The Metaphysics of Politics

In individual political events one begins to perceive the eternal verities of life. In wake of the return of the native the mystical couplet which says, “Where does my mind find infinite bliss? Like the proverbial bird, it takes flight from the deck of a ship only to return to the ship”, came unbidden to my mind. The stream of association flowed unabated, like a river in spate. An insight of rare vintage dispelled the dialectical darkness (does metaphysical disquisition automatically generate alliteration?) and all was light. Gautama, the Buddha, one of the greatest of men in the Indian tradition described himself as Tathagata. The word Tathagata admits of two meanings, depending on which way you de- couple the word. Read as Tatha-gata it would mean “thus he has gone”. But as tatha-agata the meaning would change “thus he has come”. Arrival and departure, coming and going, these are all tricks played by the illusory nature of our perception. Great leaders are beyond the tawdry records kept by political innkeepers. Those who are wise could foresee the event foretold. It was the veil of Maya which hid this fact from our eyes.