WHEN THE IMAGE HOLDS MAN AND THE IDEA RETREATS

WHEN THE IMAGE HOLDS MAN AND THE IDEA RETREATS

It is a fascinating feature of the human mind how much it clings to the image coming through the eye. Verily is it that the eye is called 'the gateway to the mind'. And the Hindu has caught it right, assigning preeminence to the image over the substance in order to catch the Divine in the concrete. But while such a manouevre has its practical advantage and efficacy for the sincere aspirant, the vast number of indolent devotees use it to escape thinking on ideas that lie beyond the visual immediate. Hence, the polity has fallen behind in its thinking capacity and this is proving to be a singular handicap in the development of the scientific attitude so very necessary for the growth and flourishing of a civilisation. 

Written by Sugata Bose