The Old man and the Seawritten by Ernest Hemingway is a short novel (novelette) or long story. It is a modern classic. In the traditional sense, there is not much of a story in it, but the way the writer has presented it leads to any number of meanings and layers of meanings. It sets the readers to think deeply about the purposes and meanings of life. Being the final work of Hemmingway, it is his crowning glory. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature for it.
The old man in the novelette is Santiago, a fisherman. For eighty four days consecutively he had no luck on the sea. Every day he would go to the sea to catch fish, but he could not catch any. A boy used to assist him in his work and Santiago used to help him learn fishing. The boy always had deep love and concern for the old man. But since the old man could not catch any fish for such a long time, the boy’s father thought that it was useless sending the boy with him and put him to work somewhere else. Still the boy remained devoted to him. He kept company with the old man as long as he could, bringing him help, comfort and solace.
Santiago believed that he had to go to the sea, whether he was successful in catching fish or not. It was his work and he had to carry it on and there was no other way. On the eighty fifth day, in spite of the reservations expressed by the boy, he set out on his adventure early in the morning into the Gulf Stream off the Coast of Havana. Santiago was always a man full of hope. He thought optimistically
The Old Man and the Sea portrays the much desired transformation in every man who has to realize from importunate state of living to the intrinsic core of human existence.
Old does not represent expiry of physical efficiency. But it should denote the matured valour as God-given assurance of peace and coexistence in the sea of a vast variety. The sea is the milieu of symbiosis. It is the sustenance of harmony hosting countless species of animate beings holding innumerable strata of inanimate things.
The marlin is the link between virtue and vice. The feeble boat is the ray of hope and the sharks are the constant reminders of the futile, egoistic and unworthy expeditions.
The old man is not greedy. He is not ambitious. He is not crazy. He is not removed from the lap of nature. He is sane, serene, selfless and sincere.
The meagre old man who is the least conspicuous with his scanty equipment sets out on the vast sea. He survives the predicament amidst the unfathomed movement and the unconquered currents of the sea. He struggles against the unpredictable hazards facing the mighty nature.
How is he able to live up to this stupendous task? Here lies the clue: life does not comprise straight, calculated columns of accounts, but it is a mysterious, undeterred and unconditional amalgam of unflinching faith and tolerance. Struggle is compulsory and survival is the process. The marlin is the desire and the skiff is the ray of hope.
What keeps going is only the strength to uphold the currents of powerful thought.that the number eighty five was auspicious and would bring him good luck. He felt that the boy would have been of immense help to him but his absence did not dampen his spirits. In all humility, but
but with unwavering determination he proceeded on his work. The main body of the book that follows is a detailed description of Santiago’s adventure on the sea – what happened in the outer world and what went on in the inner world of the old man. Finally, he caught an unbelievably large fish – a marlin. He tied it to his skiff and started on his return journey.
But on the way sharks started attacking his catch. Santiago put up the bitterest fight against them and killed two or three of them losing his weapons and getting severely bruised in the bargain. The sharks proved too many and too mighty for the old man to fight against. Rendering him completely helpless, they reduced his fish to its skeleton – eighteen feet long! Santiago reached the shore after over a two and a half day’s adventure on the sea, collected the remains of his gear and moved to his dwelling pulling the mast behind him. He lay down on his cot dispassionately stretching out his severely bruised and bleeding arms.
The greatest message of the story of Santiago is what is stressed in the Bhagavad Gita:“Your right is to work only and never to the fruit thereof. Be not instrumental in making your actions bear fruit, nor let your attachment be to inaction.”
Hemingway’s unique portrayal of the old man brings out this fact from the beginning to the end of the novelette. Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same colour as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated. Utter humility is his most appealing trait and he believed that it was, by no means disgraceful and carried no loss of true pride. It is with this spirit that he did his work throughout and so his final failure in the worldly sense did not at all put him down.
Santiago has nothing but sheer love for all creatures. It is pure selfless love. His attachment for the boy needs no elaboration. Even when his parents withdraw him to put him on work somewhere else, Santiago nurtures no trace of discontent over them. He feels that it is but natural.
The following passage bears out his genuine love for birds:
“He was sorry for the birds, especially the dark terns that were always flying and looking almost never finding and he thought, the birds have a harder life than we do except for the robber birds and the heavy strong ones. Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? She is so kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes to suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea.”
Even his love for different kinds of turtles and his friendly contempt for particular varieties among them steal our hearts. He feels happy with the porpoises for they play and make jokes with one another. “They are our brothers like the flying fish”, he says.
The relationship that Santiago develops with the marlin, the tremendously huge fish that he is able to catch is one of the finest artistic creations ever made in all literature. From the very start, he feels an affinity with the fish he is catching at so great a risk. He says, “Now we are joined together and have been since noon. And no one to help either one of us.” He is out to do anything to catch it, but he loves and respects it very much. What compassion and sympathy he expresses when he says, “But thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and able”! Even though he fights against the fish using all his strength, energy, intelligence and tact, he is for giving it its chance and treating it as a worthy adversary.
“You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who.”
This idea is very close to what is said in the Gita:
Both of them are ignorant, he who considers the soul is capable of killing and he who thinks that he is killed for the truth is the soul neither kills, nor is killed.
Thus he treats the fish as his own brother, but as for his killing it, he feels that it is part of the bigger scheme of things of God’s creation – as he is born a fisherman, he has to catch and kill fish, as the marlin is born a fish, it has to be caught and killed. The inevitability of the ways of Nature is expressed very beautifully by Santiago.
You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?
“Besides, he thought, everything kills everything else in some way.”As Santiago brings the fish tied to his skiff he wonders whether the fish is bringing him in or he is bringing it in. He identifies himself so intimately with the fish he has caught. His identification of himself with other creatures of God’s creation is proof of his magnanimity and highly philosophical bent of mind, for,
The yogi who is united in identity with the all-pervading, infinite consciousness, whose vision everywhere is even, beholds the Self existing in all beings and all beings existing in the Self, according to the Gita.
And further,“He who constantly sees everywhere all existence in Almighty God and Almighty God in all beings and forms, thereafter feels no hatred for anything”, as set out in Isavasya Upanishad.
The title The Old Man and the Sea itself is highly symbolic and suggestive. In old age people are rarely taken seriously as they are treated as spent force. They are the often associated with assumption that they
can do but little. “Old age is unnecessary”, Shakespeare remarks, in King Lear. Santiago, a man who is considered to be hardly of any worth takes on the mighty sea and proves that “Man is not made for defeat …… A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” Santiago’s fight with the marlin and later with the sharks is a “unique and timeless vision of the beauty and grief of man’s challenge to the elements in which he lives.” He regards his fight with the fish and with the sharks as his duty ordained by God. He carries it out so dispassionately that he is not upset by his failure to bring to the shore the fish in tact. His lot is merely to do his duty and the result of his actions is not in his hands. Thus, he shows that even in defeat there is moral victory.
He brings us the message that success and failure, victory and defeat are but parts of life. We should not be overwhelmed by success or victory; defeat and failure should not downcast us. The most important thing is to fight well irrespective of whether we succeed or be defeated. It is very close to what Lord Krishna says in the Gita:
A look at the character of Santiago provides us with another insight. Is being a fisherman a mean and lowly job? He never entertains any feelings of resentment about the work he has to do. We find him expressing great love for and admiration of all creatures, but at the same time indulging in killing and devouring fish of various kinds. He feels earnestly that the work he is required to do is the best thereby echoing Lord Krishna’s teaching in the Gita:
One’s own duty, though without merit, is preferable to the duty of another however well performed. For no sin is incurred by one doing works ordained in accordance with one’s own nature.
He looks into the depths of things and brings us the greatest truths of life. With his equanimity and poise he stands before us as the greatest philosopher for whom everything and everyone is the same.
“The wise look with equanimity on all whether it be a fulfilled man endowed with learning and culture, a cow, an elephant, a dog or a lowly person.”
Thus The Old Man and the Sea is a modern classic that teaches us the most wholesome attitude to life.Teach this triple truth to all: a generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things that renew humanity.
~ Gautama Buddha ~aittiriya Upanishad is one of the most sacred texts of the ancient Indian tradition. Besides explaining many things about the Supreme God Brahman, the Upanishad propounds the Pancha Kosha Theory. It gives us maxims for an ideal life to be lived in this world as a householder. This part of the Upanishad can be called the ancient Indian manifesto of life to be lived in this world as enunciated by our learned sages of yore, popularly called Santhana Dharma.
As any Upanishad, Taittriya Upanishad too starts with a Santi Patha, whichisaprayerofferedbyGurusanddisciplestogether.This Upanishad originated long before Rama, Krishna, Ganesha etc. came to be recognized and worshipped as Gods. So the prayer is addressed to the supreme God Brahman and the powers of Nature which were treated as God during those times. The devotees seek their blessings before they start the study.
May the blessings of Mitra, Varuna, Aryama, Brihaspati and Vishnu the all-pervading God (all representations of cosmic power) be with us! Salutations to Brahman! Salutations to Vayu, who alone is the visible Brahman. I declare ‘Thou art the RIGHT’, ‘Thou art the Good’! May it protect me. Please protect me, the speaker of this prayer.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace!In the following prayer, the devotee prays to the Supreme God, “Make me the possessor of immortal revelations; fill me with intellectual vigour; may my body become able and active; may my tongue be filled with honey; may I listen abundantly with my ears; preserve my learning.”
“The soul not being mistress of herself,” says Thseng-tseu, “one looks, but one does not see; one listens, and one does not hear; and one eats, and one does not know the savor of food.” He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. A puritan may go to his brownbread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not that food which entereth into the mouth defileth a man, but the appetite with which it is eaten.
~ Henry David ThoreauThe devotee is not satisfied with the knowledge of earthly and commonplace order. He wants to be endowed with the highest knowledge - the immortal revelations.
An incapable, weak body can hardly achieve anything. It is rightly said: “A healthy mind in a healthy body”. Unless the body is in fine fettle, the mind cannot be wholesome.
The physical body is the basis for the performance of all Dharma. If the body is diseased, the person will be a liability to himself and a burden to others. It requires basically a healthy and able body to undertake noble acts. Hence the Prayer for a body full of health and vigour.
We have to speak the truth; we have, all the same, to speak sweetly and appealingly. Very often, a lot of importance is attached to sugar-coated words. It implies that such words have sweetness only on the periphery, and below it, what one gets is only bitterness and unpleasantness. This kind is not to be aspired for
God has given us one mouth and two ears. The underlying message of this is that we have to listen doubly more with our ears than we speak with our mouth. But quite ironically we tend to speak more than we listen to others. We shall have to get over this vice and learn to listen to others. If we imbibe this quality, we regard and respect the opinions of others. That is how, we show that we care for them. We becomeopen-minded.Webenefitfromtheknowledgeandexperience they possess. We become sympathetic, receptive and accommodative. It is in this sense that our prayer to the Supreme God should be (we must) listen abundantly with our ears.
In modern times getting education has often been reduced to obtaining certificates of educational qualifications. One’s merit is assessedintermsofthemarksonehasscoredindifferentexaminations. As a result, students tend to study only in the examination point of view. But, true education as Swami Vivekananda has pointed out, “is the manifestation of the perfection already present in man”. Education, unfortunately, is not pursued with such lofty aims in view. It is being done only for assured comfortable living and brilliant future careers.
“We begin to know really when we succeed in forgetting completely what we have learned,” Thoreau says. It means that what we learn has to become an integral part of our very being. On the contrary, if something is learnt with a worldly goal in view, it is most likely to fade away after the purpose is served. It is only superficial education. It hardly tends to develop personality and character. Such an educational system makes students “intellectual giants, but moral dwarfs”. We don’t need that kind of education. We have to seek education that abides with us for ever. It is in this sense that God must preserve our learning.
The ideal world visualized by Rabindranath Tagore in his famous poem Where the mind is without fear seems to be a reality in the good old days of the Upanishad. Tagore says “where the knowledge is free” – From the prayer offered by Gurus of those days, it is clear that knowledge was imparted without any preconditions. It was absolutely free. Not only that, teachers invited students from all directions from all places; they would feed and clothe them; take all care of them as if they were their own children and bless them with knowledge. It was considered the sacred and inalienable duty of a man of learning to fulfil this obligation:
In order to be able to meet the needs of the students who come to him for learning, the Guru prays to God to bless him with abundant foodandhairycattlesothathishomeisalwayskeptwarmwithfood, shelter and clothing for those desirous of learning. He prays to God to make him the best among the richest of men.
Mere possession of material wealth is not enough. One who possesses wealth has to utilize it judiciously for his own comfortable and happy living and also to facilitate the progress and development of the society. Only such a rich man is the noblest and the best who uses his wealth for common good. So, the Guru prays to God to send himallriches,butatthesametimethebentofmindtodistributethem among those it is meant for. Wealth is coveted not out of greed; it is for enabling him to serve the society.
From this prayer it becomes clear that the gurus of yore did not select their disciples on the considerations of birth, caste and creed because it expresses the ardent wish of the Guru that celebate children should come to him from different directions, as naturally as water flows downwards and months roll into years.
One of the foremost tenets of the Upanishad is that an individual should incessantly work for the betterment of the society. Performance of duties takes priority over claiming of rights. One’s welfare has to be sought by striving for the welfare of all. So, it enjoins people to observe the path of righteousness and truth as prescribed by the sacred texts. The householders have always to engage themselves in self-study and preaching to others; tranquillity; serving guests and propagation of the race.
Taittiriya Upanishad does not preach a philosophy of pessimism and escapism. It encourages us to live a life full of vigour and vitality fulfilling our social obligations and contributing our share for the betterment of the society.
The most famous and oft-quoted passage from the Upanishad is a kind of convocation address the teacher gives to his students at the end of his teaching the Vedas.
After teaching the Vedas, the Guru enjoins the pupils: speak the truth; perform your duty; don’t ever neglect the study of the Vedas!
After giving the Guru the fee that pleases him, continue the progeny. Never swerve from truth; never neglect duty; never ignore your own welfare and prosperity; never swerve from the study and the preaching of the Veda; do perform your duties to Gods and the departed souls.
The instructions of the teacher have a profound meaning. They enjoin the students to live a purposeful, useful and rich life in this world, fulfilling various obligations to themselves and to society. Having received from the society sustenance and education to become able and worthy youth, they are obliged to contribute their best to the betterment of the society i.e. general welfare. Their first and foremost duty is to take up social responsibilities and fulfil them religiously – not to renounce the world and lead the life of a recluse, at this stage.
It may look odd that among other lofty things the teacher asks the
Unlike in our days, collecting fee for imparting instruction in advance was not in vogue. Education was imparted by Gurus as a pious and religious obligation. Only after the completion of the course, when a student becomes a useful member of the society, starts earning on his own, he is required to contribute part of his earnings as gurudakshina. Here, it is not the amount of money that is given that is important. Being father-figure, the Guru expects a voluntary contribution from his student from out of his own earnings, however meagre or high it is. Imagine the joy and pride of a father, when his son having completed his education, placed in a suitable position, works honestly and puts his first salary in the hands of his father telling him with a beaming face, “Father! This is what I have earned on my own”. It is in this spirit that the Acharya demands fee from his disciples, not out of greed for money for selfish ends. After all, how is he going to spend it? Obviously, on maintaining his Gurukula, to sustain and educate more students. Can we think of a more ideal social system?
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It is wrong to translate these famous lines as: ‘Treat your mother as God, treat your father as God, treat your teacher as God, treat your guest as God’. The verb (pÉuÉ) used here has a unique significance. Whether one treats mother, father, teacher and guest as Gods or not, Gods, undoubtedly, they are. One has only to acquire the noble quality of treating them as Gods. So, the precept is: ‘May you be one to whom mother, father, teacher and guest are Gods’.
Implicit in these lines, there lies a sacred commitment to build a respectable and harmonious society. The earlier generation of elders need not be treated as unquestionable authority endowed with an infallible vision of the future. But at the same time they are not to be rejected as no longer-useful out-dated stuff. They are, by no means, to be discarded and humiliated. The sacred path to be adopted by the youth is that they have to try the hither to untrodden paths, all the same, treating the previous generation with all the respect they deserve.
One of the most brilliant ideas ever expressed in any literature occurs here:
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These lines unequivocally instruct people to keep to the path of righteousness – The touchstone of our actions should be whether what we do is right – not this authority or that.
The maxim is: Let only the actions free from blemishes be done – not others. Only those virtuous actions which are irreproachable should be performed – not others.
The Guru does not declare himself to be the highest despotic authority – a role model to be imitated blindly and unquestioningly. He leads a pure, ideal life, no doubt, but he is humble enough to be aware that he is, after all, a human being prone to err. It is possible that there may be qualities in him that are to be shunned. The disciples should do well to abjure them and emulate only those qualities that are unblemished and irreproachable.
GIVING, not receiving forms the basis of pious life as envisaged in the Upanishad. Here, Taittiriya Upanishaddefines precisely the spirit in which one should give.Gifts should be offered in faith; they are not to be given without faith; they should always be given in abundance, modesty, sympathy and cordiality.
The householder, in those days, was to put in the hardest and most sincere work, earn, stock, breed and build to ensure that there is prosperity. But such prosperity was to be achieved not for selfaggrandizement, for expanding one’s own material wealth in a system of merciless exploitation. Prosperity was meant for extending love, kindness, service and charity to others. Ultimately, an individual was valued only on the spirit of sacrifice that he could show. People give, but not always in the true spirit of giving. Very often, things are given away when they are no longer needed with the gloated feeling that he has shown great charity. Some times gifts are given expecting something in return for short-term or long-term dividends. They are also given for the sake of name, fame and for publicity. Also, in the modern world of human affairs, it so happens that we are obliged to contribute in a big or a small way to a cause which we, ourselves, do not believe to be a genuine one. We are quite aware that a great part of the contributions goes down the drain. Still, we contribute reluctantly on such considerations as being treated as the odd man out. Any, giving out of considerations of any kind is no ‘giving’ at all.
The preaching of the Guru is to indulge in the act of giving only on being fully convinced of the worthiness and nobility of the cause. Without such conviction, if charity is practised, it harms both the giver and the receiver, because the former gloats over his vanity and the latter having received a bounty without deserving it ends up as a moral wreck.
Charity should be practised with utmost modesty. Not an iota of egoism should go with it. Once we are convinced of the genuineness of the cause, we should give in plenty – there should not be any vacillation or withholding.
Such a giving goes with sympathy which generates love as the giver identifieshimselfwiththecause.Withoutsuchcausegivingbecomes a mere worldly act of narrow minded self - serving and egoism.
So, true giving consists in sacrificing out of faith, with no holds barred, in utter humility, sympathy and love.In Taittiriya Upaninishad there occurs a highly interesting, teaching –learningsituation.AdiscipleBhrigu,desirousofkno