What is truth? (a parable)

“Master, what is truth?” asked a disciple who for years had been struggling to understand this.

As was his method of instruction, the Master pointed towards a glass of water that was lying on the table and asked of the disciple, “What is that?”

“The water of course!” replied the disciple, somewhat  surprised at the suddenness and the simplicity of the question, but wondering what depth lay behind this simplicity that the Master would disclose.

“And what is water? Can someone tell me that?” The Master seemingly inquired.

One went on to describe its properties, its colour, taste, smell etc.

And the Master…”But that is only what your senses perceive or report to you. That tells us about how human beings experience contact with water. So it is a relative truth and not the reality of water.”

Another ventured who seemed like a scientist: “well, scientists have analysed the structure of water molecules and it is made up of a certain combination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms.” He confidently spoke.

The Master smiled and asked him: “That is only its structure as you perceive it through your mathematical models. It tells us what constitutes the material aspect of water. But this does not tell us why this combination has certain properties and not others. It still does not explain about the truth of water.”

The scientist nodded in approval and added: “But this is as far as science has gone and perhaps can go.”

“But not art and aesthetics, not the poet and the mystic.” The Master observed turning to the rest of his disciples.

One spoke, an artist and a poet perhaps: ”Well, water is the giver of life because it is itself a symbol of life, ever flowing, ever moving, ever changing its course though ever the same in its depths.”

The Master seemed happy with this answer, but turned to a mystic who was quite indrawn as if in a silent contemplation. Gathering himself outward, the mystic spoke: “It is a symbol of our mind that reflects the Self. If it is still, it reflects the inner truth; if it is moving and restless, it distorts it.”

And another, who had developed the occult vision responded: “Water is Consciousness limiting itself in certain form and functions. It is the gross representation of a subtle reality. The force of consciousness that makes things flow is the inner truth of water.”

The Master smiled and even as the disciples were wondering at the many ways of looking at, perceiving and understanding water, he spoke with the authority of someone who knows something because he has made it: ”All these are so many facets of the reality of water, depth upon depth, each complementing the other. Yet, even if we were to sum up all these things we would still miss out the essential as well as the total truth of water. And that cannot be described in words but known only through an experience of identifying with it.”

The Master fell silent and the disciples fell into a contemplative mood reflecting upon the meaning of those strange but powerful words. And as their meditation grew deeper and profound, one began to enter deeper and deeper into the truth of what is known and recognised as water. He entered past the truth of the senses. He entered deeper and went past the truth of the atomic void and its mysterious magic that lends shape and form to apparent nothingness. Further he pressed and saw the world of symbol figures and the flow of energy and all nature through the shape and form of water. He went on till he met the very being of water appear before him as the godhead who stands behind the flux and flow of the vast current of life. For a while he felt that this was the last bedrock, the inner foundation of water. But prompted by an inner something he concentrated till his whole being became one with the great godhead of his vision. And he felt himself flow everywhere and become the movement of the cosmic whorl. In the being of water, he saw all other beings grow one in unity. He saw the Light of the stars and the dust of the planets, he saw the splendour of the sun and the heat and fire that built the worlds. He saw the winds raising the dead to life and again contracting them till they collapse and die. And he saw behind these godheads and their wonderful artistry, the work of a great cosmic Intelligence weaving the dance of creation. He slipped past the world of forms as if carried by some giant wave of bliss. And past that vast stupendous dance of creation, at its center and core, he beheld the deathless One from whom all emerges and issues forth as if from an unseen womb, by whom all sustains as if by a fixed unalterable law, to whom all returns undone as if by a magician’s skill. Rapt in his vision and full of an unspeakable joy, he got up and exclaimed; “The truth of water as indeed the truth of everything else is a wonder wisdom, a knowledge and power ineffable, an infinite delight.”.

The Master smiled and spoke not, neither affirming nor negating. But the disciple understood through an inner contact. And others wondered and tried to fathom the meaning of the disciple’s words and still more of the Master’s rich and pregnant Silence. 

Alok Pandey