Jasjit those are some interesting points about the eye. I have always been fascinated by the possibility of dreaming or visualizing even with our eyes open.

Here is my reading of the image of the three kids. It's the expression on their face that caught my eyes. The baby to the right of the image has got a "It's good to be here" expression, the baby in the middle sticking his head in between the two "I'm curious about what's going on here" and the baby to the left "I'm not impressed. But I'm here. Period"

Wll come back on the othe picture.

Jasjit another informative piece. This bit of information really stood out for me. "Most importantly eyes contribute towards 85% of your total knowledge" What does that imply for people who are sight impaired? I would really like to know.

As for the pictures well the babies seem to be just pure innocence and spontaneity but they are trapped by adults in a basket.

And the woman well she must be the feminine which we all seek, brazen, free, courageous and self contained.

Obviously my perception is weak because its not a basket that the babies are in but a clay pot!!

Fascinating facts. I see a woman tormented by social fires and yearning to be free of the taunts and the discrimination that she is subjected to. The moon offers her solace by blessing her with its coolness. The babies are just cute and innocent and natural, which is what we were once like I guess.

Interesting blog! The eyes are very much precious.

Hi Jasjit!!

The first thought(s) that the pic with woman brought to me:

1. Feminity / the Yin, despite the fire (burning issues) surrounding it/her, is enjoying the beauty - both her own (self) and the moon's (external) - ready to take the challenges head on. I feel she has her toungue out and has a snake's face in her palms - the snake has his tongue out too [:( can't see that clearly]

2. All these thoughts also lead me somehow to think of our life in full 'Josh' (hindi word). Inspiring us to stay put, stand up to/for our naked (true) 'self' & enjoy each moment of - forgetting the suppressive or somewhat bindings that we may have/think we have.

About the little ones:

1. Very simply, just pure innocence in full [naked again :)]

2. ditto Chaitali on everything :)

3. Putting them in that mud pot: Either we're trying to be protective or binding their expansive nature

4. Seeing them together: Our inner child loves to share, be together, peace, and creates a happy feeling both inside & outside.

There!
Jasjit, eager to have your views too :)

And about the Eyes - Jasjit, its true that our eyes create the images we bear in our minds.

"Zen claims that the ultimate state of stillness arrives when you begin to hear with your eyes and see with your ears only then are you truly still within." - Beautiful.

Love,
Surya :)

Forgot to complete "And about the Eyes - Jasjit, its true that our eyes create the images we bear in our minds." - but once in the mind, it is upon us to make something out of it - constructive or otherwise - depends entirely on us.

:)

Chandrama & Shagufta - Nice names & Nice thoughts too. :)

Carry on blogging ;)

Dear Jasjit,

The moment I saw the first picture, I thought it was a depiction of Sita. I guess I associate a beautiful, long-haired woman voluntarily encircled by fire with the story of Sita and her trial. After time to ruminate, I would still like to associate it with Sita. The emphasis placed on the elements of nature around her and the apparent comfort of the lady makes the association stronger. While I am no fan of MF Hussain, I view the nudity here as a pure expression of beauty. It may also be fitting when the trial itself arose due to aspersions of fidelity.

The picture of the babies had me thinking the exact opposite in creativity. It puzzled me when I first saw it and still does. I feel the head of the middle baby is a cut out inserted on a picture where two babies were originally present. Perversely, this line of thought brings to mind the infamous picture of JFK's assassin, Oswald, that conspiracy theorists claim is a cut out. I am also left wondering why the baby to our left does not seem happy.

These dramatically conflicting takes probably illustrate what a contradictory guy I am :-)

The Zen reference and the information about eyes is very interesting. The 24 million images stat is also intriguing. It makes me want to try to identify and then meditate on the one most positive and enjoyable image, among the 10 odd million that I have seen thus far.

Good Morning All

Chaitali

Yes the baby on the left does look a little displeased. perhaps he/she is more sensitive to being stuffed in the clay pot!!!

