Consciousness, Literature and the Arts
Archive
Volume 13 Number 3, December 2012
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From Deadly Winter to Sprightly Spring: A Spiritual Odyssey
by
Bani Dayal Dhir and V. Prem Lata
Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed University), India
Christopher (Kit) Kelen in Poetry, Consciousness and Community writes “from the dynamic point of view, poetry – as art practice – is not merely the business of creating the text fresh enough to be canonized poetry. It is a world changing work. Art represents and explains the world as it is, as it was, as it could be. ” (8-9)
It is almost an accepted critical acclamation that no work has ever caused such a flutter and sensation in the literary dove- cot as The Waste Land (1922) of T. S. Eliot (1888-1965). A literary discourse is time-bound as well as eternal , abounding in the powers of ‘forming and sustaining’. T. S Eliot’s The Waste Land is inexhaustible as its very structure is impregnated with “truths that wake, to perish never” . Undoubtedly today’s man is thriving materialistically but estrangement from the spirit has left him split and sick .The Waste Land is not a mere depiction of an artist’s spiritual Odyssey but its profound message makes possible the transcendence of everyman of today from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. The three principal virtues “Datta, Dayadhvam , Damyata i.e to give , sympathize and control” taken from Brihdarnyaka Upanisad of Oriental philosophy and exhorted by Eliot in the concluding section “What the Thunder said “ are still the ‘master light of our seeing’. The poetic system is a remarkable illustration of Eliotic concept of the continuity of time , an underlying interconnection between past , present and future. The world can be converted into utopia if man inculcates humility, sympathy for others , firm faith in Lord Almighty enunciated in the poem , as only these can enable the spiritually ailing man of the twenty first century transcend the gross materiality and experience the Supreme Bliss .
T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land , which has been considered by several critics as a compilation of loosely strung poems , is actually not true as “ Eliot was himself aware of the need for wholeness of feeling for a poem which is more than the sum of its traceable parts. The Waste Land was written at a period when he was interested in the theory of the poet as inheritor and bearer of tradition” (Helen Williams: 1968,47). The holistic Aristotelian Systems Perspective pronounces that ‘a whole is more than the sum of its parts ‘and this pronouncement is quite true of literary works. According to eminent Systems Scientist Rev. Prof. P. S. Satsangi, “literary systems are perceived intuitive systems, which call for holistic integrative thinking. “ (2009; 3)
Employing ‘systemic mode’ of interpretation in this paper, we refer to T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land as a ‘complex poetic system’ . A complex system is a system composed of interconnected parts that as a whole exhibits one or more properties, thus a complex system can be defined in simple terms as network of heterogeneous components that interact nonlinearly, to give rise to emergent behaviour. From Systems perspective the five sections of the poetic system The Waste Land will be looked upon as its five sub-systems presenting the panorama of futility ,anarchy , materialism, existential vacuum, loss of spirituality which had enveloped the post-war European civilization .
The poetic system has been interpreted from several perspectives , but this paper adopts a psycho- hermeneutical perspective to map out ‘altered states of consciousness ‘ in the complex poetic system The Waste Land. The poetic system begins with an excerpt from Patronius Arbiter’s Satyricon, which depicts Sybil longing for death. The Cumaean Sybil, a prophetess, asked Apollo for eternal life and he granted the boon, unfortunately Sybil forgot to ask eternal youth and as a result, she aged and became more decrepit and tinnier until the disrespectful and ruthless people of Cumae suspended her in a basket in a public place. At the end of thousand years there was nothing left but her voice. This bleak and pitiful image of Sybil stands as a powerful metaphor for the spiritually impoverished modern man.
Eliot’s question in The Waste Land:
The corpse that you planted last year in your garden,
Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year ? (29)
The above question speculates the possibility of spiritual regeneration in the arid waste land, the spiritual re-birth of the modern man who considers spring cruel which stirs dull roots, gives life to dead trees and reminds him of spirituality. Ironically winter appears to be kind when everything is “covered in forgetful snow”( Eliot,27). Metaphorically winter symbolizes the life of gross material consciousness which the denizens of the modern waste land are reluctant to relinquish, and spring symbolizes living with heightened consciousness – spiritual consciousness which scares the ‘the man of the world’. The poetic system indirectly puts forth several questions before us: How to rise above the low material consciousness? How can one achieve higher – spiritual consciousness? Is there any possibility of revival of spirituality in the present day world ?
Fig. 1 Principal Governing Image Pattern with Subordinating Images
Jean Jacques Derrida ( 1930-2004 ) reiterated that each sign has multiple signifiers and his conception becomes quite relevant here as consciousness is a floating sign with multiple signifiers, with wide references and a wide range of implications in various disciplines in which it finds currency.
Psychologists assert that all human beings go through stages of consciousness such as awareness, waking and an altered state of consciousness. Erika Fromm (1909-2003),the renowned Jewish German psychologist who was Emeritus Professor at the University of Chicago, almost three decades ago observed the shift which has taken place in psychology from simply the analysis of two states- sleeping and waking states to altered states of consciousness.(557)
The expression ‘altered states of consciousness‘ was used as early as 1966 by Arnold M. Ludwig and was made popular by Charles T. Tart (b.1934- ), the American Psychologist and parapsychologist through his Altered States of Consciousness(1969) . In his well known States of Consciousness, he adopts Systems approach to analyze states of consciousness and views that while the components of consciousness can be studied in isolation, they exist as parts of a complex system, consciousness, and can be fully understood only when we see this function in the overall system. (1979)
Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained: Mysteries of the Mind explains that an ‘altered state of consciousness’ is a brain state wherein one loses the sense of identity with one’s body or with one’s normal sense perceptions. A person may enter an altered state of consciousness through such things as sensory deprivation or overload, neurochemical imbalance, fever or trauma. One may also achieve an altered state by chanting, meditating, entering a trance state, or ingesting psychedelic drugs. Researchers engaged in the study of states of consciousness suggest that within the course of a single day an individual may flicker in and out of several states of consciousness. Entering an altered state of consciousness involves qualitative change in perceptual, cognitive and conative aspects. These days several theories are in vogue for the analysis of states of consciousness. Levels or types of consciousness with varying degrees constituting altered states of consciousness include: rapturous consciousness, hysterical consciousness, fragmented consciousness, relaxed consciousness, day dreaming, trance Consciousness, expanded consciousness comprising four levels.
William James (1842-1910) observed in The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902) that normal waking consciousness is but one special type of consciousness, as there are other potential forms of consciousness which are entirely different. It is also observed that many individuals even go through life without suspecting the existence of these states of consciousness. Taking cue from what James said , we realize that what appears to be prosperity , progress and modernization to modern wastelanders, is , ironically deterioration and unfortunately they are oblivious of this fact. Instead of entering a positive altered state of consciousness, as mystics and people who meditate claim of their ability to enter altered state of consciousness which brings enlightenment or transcendence, inhabitants of modern world are unknowingly experiencing ‘hysterical’ and ‘fragmented’ states of consciousness living amidst “a heap of broken images.” Psychologists say that hysterical consciousness is induced by rage, jealousy, fear, neurotic anxiety, violent mob activity or certain drugs. ‘Fragmented consciousness’ is defined as a lack of integration among important segments of the total personality, often results in psychosis, severe neurotic, amnesia, multiple personality or dissociation. Such a state is induced by severe psychological stress over a period of time. It may also be brought about temporarily by accidents or psychedelic drugs. These two states are opposed to ‘rapturous consciousness’ which is pleasant and positive in nature, ‘hysterical and fragmented’ states are negative and destructive.(Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained). In today’s dehumanized world, one does not require any psychedelic drug to experience these negative altered states of consciousness, as the alienation of today’s ‘machinated man’ from the Central being, the split between the body and the soul and lack of faith in Supreme God is pushing him into these negative altered states of consciousness.
