Matter: Soul (Padartha: Atma)
In this painting, we can see dense grey and blue swirls which symbolizes matter, and impermanence and a flying white bird which represents the soul, consciousness. The two are shown together, yet they do not truly belong to each other. As long as we are worldly beings, we are always a combination of matter and soul, though they are opposite to each other. We are permanent from the soul’s point of view; but we are impermanent as well from the material point of view.
The Swastika here subtly indicates the co-existence of opposites—Jiva-Ajiva (soul and matter), bound together in worldly life. Drawing from the Jain philosophy of Anekantavada, this painting captures the tension between the living (Jiva) and non- living (Ajiva). It suggests that true liberation, or Mokṣa, is not a destination, but the moment the soul finally untangles itself from the gravity of material karma and reclaims its own lightness.
It is interesting to note that all worldly beings have matter and soul, mind and body, interfused in such a way that we cannot dissociate them, as we do when the body perishes. So, the eternal rests within the temporary, yet is never bound by it.
The essence of our worldly existence lies in being at the meeting point of these two worlds—the heavy and the formless. As you stand before this image, consider which part of yourself you are prioritizing: are you identifying more with the ‘matter’ of your temporary worries, or with the ‘white bird’ of your awareness that silently observes them?