Shagufta

Yes she does 'look brazen, free and courageous'. And truly when you think about the power of the eyes especially to influence the 'mind' one does begin to wonder a) how much of what we think , feel is decided by what/how we see it. For obviously even as the comments show people are being able to see different things in the same picture. b) If we were sight-impaired how much would that change our world view?

I guess that is why, you find people who are without sight have awesome faculties of sound/touch and intuition. They show us the hidden potential in all our faculties which we fail to tap because we rely habitually on the most obvious ones. Is it not interesting then that for those of us who can see, we cannot imagine a world without sight and yet in many ways it 'arrests' our ability to focus on the power of other senses.

Dheeraj

Interesting insights especially into the soothing moonlight.

Chandrama
Is that your real name? Nice! Thank You

Surya

Yes she does seem to have her tongue stuck out and so does the snake. Wonder what people make of that! I like the word 'josh' that you use as in passion and intensity for that is what struck me about the picture. Taking life head-on in its nakedness- very true.

"Seeing them together: Our inner child loves to share, be together, peace, and creates a happy feeling both inside & outside." great interpretation. And yes as the windows of our soul' we often forget how critical our eyes are to the world we perceive and visa-versa.

Hey Harvinder

How interesting you should see Sita in her who has been fossilized as the archetype of 'sati-savitri'/chaste female icon. And as you perceive it so you help us see. Contradictory...no but versatile yes! :-) So perhaps it is a cut out between the dualistic selves of happy and displeased- the balancing self. And indeed why is the baby on the left unhappy?

Perhaps because it reflects our emotional/Yin/cosmic potential side which is generally awry en masse. Isn't that interesting and especially so because it seems to be a bit 'elbowed-out' in the picture by the middle child while the one on the right seems to have staked its place quite comfortably.

Great exercise Harvinder, to spot that image in the shelves of memory and to ruminate on it will bring interesting insights as well as trigger off some powerful intentions to re-create that scene in your life. Do share what you choose and why (unless its too personal :-) )

I'm going to wait for more comments before I share what I see, I think.

Okay as a trigger from Harvinder's comment here's a question for everyone.

If we were to identify the 3 babes as mind/body/spirit or/and Brahma/Vishnu/Mahesh or Father/son/Holy Ghost are there any takers for trying to figure out who is who and why?

:-)

Okay Brahma would definitely have to be the startled little babe since he's the creator and formless so manifest as little baby he's just like "why....am I here? and what is all of this?" Shiva would be the curious one in the center and who as truth is the binding force between Brahma and Vishnu. Vishnu the preserver is the joyous one, because only that kind of attitude can preserve creation!!! :-) There I've just made myself vulnerable to all kinds of psycho analysis:-)

Hey guys those were some really interesting insights!

I don't know why but the fire around the woman makes me feel uncomfortable. I feel like it is containing her inspite of the other 'brazen' signs that she is showing. And there is I'm sure something about the green cloth tied around her waist. Can't figure out what?

Chaitali & Anusheh

Anusheh don't you think since the baby on the left is holding on to the basket in despair its more likely Shiva/Truth shocked at how no one's "getting it" and wondering why. And Brahma cheekily peering in the centre saying "hey guys imagine I made it all happen" and Vishnu on the left " see guys no hands- don't need to hold on- just play!' and all three placed in an empty landscape (void??)

Chaitali incidentally green is the colour of love. So now what do you do with it??

Go Figure!

That's really cute and a much better interpretation Jasjit:-)

Chaitali

Have you heard of the myth of the Salamnder- a newt which survives and transcends a ring of fire, much like the phoenix rising out of the ashes. I wonder why humans have always veered to create such myths if not as an attempt to eulogize man's potential!

hi all, i have not read the above comments except the last but even before reading that i was going to say that these three babies seem to be I, my son and my grandson lol. if one were to see our pics of babyhood one would have found that we quite literally resemble them. i will try to find pics of my son and grandson, i have no pic of mine of my babyhood time. just thought it will amuse you a bit.

now who is where? i am on the left(first from the side of woman), my son on the right and grandson in the middle. and interestingly whenever i and my son sit together or talk my grandson does not like it perhaps because of jealousy because he loves me sooooo much and so invariably intrudes like the baby in the center is doing in the pic. he will even force my face towards himself with his little hands.

as to our being mind/body/spirit, it too fits on us in the same way. i am in the realm of mind otherwise i would not have written the book - in fact i know my generation perhaps led by me besides others is now going beyond the mind and ego. so as of now i am in the mind. my son by virtue of being my next generation and even otherwise from his actions belongs to spirit. it is being very hard to yoke him to the world of mind and then body as of now with the result that he is doing nothing. and beyond spirit will again come the realm of body once again and i think my grand son fits the bill. babies/children in general identify themselves with body (which is in fact the reason they will point their hand/finger at their navel while saying "i", taking it as the center of the body, as against youth who will place it at their heart and adult or intellectuals, fully mental creatures now who will point their finger towards their head/temple while saying "i" thus showing that they in fact idenitiy with head/mind)which he does as of now, but i think he may well turn out to be the man of the world/body as well when he grows up. (perhaps thinking that i and my son - his father - both neglected body and the outside world in general in the sense that we have nothing to show as our ahievement in the outer world and so he may now turn his dhyana towards this aspect and thus may end up being a political leader or businessman or somewhat like that. sorry for loong post...i just thought some of you may enjoy it.

lol, ther are so many more comments since i wrote. i just read jasjit asking to identify those babies as mind/body/spirit. it is as well though now i will read other's unbiased interpretation lol.

jasjit, i think your comments fit on my interpretation in someway.

Hi Harb

Well imagine you got to see a three-dimensional picture of your family's innocence on this blog! How wonderful is that!!! SO then are you the one in the pix whose scowling a bit lol :-) while your son and grandson look on cute and adorable??

As always an interesting insight from you into the mind/body/spirit theme. So true how our centres shift from navel to heart, to mind as our worldy being grows and develops.

Any thoughts on the other pix?

Harb

thanks for the long post....i did enjoy it:-)
love

Dear Jasjit,

Hmmm... Need to realise the potential within.

Now that I look at the picture I notice something. Overall in the picture there is an upward movement. the snake, the woman's head, the moon up in the sky, the rings around the image moving up to the moon...

jasjit, yes i am scowling because i felt weighed down by the social and religious crap of the past besides perhaps of the legacy of the saint. i got rid of it all when i had what i call my experience of oneness. then i did not allow any past (and even present)to weight on my son not to talk of my gardnson. so they are bubbly.

as to the other pix all i can say is that as of now i do not like the plumpiness of the women depicted there lol. the intriguing thing on the pic is the figure of a gene/chromosome going from bottom to top. shall think more later.

Dear Harb

In 'clearing' the road for 'joyous bubbling' for your next generation you have done well in continum as their consciousness. So now you can look cute and adorable too and stop scowling lol. :-)

jasjit, but in clearing the road for the next generation 'mere buttocks vi tan naal di photo vaali lady vangu lamkan lag pae hen nan.' now how can i look cute and adorable lol! like the filmi don who first had to become a don because of many family/social majburis but then had to remain one because now he cannot leave because of the circumstances previouly created by him i think i will have to die a bit scowling...

yet rest assured some people adore me...

and anusheh...you have made a pig unforgettable animal for me.. lol. by god...he must be one of those 'people' who die 'laughing..'

Harb that was soooo funnnyyyy I'm in splits of laughter:-)LOL

Dear Jasjit,

The image that lodges securely in my mind at the moment is the smile and laugh of my 1 year old son when he sees me. Its the most precious gift I could have received.

