Post No. 13,841
Date uploaded in London – 1 November 2024
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This proverb is used by Lao Tse and is available from the records dated 3rd century BCE. In Hindu scriptures it is available from 8th century BCE.
In Chinese
Zhi zhe bu yan, yan zhe bu zhi.
In Japanese
Shiru mono wa iwazu, ni mono wa shirazu
It is in Korean, Turkish and other languages as well.
But only in India and China it has got the full philosophical meaning.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa explained it with several stories
Ramakrishna’s Stories
Story 1
A salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean. It wanted to tell others how deep the water was. But this it could never do, for no sooner did it get into the water than it melted. Now, who was there to report the ocean’s depth?
What Brahman is cannot be described in Samadhi one attains the knowledge of Brahman – one realises Brahman. In that state reasoning stops altogether, and man becomes mute. He has no power to describe the nature of Brahman.
Story 2
Once four friends, in the course of a walk, saw a place enclosed by a wall. The wall was very high. They all became eager to know what was inside. One of them climbed to the top of the wall. What he saw on looking inside made him speechless with wonder. He only cried Ah! Ah! And dropped in. he could not give any information about what he saw. The others too climbed the wall, uttered the same cry,’ Ah! Ah!’ and jumped in. now who could tell what was inside!
What Brahman is cannot be described. Even he who knows it cannot talk about it.
Story 3
The husband of a young girl has come to his father in law’s house and seated in the drawing-room with other young men of his age. The girl and her friends are looking at them through the window. Her friends do not know her husband and ask her pointing to one young man, “Is that your husband? “No”, she answers, smiling. They point to another young man and ask if he is her husband. Again she answers, “No”. They repeat the question referring to a third, and she gives the same answer. At last they point to her husband ask, “Is he the one?” She says neither yes nor no, but only smiles and keep quiet. Her friends realize that he is her husband.
One becomes silent on realising the true nature of Brahman.
There is a proverb in Tamil, “Those who have seen never talk; those who talk have never seen (the God)” (Kandavar Vindilar; Vindavar Kandilar).
A Siddha by name Sivavakkiyar uses the simile of mixing water with salt to establish the truth that Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are one and the same. Once the water is mixed with the salt it becomes unseparable. Shiva and Vishnu are one.
Another Tamil saint Tirumular says in Tirumanthiram that the dumb are trying to describe that which cannot be described.
The following Upanishad line is translated in Tamil verses by several Tamil saints in several of their verses:
Yato vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha (Whence all speech turn back with the mind, not reaching It). Taittiriya Upanishad
Mozikkum winaivukkum ettatha nin tirumurtham (Abirami Andhati) in Tamil.
கண்டவர் விண்டிலர் விண்டவர் கண்டிலர் in Tamil
உரையற்றது ஒன்றை உரை செய்யும் ஊமர்காள்
கரையற்றது ஒன்றைக் கரைகாணல் ஆகுமோ
திரையற்ற நீர்போல் சிந்தை தெளிவார்க்குப்
புரையற்றிருந்தான் புரிசடையோனே (2915)
From Tirumanthiram of Tirumular.
2955: Thoughts Stand Still in the Beyond
You dumb ones!
They seek to speak,
Of the One beyond speech!
Can you ever reach the shores
Of the Shoreless Vast?
For them whose thoughts stand still,
Unto the waveless waters,
Unreserved He appears;
He of the matted locks.
This is from the Upanishads. God cannot be described; it is in all Sahasranamas as Aprameya- one who cannot be measured.
–Subham—
Tags- He who knows does not talk, he who talks does not know
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