Nayanam

Sarvendriyanam Nayanam Pradhanam

Meaning sarve (out of all the) indriyanam (senses) nayanam (eyes, or vision) pradhanam (is
important).
Recently, I have encountered new acquaintances who are blind from birth. Thinking about
their misery, agonised my sleep. I asked them few disturbing questions about their life. About
how they do not even know their own mothers face. How they do not even know about the
mountains, trees, hills and even water.
With these thoughts wandering across the streets of this city, I came across a book store and
particularly this one proverb book. In which one proverb stated a teacher is a person who
can explain colour to a blind person.
With this proverb thinking started, I returned back to that blind guy, asked him what is the
colour of a leaf? He just smiled. Colour of water? Colour of your skin? Your favourite
colour? No answer for all these.
I somehow found that proverb challenging, I felt it is my responsibility to solve that puzzle.
But how, with what can I compare for them to make understand what colour is. I tried to
explain that water is colourless, the only thing that you can see is black. But they did not
satisfy me, neither him. How can someone explain vision to others, it is to be self-understood.
Then I started neglecting that proverb, but that proverb is a paradox. There is logic in it.
Then I came across the old Sanskrit saying Sarvendriyanam Nayanam Pradhanam, out of
all the senses vision is important. Then a thought occurred to me, though there is no vision
there are other senses touch, smell, taste and hearing.
Then just as Edison ran on roads as he found bulb, I too ran to this blind friend of mine.
Slowly explained colour. Took a pinch of turmeric powder in my palm, made him smell
told him it is yellow. Took a pinch of chilli powder in my palm told him it is red. Made him
touch all different leaves told him they are all green. In this way I continued to explain even
the rainbow.
Maybe his agony moved me, may be that proverb provoked me, or maybe I was just
interested in solving that puzzle. Whichever way it is, it brought me peace back.
This is a true story
An article by yasaswy