Chapter 2

Envisioning Christ: Ranchan's Christian Connection

Ranchan's creativity comes from "diverse registers." During his formative phase,

Ranchan came in contact with a variety of people comprising Yogis, Sufis, Ministers of

the Church, Hippies, etc. He never tempered with his "inner space" and allowed it to be

enriched and expanded by a diverse range of experiences. Ranchan is extremely

conscious in handling his "inner materials." In an interview with Ved Sharma, Ranchan

says, "I have an organic awareness of my inner life. It makes for a psycho-dynamic

structure and becomes a part of writing process. My epic meditations have a mythopoeic

or symbolic structure [. . .]. The texture of my poetry is determined by the fact of my

being in the self (Sharma 3). Ranchan's perception of the self is not religion-centered.

Despite the fact that he was formally initiated into meditation in 1968 by Swami

Prabhvananda, Ranchan remained minister with the Church of Antioch. Here he got the

opportunity to do lot of pastoral counseling. He even held special classes to teach the

techniques of counseling for the ministers. This camaraderie with the Christian ministers

left an indelible mark on Ranchan's creative consciousness. Moreover during his stay of

more than eleven years in the United States as a Professor of English and American

Literatures, Comparative Literature and inter-disciplinary studies, brought him into the

ambit of Christianity cosiderably. In an interview with P.V. Bisht, Ranchan tells that he

also became the President of the Church of Antioch, which incidentally was more ancient

than the Roman Church (Sharma 8). This brief but intense engagement with the Church

of Antioch got settled in Ranchan poetic imagination and took nearly sixteen years to

fructify as a ftiU fledged dialogic poem in the form of Christ and i which was written in
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1982. A.K. Srivastava aptly remarks that "Ranchan's poetry is in praise of process and

his typical problem has been the reconciliation of the individual with the process [. . . ] "

(Ken 24). Nevertheless the "notion of Christhood" forms the core of Christ and i and the

"radiating world of reference drawn from the life of Christ becomes poem's locus that

defines its curcumference" (Ken, 25). Anil Wilson's perception is remarkably subtle

when he states that the Christ and i is "'i' vis-a-vis Christ, and not about Christ vis-a-vis

'I.' The difference [. . .] is of essence." Wilson further argues that the importance of

Wisdom Figures such as Christ and Vivekananda lies not in their "historicity or abstract

teachings," but it lies in the "impact" that they have on human "heart and mind" (Ken,

37). As a matter of fact Ranchan successfully manages to humanize the Wisdom Figures

such as Vivekananda, Krishna, Christ, et al. He does this primarily on account of dialogic

need of his polyphonous psyche. Moreover, the predominant devotional strain in his

dialogic poems impels him to actualize God in the closest humane quarters. Resultantly

one may observe that Ranchan's poetic endeavour is laudable keeping in view his

successful scooping of the divine figures from their conventional / ritual contexts thereby

making them meaningful in simple day-to-day life.

II

As the poem Christ and i begins, the poet-disciple invokes rather unconventionally St.

John to cleanse his negative complexes such as inflated ego along with the inner darkness

that hinder his life. Responding to the poet-disciple's invocation, St. John says that he has

no capacity to baptize him literally as well as metaphorically. He further tells about

coming/ happening of one Great Revelation who alone will have the power to cleanse

him from all the negativities and the dross of inflated ego. Thus, it is significant to note

that as per the Christian tradition, there is always a divine messenger who informs the
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people about the coming of the Son of God. His role is prefatory as he informs the people

to go through initial purification for the reception of the Great Revelation.' St. John also

advises the poet-disciple while he is baptizing the people in the water of river Jordan that

the Son of God will be one of them. It is a time of formal preparation to see the

appearance of the diving figure (i.e. Christ). The poet beautifully states it thus:

[...] when he surfaces

The sky will flash with lightning

from end to end

And a bird will dive from the flaming

heart of light

And a voice reverberate with the sound

ofa hundred thunders (10)

The lightning in the sky and diving of the bird from the "heart of light" (10) along with

the roaring, resounding sound rupturing the sense of time thereby causing timelessness

effectively bespeak of the extraordinary circumstances under which the Christ will

surface. St. John advises the poet-disciple to fall at the feet of that Great Revelation to

undergo the process of purification.

