‘PAATH’: Introduction to concept of life and death
Tousif Raza
It has been always a miracle to write about Satish Vimal for me. Selection of poems has always been sudden and abrupt but a sweet experience for me because of two reasons. His metaphysical approach of words to spiritual asset has been the first reason and the knowledge through a sufi sense with the inner opinion of writer has been the second reason of my love towards his poetry.
As a result of this love, light and vision combination of divine truth I found him a writer of spiritual messages and divine nature instead of technicalities. His way to express his thought has been always a powerful tool for producing a high level introduction to inner self and inner capabilities to live as a complete disciplined and best creation of God in this world eternally.
As an academic analyst I might be searching and gazing some technical strengths in his poetry but as a reader of spiritual poetry I am highly thankful to my vision for provoking me to search a message of right path, right way to judge and right direction in his words to find the inner innovations with inner peace and inner capacities.
Today my poem of discussion is “PAATH” (Kashmiri Poem) which means spiritual sword or spiritual tool in English. I have named this poem “Sword of Life” instead of its original meaning because of two reasons. The words and lines of the poem are totally about life in different forms or ways it is the first reason. The thought of the poem is defining life and death eventually presenting the death as an eternal stage of life through expressing it’s beautiful forms as an evolution instead of dejection from existence.
The poem in its lines is of the opinion that life and death are the entities of celebration instead of celebration and mourning. Life is to celebrate, is easy to understand but death is to celebrate, is totally hard to understand. Actually Satish Vimal in this poem is saying that is defining the real spiritual concept of life and death.
The poem ‘PAATH’ is easy and lucid by word but is as deep as the core of the earth. It seems very strange when we read his discovery of death is about to celebrate instead of protesting. But provide a very shining light beam in our heart when we read that life is eternal, death has no existence, death is no where a passive part of life as we think. It is just the second stage for the next world which is beyond words, which is beautiful more than this world. Before moving ahead, before the elucidation of the poem let’s read the translation of the poem……..
Sword of Life
Translated from Satish Vimal’s Kashmiri poem (Paath)
Protested……! someone breath off why to protest for death……?
Marked….!
He was alive before death
Through word and move.
How…?
Physical exist is not life.
Alive never dies
Let them to noise
Let them to cry, so
Somebody may cry and mourn on their turn…….
The aforesaid poem is a direct conversation related to a great and universal religious faith saying that none among the living creatures is going to stay physically forever in this world- a limited period is to spend here. We are directed through a message in this poem by a direct speech to everyone’s inner self that why to protest we should not, why to be shy and we should not why to deject ourselves from a universal truth “death” we should not because it is a stage that everyone has to face by one or the other way.
Death is actually an end of physical relationship with this world, physical behavior and physical existence of a person ends when he dies and we shouldn’t be shocked, hypersensitivity should not take a place in our minds because nothing can happen more beautiful than death. It relieves us from our duties here only. The first lesson of this poem is actually the definition of death and an Encouragement to conquer the death because it is the best way to get connected with lord physically and metaphorically. As a matter of fact we protest or raise against anything if we don’t like that so Vimal’s Poem ‘Paath’ is raising voice and protesting against all those things and people who are linking death opposite to life.
Satish Vimal’s second message in the poem is about the beauty of death through saying that life is eternal, death is a bond connecting every creature especially mankind to the two worlds. One world is from where he starts his journey and the second world begins by death where everyone is alive, where everyone can see what he was trying to reach in this world.
The above given statement is not only a statement but is a universal truth as Quran spells out suggestions about this concept many times and says “And I created death so that you can meet me at the dooms day where you are going to be answerable for all your deeds. By multiple comparative religious studies we come to know that this poem is not only a poem but a divine message in many ways.
Opinion is not always perfect but the essence of spiritual message like this poem make that a very special and very different asset to the readers
Third opinion about the poem is important because at last it suggests it’s reader the importance of death and life, between these two there is not any much difference they are not vice versa to each other but are unilateral and unidirections two stages of the same journey-one is to build up by doing and second is not taking benefit from all what has been done.
Vimal’s poem Paath is superior in its words and lines it treats death as a way to survive eternally instead of destroy. It provides a scheduled belief about the fact that life is not life only if we are physically active; it is only spiritual connectivity to lord and the aroma of character that provides an eternal life to everyone even after death.
In every divine religion it is almost believed that death is not an end it is a stage where we can be testified to be alive. In Surah Al Mulk Allah explores the same thing in the poem in this way.”I created death (killed people) and created life so that I can test you.
Quran dominants all other disciplines it is a fact so as in relationship to this poem we can present Quran as it say.” I created you, I will kill you and again will return you to life then you will be returned to me.” The all above references are enough to support this opinion that the poem “PAATH” by an ultra legend contributor to our literature Satish Vimal is full of spiritual message, philosophical inspiration and a divine lesson to schedule our lifestyle in such a way that we could remember eternally and could stay high profiled in the eyes of Lord as well as people.
(The author is a student, hails from Tangmarg and can be reached at [email protected])
