84
The Genius of Dnyaneshwar
And then a punchline3 is delivered You think that you will kill Or that they will die Because on their bodies Your thoughts rely …163 In this group, there are verses not translated in which the images used are very Indian. In one, chaff is separated from grain with the help of wind, in another, butter is separated from curds (sour cream) by a slow circular manual stirring action using a wooden implement. An example is given in the third verse of a legendary bird, which has the ability to separate water from diluted milk. These images evoke the ability to perceive (!) or to extract ‘that thing’ (the soul of a substance) from the rest. A verse from the same group is somewhat like this From its impure form Gold is got Fire and spark Remove the blot8 …164 Note: Primal The use of the word primal is a mere convenience. Primal as the first, or the first cause or as the source, may be misnomers because ‘that’ is the only thing in the universe. All else is appearance in time, which is born out of our imagination. Also it is not primal because there is no second or third. Here too, the blot is the manifested world and gold is ‘that thing’ which is extracted. Fire and spark are both related to heat or energy and signify reason or intelligence (Verse 164). 1. sensorium – the sensory apparatus including the system of nerves 2. allegory – a story (or a poem, a play, a picture, etc) in which the meaning or message is represented symbolically 3. punchline – a punch (as in boxing) which knocks down an opponent. A punch line is a sentence, which knocks out the argument of the opposition and wins the said argument 4. Upanishad – the culmination of the Vedic literature 5. shimmering – shine tremulously with faint light 6. sensual – dependent only on senses (not on reason) 7. censure – criticize 8. blot – impurity