Thereafter the poet-seeker is face to face with the Divine Figure. He confesses his

sins, pride, ego, vanity, arrogance and weaknesses in the form of a long poetic tirade to

Christ. He expresses his displeasure upon wasting his efforts to see the demons outside

while they were wdthin him all the time. He offers his apology before Jesus Christ and

beseeches to show him the right path. He does a lot of self-introspection and self-

exploration so that he can avoid the vicious influence of the evil forces in life. The poet

completely surrenders himself to God to dissolve his sins. He is all set for the baptism of
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fire. To speak metaphorically, the poet-disciple is bent upon dispelling his inner

darkness. He wants his soul to be purged of all sins and therefore, seeks an inner

transformation, which may prepare him to face the struggle of life. This dialogic

encounter with the Divine Figure (Christ) continues as the poet expresses his reluctance

to reach the Lord. The poet-disciple is greatly fascinated/ influenced by the teaching of

God through parables and paradoxes. Nevertheless, owing to his weaknesses such as

inflated ego, intellect, fears along v^th samaskaras, he cannot put his thoughts and inner

resolves into action. The poet implores the Lord to cleanse his heart and soul of all

possible impurities by the holy water of Jordan. He prays:

Lord, empty my cup

Let it flow out with its impurities of

dirt and dead flies, rust, moth's wings,

and owl's nails

And fill it with the shining white liquid

ofJordan

With the waters from the flash flood

issuing from your flowing locks (14-15)

After that the poet expresses his wish for regeneration through the ritual of fire:

Lord, Lord, Lord

Hit me

Burnish me into pure spirit

With strikes of your lightning (15)

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T S Eliot also speaks of the fire of destruction and of purgation in his poem "Four

Quartets." T.S. Eliot also refers to "fire" in Part IV of "Little Gidding" (1942) which

comprises the last part of Four Quartets (1943). The Holy Spirit (represented by the

image of "dove" in the poem) descends piercing the air "with the flame of incandescent

terror." According to T.S. Eliot:

The only hope, or else despair

Lives in the choice of pyre of pyre

To be redeemed from fire by fire (Eliot 1943)

The poet admits that he has become proud and inflated again as he identifies himself

with the leper cured by Christ:

Lord

I'm the leprous gentile

You cured ages and ages ago

Who fell at your feet

While the nine went their way

Lord

The revolving cycles of time have brought me

to thee

I am leprous again

Having forgotten to thank thee

Becoming proud and inflated (15)

After a little while, the poet-disciple apologizes before the Lord on account of the sense

of compunction that he experiences due to his arrogance and lack of humility and

kindness. He just remains stuck with his health, knowledge and worldly desires. It is only
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after realizing the pettiness and meaninglessness of his life that the poet-disciple decides

to dedicate himself for the weal and welfare of others. He decides to shed his inflated ego

and surrenders himself completely to the Lord:

Lord

You do not have to come to my

house with the disciples and the crowds

Just say the word

as you once did in curing

the centurion's slave (16)

This is a reference from the Four Gospels^ The Centurion was the Roman Officer. Once

his servant was terribly sick and was at the point of death. Jesus healed him and the

servant became quite well. This story is narrated by Luke (7:1-10) in the New Testament

{The Holy Bible 1978). The poet bewails the contemporary situation which has resulted in

crisis of a sort as the people have completely forgotten/ done away with the basic values

such as love, care and concern for one's fellow beings in life. What is left is greed,

nepotism, selfishness, pestilence . and famine that have ruptured inter-personal

relationships. The poet-quester himself becomes a Sahridaya (capable of being 'at-one-

ment' with the other) with the old Centurion as he feels choked due to the apathy and

unconcern he observes around him. The intensity of yearning for regeneration on the pjirt

of the poet is evident in the given lines:

My ribcage emaciated

Spectral between dead and living

My eyes longing to see you descend

in a cloud of light ushering anew

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the world foretold

Heart thirsting to see thee again

Before I die (17)

The poet realizes that only the Lord can save mankind in the hour of such a serious

spiritual crisis. Only God has the power to protect the world, which is on the verge of

extinction.

The encounter between the poet and Jesus is continued as the poet-seeker invokes

the spirit of the Christ to discuss his problems. He confesses that his spectacles are

dropped and broken. He, therefore, surrenders himself to seek solace in terms of

knowledge but finds himself enmeshed in the social life. He offers an excuse that he has

to perform the ritual of the burial of his father (18). This reference is also from the Four

Gospels. At this juncture, the Christ advises the poet-seeker that we should always look

forward and achieve our goal instead of looking backwards: "Leave the dead to bury their

own dead/ But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God"^ (18). We should do a

little introspection to go forward with higher spiritual impulse. The poet clings to God

who shows him the right path. The God asks him to carry out the task of preaching and

healing without being perturbed by the questions of faith, insight, ego and knowledge:

