The book under review entitled ‘Voice of senses’ is edited by Baidyanath Saraswati.
The entire book is dedicated to a deep understanding of the concept of senses. There are twenty articles in total in two parts.
The first part deals with philosophy and religion, while the second part deals with science and society.
Eminent authors from various fields have written the articles and therefore it is very interesting to read and understand hitherto unknown facts.
The five elements or five processes are basic to the Chinese tradition. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water are the five elements.
Sitansu Ray has written wonderfully about Tagore’s congregational talks on seeing and hearing.
Seeing and hearing are consecutive themes by the great poet Rabindranath Tagore who delivered the congregational address for two consecutive days in Santiniketan. Vision leads to fulfillment. The silent music of the celestial world must be studied and the music of our life must be synchronized with the magnanimous music of the constantly evolving universe.
Sanghamitra Pal explains the role of the senses: organs in snake-catching technology.
In West Bengal, Saure Mal is one of the subcastes of the Mal caste. The Sapure classify snakes as poisonous and non-poisonous. They believe that most snakes are harmless. They learn the art of catching snakes from a young age. It is very interesting to read about their knowledge and ability to catch snakes and enchant.
Somushish Ghosh Dastidar and Manojit Denath analyze the response of plants to external stimuli. A single stimulus, such as a hot needle, can make the leaves respond. It is possible for a plant to respond to the vibrational sounds that accompany it. The ‘Mimosa Pudica’ plant also known as the ‘sensitive plant’ responds to sound-induced vibration. In an area of the archid plantation every morning and night, the sound installed there plays devotional songs, ghazals, religious chants and instrumental music. Vibration helps bud growth.
KN Sahay explains the human senses and their purpose by citing quotes from many Sanskrit works. One has to use these senses to “go up”. The excellent path of true wellness must be chosen and adopted by intelligent people.
These articles are beneficial to those who are interested in learning about the different aspects of religious and philosophical insights in India.
The scientific background gives us more authentic information about the voice of the senses.
Sense of touch, sense of taste, sense of smell, sense of sight, sense of hearing – all these five senses together with the mind help us to achieve empirical knowledge. He who uses them in the right way, as stipulated by the scriptures, gets Shreya.
Badiyanath Saraswati, an eminent anthropologist, has spent some forty years unraveling the relationship between traditional thought and modern science.
He is no longer with us. But his collection of articles will definitely help readers to know all about the senses.
The Voice of the Senses is very sweet and I highly recommend this book to all lovers of Indology books.
The book is neatly printed and published by DKPrintword (P) ltd., New Delhi.
