Words Are Inadequate Reflections Of Reality

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 17 June 2023 The poet Awhadi of Kerman was sitting on the porch one night, bent over a vessel. The Sufi Shams-e-Tabriz happened to pass by. "What are you doing "? he asked the poet. "Contemplating the moon in a bowl of water," was the reply. "Unless you've broken your neck, why don't you look directly at the moon in the sky? " Words are inadequate reflections of reality. A man thought he knew what the Taj Mahal was because he was shown a piece of marble and told that the Taj Mahal was just a collection of pieces like that. Another one was convinced that, because he had seen Niagara water in a bucket, he knew what the Falls were like. Nietzsche said, " What we can find words for is already dead in our hearts." Sanskrit grammarian Yask wrote in his celebrated tome 'Nirukta' (world's first book on Etymology): Shabd Aabhaas Aaseet (Words are mere illusions). Words have their limitations. That's the reason, those who're truly evolved speak very little. You've the example of Gautam Buddha, who was enigmatically silent and a taciturn. The clouds of words often create a canopy that eclipse the Truth. Meri Aawaaz Hi Parda Hai Mere Chehre Ka/ Main Khamosh Hoon Jahan Mujh Ko Wahan Se Suniye (My voice is the veil to my face/ Listen to me from where my silence begins). Modern neurolinguistics believe that all human languages and their words so far have not been hundred percent able to relay the exact emotions that are in an individual's heart and mind. Even the soi disant mot juste (Gustave Falubert's French term for the exact right word for the occasion) falls short of conveying what one wants to express. Ravish Siddiqui rightly and ruefully stated, "Yoon Toh Alfaaz Ka Samandar Hai Saamne/ Ek Lafz Bhi Lekin Mere Kaam Ka Nahin" (Though there's an ocean of words at my disposal / No word is of any use to me). Words give us an impression (which's often false and misleading) but they fall short of reality. Zoroastrian poet Dabeer (not Mirza Salamat Ali Dabeer) heard a lot about the beauty of a woman in Isfahan (Iran). He was in Herat (present day Afghanistan). The distance between the two places is nearly 1 thousand km and in those days, it was really far. When he finally saw her, he was mesmerized, nay dumbfounded ! Later he wrote in Avesta (contemporary of Sanskrit and the ancient language of the Zoroastrians): Ta'ain Shabeed Neen Uz Mun'hafi Mee Un Nakh (All the words about her beauty couldn't even adequately describe her nails!). So ineffable was her beauty that words couldn't truly limn a picture. Yes, words give you feelings, not experiences. They provide a glimpse or a glance but never the gist. To experience, one has to go beyond words to see, experience and imbibe. It's not for nothing that we call words, the biggest impostors. They're deceivers and the biggest come-hithers, only to disenchant you eventually. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/words-reflections-reality/d/130016 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism