EXPRESSION AND SYMBOLIZATION

official source: A Few Problems Solved Part 6

cross-references: also published in Prout in a Nutshell Part 11, Supreme 
	Expression Volume 1, Ba'ba''s Grace

this version: is the printed A Few Problems Solved Part 6, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

	In this expressed universe whatever happens is within the scope of space, time and person and both human beings and other Jiivas (unit beings) have to take the help of symbolization. Without symbolization expression is not possible. This principle is applicable as much in the world of the five rudimental factors as it is in the psychic world. That is, in this expressed uni verse wherever there is no manifestation, no expression, all activity is within the sphere or in the framework of symbolization. When symbolization is not possible one is apt to say that it is inexplicable. Actually it would be wrong to term it as inexplicable, it would be more correct to say that its symbolization is not possible.

	What is this universe? It is nothing but an combination of different kinds of waves. Not only human beings, but every living being has very limited powers. The different organs of perception can catch only waves falling within a very limited range - they are incapable of catching waves that are cruder or subtler. The organs thus function with very limited powers. In other words in this phenomenal universe, whatever powers get expressed the human organs can perceive not even one per cent of them--indeed very much less than that can be grasped by the organs. As a matter of fact not only the majority of the waves get vibrated, but indeed almost all of them, are beyond the capacity of human perception. It has, therefore, been said that the expressed universe is a very small island in the ocean of the unexpressed universe. This universe itself is such a small island, how very much less is the capacity of a human being.

	Human beings have very little scope of really knowing what is happening. See what limited powers and scope for functioning human being and other Jiivas work with. Yet, despite their limited intellect, their limited power they are filled with ego. It is not possible for the Jiivas to know fully what this thing or that thing is like, for their power of perception is limited. Many things are happening before your eyes in this quinquelemental world which your eyes cannot even see. What you see and think is very big is only very small, avery small part indeed of the expression of Parama Purus'a. How vast is the expression of the Parama Purus'a when you see vastness in the smallest of His mani festation! From your small experience how can you understand the greatness of Parama Purus'a? You cannot even know how many kinds of matter there are in the air and water all around you.

	The kinds of waves which one particular living organism can grasp, another species of living organism may not be able to grasp. What we see or experience is within the scope of human perception. But before an event happens or before the coming of these waves, subtler waves come which human beings cannot grasp but which some cruder living beings of the animal world can, and thus they know in advance that something is going to happen. it is also possible for some human beings to have such knowledge. Actually what is this? It is nothing but the power of perceiving the subtler waves and we call it the science of premonition. This power increases with Sa'dhana'. The function of the eyes is to be activated by the light waves. The eyes may or may not grasp such waves. you may look in one direction but still may not be able to see a thing which is there. In the same way you will not be able to catch sound waves which do not fall within the range of human hearing. You do not even know how many kinds of sounds are present around you. The same can be said in respect of your powers relating to smell, touch, and taste.

	Now understand that your sensory organs come into contact with only a minimal part of the waves, of the vibrations, that are in this phenomenal world. It is only after this that you perceive them and get them assimilated in your mental sphere. After perceiving them, what do you do? You seek to give expression to them. Only a very small fraction of the waves come within the scope of expression and out of these only a part of them could be perceived by you because the sensory organs have limited powers. Then how are you to give them expression? While seeking to give expression you have to take the help of symbolization. If you delay in symbolization, the impression of the experience will remain in the psychic plane only and you will not be able to give it expression. Suppose a good singer is singing-you can catch only a small part of the melody and the sound waves of his or her singing. What you could not catch was beyond your capacity to grasp since your ears were not properly trained. To understand music one has to be trained. What you heard you wanted to express. On trying you find that you could not sing the way you had heard. After hearing for sometime you may want to sing in tune but what do you find? you find that you have not been able to do so because you have not been able to symbolize it. Why were you not able to symbolize it completely?

	In this expressed universe there are many kinds of sounds which you can hear but you cannot reproduce. What is the reason? Is it not because there has not been proper symbolization? Now consider the different Ragas that exist and how these have been classified. We have divided the musical scale into seven notes. We call it Surasaptaka. The musical scale in the West is the octave. The vibrations on the Surasaptaka have been decided keeping in view the capacity of human hearing may grow and ac cordingly expression may also increase; that is, the capacity of acoustic symbolization may increase. In that case the present octave will not do and it will have to be changed. It's scope will have to be increased. If the human race on this earth exists for hundreds of thousands of years, a time will come when it will be necessary for it to change the octave and the present musical scale will no longer continue. Through permutation and combination thousands and thousands of Ragas and Raginis will be creat ed. According to the needs of the age a change in our music will come about. now see, on touching a hot thing you say, "Oh". On touching even a hotter object you say "Oh" and symbolize it. But here is a difference between your first "Oh" and the second "Oh". In the first case your finger got burnt, and in the second cased your whole hand got burnt. Your power of expression, however is very limited. You have to convey your feeling with only a few words like "Oh" or "Uf".

Suppose you see a beautiful scene. Your eyes cannot grasp all its beauty. you are able to feel only a part of its beauty. If you want to express it through drawing a visual picture, you can bring out only a small percentage of what you have felt or observed mentally. That is to say your creation can never be complete. A feeling of dissatisfaction, insufficiency or incomplete ness will remain in the mind and what you wanted to draw has not been fully expressed. 

However great one may be one will never be able to accomplish what one wanted to. There will always be a distance between idea and expression, and those who are geniuses actively seek to lessen it. However neither has the genius been able to lessen the distance, nor has the technician been able to bridge the gap. But this urge to lessen the distance between idea and expression or to remove this distance is symptomatic and it is of basic importance. It is a very congenial urge. The effort will continue but it will never end. The technician will always be reducing that distance but the distance will never be removed. The same thing can be said in regard to form, taste and smell. you may see a shocking, gruesome scene but you are not able to express it fully, and your faculties of expression are always unable to correctly bring out your feelings.

Your symbolization is successful only up to the extent of your imbibing it, but that does not serve the full purpose. In this expressed universe everything is within the scope of relativity. Because of the limitations of symbolization itself relative expression becomes extremely difficult. To express, therefore, that which is infinite and boundless is quite out of the question. Even that which is within the bounds of relativity you are unable to express as its symbolization also becomes impossible. How will you symbolize that which is Absolute? It is just out of the question. Something more will be said about this later on. At present only symbolization which is circum scribed by relativity will be discussed.

Three basic ideas have to be understood about relative symbolization. First, that which gets symbolized is never complete. It has already been explained that between an idea and its expression a gap remains. There is never complete expression, and a feeling of insufficiency, of dissatisfaction, remains. you could not achieve all that you wanted.

Secondly, symbolization is not of the same character. Suppose two individuals are the victims of a similar sorrow. One of them may go mad because of it, and the other may weep for a few minutes and then call for a cup of tea! This is what happens in this world. We see that feelings and ideas never finds identical expression and identical symbolization. This is because of differences in the individual psyches. in some persons there is a greater degree of self-discipline--self-control--and in others less. Some can symbolize more that others. To the extent to which people have greater self-discipline they are better integrated personalities. Those who can symbolize better are really better technicians. Remember that a genius has inborn talents, but who is a technician? Technicians are those who have ordinary qualities, but by dint of application (Sa'dhana') and effort they have converted these into outstanding skills. This is the basic difference between a genius and a technician. From a age to age also there is a difference. Ten thousand years ago, for instance, the manner in which people symbolized their feelings of sorrow and happiness was quite different from how they do it today. Suppose two or three hundred years ago you accidentally hurt somebody -- what would you have done? You would have caught hold of his hands and expressed your distress, and then tried to render first aid to him. That is how people used to behave two or three hundred years ago, but this is not so today. If anybody gets hurt, often it is sufficient to just utter, "Oh, sorry". The nature of expression has changed and so has the symbolization. The change came in accordance with the change in times.

In the same way changes are occurring in relation to different countries. In one country, for instance, if somebody shoots another person, people would say how wrong it was and even the assailant would feel ashamed, regret it an try to run away. In some other country it may be that when someone has shot another and is asked why he did so, he will reply, "Why are you speaking against me? The person I shot has died and your feel much sympathy for him, while you have no sympathy for me, although I have lost so many bullets!" See, how symbolization has changed with the change in the country. hence there is change according with time and space. "Come in" is a verbal symbolization can also express shades in sentiment. Similarly the Sam'skrta word "Agachha" is a different symbolization of the same idea. "Come in' can be said in different ways conveying different meanings. thus, "Come in" can be said in a very polite manner, it can be said in a tone of command,it can also be said in an ordinary way. Symbolization cannot remain static, that is, there are quick changes in it.

Two thousand years ago when people used to live in the mountains, in caves, the way people used to express themselves was not how they express themselves now. Changes have come. Because of such changes there also have been changes in the fields of art, architecture, literature and in fact in all finer human qualities. Such changes will continue to come -- this is the nature of expression. If anybody were to insist that art, architecture, literature, etc. have to follow the traditional pattern it can only be said that he or she is living in a fool's paradise. Human feelings have to be expressed in the form reflecting the prevailing age. So far as relativity is concerned, the same principle operates in the realms of both physical and psychic expression. mentally also you cannot symbolize everything. Even if you can symbolize it externally through the expression of your eyes, or orally or by the gestures of your hands and feet.

Sometimes you acknowledge that you have understood a thing but cannot explain it. Sugar is sweet, and so is Rasagolla, but you are not able to state the difference. All you can say is that some thing is sweet like sugar, or Rasagolla or mango. You can tell the difference but you cannot express exactly what you experience.You are unable to express your feelings. The case of the spiritual field is similar. You are not able to express that which you experience. you can do it only partially - 99 per cent remains unexpressed. Parama Purus'a, who is an Absolute Entity, cannot be explained in any way. It is simply not possible. One becomes dumb and speech becomes impossible. That is why it has been said that Parama Purus'a, who is an Absolute Entity, cannot be explained in any way. it is simply not possible. One becomes dumb and speech becomes impossible. That is why it has been said that Parama Purus'a has never been defiled by the palate. If you want to describe Him by words, because the mouth is used He will get defiled. However He cannot be defiled because it is not possible to describe Him any way. When because of the depth of the inner feelings, your mental waves seek symbolization but do not suc ceed, the mind itself ceases working. Such a state is called Samadhi. To explain Parama Purus'a by using words like Parama Purus'a, Bhagavana, etc,.

Parama Purus'a is Absolute. Many ideas and feelings that are within the scope of the mind cannot be expressed through the sensory organs. Those things that are not Absolute or are in the sphere of feeling and emotions cannot be expressed or symbolized by the sensory organs. It is too much to suppose that the sensory organs can in any way express Parama Purus'a , as Parama Purus'a is a Supreme Entity as much form the psychic and philosophical points of view as form the view of thoughts and feelings.

It is not possible for mental faculties to symbolize Him. They fail to describe Him. That is why it has been said:

Yato vaco nivartante aprapyamansa saha,
Anandam Brahmano bidvana ma vibheti kutascana

"When you want to say something about Parama Purus'a, what will happen then? Words cannot be uttered because the vocal organ itself fails. The mind fails in symbolizing Him. People can ask, "Are not those who call for Parama Purus'a engaged in a subtle endeavour?"

What is this really? This is a symbolization of language. This may be so, but the word "Parama Purus'a is not a symbolization through language of Parama Purus'a. What we do through symbolic expression or expressed or expressed symbolization? We only want to say that Parama Purus'a cannot be symbolized, and this idea is what the words "Parama Purus'a symbolize. It is this idea that is symbolized when we do invocation to Parama Purus'a. It has been said that when someone wants to tell another about Parama Purus'a, a the time of speaking neither is the symbolization of the words possible, nor is the symbolization of what is heard by the listeners possible. That is , for both speaking and listening the symbolization of words is difficult. It is indeed a difficult state and the Guru becomes dumb and the disciple becomes deaf. What can the Guru except become dumb? Because of the limited scope of language, He cannot express Him self. How can Parama Purus'a be symbolized in words? The capacity of the ears is also limited. Even if there is adequate expression in words, will the ears grasp fully? That is why Krsnacarya has said that in such a condition the Guru is dumb and the disciple deaf:

Manaii karum dina rovata kesa
Jakeii bolite kavi cala
Guru gobha see shiitha kala

What you speak or express is within the scope of relativity and is not of the Absolute. In this condition, how can the Guru who tells about Parama Purus'a speak about Him who is Absolute? Therefore the Guru has to be dumb and his disciple deaf. What will the spiritual aspirants do then? Even if it is not possible they will make an effort. Krs'acarya himself answers what is to be done. He asks how the deaf and the dumb converse amongst themselves? They do so by means of different gestures and vocal sounds which are themselves a kind of symbolization, although subtler symbolization. When they talk they do so by keeping silent and taking recourse to subtler symbolizations. you have to express yourself just as the deaf and the dumb do. What else can be done in such a state of helplessness?

Now you see, there is one more kind of symbolization and this is subtle symbolization. When an idea is imbibed through your sensory organs, after it gets crystallized it finds expression through your motor organs. In a similar way your Sam'skaras or the reactive momenta of your mind act whether they are carried over from your previous lives or have been acquired in the present life, and this we call Prarabdha.

The mental feelings or thoughts, before getting expressed in a symbolized form, really get symbolized in the mental stuff. If these do not find outwards expressions, or if an effort is not made for such an expression, then these latent symbols constitute the Sam'skaras or the reactive momenta. They remain in the mind as symbols. These mental symbols will one day have to be given expression as physical symbols. As long as these physical symbols do not get expressed, you will be carrying the load of those mental symbols from one life to another. This is the reason why people take rebirths until such time when all their mental symbols get converted into physical expressions.

The expressed universe is only a very small fraction of the full symbolization. Of that small fraction your organs can catch a very small portion only and you can grasp much less through the mind. Very much less of what you have grasped mentally can you express through symbolization. in other words, your power of creative expression is extremely limited. By skill of his hands a man may express himself by painting, by the skill of his feet through dancing, and by employing his vocal faculties he may express himself through music. We do not call one who is a good singer a "Shilpi". Those who use the skill of their hands as painters are 'Shilpi", are "Citra shilpi".

Everything is ensconced in the unexpressed universe. What your organs can grasp in the mental sphere is only a negligible portion of the unexpressed universe, and that part of this negli gible portion that was reconverted in your mind, and is reassimi lated or accumulated, is all ensconced in the unexpressed uni verse or the Cosmic mind. Therefore, everything is dependent upon the Cosmic Mind. Therefore, everything is dependent upon the Cosmic Mind, or what may be described as spiritual flow or cosmic flow.

Why should you, then, be waiting for your symbolization, to get converted into physical symbolization? Though subtle processed you should direct your mental symbolization so that it finds shelter in the spiritual flow. In this way your symbols will be converted into psycho-spiritual waves. What will happen then? In that case it would not be necessary for you to wait for your psychic symbols to get converted into physical symbols. Where the change has been made to the psycho-spiritual plane it has to be converted into the spiritual, and since the A'tman, the soul, is beyond the sphere of symbolization, the problem of symbolization ends. It will mean final liberation, Moksa. Human beings have been aspiring for this final liberation since time immemorial and those who have understood it should know that they do not have to wait for it endlessly form one life to another. In this very life convert your psychic symbolization into psycho-spiritual symbolization and become and emancipated being.

22 May 1971, Ranchi