyond the illusion & the chimera
Beyond this infinitesimal drop
Of which we are inhabitants
There lies an expansive ocean
With water of a sweeter composition
Depths deeper and more profound
Currents stronger, drawing you in
Waves higher, awash with purpose
Horizons further, beckoning discovery

An Aparanta^^ only sighted by our third eye.

* Sanskrit for infatuation
^ Sanskrit for illusion
** A legendary military formation mentioned in the Mahabharata, from which, once encircled, there is no escape
^^ Sanskrit for extremity or ‘beyond the end’

36 Comments

  1. You write well and though I’m not Indian, still, India is my second home, because of my very special and rare guru. 🙂

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      1. You’re welcome. My guru was from Bihar, but he departed this world at age 92 in 2010. I’ve always wanted to visit Hrisikesh, but got as far as Sikkim. I believe I’ve only passed through Haridwara.

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  2. A mirage indeed. Well put.
    This does seem to be the world in which we live…in which we move and act.
    But as you said we are but marionettes.
    And this is not the world in which we all live.
    We live in our own worlds… Mental realms where all we can change is our attitudes. There lies our responsibility.
    A little sri nisargardatta for you(paraphrased)

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  3. Thank you for your message, new post duly posted, and likewise your new post duly read. This is beautiful and sensitive and I love the wonderful imagery that you have drawn upon! It goes far to try to begin to capture a wee minute hint of the mystical realms you are so beautifully trying to convey.

    Illusion, obsession, pretentiousness, covetousness, temptation, paranoia…etc, it is all there in the melting pot bubbling away! Your use of symbolism to denote the abstract is superb, such as the Gordian Knot, which ultimately was not undone by conventional methods but cut, and the chakravyuh, the concept of military manoeuvre linking with assembling of marionettes, a strategy feel about the whole thing…and of course dipping into the Mahabharata, an element of sacred scripture. ‘Marionettes’ is a profound analogy…when we stop struggling with the Master puppeteer and become limp and cease trying to act ‘our’ way, then we might truly be able to play the roles for which we were purposed, here on this planet!

    I like the descriptions of the two states…maya and awakening, ending with words such as sweeter, deeper, profounder, stronger, higher…drawing you in, and finishing most profoundly with the third eye. I am enraptured by your sprinkling of Sanskrit words. To me they are magical, mystical chants…and having never been to India, l can only read about, and view it in documentary. Thank you Kunal, this is a treasure of a poem.

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    1. Thank YOU, you are indeed generous with your praise. I enjoy composing such poems as much as you might enjoy reading them. As far as our diving and delving into those mythical, mystical, magical realms, we can only try! Thanks, again!

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  10. The “Moha and Maya” – lovely sounding words which seem to capture so well what they mean. A really great reflection on what we’re all about as poets in the divide between illusion and reality. Beautiful writing! Chevvy

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