Wedded to wisdom

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Francis Gonsalves [1]

How can one distinguish between artificial flowers and real ones?” asked the disciple to his guru. “Simple!” replied the guru, “Butterflies and bees will only rest on the real ones.” It’s easier for butterflies and bees to discern what’s real and what’s not than for us to separate truth from falsehood, good from evil. Yet, life requires that we assess choices and take decisions. This requires wisdom.

Most religions have images of wisdom drawn from nature or human life. Advaita Vedanta associates wisdom with the swan, the hamsa, who cleverly separates milk from water: ksheer-neer viveka. The swan drinks the milk and leaves the water. Moreover, it swims in water and yet its feathers remain dry, like the Advaitin who lives in the world but remains undefiled by the poison of worldly mirages.
The wise masters in the Advaita tradition are called paramahamsas: sagacious swans who discern truth, swimming through life’s seas, focused on the eternal, bypassing the ephemeral. This nitya-anitya-vastu viveka helps them to weather life’s ebbs and flows.
The Bible sees wisdom not as an abstraction but as a living, palpable reality. It can be defined as a skill for fruitful living. Wisdom is personified as an alluring woman who invites people to live life fully and equips them for arduous tasks. Translated as “hokmah” in Hebrew and “sophia” in Greek, it’s not surprising that philosophers are regarded as “wise ones” who love (philia) Lady Wisdom (sophia). Interestingly, both “hokmah” and “Sophia” are feminine nouns.
King Solomon is the Biblical epitome of wisdom. He receives a carte blanche from God: “Ask for whatever you wish me to give you.” Solomon doesn’t ask for riches, power or immortality but prays: “Give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, to discern between good and evil.” Pleased with his reply God says, “I give you a wise heart; and also what you’ve not asked, both riches and honour.” The saying “as wise as Solomon” is popular. Yet, later, Solomon too got enmeshed in earthy enticements, choosing temporal indulgence over eternal inheritance.
Greek mythology tells of Dionysius requesting King Midas to ask whatever he wishes. Midas prays, “Grant that everything I touch turns to gold.”
The story goes that Midas’ food, and even his daughter, whom he touched, turned to gold!
King Solomon and King Midas are symbols of wisdom and folly, loyalty and idolatry, viveka and moha, respectively. Both dwell in you and me. And, in the Book of Proverbs (4:6-9) there’s a subtle invitation to have a love affair, so to say, with Lady Wisdom: “Do not forsake her... love her... prize her highly... embrace her.” I’m tempted to woo and wed Wisdom. How ’bout you?

Francis Gonsalves is the principal of the Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi