The Most Beautiful Flowers of Eden
Most people know the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but almost no one understands it as an allegory. For them it is a literal fact. For me, Adam, Eve, the serpent, the garden and so on are things that have existed, but not in the literal sense. They are symbols of the deep esoteric truth of life. I have explained the meaning of the story in my book 'Hidden Teachings in the Bible' and will not go through it again here.
The story makes mention of fruits, flowers and rivers in the garden; it was really the most beautiful thing that God had created. The allegory, however, has many aspects and here I will bring forth its most beautiful one. The emphasis in the story, as it is presented in the Bible, makes man feel guilty and till this day he is carrying the burden of this guilt. According to the Bible, we are all sinners, we are born out of sin, live in sin and if we do not believe in Jesus Christ, we will go to hell. My vision is completely different and it is that men and women are the most beautiful flowers of the Garden of Eden, which is nothing but this very planet. You may call it Eden or Gaia.
When the sun shines and the breeze blows, when rain pours down and lightning strikes the surface of the earth, great miracles are produced. Flowers bloom, plants grow, animals reproduce and the sea dances. Everything, save man, is open to the blessings pouring from the sky. Why? What has happened to man? Why does he not flourish? Why cannot he sing and dance in unison with the cosmos? Flowers, plants, birds and animals, nay, the whole cosmos are celebrating and growing, yet man is unsatisfied. Why? Who is responsible for this mishap?
Man himself is the sole responsible party, but his greatest blunder is that he always finds a scapegoat so as to free himself from all responsibilities. Being the most beautiful flower (at least in potential), man's blooming is the most wonderful event on this earth. Yet, like the flower of the talipot of Mauritius, very rarely does a Jesus, a Krishna or a Gawtam Siddharth flower. When this happens, some people worship them, while others try to destroy those unique and delicate flowers out of jealousy.
Jesus once said to his disciples, "Look at these lilies. Solomon in all his glory could not match with them." Nature with its plants, flowers, sea and animals is beautiful beyond description. God is sundaram after all. Man too forms part of this universe, then why does he look so ugly and cruel? The sky and nature as a whole do not discriminate when showering their blessings to mankind, animals, plants and flowers, yet man does not bloom. This is a strange phenomenon! The reason for this is that the whole of nature is open, receptive and surrendered, while man is not. Man is different from other things in nature for he has a mind. He can choose to close or to open himself. He is free, but this freedom has turned out to be his greatest curse when it could be his greatest blessing.
When a child is born, it should be understood that it is a new seed that is given to us. We can either make a bonsai out of it or a beautiful plant that can become a fully grown tree with flowers and fruits. But alas! We do not allow it to grow naturally. Thus the possibility of going beyond natural traits is destroyed. We impose morality, culture, religion, our ambitions and manners upon it. In so doing, it becomes perverted. Few people know how to help the human child to grow; it is an art and a science. But who wishes to learn? Man has the possibility of taking his destiny in his hand. He can help himself but even that has to be learnt.
Learning brings humility. It breaks the ego in which the ingredient for growth is concealed. Parents, teachers, the spiritual guide and society as a whole are those who are responsible to help the human seed to grow and blossom. Save for the spiritual guide, all the others are corrupt because they themselves have not bloomed; they have remained bonsai. What can be done then? Are we doomed to remain bonsai for eternity? No, absolutely not. There is still much hope, if only we are ready to learn and to rebel when it is important and necessary. What to learn, where to start and from whom to learn? These are according to me some basic questions that have to be dealt with, if we wish that each one of us blooms and emits the fragrance of love, peace and virtue. Therefore let's start from the beginning.
