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Reality exists for itself and by itself,
and there was a movement called “Art for Art’s Sake”
[Art for Art’s Sake]
in the, whenever it was, 19th century or whatever.
And, as we’ve mentioned, in the “Picture of Dorian Gray”, the introduction,
Oscar Wilde makes many observations about art,
and he concludes with this statement: “All art is quite useless.”
And naturally, being a wit, some people thought
that he’s saying it’s of no value.
That’s not what he was saying.
When he said it’s “quite useless”,
it was a clever way of saying, “It exists for itself and by itself.”
If it exists to fulfill some purpose, then that’s something less than art,
and that’s why Guru Mahārāj invokes Hegel:
“If reality exists to fulfil the purpose of another,
then it’s not for itself and by itself.”
So we’re back to this means of revelation, of divine expression,
of, Kṛṣṇa, you know, “Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasāchin” (Bg: 11.33);
“Arjuna, you can be an instrument for the expression of My divine will.”
So it’s whether you’re Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra,
or you’re an artist in front of a canvas, or a devotee giving a lecture.
The aspiring servitor is offering themselves as
an instrument to be used for divine expression.