Seeking to be healed, cured, initiated

I summoned you from the crowd

For reasons best known to me

You do what I tell

Without worrying about knowledge

faith, insight, ego and its extinction (19)

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As such, the poet-disciple becomes an identification of an agent from the abode of God to

convey. In other words, he is conveying the message of love to the suffering humanity as

well as spreading the message of good will among the people of diverse religions across

the globe. It becomes evident in section six when the Lord says: "You're my agent for

reaching many mired/ in the collectivity of tradition/ Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity"

(20). The poet in his devotional attitude expresses his feelings to God and makes a

complete surrender before Him. Describing his experiences with holy men who would

recoil from "touch," Ranchan reveals to Jesus thus: "Jesus/ Many holy men withdrew

their feet/ When I bent to touch them/ Many jerked their knees/ When I went to touch

them" (20). But the Lord does not differentiate between Him and the poet-seeker. Jesus

says: "The essence of the divine that was/ on me is upon you also" (22). In fact, the Lord

has come to teach the basic principle of mankind that man must have concern for the

other. He suggests that he is living with all people of all religions in the world. He is

enlightening the people about the meaning and objective of humaneness. He wants to

blow on the light inside those who are living in darkness. The Lord who is with all says:

I'm with the Sufis

As much as with the Vedantins

I'm with the Christians

As much as with the Jews

I'm with the saint and the sinner (22)

At this juncture, Christ assumes the tone of Lord Krishna of the Gita who permeates the

whole creation. Christ's divinity in the given lines envelops Sufis, Vedantins, saints and

sinners but Lord Krishna of To Krishna with Love transcends the human plane thereby

assuming subtle as well as cosmic proportions simultaneously. The poet-disciple has the
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appearance of God in a "visionary dream" (23) in his apartment. Jesus is seen as a white

man who is carrying a book of all knowledge. According to Kirpal Singh, "The dialogue

[between the poet and the God] is intense and brisk. The poet-disciple narrates his

physical and mental sufferings in life and his vain attempts to overcome his difficulties

through various yogic "mantras" and "yantras" (Singh 66)." The Lord suggests him not to

care about suffering but focus on the aim for which he had come in the world and that

one must fight for the cause of righteousness. Lord's advice to the poet is akin to that of

Buddha who said that instead of resisting dukkha (suffering), it is better to cherish the

wounds wdthout resentment and fear. He fiarther suggests that "By not accepting,

embracing, transmuting/ suffering/ It is frittered and wasted." (24)

Thereafter Ranchan talks about two types of suffering such as physical and

psychological. The trouble of the physical suffering is not spared even to the "ascetics"

who exercise tremendous control in terms of their eating habits. As far as the

psychological suffering is concerned, Ranchan points toward its "enactment" in day-to-

day life and becomes evident through "evasions of overwork, drink/ argument, squalor,

brawl" (26). The poet-seeker wants to purge all kinds of suffering through divine help. At

this juncture, the Jesus recapitulates the imendurable pain that he was made to undergo

before his crucifixion and suggests to the poet-seeker to learn to suffer without ever

taking recourse to either self-pity or rancour. In Section Eight, Jesus asks the poet-seeker

to remember the "key to the Divine," which is in "giving," "self-control," compassion

and love (28). In order to reiterate the relative importance of "love," Ranchan repeats it

thrice in the text. Soon after that, Jesus departs. Nevertheless, the transformation at the

irmer level is triggered. As a result of it, the poet-seeker feels ultra-light as if a huge pile

of the garbage of millennia has been taken off his head—a pile that he had "gilded as
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suffering" (28). The experience is liberating from the viewpoint of the poet-seeker. Jesus

not only relieves him of the pain of suffering, but also cleanses his psyche of all the

shadow complexes. The poet writes thus:

I knew that something had happened

to my innards

To the right side of my chest

To the left side of my brain

I felt a pressure and a burning (28)

The dialoguing encounter between the poet and the Lord continues in Section Eighteen

wherein the poet pays homage to the divine figure of Christ who is always doing

something for the weal and welfare of mankind. In the third and last part of this section, a

rich homage is paid to Mother Mary too who "accepts sin, guilt, cereal offerings" in her

"infinite mercy" (56). In the last Section, Saint Peter appears in the dream vision of the

poet-seeker who turns confessional thereby revealing each and every strain of his

spiritual quest. He further confesses that he is "somehow stuck" (57) and has not

completely got rid of his "ego inflation and ego insecurity" (58) in life. After listening to

his confession, Saint Peter assures the poet-seeker:

I'll give you the initiation of the Holy Spirit

To purge you of impurities

To bum your defects

To digest your karmas

To get you going (58)

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He further assures the poet-quester regarding cleansing through the baptism of fire that

the former had been giving to the multitudes in the past.

