Many of us probably haven’t seen the underside of an ampel leaf (water lily). The leaves are floating flatly on the water surface, and they always keep the same level with the water, rising or receding. We simply look at the flat leaves from above, unless you are a scuba diver who can see from below. If you check the more than 200 celebrated water lily paintings by the well known French Impressionist artist Claude Monet you will hardly come across a leaf turned upside down. So one is lucky to see this leaf by the river Kodoor, rising vertically to display its other side. It seems the poor leaf was jammed and lifted up by some flowing objects moved by heavy monsoon rains. The network of nerves seen on the other side is remarkably beautiful.
Well, the leaf has not only two sides but a third dimension as well. It’s thickness, the third, may be too thin for us to see! Of course, the leaf, like any other matter in the universe, is three-dimensional. Then it has a fourth dimension -Time, if we trust our science gurus. Then a fifth, sixth and so on. Modern String theory in Physics would postulate at least ten dimensions for the material universe. How would the world look like if we humans are able to perceive reality with all those dimensions?
Worldly wisdom says: Everything has got two sides. It is good counsel especially while settling disputes when you are not expected to be swayed by the opinion of one side only. But spiritual wisdom suggests there are innumerable dimensions to reality-the outer and the inner, the marginal and the mainstream, the saved and the deleted, the opulent and the oppressed, the visible and the hidden.
Yes, it can be disconcerting. But it would be great if we keep at least the two sides: the inside and the outside, the Akam and the Puram. Even in this minimum there are possibilities to delve deeper and deeper ad infinitum.
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