Comparative Study of John Keats’ Idea- ‘Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty’ with ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’

Abstract

Beauty in all its varied forms is a source and embodiment of reality, truth and existence that all know by different names as God, Brahma1, Allah2, Waheguru3, Ishwara4, Parmatma5 and so on in various cultures and across nations and countries. Indeed, we naturally love what is beautiful as it takes us nearer to our unknown chambers of heart which remain dormant or hidden unless a ray of light of truth throws the magnificent glory inside us and we realize the presence of God with all His Grace and Blessings. All five senses help us comprehend the nature beautiful all around us, and we delve deep into the eternal pool of shine which is always true and a representation of the Lord. Keats was a true worshipper of beauty. He loved beauty in all its forms. In his prime days, he was attracted towards sensuous beauty and almost worshipped it but in later years, he turned his attention towards beauty as holy and transcendental; being and coming closer to the Indian philosophical theme- ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram6’ when writing letters and poems of those days. The present paper is the study of John Keats’ spiritual intuition of beauty and truth through the lens of Indian religious and philosophical views to arouse the interest among all to study the different religions from the literary point of view so that the distinctions or barriers in the hearts of all be erased. Some of the relevant Indian religious texts are taken here to explore Keats’ belief in beauty as truth and an attempt has been made to present the Godliness of Keats which has remained dormant over time.