Ill

At this point, it is pertinent to focus at the central motifs in Christ and i. One of the

central motifs in the poem is that of suffering. The poet has certain insights into his own

suffering caused by "brooding" on his "hurts and disappointments," "fantasies of self-pity

and aggressions," being "self-willed" and not appreciative of others "difficulties"(l 1), for

his cutting and murderous analysis and for projecting shadow demons on others. His

suffering (as he sees it through his confessions to Lord) has come from resistance and

from not being able to expand the insights received, and from never translating them into

action. His resistance also comes from not accepting the gifts that Christ gives. This ego-

orientation and resistance to the higher self turns him into a leper. Leprosy is another

major motif in Christ and i. To put it existentially*and psychologically-, during the times

of Christ (or in the medieval times) leprosy was the ultimate experience of ugliness and

alienation. As such, in his anguish with reference to his personal predicament and the

strife and care vis-a-vis society, the poet-seeker implores to be healed.

Another motif, which finds a recurrent mention, is that of intellectual knowledge

and the problems posed by it. The crookedness of intellectual knowledge is conveyed to

the poet-seeker through his glasses in which the right lens is cracked. He wants to see

things clearly but his glasses come in the way enlarging the obvious and not seeing the

fine print properly thereby missing many letters:

Lord

I see crooked

Wouldn't you with glasses

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One lens whole, the other cracked?

Why don't you shatter the glass

And show me the kingdom

So I mdy fulfil thy command?

I summoned you from the crowd

For reasons best known to me

You do what I tell

Without worrying about knowledge

faith, insight, ego, and its extinction

You're my eternal companion

Screwed-up in your way

of looking at things

Subject to resistance

Confused from time to time

Given to a double vision

One from the left eye of love

The other from the right eye of

knowledge, tough and cracked (19)

The lord, however, has no problem with his leprosy and other afflictions pertaining to the

ego, pride and intellectual obfuscation. The Lord only wants him to make a commitment,

which he does more or less, and for which he is favoured too. In his dream encounters, he
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wants again to take up his problem of suffering in depth and detail after having tried

many systems to overcome it. The Lord gives him an extended discourse on suffering.

The key point in the discourse on suffering (be it physical, mental or supernatural) has to

be accepted. Suffering cannot be escaped from. According to the Vedantic way, this

world is seen as not real 'maya' causing suffering. This cannot be nulled, says the Lord,

through meditation in "samadhi state" (24). The Lord cites the example of his own life

and recommends the true accepting and enduring of the suffering which can eventually

turn into ecstasy. Before bidding adieu to the Lord, there is a book for consultation for the

poet-seeker. The book is neither the Bible, nor the Four Gospels, nor the Bhagwad Gila.

It is a collective book having integral and holistic content:

It contains excerpts from all religions many philosophies

alchemies It contains chants and mantras drawings and

yantras jokes and graffiti a dash of pornography

histories of saints obscure symbols It's a book that I've

carried for centuries now It's a book of the Mother

the Father is in it too but It's dedicated to her

essentially and it has lots of blank pages and unfinished

chapters (27)

Thus, one may observe that Ranchan is talking about the book of life, which has vast and

illimitable scope. It comprises everything that life offers. The reference to lots of "blank

pages" and "unfinished chapters," points towards its openendedness. It is ever there

waiting to be lived through and written afresh. It epitomizes the very flux of life which is

unstoppable, perennial.
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Another motif is that of "inflation" (9, 11, 58) which comes from wealth, health

and a sense of well being, which make one feel better as also superior to others. Inflation

at times also comes from a sense of insecurity and confusion. In such kind of inflation,

one tends to hide one's superior attitude. In fact, this kind of inflation is basically

inferiority turned into superiority. The dream vision of Christ on the part of the poet

persona is yet another powerfiil motif in the poem. Through this, we get a fulsome

portrait of Christ as He is seen veritably. In Section Eight, Ranchan writes thus:

A tall white man with eyes uncommonly

bright

He had a shock of flowing hair falling

in ringlets

A long, straight nose, clipped beard,

broad shoulders

A lithe gait (23)

In the Fourteenth Section also, we come across lucid and life-like description of the Lord:

And the Lord appeared tall and shining

His brow broad and high

Face long and triangular

Chin pointed

Eyes deep and loving

The Lord appeared with his hair flowing

Parted in the middle

His seamless robe blessing the earth (45)