For me, I think the most significant image varies through different stages in life. The primary care giver (mother) as a child, to a profligate icon as a teenager, to one's lover as an adult, to a child as a father. I suspect the next steps would be grandchild, followed by God? Kind of interesting how this all ties up to the 3 babies picture, and Harb's comments above. Even more curious - my son's name is Vishnu :-)

Don Harb ji

That was real hassa thatta there lol. I don't know what the lady in the picture next door has to say about it all but you had us in splits. I'm sure your are dorable just the way you are though this damn pig seems to be setting the happiness quotient on this blog. I think I need to have a chat with Anusheh. :-)

Good Morning Harvinder

Yes the images change but I guess if we were to examine them closely they all echo a very similar visceral feeling, emotion in us and that's what makes them so memorable. The fascinating question remains that when an image inscribes itself in the deep of our mind and if it comes from the flash of the eye, what does the eye perceive so independantly of the mind that it lingers? Or does it, rather is it in fact the mind which is quicker to code the image because it reflects a coveted scene, triggers a lovely emotion or depicts our ideal?

Love to your little Vishnu.

Dear Jasjit,

Very well put as always.

In light of what you say, I would like to think that the positive images that lodge themselves secure are because the eye perceives it as special independent of the mind, and the mind decodes it as special and coveted at the same time and in equal measure. I would venture to say when the intensity of this is maximized, it is "realization" or "bliss", where may be the term 'oneness' is even more apt. And the truly perceptive can experience this even through sounds or any other sensory organ. It makes me wonder how most of the Indian spirituality I have read is centered around meditation to turn of the mind. The state of nothing elevates you to a different plane. But the state of perfectly synchornizing the mind and sensory organs could be equally 'satisfying'. I hope I make sense.

Jasjit

the hero of this blog is most definitely the pig. And even though I'm solely responsible for it, I can't say I dont feel a tad bit jealous of it:-)

yes, jasjit, perhaps anusheh should keep 'her' pig caged, only to be uncaged occasionally when the going on our blog gets a bit too serious.

i wonder what would have happened if pig could read rajneesh's "from sex to superconsciousness." LOL.

Well Harb

If that pig read 'Sex & Superconsciousness' I guess he would jump up, do a little jig, declare himself a Master, buy himself a lounger and lay back, legs crossed, smoking a charm smug as a pig. And for anyone curious enough to ask what's with him I reckon he would say 'Sorry guys, your happy high lasts less than a minute, so you go meditate and chant for the rest of your life. Me I've arrived." lol

Harvinder

To understand what Indin spirituality refers to when it says turn off the mind, one needs to engage in a pretty arduous journey of first understanding what is mind. And once attempted the fallacy of what is mind and how incapable it is of synchronizing 'bliss' or 'oneness' becomes quite apparent. Until then all 'perceptions' be they of the mind, the eye or the 'mind's eye' are based on fragments and dualistic perceptions. Experiencing oneness with such a mind is not possible for at best it can understand what the body, and desire(mind) may consider bliss but it has no way to access the third critical player-the soul or consciousness. An orgasm comes closest to what we ordinarily know as 'oneness'. In that brief moment (unlike that pig :-)) we find mind and body synergize and connect perfectly. And hence sex becomes an unending appetite to re-live that moment over and over again. Simply put the only reason why humanity obsesses with it so.

the fall after the high, or as it is commonly referred to as PCD (post-coital depression) occurs only because the soul is not involved in the high. Vedant then clarifies that when you experience your soul consciousness the orgasm becomes infinite. Largely Masters enter that realm and hence trasncend the need for physical sex precisely for that reason. It is not that sex is 'unholy' for them but just a much lower form of pleasure. Like I guess when you've tasted single malt whiskey you can hardly be yearning for local brew anymore.

Though I'm still intrigued by and have not found the answer to how/when the eye percieves independantly from the brain. I mean with access to 65% pathways to the brain who's influencing whom?

Hi Jasjit :)

Hi Harb,

An interesting observation about the gene/chromosome.

It triggered a thought - our DNA / genes (signifying life & our creation) as a symbol of purity (white light) in its roots.
Somehow feel like relating it to the sky lit up in bits / pieces with the light from the same source that also provides energy to our DNA / genes.
May be that's giving her the energy to face (or be ready to face) the challenge(s) at hand.

I also feel she's a bit happy (or at least not sad) and unaffected by the fire around her (being naked and yet having that comfortable / happy expression on her face & in her posture)

And Jasjit,

I don't know why I strongly feel like relating the woman to not just the feminine / Yin, but also something more - something beyond what the eye is showing me. What could it be? may be I need to let it come to me :)

Above all I see that this piece really brings out the fact that each of us being unique in our own thought process and experiences of the past, we all have our own perceptions (some similar to others and some not).

I also think that the mind would still like to create some sort of images even if the eyes did not feed it with any. That's what perception is i guess. Isn't this that happens with the people who're blind since birth. But then I'm also yet to come across more than a rare instance of such people being able to Paint / draw.

Just thinking aloud ... going places - maybe free-form imagigation but aiming for some understanding too :)

Ok guys

I have looked and looked and stared and stared till the eyes have wept but all i see (sorry no depth to the visuals here)is a tarot card on the left and a print advertisement for a baby product on the right(this must be the influence of living with an ad-film director :))

If, after Jasjit's question i was to look for brahma, vishnu and shiv....the one in the centre would be Shiv and also Rudraveer my son as he always wants to be in the middle of it all.The right must be Brahma and Naynatara my daughter, going through a once a day pout routine,only this time she got caught on camera and of course Vishnu the happy one has to be mad me,as i am the goofy one.The claypot is Navdeep my husband, holding us together with his logic.

Hi Mads

What an absolutely wonderful little bunch you have with Navdeep (nice name) holding it all together. Your own joyous universe! :-)

Hi Surya

Wonderfully said. She is the feminine and more...
You make a great point of people who are sight impaired not really drawing anything. I guess that answers a lot on how critical eyes are in fashioning the world of images.

Hi All

Here's what the woman's picture was titled by the artist- Kundalini. The coiled seprentine energy at the base of our root which rises to flower as supreme consciousness in the human body. I chose the picture because of its creative imaging. The female chosen to represent the Yin (which is the both the trigger and the finally realm of cosmic connectivity) stands in the ring of fire- the struggles/suffering called life which purify the consciousness to rise. Her green sash is the love which propels her being from the root, her open hair her unshackled sexual purity. The rings of light energy around her symbolize the Yin/Yang (ida/pingala) rising, and connecting at the chakras in perfect flow since their source at the base is now a blooming lotus(purity and innocence. The serpent (kundalini) rises at her root and from behind and fans over her head as full and effulgent consciousness. And she cups his head and leans back in total surrender. Her tongue strained to touch the serpent's in the ecstatic kiss of final union between the material and the ethereal selves or the Orgiastic union between Shiva (truth/serpent) and Shakti. In the background the blue star studded sky of infinite potential reflects the full moon of enlightenment to which the rising Yin/Yang aspire and into which they finally converge.

When I saw this image I found it one of the most vibrant and complete depictions of the mystery of transcendence.

I thought the babies were an apt juxtaposition of the elmental innocence of creation, its fundamental triad and the woman as the other end of human aspiration.

It was wonderful to read the myriad insights and perceptions. Thanks all for an enriching discussion.
love

hi jasjit, anusheh, surya, all!

jasjit, i was also thinking on the same lines that either the pig will think himself to be a master or of becoming one.

and interestingly the pix of the lady now also seems to be depicting the journey "from sex to superconsciousness". life began from water, which is shown at the bottom. the lady, the fire, the snake all depict sex. the dna/chromosome represents the whole evolutionary journey even of the universe from big bang to big crunch, for, what is dna at our levels is actually the same swirl of the universe at its beginning which coming down to the level of living forms/humans has taken the form of swirling (helical)chromosome/gene/dna. and finally the moon or whatever at the top represents the cool superconsciousness, our goal...which makes all the lamkan shamkan of our buttocks finally worthwhile.

the lady is indifferent but slighly on the side of happiness because she is one with the whole scheme of things of the universe. it is like being in a state of sat chit ananda - sat, the ever present dynamic scheme of things/evolution; chit, consciousness-as-such and hence more closer to being indifference than usual ananda, and the same goes for ananda. a mystic does not make spasmic movments like our friend pig when he is at his what someone the other day called siritual orgasm...he sits cooly, neither indifferent nor yt apprently happy...

