Making peace with old questions in Kollur

Part 1

After reading Sankara’s Vivekachoodamani, I was confused by the three propositions or axioms:

1.       You are that

2.       All these are illusions and only Brahman is real

3.       I am Brahman

Taken together, they become a philosophical position difficult to beat. I felt rather uneasy, wary of a logical whirlpool, a trap.

I approached my father with my perplexity during a 15 minute bus ride. He was on his way to Delhi. And I was to follow him after a few days. . Come to Delhi and we will discuss this, he said.

He fell down on the morning that I reached Delhi. Cracked his skull and died. End of discussion.

Part 2

I didn’t really dig Sankara’s Soundaryalahari.  It didn't make any sense – going on and on praises in verse, more like a hymn than a philosophical treatise. I couldn't complete reading it.

That was not the only book that I had not completed: Hegel’s Aesthetics. Didn’t make sense to me.

Two books on Aesthetics, so totally different! Is it because of the East and the West or the left and the right?

I tried to apply Aurobindo’s take on Vedas to Sankara’s work. Perhaps he is merely using poetic devices to communicate a deeper truth? Should I read it again? I picked up a copy that I saw in a shop. It was as unreadable as ever. I put it back and noticed Bhajagovindam. 

I smiled. The times have not changed. Crowds of well dressed women men and children throng to look at stone and metal constructs, standing in queues braving the heat and the sweat.

Part 3

I walked away from the temple. And walked towards Souparnika river. It was beautiful. Herons, snakebird a woman washing her hair.

I washed my clothes. Waiting for them to dry, I had time to observe a monkey tribe. Quite social beings.

I had a conversation with a construction worker. He was from UP. My age, above 60. Relaxing a few minutes after lunch.

His story confirmed that the sense of beauty is overpowering. He sang me a song. He was happy and grateful to the mother, he kept repeating.

I suddenly understood Sankara. Why can’t he be enchanted with beauty too? Even if this is all a myth, non-real? If a construction worker is drunk on beauty and Aurobindo is also allowed to go on and on with words, why can’t Sankara?

At least till neuro-aesthetics comes of age and aesthetics is accepted as a part of rigorous, quantitative science, why not accept poetry to explore phenomena?