ART by OLI ROGERS

 

 

 

 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

 

Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

The concept of karma originated in ancient India, and is key to the philosophies of the East. In essence it is the law of cause and effect, which describes how the universe reacts with intelligence to the individual’s actions and intentions. Good deeds and intentions engender positive effects, and negative effects result from the perpetration of wicked deeds and the harbouring of ill intentions.

 

Here, Rama and Sita of the epic Sanskrit poem Ramayana remind us that we must act with love, for as the law of Karma and the words Martin Luther King Jr. propound, to act with hate will only serve to multiply that hate. In short, Seeker, we must have love for the haters.

 

In order to symbolise the fact that our deeds, both good and ill, will be chronicled in the Akashic Records, Rama holds a microphone (rather than the golden mace of the supreme deity Vishnu, of whom he is an avatar) and Sita clutches a vinyl record. In reference to the individual’s karmic relationship with the universe, Rama wears the sacred symbol of Om around his neck, for amongst its many connotations it refers to Atman, the soul, and Brahman, the entirety of the universe and the cosmic principles which govern it. Both wear gold as a symbol of purity, for it has been cleansed by fire during its making.