The not-so-Humble Circle
Our traditions are replete with symbolisms which we enact without thinking. Why does a bride-and-bridegroom do pherey around a fire? Why folk dances are performed in a circle? Why do we tie a raakhi around the wrist? Why do we do pradakshina in a temple?
The following is my own, original interpretation.
Circle: A curve that meets itself and therefore, encloses an area, and therefore, is a SHAPE.
The Circle is the most common shape. We hardly ever think about why OBJECTS like cooking vessel, car tyre, coin, pipe are circular. EVEN LESS, we never STOP and think WHY MANY OF OUR ACTIONS ARE PERFORMED IN A CIRCLE.
BUT FIRST, A circle is a path or line on which all points are at the same distance from a fixed point outside the line. In other words, if you travel, keeping same distance from a place, your path will be a circle.
A sphere is a Circle in 3D e.g. Balls, Earth, Moon, Planets.
Any object that is in shape of Circle or Sphere is called Round.
What do Round objects do?
Round objects rotate around themselves. Ball, Wheel. Planets.
They revolve around other Round bodies. The Moon goes around the Earth. Earth goes around the Sun.
Going around itself or around a different body, binds the object to whatever is at the centre, which doesn’t let it escape.
This signifies Control, Commitment, Bonding, Loyalty, Attachment, MARYAADA!
When you spin a string with a key around your finger, the key stays in your Control, at a fixed distance from your finger. The moment you let go, the key will fly away from you.
Similarly the gravitation force of the Sun keeps the Earth going around it and not wander away in the Universe. The Earth does the same to the Moon. The Earth’s rotation around itself keeps us bound to the centre of the earth and thus we don’t fall off or fly away… the Earth is spinning us like we swing the keychain.
So going round and round symbolises “being tied“, “staying the path“. The moment you leave the path, you stray. Control and Be Controlled, is essence of running our lives and how the Universe exists.
Our traditions are replete with the symbolism of the circle which we enact without thinking. Examples,
A couple doing rounds around a fire (make vows) at their wedding;
Folk dances are performed in a circle, like garba (stay together, community);
Raakhi “bandhan” (tying up into an assurance, committment);
Doing pradakshina of a deity, temple, holy place or guru (to keep to a righteous path and not stray).
The Humble Circle is NOT SO HUMBLE after all. It Controls us, it Governs us; Binds, Limits, Shuts, Traps, Imprisons…
Once you are tied, you are either Happy or Doomed to stay within. You would need an Escape Velocity (tremendous energy and Will) to exit, or you need the Centre to let you go.
Hmmm