invisible knowledge

The “third eye” is a metaphysical concept passed down to us from many ancient civilizations. It is the gate, that once accessed, can lead to many different realms of space and or dimensions. There are various ways of accessing the eye but the main is through deep meditation. The method includes focusing on the point between the eyes until you start to feel the vibrations of the universe, this can lead to a better understanding of yourself and your mission in the cosmos. People who develop their sense of a third eye are known as seers, and their wisdom is usually greatly respected. In Jasmine, by Bharati Mukherjee, we see early on her development of such and eye and, throughout the novel, we observe her contemplating deep questions regarding the purpose of the eye and its meaning in her life as well as those she comes in contact with.

When Jasmine was seven, she was sitting under a banyan tree with an astrologer. The astrologer, using his ability to see and foretell the future predicted Jasmine’s widowhood and exile. This event led to her falling and development of a scar on her forehead, which she deemed her third eye. The astrologer enlightened her on the eminence of fate in relation to the eye by using the analogy of the snake, saying, “ A magic snake will penetrate solid walls when necessary." Jasmine took the astrologers words and created her own sense of understanding by stating that she knew what she did not want to become. Would her understanding of what she did not want to become be able to overcome her predestined fate as foreseen by the astrologer?

The discussion of predestined fate in relation to ones mission in life is discussed in great detail throughout chapter nine in the book and it reveals how much Jasmine has progressed in her understanding of fate through the use of her third eye. Jasmine puts forth the statement that maybe God’s assignments are too vast for the human mind to comprehend. She says that maybe Pitaji’s life assignment was to crunch on piece of gravel and that perhaps her father’s assignment was to be simply a father. She even goes as far in being egotistical enough to say that perhaps her mission in life was to bring Taylor enlightenment. The whole concept of someone’s mission in life being as small as moving a grain of dust shows that Jasmine is using her third eye to somehow grasp how God’s eye functions. Taylor exclaims that if someone’s mission of moving dust is as important as discovering relativity, wouldn’t it be the formula for anarchy? This, he says would be a completely fatalistic and futile outlook on life and would lead to many people being completely unmotivated to accomplish anything in their lives. The incentive, Jasmine states, is to treat every second of your existence as a gift from God

Jasmines ability to understand through her third eye something as deep as recognizing the importance of every single action being a possible life mission reveals her progress as she moves in her life towards constructing a new identity. She is able to deeply realize that her mission could very well involve her travels to the states and that she might have a profound affect on someone she meets there or something she comes across.