The Forest of Insight: Navigating Inner and Outer Realms
Sapta Svara invites readers on a transformative journey that unfolds both outwardly in the stunning wilderness of Silent Valley Forest in India and inwardly through self-reflection. As we follow the ten participants on their week-long retreat, we are immersed in the pristine beauty of the forest, where every daily excursion becomes a mirror for inner exploration. Vivid descriptions bring the landscape to life-animals move with purpose, and the valley unfolds like a series of paintings, rich with sound and colour. As the group delves deeper into nature, profound conversations arise, exploring life's deeper meanings. This outward journey into the forest becomes a metaphor for the participants' inner voyage, where they learn to recognize how the rhythms of nature reflect their patterns of thought and behavior. Through the pulse of the natural world, they gain insight into themselves, making the outer world a teacher for their inner transformation.
Sapta Svara takes the reader on a profound journey of sadhana, awakening to our true selves through both outer exploration and inner reflection. Over the course of a week in the Silent Valley, each day brings new insights, peeling back the layers of our mental frameworks and examining the narratives we build. The book flows seamlessly between a travelogue of the physical journey and a journal of the inner quest, moving between the natural world and the mind's landscape. We come to understand that disturbances in the outer world mirror those within us, teaching us to look inward whenever we encounter disharmony outside. To perceive balance and harmony in the outer world, we first need to cultivate it within ourselves, revealing a direct connection between the two realms. Through this thoughtful interplay, the narrative underscores the essential truth that inner peace is the key to perceiving harmony in the world around us.
Each day of this week-long journey takes us deeper into the heart of the forest, revealing that "the forest is not a mere collection of trees and animals, but a living entity," intricately interconnected and imbued with "the power to strengthen and rejuvenate." It is here, amid the ancient trees and vibrant wildlife, that we learn to understand our inner landscapes. The forest encourages us to be present, embodying the way all other forms of life exist in the moment. It invites us to release the weight of the past and any lingering unhealthy emotions. As we traverse its paths, we are confronted with questions that urge us to examine the repetitive, unhelpful patterns of thought and behaviour that hold us back. One participant insightfully notes, "Our patterns are prisons of our own making. And most of the time, we do not realize that nothing holds us in our prisons except ourselves." In this way, the forest becomes a mirror, reflecting the changes we need to embrace within ourselves, illustrating the profound connection between our inner and outer worlds.
The patterns of nature impart vital principles of life. Observing a flock of birds flying in formation, we recognize that they derive strength and support from one another, achieving much more together than they ever could alone. This truth resonates deeply in our own lives, illustrating that "the macro and the microcosm rest on the same principle of rtam, or order."
Aditya Handa, a young entrepreneur from a business family I was consulting with, presented me with an intriguing challenge:
"Hindu thought is so complex, can you simplify it for me so that I can apply it?"
Aditya was deeply interested in grounding the organizations he was promoting in Indic values. His question sparked a lot of reflection in me. and I told him I would get back to him.
As I often do with such meaningful challenges, I spent time contemplating the issue (this practice is called dharana) after my morning asana and pranayama sessions. A couple of weeks later, the seven words that would become the foundation of Sapta Svara came to me in a flash-though initially in a jumble. As I gave them more thought, they naturally fell into place: Maitri, Karma, Dharma, Jhana, Ramyam, Yoga, and Abhyasa.
Sashi (my wife, who is an architect deeply rooted in Vastu tradition) and I then collaborated to elaborate on these concepts, drawing from our understanding of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and other sastras. We also engaged in discussions with our teachers and a few esteemed individuals from various fields to refine our interpretation. Their feedback helped us enhance the clarity and depth of these seven words.
They agreed that this framework captures the essence of Indic thought. These seven principles-Maitri, Karma, Dharma, Jnana, Ramyam, Yoga, and Abhyasa-form the foundation of all major Indic philosophies-Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh traditions.
There are several reasons why Indic thought is often perceived as complex. In today's context, knowledge is frequently valued based on abstraction and theorizing. However, Indic knowledge systems prioritize performative and experiential knowing over theoretical understanding. The Yoga Sutras highlight this distinction, using the term "vidusa" to describe someone who has book knowledge but has not transformed that knowledge into embodied practice. In fact, the Yoga Sutras equate such a person with someone who hasn't studied the sastras at all, suggesting that their responses to life's challenges are similarly ineffective.
A beautiful story from the Pancatantra illustrates this concept well. A learned pandit needs to cross the Gariga and hires a boatman to ferry him across. As they begin their journey, the pandit asks, "Have you read the Rgveda?"
Vedas (1134)
Upanishads (472)
Puranas (613)
Ramayana (723)
Mahabharata (337)
Dharmasastras (157)
Goddess (483)
Bhakti (240)
Saints (1448)
Gods (1260)
Shiva (359)
Journal (168)
Fiction (55)
Vedanta (349)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist