ArticleDec 12, 2024
The Tree, the flowers, the mountains, and the sky, you, and me.. what is all this for if one wouldn’t know the alchemy of ecstasy? All that which is of creation, all life forms on this planet are only alive through the moment of ecstasy that they are experiencing within. Our life is well-lived only when we live it with ecstasy. What is a man without ecstasy?
What is a man without Ecstasy, A tree that bears no fruit, A flower that never blooms, A bird that cannot fly.
This Ecstasy in which I know life, Not of those sipping a drop of wine, But of those boozing the wine within.
Neither do I know the taste of wine nor the drug, My whole being is intoxicated Of the ecstasy I found within, As the Divine is far more intoxicating than Wine!
– shantrika
So, what is ecstasy? How can I define what is fragrance to a flower or the melody of the nightingale? Ecstasy is the fragrance of all that is of creation. Ecstasy is not just a quality of an individual – it is the quality of Nature itself. In this culture, we say ‘Brahmananda’ which means the entire Creation is ecstatic.
During my early teenage years, I had a question in mind: Is everyone that I see around me really happy? I never experienced meeting anyone who is positively happy all the time. So, I started asking around, from 60-year-olds to 6-year-old children, to everyone that I was meeting, I asked if they were truly happy in their life. To my surprise, I don’t remember hearing anyone saying that they are really happy in their life. They were either complaining about their past and how things could have been different or the things they might wish to have in the future. “You know, I’m really happy in my life, but things would have been different if it was…” or “Only if I could have one more of that or this, I would really feel happy.” But to be honest, I didn’t believe that if this one magic wish of theirs would have been a living reality for them, they would be ecstatic. The truth is it was never enough. Even if you could wrap the entire world into a present and give, it would still not be enough.
This unsatisfying longing of human beings who are constantly trying to have more in their lives, and seeking this satisfaction from one more movie night, a different job or relationship, or a new home or a car will never fulfill them either. There is something within us that constantly wants to expand, to become more than what it is right now. But seeking that by expanding the accessories of our lives will definitely not be the answer. The expansion should happen within us, as that is where all our life experience is being generated.
“ Ecstasy is not just a quality of an individual – it is the quality of Nature itself. In this culture, we say ‘Brahmananda’ which means the entire Creation is ecstatic – Sadhguru.
The truth is, until we realize that life functions from within and we are 100% responsible for it, life will never let us rest. It will push and pull us in some way as the only option is to strive. It was during my 7-month stay at the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore that I realized there is a dimension beyond myself that was yet to be explored. The deeper I dived within, the more bliss and ecstasy I felt. As if it is like if we don’t mess with ourselves, we are naturally ecstatic.
It is the greatest experience that one could feel within. This has now become the expression of my work. I would want to express this dimension of life through colors and shapes. The more that you glance at it, the more ecstatic you should become. It is, in a way, a key reminder that our life is not complete without exploring and experiencing everything that we are. As the core nature of life is Ecstasy!