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Satan's force to tempt the Lord repeatedly (whom he is offering "luxury and Joy /

undreamt o f ) emerges as an important motif in the poem. The Lord ultimately spurns

"the riches of the Earth" (29). He clings to the path of righteousness and makes the

distinction between the good and the evil. He even sermonizes Satan regarding the

greatness of God by saying that

You don't understand that this world

is His, entirely His

Not that He is in the world

The world is He (31)

The tiredness of Jesus and his complete surrender to the God is another major motif in the

poem. Jesus confesses that he preached the message of God to the people of every caste,

creed and religion. The God advises him to continue his mission till the end and when the

right time will come, the Lord says: "I'll allow you to spit the body/ out and join me in

the light"(37).

Other motifs in the poem are that of "water" and "fire." Water traditionally

belongs to a subterranean region below the human plane. It signifies slow purgation while

the fire is identified with the city of God in the Apocalypse meant for big change/ total

transformation. St. John is immersing the people in the water of Jordan but the.poet is

ready for the baptism of fire. According to Kirpal Singh, "fire is celestial and is imaged in

various forms: angels of fire and light, the burning man in the saint's halo, the tree of life

as burning tree, the burning bush of Moses, so on and so forth." (Singh 68)

Both, the poet-seeker and Christ are fully realized in the poem. They are seriously

engaged in the process of dialoguing in which the former finally becomes the latter's
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devotee. The poet has great respect for the Lord and shows his hospitality by inviting

Him to the dinner. He prepares special "Fried fish smothered in onions and mushrooms"

which the Lord likes the best and says: "I'll eat it with relish for my disciples, devotees, /

women, children and humble folks" (47). The portrayal of the Christ's personality is

based on the Four Gospels. He is a blend of Christianity, Vedanta and Tantra and his

relationship with the poet-tumed-devotee is existential. Ranchan is undoubtedly familiar

with the Four Gospels. But he also relies on his own active imagination (in Jungian

sense) along with his creative force. Moreover, to have a fuller perspective of Christ, he

may be seen in terms of his encounters with Satan, Mary Magdalene, God and also with

Mother Mary.

For instance, Christ is seen in terms of his encounter with Satan who is tempting

him to deviate from the right path in Section Nine. His temptations are alluring, like the

Devil's temptations in Doctor Faustus. This encounter mainly centers on the question of

pleasure and self-abnegation, virtue and vice. Christ is sitting on fast that will last for

forty days in the desert. On the thirty-third day, when he is completely exhausted (but is

still thinking about his devotion, controlling his desires), Satan tries to allure him by

citing an instance from the past by saying that once he too was close to God but he

expelled him in favour of Adam and Eve. Satan then tries to tempt Jesus by offering him

the riches of the world:

"I can give you the riches of the Earth

Armies stretching from horizon to horizon

With banners blazing aloft in the skies

Palaces in every land, tapestries woven

of silver and gold, encrusted with

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diamonds, hanging down from ceiling to floor

I can give you luxury and joy

undreamt o f (29)

Jesus listens to Satan's offer but instead of ignoring, he remembers God. He also

remembers that he has to suffer for the cause of humanity and that it is his duty to help

the needy and the poor who have been discarded by the "commanders and priests" (30).

Jesus also knows that he has come to save human beings from exploitation and torture

without caring a wee bit about his own suffering. He firmly advocates that one must

always believe in action. Upon this, Satan becomes enraged and seeks to test Jesus if he

is actually the Son of God. Satan always challenges Jesus by saying that he must turn the

stone into bread. Jesus, however, is solely devoted to God and does not show any

inclination to get involved in Satan's temptation. He says:

"1 will not tempt my Lord

Doing something stupid like turning stone

into bread

Know ye not that man is soul, that his

relationship with the body is accidental

Besides he does not live by bread alone . . . " (30-31)

He further advises Satan that he has no need to challenge the Lord and to humiliate the

thing like stone which is also the part of God and has its own importance in the larger

scheme of things. Satan loses all self-control and challenges Jesus again by saying that if

he is really the Son of God, he must roll over a hill and God should come to save his life.

