To See Beyond
By: Hannah Stoltenberg
Tags: Personal Growth, Scholarship, Hinduism, Interfaith, Religion

My first time encountering Hinduism in practice I was taken aback. The visual stimulation alone was foreign to me — the elaborate artwork, the bright colors, and the multiplicity of icons forced me to take a step back just to process it all. Growing up in a Protestant household, I was not accustomed to such vibrant places of worship and elaborate imagery. This first exposure engendered a host of questions and an unquenchable curiosity. This initial experience sparked a chain of events that led me to research Hinduism and artistic expression of religion at the graduate level. There is a multitude of theories, concepts, and artistic styles to explore in Hindu art and expression but there is one concept that continues to draw my attention because of how I have been able to apply it in my own life — the practice of darśan.

India can be a sensory overload to locals and foreigners alike. The smells of spices wafting through the air, the noises of crowded streets, the vibrant colors of the clothing and buildings, and the crowds can be over-stimulating. Yet within this stimulation overload, there is a practice that’s intent is to use the senses to go beyond what is seen in the physical realm — darśan.

Darśan means “seeing” and is used to describe worshippers viewing an image or images of the Divine. Seeing is but a base level of understanding of the word darśan. The word in practice reveals a depth of worship that brings darśan from the eyes to the soul. Merely gazing at an icon doesn’t even begin to encompass the concept and the practice.

Some translators will define darśan as auspicious sight, an intentional view of the Divine in an image of a deity. Diane Eck in her book Darśan, emphasizes the fact that worship “is not only a matter of prayers and offerings and the devotional disposition of the heart,” it goes beyond the worshipper and focuses on the religious charge and divinity in the image itself. It is by viewing, that the worshipper encounters the presence of the Divine and receives blessings.

Darśan is most commonly practiced in daily pooja (worship) at home or temple. This complex set of practices is not confined to religious art, i.e. paintings and statues, but extends to viewing the Divine in nature, holy people, and pilgrimage sites. Whatever the object of viewing, darśan is an intentional act of worship whereby the practitioner seeks to see beyond the physical properties of an image and focus on and connect with that which is transcendent. And it is this intention that brings darśan beyond just seeing — seeing becomes touching and seeing becomes knowing.

J. Gonda, a scholar of the importance of sound (mantra) and sight in Hinduism, notes that in Vedic literature “a look was consciously regarded as a form of contact… Casting one’s eyes upon a person and touching him were related activities.”* He continues to discuss the importance of the eyes in communication and how it goes beyond what we use now in our daily interactions, resulting in a greater importance of viewing the sacred in ritual practice. We all know the power a look can have in communicating. I am a teacher and have mastered my teacher look to communicate with my students efficiently. But according to Gonda and various other scholars, the eyes were used to communicate a host of emotions. The intricacy of a look expressing emotions can still be observed in the distinct eye movements and expressions in the abhinaya of dance and theater.

Yet darśan goes beyond just seeing, and seeing as touching — seeing becomes knowing. We often use words pertaining to sight and vision to communicate our understanding. Instead of saying “I comprehend” we use “I see”. There is an idea that the eyes are an access point to our understanding and often our soul. In Vedic religion and Hinduism, holy men are called rishi “seers”. They have the ability to understand and know beyond the physical realm and guide practitioners in their own journey. Seeing, darśan, is an essential part of knowing the Divine and becoming one with Brahman through physical qualities (saguna — with physical qualities). Whereas the physical qualities are not necessary to worship and understand Brahaman (nirguna — without qualities), the most prominent forms of worship are centered around darśan and seeing the Divine through physical manifestations.

The importance of images can be seen throughout Indian culture. The elaborate artwork, the burgeoning film industry, and more reveal that visual culture has and continues to be an integral part of Indian society. Yet darśan goes beyond those visual images to reach to the heart and understanding of practitioners.

Darśan requires an intentionality of the practitioner to be present amid sensory overload and organized chaos to see beyond the colors and physical form. And it was this that stood out to me. Being present within chaos rather than trying to remove all of the distractions to focus on our spiritual growth.

Our society is bombarded with visual images. From advertisements to easy and unlimited access to the internet, we are constantly coming into contact with visual stimulation. The constant use of our eyes has resulted in us becoming lazy, we don’t truly see that which is around us. We gaze and glance but we don’t see in a capacity that helps us to know and understand. This has spiritual applications but can also be applied to our daily interactions.

How often do we look at the mountains and see beyond their beauty, to their power and their glory? How often do we truly see the people we pass on the street? How often do we even see those who are closest to us? We might see with our eyes but do we strive to go beyond the physical realm to see who they are and where they are at in this moment. How often do we even see ourselves?

Now, of course, there are times when we need to remove distractions in our life to grow and to see and understand ourselves and that which is around us. And there are times when this is what darśan looks like. But it is also important to be able to see beyond the distractions. To see that the physical form is but the beginning of understanding.

I’m not saying we need to gaze into the souls of every person that we meet. But we do need to practice intentionality and take moments where we choose to see beyond, to seek understanding of ourselves and the people and the world around. There is much more beauty to behold beyond an image or physical form. When we take small moments to see and to seek to view beyond the physical, we grow. We learn about that which is around us and that knowledge, whether it be of the Divine, nature, or another human helps us to see ourselves more fully and take our understanding and apply it to our growth and journey.

*Eck, Diana L. Darśan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2007).