***Oneness of Holy Trinity***. Review on Forerunner, The - Kahlil Gibran

“You are your own forerunner, and the towers you have builded are but the foundation of your giant-self. And the self too shall be a foundation.”This is the starting sentence of The Forerunner. And how the Forerunner ends? It ends with a miniature of ‘The Prophet’, “Night is over, and we children of night must die when dawn comes leaping upon the hills, and out of our ashes a mightier love shall rise. And it shall laugh in the sun, and it shall be deathless.”

This is another book of parables and poems from Kahlil Gibran. For one who read few of Kahlil books, this book may not give much of new thoughts, except his vision, understanding and reservation on the concept of ‘Holy Trinity’.

‘The Holy Trinity’ has been a challenging mountain for one and all approached it as a philosophy. In fact the Christian church failed so far to explain it in a simple way. We have to spare the church for not doing so, because the philosophy behind it is not that simple. The understanding requires a greater knowledge base to understand its meaning.

I was born in Kerala a land where Srinarayana Guru was born. A state which is known for its religious mixture and fundamentalism was not behind in keeping caste system intact. Ezhava community was suffering from the ill treatments from upper caste Hindus which compelled Sri Narayana Guru to consider various options including a change of religion. Christianity, Muslims, Buddism, all got consideration. The reason why Sree Narayana Guru didn’t choose Christianity was the inefficiency of a priest he approached to know the base of ‘Holy Trinity’.

The understanding of Holy trinity may require some base from ‘Adwaita’ and some from the scientific example of electricity. For one who follows the question and didn’t find answers, the all idea may look false and the one who find its ‘real’ meaning may be astonished in the amazing depth of its implications.

The best I heard about the ‘Holy trinity’ is the example of a word expressed in sound. Where was the word before we utter it out? Where it will be after the echo stopped for our ears? I think the father is represented by the word before it utters, the son as the word and the Holy Spirit the echo which never die but reap the fruits. It also can be told with an example of a tree. The father as a seed and root, son as a body and branch, the Holy Spirit as the tree’s flower and fruits….the idea is that it is one and the same but the change is in our form of understanding and experience. An unuttered word makes its presence by a thought; the word with its meaning and sound; and the word after expression with its reaction.

Kahlil’s search is to understand the secret behind the holy trinity and the message is there in his words. “How shall my leaves fly singing upon the wind unless my roots wither in the dark” He approaches the situation in a practical way and announces that we cannot live only in spiritual or dream world alone where one will be brought to the justice of the land. The song, ‘The Dying Man and the vulture” is one of the best poems from Kahlil, rich in content and perfect in its message. The transformation is beautifully narrated with the help of a heart touching story. “But this chain, though made of a breath Is hard to break...” will lead us to Gethsamen, where “I would have it soar with you in the sky. Come now, my friend, I am your host tonight, And you my welcome guest.” This understanding leads to the wisdom given in the Last Watch, “The seekers after world knowledge, I condemned as offenders of the holy spirit and those who would naught but the spirit I branded as hunters of shadows who cast their nets in the waters and catch but their own images.”

Even when he sees the view of people who argue for world knowledge by saying ‘the dreamers will not be spared of the justice of the land’, he confirms that “O love, wholly lordly hand Has bridled my desires, And raised my hunger and my thirst To dignity and pride…” When we worry about tomorrow, there is no end to it, which Kahlil says in ‘The Plutocrat’.

‘The Front Runner’, the first chapter and ‘The Last Watch’ the last chapter both were excellent. ‘The Dying Man and the Vulture’ will give a tough competition to ‘The Last Watch’ for the best chapter in the book. ‘War and the Small Nations’, ‘Love’ and ‘The Plutocart’ there is not many chapters we can say outstanding but the book is quite small. Few of the topics are repeated with different examples, but the central point of discussion was one.

Worth a read for some very good thoughts though not compelling - except for the three excellent chapters I mentioned above. Who can fix a price of a piece of wisdom and how I can say the book is worthless for the money? Read it, if you get a chance!!