I in an eye – Archer’s tale I

Another poem based around an event in Mahabharat

And tell me what do you see? He demanded of the prince ‘My liege I see you...’ And? ‘I see the sky, the trees, My brothers, my friends...’

The guru contemplated silently And shaking his head, said ‘My son you are not yet ready for the test’

And so he called them all, All the princes in his tutelage yet none did he allow to stand trial, By their power of observation Stood summarily unimpressed

The wooden bird which was set As target to the test, Remained at rest The arrow set in their bow Did they see too little or much too more?

Finally he called upon Arjun And went through the same motion ‘Set your arrow, to the bow And tell me what you see?’ ‘My liege I see a bird!’

‘If you see the bird, then describe it to me’ ‘My lord, but for the eye I see not the bird!’ ‘Tell me then, about the eye’ ‘My lord in the ‘eye’ I see me’

And now the guru knew That the archer was prepared For the bow and arrow were mere tools And archery a mere path to something deeper

For the Archer was now rid Of his greatest adversaries three His distractions, his preoccupations and the notion ‘me’ in pure consciousness, he was one in-being, and with all that be

All pervading in awareness Yet within a point concentrated In the objective, the ‘I’ in the eye Nodding his assent ‘Shoot my prince’, he said ‘Though in my eye You’ve already passed the test’

• Abhi