But Jesus is very polite and patient and wants to show him the path of God by saying:
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"You're God's son, too

You've cut yourself off the tree

You cannot make up your mind

between Him and His world . . . " (31)

Jesus further tells Satan that once he realizes the glory and greatness of the Lord, he will

himself bow before Him in supplication. He says that a profound feeling of reverence for

the Lord will dawn upon him, which will make him curious to see God and follow His

path. Jesus also reminds him of the incident when he was baptized by St. John and how

the sky flashed with lightning. At this juncture, Jesus stops as He has unshakable faith in

the Lord and waits for the fortieth day of his fast. But before He departs, Jesus

sermonizes Satan for the last time by saying:

When you realize this

You'll quit dividing matter and mind

God and Man

You'll realize

Shivoham! Shivoham! (32)

At this juncture, Satan leaves the desert, "muttering murder" (33) only to make his

appearance later in Section Thirteen when Christ is hung on the Cross. Satan feels pity

and sympathy for Christ whom at one time he offered the riches of the world. SatJin

believes that the sacrifice of Christ for the sake of humanity has proven futile. He feels

sorry for Christ because whatever he taught to the men living in this world has resulted in

nothing as they still go on conmiitting all types of sins. He is remorseful that had Christ

listened to him, nothing would have happened to him. Satan now reminds him of his offer
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about the luxuries of the world which he outrightly rejects. He sarcastically comments on

the Christ's wish to change the world and remarks: "You goddamn flamboyant histrionic/

actor tragic enacting/ the messiah routine" (41). But Jesus does not react, as he has no ill

will against Satan. In fact, he is genuinely concerned about Satan and wants to show him

the path of righteousness. Jesus tells him:

Don't you know my friend

the messiahs, incarnations

prophets, gurus, acharyas

Have come and gone

nicking not a dent in the

shield of ignorance (41)

Nevertheless, Jesus is still friendly with him. Satan feels obliged to Jesus and

understands his feeling for him. Satan now has the realization of his inflated ego on

account of which he could not understand God and his followers. Christ's words astound

him when Satan is told that he has always thought about him and has always been well

aware of his mission on the earth. Christ's concern for Satan is evidenced in his parting

speech in section thirteen:

Next time when we meet

I'll take you into myself more

But this time around it couldn't be

done

The polarization remained

Because the times were too disjointed

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chthonic on your side

cynical on the other (43)

Satan is touched by a genuine sense of concern and compassion exuding from the

Christ's words. He feels utterly alienated and aloof in the world.

The encounter between Christ and Magdalene revolves around the question of

selfishness pervading the world. But ultimately it is Christ who shows her the right path

in life. Magdalene is a sufferer and is deserted by everyone in life. She could not get the

love and affection of her parents due to their callousness and apathy towards her. Her

husband also neglected and ill-treated her. Consequent upon this series of traumas, she

takes to sexuality. Eventually, it is the Christ who helps her thereby offering her a

positive compensation. What happens in her life is not at all according to her will. In fact,

her circumstances impel her to resort to whoring. Christ being compassion incarnate,

acknowledges her and explicitly endorses the purity of her being: "You're a pure woman,

Mary/ You have too much feeling/ And sensation electric" (34). Later he suggests her to

go back home and relax as she has already undergone enormous suffering. He promises

her that "That day is not far when I'll/ come to thee/1 promise in the name of the Lord"

(35). Dialoguing with God, Christ tells Him about his physical and mental exhaustion due

to the performance of his duty sincerely. He has performed each task assigned by God for

the sake of humanity. During his long journey he has helped all types of people.

This, however, is not the end for Jesus as the Lord counsels him that there is no

rest for him because "The confrontation is on/ for two years at least/ You, my son, must

undergo work, / pain, hunger fatigue" (37). It is the will of God that Jesus must continue

with his preaching to ameliorate the lot of the suffering humanity, and which is his sole

mission in this world. The Lord made Jesus realise that one day he will be on the cross to
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be crucified "That day I'll allow you to spit the body / out and join me in the light / That

was is and will be" (37). Christ follows His advice and continues his mission of visiting

his disciples and readily helping the sufferers in every possible way since that was the

onerous task assigned to him by the Lord.

The encounter between the poet-disciple and Mother Mary is seen in Christian

and Vedantic terms and also in terms of Durga symbology. At the beginning, the poet-

disciple offers his homage to the Mother Mary who is tender and perfect and is known

through numerous names and roles assigned to her. Mother is a great devotee of God and

does her job according to His will and advice. The poet-disciple expands and enlarges her

feminine reality and frames her in Durga symbology. In Sixteenth and Seventeenth

Sections in the poem, Mother is invoked as a Mountain Shepherdess, grazing her sheep

and yaks (50) in the high mountains and she has an encounter with Moon God who

speaks to her with overwhelming resonance: "Mary, Mary, I've chosen thee for the/ birth

of my son, Jesus Christ/ In times before you've given birth to/ others like him" (50).