The second sub-system “The Game of Chess” is a concrete depiction of ‘hysterical and fragmented consciousness’. The sense of aimlessness and fear prevailing in today’s world is projected through a hysterical woman running on the streets, her hair flying in the air while the lady plays music on the strings of her hair. Another character in a hysterical rage asks:
What shall I do now? What shall I do?
I shall run out as I am, and walk the street
With my hair down, so, what shall we do tomorrow?
What shall we ever do? (30)
The question of the lady once again brings back the notion of ‘life in death’ existence initiated with the image of Sybil . The next question of the lady “what they should do?” raises multiple questions and ironically these questions do not have any answers as life today has lost its meaning and purpose.
What is that noise now? What is that wind doing?
Nothing again nothing.
Do you know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember nothing? (31)
Fig 2 Inherent Harmony in the Universe
It is quite evident that inherent harmony in the universe is fragmented and man today is living with ‘fragmented consciousness’ without any inner harmony and peace. Spring is cruel and induces fear, Marie was frightened, the 'Son of Man ' has to endure the vision of ‘heap of broken images ‘symbolizing fear and mortality, Madam Sosostris, the clairvoyant is afraid, water is symbolic of destruction and fear, the anxiety of the crowd of Londoners is compared to the suffering souls in Dante's hell. Today, ironically trust has been replaced by 'fear '. In the third sub-system "the Fire sermon", fear and anxiety are replaced by apathy, which is equally terrible. Eliot makes a very significant comment that human beings are like rats in their holes ,who keep running around only disturbing their dead bones as “we who were living are now dying”.(39)
The third sub- system "The Fire Sermon" is in essence a sermon about the consequences of leading a life of gross ‘material consciousness’. In The Vinaya, “The Fire Sermon" is the third discourse delivered by Buddha, several months after his enlightenment on the top of the Gaya Sisa Hills near Gaya, India. Buddha proclaims: "Bhikkus, all is burning!" Fire metaphorically represents the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion, the manifestation of suffering: birth, ageing and death, sorrows, lamentation, pains, distress and despair. (352)
In the third sub-system “The Fire Sermon” the poet metaphorically depicts the river Thames as ‘empty with water’, devoid of all its sanctity. Eliot unspools imagery that bears testimony of the unscrupulous life of today’s man:
The river bears no. empty bottles, sandwich papers,
Silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes, cigarette ends
Or other testimony of summer nights. (33)
The pollution of the river Thames at the surface level suggests the pollution of water and at deeper level suggests the erosion of values.
In the fourth sub-system “Death by Water” The poet cautions the man, living in the state of ‘nothingness’;
Gentile or Jew
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you! (39)
Through the story of Phlebas the Phoenician sailor, Eliot warns the mankind to reflect on the end and the doom of the materialistic merchant. He emphasizes that all men are travelers in this world and are subject to the lure of change, decay and death. An analysis from a wider and generic perspective with reference to the Oriental Religion of Saints (Radhasoami Faith1) supports, elucidates and authenticates Eliotic conception of this world and human life as it brings to light the notion that “the human body is not a bundle of bones, flesh and skin only. It is a cardinal principle of the Religion of Saints that the human body is extremely precious and that it should be fully appreciated. It is the greatest misfortune to use the body merely for indulging in worldly enjoyments and for procreation.” (Discourses II, 2010 [1956]:89-90) .
In this context, Eliot’s lofty conception of human Iife again finds a parallel in the following lines from the Holy scripture Prem Bilas of Radhasoami Faith which translate as :
Come you to your senses! Give up all jest and frivolity.
This negligence is a deadly poison; save yourself from it as much as you can. (53)
The fifth sub-system “What the Thunder Said” figuratively depicts, through the journey of Knight Parsifal and his followers to Chapel Perilous, how difficult it is to pursue the path of spirituality in a spiritually barren world. It also suggests that rising above the material consciousness by breaking all the individual ego boundaries to achieve higher spiritual consciousness requires “an awful daring of a moment’s surrender”.