Hi surya, mads, harb and all,

Jasjit this was truly a great exercise for my eyes and my mind. I think everyone according to their past/present (like Surya stated) percieved the image of the woman in different ways. What amused me was that your explaination linked together what each of us saw separately into one holistic picture.

Dear Harb

Now if we don't end this matter of that infuriating pig I fear two things will happen. either he has to be officially nominated as Blog Mascot and explained ad nauseum for posterity on why he merits. Or we must get rid of him completely, what with the power of intention we may well have people aspiring/praying to be a pig in their next lives and that will singulalry make us responsible for changing world species demographics. I hope all the people wondering about inter-species karma are listening, lol. :)

Yes Harb
The mystic is neither apparently happy nor indifferent. He/she just is. Well said.
love

jasjit, according to my book, on cyclical movement of evolution we are evolving towards the age of kamasutra and khajuraho now. who knows we my well have depicted the correct moscot of the future unconsciously lol.

lol jasjit while e are thinking of avoiding the pig eh soor da bacha sagon apne front page te aa gaya lol. thanks anusheh...for seeing Him in all lol.

That was so funny Harb! lol soor da bacha hor kithey jaanda, ais blog ne te uddi kadar hi barha ditti ai.

Harb

What an interesting prophecy- evolving towards Kahjuraho and Kamasutra. Which then explains this blog and its existence to us at least in sync.

Hai tey Anusheh ney hun soor de bachey nun sada mascot bana hi ditta ey. Hun sada ki banega? lol

anusheh, hai eh sohna, gora, chitta angrejan varga..so aa vi gaya tan koi gal nahin, apne blog da pura tohar banya piya.

jasjit, apna ki banana...aapan 'tarr' javana ge lol!

vese hun ek gai vi lia ke banh dinde han...te phir babe nanak de bolan "us soor us gai" ton ik navan blog shuru karke gal nun amni marji mutabak jidhar marji mor ke lae javange. vich vich gai di chhuti kar diya karan ge lol te kalle soor ji naal hi haasa thatha kar liya karange. at least usnu vekh ke superconsciousness de goal da vi tan khyal aia hi karega nan! te ho sakda hai mere varge kise de thore thore 'uh' vi kujh kasse javan lol. he seems soo full of life!!

btw, aachi kithe ve! unu jara punjabi da sawad dukhaonde!

Hun pher mera vi faisla sun lao,PIG is it:))

mads ki? moscot? is blog da?

jasjit, anusheh...wonder of wonders...my book which i thought even i myself cannot understand is number 1 in popularity in religious philosophy category at least at one site lol...lok vi nire soor hi ne...

here is the link though it has moved a bit below today...i saw it yesterday when it was at no. 1. i felt you will be hppy to see it thus.

http://www.smarter.com/books/prodlist.php?bn=0&cate=1673&chid=1&sortby=Popularity&minp=&maxp=&se=

Harb tussi vi....lol. But seriously that is so so wonderful. Congratulations and thanks for letting us know.

love

anusheh, thank you...voh apne hero wala open thread khulda hi nahin ...have you deleted it? not that there is any problem just wanted to know...i tought i was zeroing in on giving the land on rent....lol.

Jasjit, Harb, Chaitali, Anusheh

Finally the explanation. And indeed it binds everything in a mystical way.

Dhan dhan :)

Mads, Best wishes to you & your family.

:)