Substance: Mode (Dravya: Paryaya)

Substance: Mode tells its story through the timeless metaphor of gold being shaped by a craftsman. A golden triangle stands at the centre, with a pitcher and a crown balanced on either side to show how one substance can take many different forms. It depicts the famous parable of three friends: one happy to see a pitcher become a crown, one sad to lose the pitcher, and a third who is content simply because the gold remains.

The gold represents the ‘existence’ that never leaves, while the pitcher and crown are merely ‘modes’ or temporary form. The red circle in the middle represents movement, reminding us that nothing in the universe is static; things change from one state to another every single moment. The essence of the painting is that while the ‘form’ of our lives change, there is an underlying substance that remains constant.

This painting invites us to look past the surface-level ‘pitchers and crowns’ of our own lives. When you experience a major change or a loss, are you mourning a temporary ‘mode’, or can you find stability in the ‘gold’ of your existence that remains through every life transition?