Here is no water but only rock
Rock and no water and the sandy road
The road winding above among the mountains
Which are mountains of rock without water
If there were water we should stop and drink
Amongst the rock one cannot stop or think.(40)
Water, symbolic of faith, does not find any space in the present waste land. The knight is everyman of today who embarks on spiritual voyage. The knight and his followers perspire, but to utter dismay, their perspiration is also dry and their feet sink into sand. They cannot find water to quench their thirst, and can only see broken rocks. The whole scene is barren, lack of water symbolizes the inner drought of man and the journey symbolizes the trial of pilgrims. The seekers of Spiritual Bliss are disturbed by hallucinations, horrible visions and feel that ghosts with wretched faces are mocking at them. Here a reference to Gospel according to Luke from The Holy Bible would not be impertinent which describes how people mocked at Lord Jesus Christ:
And the people stood by, watching, but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘he saved others; let him save himself he is the messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine saying, ‘if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!’ (Luke 23.32, 89)
It is evident that ‘man of the world‘ always mocks at one who pursues the path of spirituality as faith is beyond reason and unfortunately ‘ man of the world’ understands the ‘language of evidence ’only. But the devotee should not get dissuaded by “ red sullen faces” which “sneer and snarl”(Eliot,40) as they are ignorant and are unaware of, in the words of Rev. Prof. P. S. Satsangi, “Supreme Bliss, Supreme Intelligence, Supreme Energy, and Supreme Refulgence of the Supreme Being”.( 2010, 19 )
Eliot attempts to find some solace , peace and comfort by adopting chant like style, to experience incantatory affect , to probably experience chant consciousness or in psychological idiom “trance consciousness” which is achieved by rapt attentiveness to single stimulus, or a chant.(Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained) Chanting in rhythmic tone with concentration certainly provides relaxation to body and helps restore to extent inner harmony and peace. This effect can be termed Neuro- Linguistic- Psycholinguistic effect. Lot of research has been carried out and still being carried out. There is a very close relation between poetry and music. If a soft sound of wind rustling through leaves soothes our nerves, the musical note of running stream enchants our heart, thunder may cause awe and fear. Sounds have tremendous impact on the psyche of man. The poet chants Shantih! Shantih! Shantih! (Peace! Peace! Peace!) with a desire for peace throughout the creation, and mentions in his note “shantih repeated here, a formal ending of an Upanishad”(46) but the present with all its negativity compels him again to collapse into the negative altered states of consciousness.
In the Religion of Saints (Radhasoami Faith) the Meaning of Santi (Peace) is explained by His Holiness Sahabji Maharaj :
In other words ‘Santi’ means the state of knowledge, full of bliss and refulgence, which is experienced when the spirit enters the portal of the Pure Spiritual Region after getting rid of the dross of mind and body. The state of ‘Santi’ or Peace which one achieves in this world on the fulfillment of some desire is the result of some temporary excitement. When the excitement subsides, the state of ‘Santi’ or Peace also disappears. On the other hand, the state of ‘Santi’ which is valued in religion does not suffer any abatement but actually grows in intensity as the spirit progresses beyond ‘Dasam Dvar’ (the topmost region of Brahmanda- the Region of the Universal Mind). (Discourses iii, 2010[1956], 10)
The fifth sub- system “What the Thunder Said” furnishes a remedy to the ills of the modern world which also implicitly explains how to achieve the ‘expanded integrative altered state of consciousness’, which comprises four levels- 1) the sensory level, characterized by subjective reports of space , time , body image or sense impressions having been altered;2) the recollective analytic level, which summons up memories of one’s past and provides insights concerning self, work, or personal relationships; 3) the symbolic level, which is often characterized by vivid visual imagery of mythical, religious, and historical symbols 4) the integrative level is defined as ‘experiencing a dissolution of self and is confronted by God or some Divine Being‘.(Encyclopedia of the Unusual). Psychologists also ascertain that sincere prayer and meditation are one of the major ways of entering this positive altered state of consciousness.
Here Eliot refers to Brhad-aranyanka Upanishad, which is generally recognised as the most important of the Upanisads, and forms a part of the Satapatha Brahmana. Eliot mentions three virtues- datta, dayadhvam and damyata, which are essential to fertilize the present sterile wasteland. For better elucidation and authentic interpretation we refer to chapter V, "Second Brahmana- Three Principal Virtues” from Brhad- aranyanka Upanishad to which Eliot refers:
The threefold offspring of Prajapati gods, men and demons lived with their father Prajapati as students of sacred knowledge. Having completed their studentship the gods said, "Please tell (instruct) us sir." To them he uttered the syllable 'da '(and asked) Have you understood? "They (said) we have understood, you said to us "damyata"-control yourself.
Then the men said to him, "Please tell (instruct) us sir. To them he uttered the same syllable 'da’ and asked "Have you understood?" They said, "We have understood. You said to us “give”
Then the demons said to him, Please tell (instruct) us sir, To them he uttered the same syllable “da” (and asked)’ Have you understood?’ They said, ‘we have understood, you said to us “dayadhvam”- be compassionate.
This very thing the heavenly voice of Thunder repeats, da, da, da. (289-290)
Interpreting the above lines, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan says that there are no gods or demons other than men. If they are lacking in self control, well endowed with other good qualities, they are gods; if they are particularly greedy they are men; if they are cruel and given to inflicting injury on others, they are demons. Men themselves are distinguished into these three classes.(290)
Eliot asks a very pertinent question,
What have we given?
My friend, blood shaking my heart
The awful daring of a moment’s surrender
Which an age of prudence can never retract
By this and this only we have existed.(42)
It needs to be explained that by 'give' Eliot does not mean 'charity’ or ‘giving money’, but he means, ‘have we given ourselves away? Are we committed to a noble way of life? Have we surrendered even for a moment completely before the Divine Power? Thus the first 'da’ means, giving oneself to a spiritual way of life with unshakeable faith , abnegating oneself before Lord Almighty. This cannot be performed on the basis of wise calculation. When Eliot says "by this and this only we have survived" he means to say that humanity has survived solely by devotion to the teachings of spiritual teachers. Retaining the meaning of the second 'da '- dayadhvam given in Upanishad Eliot explains that each individual is imprisoned within the ego boundaries and thinks in terms of self-fulfillment. Today we are all prisoners of our ego. Eliot interprets the third 'da- damayata’ as:
The boat responded
Gaily to the hand expert with sail and oar…(43)
Emphasizing the necessity of self-discipline, Eliot compares this control to the movement of a boat under an expert captain. The boat of life must also sail without the fear of winds of passion. The poet asserts that the reformation must begin with the individual, the need of the hour is self-purification.
The Waste Land is not merely a dispassionate and detached depiction of war’s devastation, and bloodshed, but it is an artist’s lamentation, pain and anguish at the emotional, intellectual and spiritual exhaustion of today's world, the waste of our civilization. The poet does not regard this as a single isolated moment in history, particular to the west in the twentieth century, but the poetic system presents an inclusive, comprehensive vision, a perspective of history in which modernist forms of beliefs, culture and life are kept in a continuous parallel with the past.
