“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho made me think about this topic. After reading this book, I was able to find a close fictitious connection with psychology, theology and spiritual science.
Recently I’ve read Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece work “The Alchemist”. I felt like reading a known story written in another angle, in another frame of reference. For me, it was like a psychological experience, to be exact, a spiritual experience which makes one understand his/her own self to its extreme proximity. I worked on it for a couple of days and found out a near equivalence to the spiritual concept which is preached by saints from the vedic era onwards. I would like to share my thoughts which led to such a queer conclusion.
While writing this, I am not able to verbalize what exactly I wanted to express. I got diverted to some sorts of spiritual ideas which I gained from my experiences with holy books. Bhagavat Gita claims that the real salvation is obtained by the realization of self. For that, one should practice his own duties with utmost perfection and sincerity. In my opinion, Bhagavat Gita is scientifically a mind refresher. Just think about the situation that arose during the Kurukshethra war. Arjuna had lost his mind due to moral dilemmas and Krishna advised Gita for refreshing Arjuna’s mind. Gita starts with the sloka
Dharmakshethre kurukshethre samavetha yuyutsavah mamaka pandavashchaiva kimakurvatha sanjaya
and ends with
Yathra yogeswara krishno yathra partho dhanurdhara thathra shree vijayo bhoothi dhruva neethi mathi mama.
The first word from the first sloka and the last word from the last sloka together forms the overall message of Gita. That is, “Mama Dharma” which means, “my duty”. Gita emphasizes on the fact that “Work is worship”.
If we are giving a little bit concentration on Gita, it turns to be the best teacher. It is one of the best books ever written(actually it is not a book, it is just a part of Mahabharata) on human values and duties. Sometimes, our condition also matches with that of Arjuna and while going through such times of confusions and dilemmas, we will understand the relevance of a great teacher and at this point I would like to emphasize the importance of our mind, to be more precise, our heart.
Our heart is our best guide. By listening to our heart, we can work out miracles. Our heart can give us a clear cut idea about our destiny. Initially, we feel like listening to our heart is an impossible thing, but it is possible, 101% guaranteed. Our brain may cheat us, but our heart won’t.
For certain, I feel that there is a difference between heart, brain and mind. I’ll tell that mind is equivalent to an empty canvas. We can map either brain or heart to mind. But it depends on the situation. I don’t know how to express it, but you can understand the concept by a small comparison. When you think, there your brain works and thinking is certainly an easy process. But when you try listening to your heart, it seems to be a herculean task and the next decision is, obviously, “to quit”. Brain to mind mapping takes place in the first case and in the second case, it is heart to mind mapping which is far far difficult than the former. But once you start listening to your heart, you can feel the perfect bliss, in all its broader senses.
In the novel, the boy turns to be the wind. Is it possible? Yes, of course it is. I’ve read stories about Himalayan saints who can convert the flesh of a dead cow to yummy rasgulas whose theoretical base is nothing but the “mass energy equivalence”. I’ve also read stories about Buddhist priests living in the Tibetan valleys who can produce steam from their body during the cold winter. Here comes the Science of Alchemy. This is the simple law of universe which is scribbled on the “Emerald tablet”.
Human mind(heart to mind mapping) has got immense power. But we are not practicing it. These saints are also human beings like you, me and all other people in this world. But the difference is that, they are “alchemists” who know the alchemy of life which is the only immortal science, but none of us is ready to become a “Santiago”, the seeker of truth.
I can find the analogous terms for almost all the terms used in the novel. The “Universal language” is obviously “Love”. There is no need of words if two persons are talking in that language. The two persons can be a mother and a child, two friends, lovers and the relation doesn’t matter.
Then comes the concept of “Philosopher’s stone”. Without a second thought I’ll point out the words “Work” or “Practice” from the dictionary as the analogous terms for this. Philosopher’s stone can convert everything to gold. We can think this way – A farmer converts seeds to crops, a poet converts feelings to words and in both cases, lead is being converted to gold in one form or the other. After all, every matter has got its own energy equivalent which leads to the concept of “unity”. This is the simplicity in concepts.
Then about the “Elixir of life”. I think that it is the “Salvation” which all the religions in this world preached from the times immemorial. And also, the whole universe is balanced by a “unique” soul and it is like the center of gravity in physics. If the “Soul of world” is disturbed, the whole living and non living beings inside the world will suffer. Everything is created by that soul of world, everything dwells in that soul of world, and everything ends in that soul of world.
This is where I see the coincidence – The book tells that the ultimate success in life is to acheive the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life. Gita, as well as all other religions tell that salvation is the ultimate aim of life and it can be attained only by performing one’s duties without clinging to the fruit of action. Thus, I will say that the greatest truth which was understood by the ancient saints is simply described in this novel with a weird cladding of fiction. You can check it out with the analogies which I provided above. 🙂
I’ve interpreted the key terms in the novel and framed my own views. It may be exactly different for another person who is thinking from another frame of reference. But beyond all the differences there exists a universal language and a unique soul of world. The “Emerald tablet” is still lying unrevealed and should be excavated as it is the only guide which can unveil the real alchemy of life.