Mother conceives from Moon God. Needless to say that Christ was bom as a result of

this conception. Mary's conception from the Moon God is a departure from Catholic

Christianity. Here it would be pertinent to mention that Moon is regarded as a Male-god

in world mythologies. In India, even today, barren women worship the Moon by offering

milk in plenty for the sake of conception. Incidentally this symbolism is enacted by

Bhabani Bhattacharya also in his novel Music for Mohini. In India's civilizational history.

Moon-centered worship had been prevalent since Vedic times as also during Indus Valley

Civilization in Mohenjo-daro. It is worthwhile to observe that Ranchan does not use the

Moon as Mary's lover consciously. His consciousness being mythic, it is structured

around certain representational symbols that he may not be aware of consciously. Of

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course, they become available to him in a heightened state during the creative process.

The multiple symbols push their way from the subliminal to the threshold of

consciousness of the poet, which then fertilize his Muse. However, the Moon is not only

the lover of Mary, but also becomes her guide in which capacity he unfolds before her

knowledge and the practice of meditation.

The Sixteenth and Seventeenth sections in Christ and i invoke the Nav Durga-

the nine manifestations of Goddess Durga who is Power {Shakti) incarnate in Devi

mythology of India. These forms {roopa) of Durga have been explicated from various

perspectives by Ranchan. As such, a discerning reader does not have to look outside the

poems for the understanding of the nine Goddesses {Nov Durga). The first Goddess is

Shailputri, the daughter of the Mountain who stands for concrete humanization which

means she represents the heights, the massive gravity and beauty of the high mountains.

She, therefore, represents lofted and variegated consciousness in order to tune with this

range of consciousness. With its strata one has to tune to truth, not the truth which comes

from the books but that which comes from intuitions and insights. The second goddess is

Brahmacharini. She is not taken in the reductive sense the woman who is into celibacy

(52). The third goddess is Chandraghanta—the gong of the Moon. Even in the poem God

Moon's moving resonance during his dialogue with Mary is underscored. The yogic

symbology of Chandraghanta is naad and its various frequencies. The idea is that when

you enter into the consciousness from the perspective of truth, you naturally hear the

frequencies of naad continually. Naad is the vibration of creativity. It is the meditation on

the Absolute. One may think of these three goddesses as constituting a triad.

The fourth goddess is Kushmanda. Etymologically speaking Kushmanda is

compound word made of 'kush' (grass which is known for its heat and it is used as a
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sheaf for meditation) and 'manda' meaning 'egg.' As such, Kushmanda is an enamouring

goddess with sensuous breasts and heavy buttocks. The poet describes her his "Pumpkin

Lady/ who ripens with the divine seed with/ the heat of ardour" (53). The fifth goddess is

Skandamata. In Indian mythology Skand is the hero son of Shiva. Skand literally means

the originator sperm of semen. The idea is that Skandmata gives birth to heroes. She is

the mother of the active-doer. The sixth goddess is Katayayani who is conceived of as a

virgin. It symbolically signifies that woman ever remains intact and can never be defiled.

It is interesting to note in this context that in the making of Durga statue mud is taken

from sixteen places and one place belongs to what be called the house of prostitute for

women who have conceived. Just as the first three goddesses (Shailputri, Brahmacharini

and Chandraghanta) constitute a spiritual triad; Kushmanda, Skandmata and Katayayani

constitute the material triad in ordinary life. The seventh goddess is Kalaratri. The name

is obvious. She is the Goddess who wanders through the nights of time. Metaphorically,

she epitomizes the one who goes through all kinds of experiences—pleasant and

unpleasant, fair and foul and high and low. These experiences are to be valued as each of

them is initiatory. Kalaratri is shown as a naked woman with her hair floating over which

she has no control. To speaking psychologically, most people are not properly able to go

through the rites of passage of Kalaratri.

The eighth goddess is Mahagauri. Gauri is one of the names of Mother Parvati,

the spouse of Shiva. It is interesting to note that in Devi symbology she comes after

Kalaratri. The entry into Mahagauri is possible only through mystical state/s. She is

unapproachable materially. The ninth goddess is Siddhidhatri who can give anything in

the locales oidharma, artha, kama and moksha. Perhaps it should be mentioned here that
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Mother Sharda once told her mother, Shyam Sundari to forget about Kali and worship

instead Siddhidhatri/

Unfortunately in protestant Christianity Mother Mary does not have much of a

place. For that matter even Catholic Christianity unfortunately is not centralized which is

too much into God and his Son. The feminine principle is not accorded a prominent

place. Here, Ranchan may be especially commended for magnifying Mother Mary

through Durga symbology. Christianity should also provide an interactive space for what

the poet presents in his poem Christ and i. Christ's coming to Mary and vice versa is

altogether radical—a note never stuck before.

Christ and i is extraordinary because of Ranchan's fiision of lyricism, dialogue,

dramatic encounters, narratorial sequences and incantatorial chants which are specifically

found in the two longer poems (48-55) addressed to Mother Mary. In regard to Ranchan's

lexical strategy one may say that it is simple, down to earth and conversational. It is free

from jargon and pedantry. Its dialogic form enables the poet to dramatize the conflict

within his psyche. The diction and its arrangement force us to regard the poet as a scholar

with highly developed centers of intuition and feelings. Jungian terminology may puzzle

the reader initially but once the reader enters the creative contours of the poet carefully,

things become simpler to grasp.

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Notes
1. This has reference to the Book of Revelation also known as the Revelation to

John which contains the two visions of St. John. The first concerned the Son of

Man (i.e. Jesus) and the second related to the end of the world. Ranchan refers to

the first one. Technically Son of Man refers to Jesus' humanity.

2. This phrase is used to signify the relationship between Jesus and God. In John 5:7,

it is clearly mentioned that there are three who were present in the beginning—the

Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. These Three are One God (also known

as the Holy Trinity).

3. The phrase "baptism of fire" finds mention at two places in the Bible:

(a) "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is

coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to

carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Matthew

3:11)

(b) John answered, saying to them all, "I indeed baptize you with water;

but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy

to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke

3:16)

In fact, John the Baptist said that Jesus will baptize people with the Holy Spirit

and with fire.

4. There are Four Gospels accounts in the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke

and John. All four gospels present Jesus as both—^the Son of God and son of man.
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They all record this baptism, Mary's anointing of the Lord Jesus, His betrayal,

trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection.

5. This refers to Matthew 8:22 (18-23>—"Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own

dead.' Later in the Gospel of Luke (9:57-62) Jesus again says: "Let the dead bury

their own dead, but you go and preach the Kingdom of God." (The Holy Bible

1982)

6. Jung employed active imagination as a tool to have insight into dream material.

Active imagination assigns an active role to the individual in regard to

"encountering and confronting various unconscious archetypal elements within

his or her psyche" (Hopche 56). In other words active imagination implies an

active response to the unconscious contents of individual psyche. Since active

imagination presupposes active participation, it stands in sharp contrast with

daydreaming. It demands "the full co-operation of the participating ego" (Weaver

3). As such, in active imagination "the T is always there." It is made to enter into

the imaginative act "as intensely as it would if it were an external, physical

experience" (Johnson 141).

7. Mother Sharda, in fact, knew that Siddhidhatri was the fulfiller of wishes and

desires. Moreover, she was the final form to be worshipped. In cultural

iconography, Siddhidhatri is visualized as a beautiful woman with four arms,

sitting on a lotus, holding a conch shell, a lotus, a mace and a discus. She is

benevolence and generosity incarnate.

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Eliot, T.S. Four Quartets. London: Harcourt Brace, 1943.

Hopche, R.H. A Guided Tour of the Collected Works ofC.G. Jung. Boston: Shambhala,

1989.

Johnson. R. Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth.

San Francisco: Harper, 1986.

Ken: A Journal of Literary Studies & Creative Writing. Lukhnow: Autumn, 1990.

Marlowe, Christopher. 1969; rpt. The Complete Plays. Ed. J.B. Steane. London: Penguin,

1988.

Marsh, John. 1968; rpt. The Gospel of St. John. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1980.

Ranchan Som P. Christ and i. Calcutta: Writers' Workshop, 1982.

—. Mother Sharda and i. Calcutta: Writers' Workshop, 1982.

—. To Krishna with Love. Hoshiarpur: Charak Publishers, 1986.

—. Manjushri—Tibetan Buddha. Delhi: Ajanta, 1992.

Sharma, Ved, ed. A Profile in Creativity: Poet, Professor, Person. Delhi: Konark, 1992.

Singh, Kirpal. Som P. Ranchan: Poet of Many Voices. Ludhiana: Academic Associates

Trust, 1994.

The Holy Bible, New King James Versioa Madras: India Bible Literature, 1982.

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Weaver, R. The Wise Old Man: A Study of Active Imagination. Boston: Shambhala, 1973.

Wheeler, Sir Mortimer. The Indus Civilization. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1962.