Thus taking the artist’s spiritual odyssey, his longing for spiritual regeneration in the present day world from a generic perspective, we can say that only sincere prayer with all humility and unflinching faith in Supreme Lord, surrendering before His Will can help us attain higher spiritual consciousness or “expanded integrative consciousness”. As His Holiness Sahabji Maharaj mentions:
The devotion, if it is constant, cuts through the worldly ties of the ever changing world. (Discourses I, 150) In the present context, the triad from Upanishad adopted by Eliot to fertilize the modern waste land can be attributed a unique, new dimension and greater significance with reference to Oriental Religion of Saints (Radhasoami Faith). If Eliot used the techniques of parallelism and contrast to create the poetic system, here we adopt parallelism as an interpretative strategy. On drawing parallelism, we realize that the first virtue “datta” corresponds to “love for and faith in the true Creator” as explained in Radhasoami Faith, “dayadhvam” to “sympathy for other creatures”, and “damyata” to “practice for awakening spiritual powers by means of which a man by and by, can acquire the status of God, status of Hamsa (pure spirit) and ultimately true salvation.” (Discourses II, 169)
The three Eliotic virtues further become more meaningful, significant and relevant in the present context when they are correlated to the three states – Sat, Chitt, Premanand, mentioned in Radhasoami Faith. “Sat” (Truth, Energy) refers to surrendering before the Supreme Lord, acknowledging His Existence. “Premananda” (Bliss of love) is compassion for living beings and “chitt”(Higher consciousness) is to lead a self- disciplined life and to know the process of Surat Shabd Yoga2 under the Guidance of an Adept( Satguru).
ust as Eliot mentions that for the smooth sailing of the ship an expert captain is needed, In Radhasoami Faith the glory and the need of the guidance of the Adept (Satguru) is described for true salvation. Eliotic philosophy also finds illustration in the Oriental Religion of Saints (Radhasoami Faith) where shattering of the individual ego is the primary requisite to achieve higher transcendental consciousness. Eliot dreamt of salvation and spiritual re-birth and thus advocated three virtues , and an extension and concretization of poet’s concept can be done by referring to Radhasoami Faith where we also find the explanation that how when one acquires these three states he experiences Spiritual Refulgence and hears anhad shabd ( Spiritual Sound Current). Radhasoami Faith describes that by giving up one’s ego , doing bhakti (devotion ) of Adept( Sant – Satguru) of the time one can activate the inner or hidden senses and experience the uniting of the Spirit Force with the Sound Current and listening to the Divine Music. Greeks referred to this as “Logos”, Divine Word and we refer to it as Shabda (spiritual sound). But it is not the external sound of the physical world. It is an internal sound.(Rev. P. S. Satsangi,2010:75)
Acknowledgement
The authors are extremely grateful to Most Revered Prof. P. S. Satsangi for initiating them in the field of Systems Theory and Consciousness Studies and for guiding them in interpreting The Waste Land from a new perspective.
References
Buddha, Gautam. “The Fire Sermon”, Buddhism in Translations. Translated from the Maha-vagga(i21) April2002.http//www. Sacred-texts.com/bud/index.htm.
Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land and Other Poems .London: Faber and Faber.(1982)
Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained: Mysteries of the Mind. “Altered States of Consciousness”. http:// www.unexplainedstuff.com/ Mysteries-of-the-Mind/Altered States of Consciousness.
Fromm, Erika. “Altered States of Consciousness and Ego Psychology” social Service Review, vol. 50, No. 4, Dec. 1976,(557-569) http//www.jstor.org/pss30015411.
Kelen (Kit) Christopher. Poetry, Consciousness and Community. Rodopi: Amsterdam- New York, 2009.
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Notes
1. Most Revered Prof. P.S. Satsangi explains that the Supreme Being was in a state of absolute self-absorption prior to creation, and then at the time of creation, there was a big wave which arose in Him and He manifested Himself as Radhasoami- Radha being the Primoidal Spirit Force Current which formed various centres and distributed the spirits in the first phase of Creation in the Purely Spiritual Region and Soami being the enchanting Sound Current attracting the spirit forces to their reservoir i.e. The Supreme Being.Three key factors emerge as the bedrock of Radhasoami Faith. These are Adept (Sant Satguru), Radhasoami Name which also stands for Surat-Shabd-Yoga and Nij Dham, the eternal abode.
2. In Radhasoami Faith , therefore , Surat – Shabda-Yoga is offered as the meditational practice through which one can unite one’s spirit force with the sound current i.e. Shabda and reach higher and higher regions of consciousness and eventually reach the eternal abode getting freed from the cycle of birth and rebirth and having eternal life.