'All this while, I had been searching for heaven in the wrong place...'

Where is Heaven...? | A Delightful Literary Take

from Today’s Tamil Hindu

By Maruthan

Trans. to English: This blogger

I can’t quite remember the first person to have introduced the concept of heaven to me. Most probably, I surmise a guess that, I would have known more about this place only through some story narrated by someone to me at some point of time in my life.

I continued to get glimpses of this delightful heaven through one story after another – stories that I so loved listening to.

Even as I was growing up - day by day - the dream of heaven was also growing up parallelly within me.

A great longing as well, started welling up within me for this delightful abode.

For such a beautiful, such a quiet and such a joyous abode as this!

So where pray, has this heaven been in hiding thus far?

How does a person reach that place?

Per chance, I might not quite know where heaven is, but if you ask me to describe heaven, I would be able to tell you lots and lots of things about heaven, as if I have dwelt long enough in that place.

The lovely parrots on earth give out their ‘chirp’ ‘chirp’ sounds, ain’t they?

But the parrot in heaven gently perches itself on the shoulders of Omar Khayyam and then ask him, ‘Had your food Omar?’

When you step into the pond, in this heavenly abode, the fish also gently jump towards you and start kissing your feet.

The deer will then begin to dish out a beautiful story standing on a small mound.

The leopard for his part, will sit quite modestly near the deer and listen to the story being said, and remark with a bit of sadness,

‘Got over so soon? Oh! That’s not fair, dear deer. Tell me another story, will ya?’

The star up above in the sky that resembles a dot, when looked from here on earth, would come very close to you in heaven, and keep twinkling around you. You may also touch it. Take it in your hand and give it a good hug.

Art by Lalitha

You can hitch a lovely ride on the soft, leathern clouds that come floating around you.

You can observe the flowers filled with fragrance, and fruits filled with such succulent taste on them, in this heavenly abode!

You can then proceed to bathe in the waterfalls, and read books in the light emitted by the feisty fireflies in this heavenly abode!

You can also grow wings along with the doves and fly along with them, in this place called heaven!

You can hug the lion cubs and play with them. Taste honey with the bears. Rest yourself gently on the trunk of the elephant and take a nap, in this place called heaven.

Well, even hell was introduced to me in like fashion, through a story.

Oh gosh! Please please don’t ask me about that, anytime!

Such a terrible and horrible mess of a place it really really was.

It’s good if we don’t breathe a word about it even.

Well, I’m not in the least bothered about hell, because I’m not going to even caste a glance towards that side.

My only dream and longing is to set foot in heaven.

I had also asked each and every inhabitant of Samarkand, on where heaven really is.

Almost everyone, pointing their hands upwards, said in unison, ‘There up there, you will find heaven’.

It seems that, even hell is up there above!

For my part, I too had earnestly searched for heaven - like a giraffe - tossing my huge neck to the left, right and centre.

But heaven was nowhere to be found!

Per chance, great scholars might have known and written down more about the place, me thought, and hence I learnt to read and write.

I gathered together all the books that were in print, and started looking for heaven amongst them all.

Having read somewhere that astronomy might help me to know the exact location of heaven, I started researching on the skies for years and years.

After coming to know that, without the rudiments of Mathematics I cannot qualify to become a good astronomer, I thenceforth started to learn Mathematics.

And by fortuitous coincidence, having chanced upon a book of history, I gently took it in my hands, began reading it, and from then on, I started following history as well.

History held me by my hand and gently led me towards Philosophy.

So I started reading from Philosophy from thence on!

After reading books and books on Philosophy, when I started looking at the skies, I was now able to see an entirely different sky up above.

After having started to read more of History, when I looked at people, they were transformed into entirely new beings in my eyes.

After having observed humans, when I started reading stories, my imagination started growing wider and wider and wider. 

With this beautiful imagination on me, I looked yet again at the skies.

Now I understood!

All this while, I had been searching for heaven in the wrong place.

Heaven is not in the skies.

The moment when I eagerly sat down to listen to stories, heaven also gently sat along with me, giving me company.

The moment when I closed my eyes and started dreaming, heaven started opening up wider and wider in the dream.

The moment when I started learning how to read and write, heaven gently patted me as a token of appreciation.

When I did Mathematics, heaven gave an amazing wide-eyed look at me.

When I started learning more about History, Philosophy, the moon and the stars, my domain of knowledge also started getting larger and larger, ain’t it?

Well, that’s in a word, HEAVEN for meee!

When I shut my eyes to the beauties and wonders of the heavens, when I set aside my books saying, ‘I’m not gonna need them or read them’, when I refuse to respect and to understand my fellow human beings, darkness begins to form within me.

Therein in that darkness, hell awakens!

If knowledge is heaven, then ignorance is hell.

If imagination is heaven, then, a dried up mind is hell.

It’s me who has the power to choose between heaven and hell for myself.

Again, whether I want to live in heaven or on earth, depends entirely on my choice!

I have books with me. There are a multitude of stars in my sky. My people are so loving. My stories stretch on and on endlessly. My mind has now become completely clear. Hence, I’m convinced with all surety that, I dwell in heaven!

- Omar Khayyam – Persian Mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, poet, essayist and writer of the 10th century AD.

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