17
Mercy
(daya)
Mercy is a divine attribute present in the player, holding such power that it moves him directly from the second chakra to the eighth, and the Absolute plane. Mercy is a surrender to compassion of such potency that the ego is swept aside in an outrush of feeling so intense that the eyes fill with tears of joy and the heart pulses in exultation and cosmic love. For the moment he is at one with the Divine.
Mercy is the most positive face of the second-chakra ability to imagine possibilities. The state of mercy is created when compassion is extended to one through whom the player’s self-identification was injured. Instead of striking back, taking an “I for an I,” the player turns the other cheek.
The ability to imagine gives the player insight into the motivations of others. The player sees that it was he himself who allowed the hurt, that the other was not responsible. He knows that both he and the other are players in a cosmic game far beyond their present level of comprehension. He sees that he too could have caused the injury to another. He recognizes that there are higher levels of vibration, and that only one who attains the insights gained in vibrating on those planes can judge another. He extends this, the essence of compassion, to the other player in the form of forgiveness. This very realization frees his consciousness from self-identification, and he soars up to the Absolute plane.
In Sanskrit there is a saying: daya (mercy) is the foundation-stone of dharma (righteousness). Without mercy a truly religious nature is not possible. Mercy, kindness, forbearance, temperance — all in time enrich the good in man and help him in the refining of his emotions, the formation of his character, and his ethical development. The barrier of personality is swept away, and his mind becomes a reflection of the Divine. Mercy is a surrender. However, an act of mercy cannot eliminate all past karmas, so the player must roll until the snake of tamoguna bites him. Then he is swallowed and taken back to earth to fulfill his mission.
The "Mercy" (Daya) artwork embodies the transcendent and divine nature of mercy. Central to the image is a figure radiating an aura of compassion and love, representing a person who has fully embraced mercy. This figure is enveloped in radiant light, symbolizing the intense emotional outpouring and divine connection that mercy invokes. The figure's eyes, filled with tears of joy, and the pulsating heart area, express the profound emotional impact and exultation of cosmic love that accompanies the state of mercy. The background transitions through a gradient of uplifting and ethereal colors, moving from those associated with the second chakra to hues representing higher spiritual planes, illustrating the spiritual ascent from the imaginative realm to the Absolute plane. Symbols of forgiveness, like an extended hand or a serene face, are subtly integrated, highlighting the essence of compassion and the transformative power of mercy. The overall mood of the artwork is one of sublime serenity and profound spiritual connection, reflecting how mercy transcends self-identification and elevates individuals to higher levels of consciousness.