Kannadasan — A Realised Master (Part 1)

 First, let me state one thing upfront... A word of caution: This piece was originally written in English and subsequently translated into Tamil using Google Translate. Therefore, I request your indulgence regarding any linguistic awkwardness or grammatical errors you may encounter in the Tamil text.

The individuals who inspired me to write this article are:

1. Ramesh Thyagarajan of TDRTimes, and

2. Isaikavi Ramanan.

I have shared a friendship with Ramesh via WhatsApp for over a year now—a true "WhatsApp Friendship." We have exchanged thoughts and insights regarding the connections between Quantum Science and Indian Spirituality (recent election politics included!). Although I had ceased writing several years ago, he urged me to write something on this subject for TDRTimes.

In the years following my retirement, I thoroughly enjoyed watching a video series titled *'Kaalangalil Avan Vasantham'* (He is the Springtime of the Seasons), presented by Isaikavi Ramanan and dedicated to the poet Kannadasan.

I have read over a thousand books, spanning various subjects including science and spirituality; drawing upon that extensive reading, the thought occurred to me: why not attempt to synthesize these two streams of thought and write about it? Please forgive me, but do not expect any humor here—even though that is typically my preferred style of writing. For the serious reader, here it is...

 

In my childhood, I did not have the privilege of watching Tamil cinema; however, I was blessed with the joy of listening to my grandfather's old radio. This experience helped me focus my attention solely on the substance—the music and the lyrics themselves. Visuals might have obstructed my perception or diverted my attention away from the core essence. Poverty can be a blessing. When one door closed, many new pathways opened up within the mind. Here are a few songs that reveal the wisdom inherent in Kannadasan—expressed, however, in the simplest of Tamil words that anyone can grasp immediately.

In his own era, the great sage Bharathiyar had articulated this very same concept, albeit in classical Tamil. Yet, we were granted the unique privilege of seeing and hearing the younger sage, Kannadasan, in person during his very lifetime.

The song "Ullam Enbathu Aamai" (The Heart is a Tortoise) features in the 1962 film *Paarthal Pasi Theerum*.

For many of you, this song will be quite familiar. However, I wish to highlight a few lines within it that remarkably allude to a concept from the much later field of Quantum Mechanics:

“If you perceive it as God, then it is God;

If you perceive it merely as a statue, then it is but a statue.

If you believe it exists, then it exists;

If you believe it does not, then it does not.”

Astonishingly, the "particle" and "wave" theories of the quantum world indicate that matter and energy may, in reality, manifest in different forms depending on the *observer*.

At the sub-atomic level, these classical definitions cease to apply. What modern Quantum Mechanics reveals is that "appearance"—how something manifests—is entirely contingent upon how it is perceived by the observer.

What, then, is the connection here to Indian spirituality? In many temples, you have surely encountered paintings depicting an "Elephant and a Bull" sharing a single head. Viewed from one side, it appears to be an elephant; viewed from the other, it appears to be a bull. [Reference: Other revelations in human psychology/book titles include: *What You See Is What You Get* (WYSIWYG) / *If You See It, It Is There* / *You Will See It When You Believe It* / *The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics* / *Srimad Bhagavatam* / *Tao Te Ching* / *Phantoms in the Brain*]

Furthermore, the metaphor of the "Rope and the Snake" is a renowned teaching within Advaita Vedanta; it is articulated with great clarity in the *Ashtavakra Gita*. This metaphor is employed specifically to elucidate the concept of *Maya* (Illusion)—serving to explain that, much like a person mistaking a coiled rope lying in the darkness for a snake, we—due to our own ignorance—mistakenly perceive this ever-changing physical world as the *Ultimate Reality*.

 

Moreover, many enlightened sages—such as Ramana Maharishi—have utilized the metaphor of the "Burnt Rope" in their teachings to vividly illuminate the truths surrounding *Maya* (Illusion).

 

Kannadasan—a figure of true wisdom—has conveyed this sublime truth to ordinary people like us with such beauty and simplicity through the medium of film songs! (Nor can we ever forget the musical genius M.S. Viswanathan, who, serving as both his close friend and ardent admirer, composed captivating melodies that further enhanced the beauty of those lyrics).

If you are enjoying this, I shall endeavor to share more of Kannadasan's songs... This journey of sharing continues...

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-J Jeyes (www.jeyes.in)