ABSTRACT
This paper explores the philosophical and spiritual parallels between Prahlada’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gita and Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Lotos Eaters, emphasizing the tension between material desire, spiritual blindness, and the quest for divine liberation. The lotos serves in this context as a symbol of spiritual knowledge and material desire, showing how fleeting pleasures can divert the soul from its existential spiritual path Where the paper follows Hindu and Christian theological systems explore the symbolic and spiritual aspects of materialism. a path of decay is represented, revealing the entrapment of the soul in the illusion of maya.
Analysis by pursuit of dharma, karma, and salvation confirms that liberation is not an escape, but by principle forms important in Eastern and Western spiritual traditions of transcendental and divine devotion. Set in place, this study highlights the eternal struggle of human beings to overcome the temptation of earthly attractions and return to the divine source, and offers a deeper perspective on the soul’s journey towards self-realization and ultimate spiritual fulfillment. Furthermore, the paper links the spiritually inferior sailors to the dark forces represented by demons in Indian mythology.
Keywords: Divine, Spiritual, Moksha, Karma, Maya, Christianity, Dharma, Demonic forces
INTRODUCTION
Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem The Lotos-Eaters (1832) depicts a group of sailors who land on a mythical island and eat lotos fruits .The metaphysical interpretation brings forward the metaphor of the journey of the soul—from materialism and emotional longing to supernatural awakening and divine freedom. This pilgrimage resonates in Christian and Indian religious philosophy, where the “ lotus” is an effective symbol of earthly companionship and materialistic addiction and the return home signifies the reunion of the soul with the divine, the real home of each soul.
Tennyson’s The lotos-Eaters can be read as a profound spiritual allegory that resonates with both Christian and Indian spiritual traditions. The lotos fruit represents the seductive allure of materialism, which clouds the soul’s awareness and diverts it from its higher calling. The mariners’ eventual desire to return home symbolizes the soul’s yearning for spiritual fulfillment and reunion with the divine.In Christian spirituality, this return to “home” is akin to the soul’s redemption through Christ and the eventual journey to Heaven. In Indian philosophy, it represents the soul’s liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth and its union with the divine
truth—Brahman or Nirvana. Both traditions emphasize the fleeting nature of worldly pleasures and the need to transcend them in order to reach a higher state of existence. It has been told in every religion to cross that dangerous and havoc path of materialism to be able to reach that divine shore.
Canto 7, Chapter 5, Shloka 31 (Prahlada’s teachings): “na te viduh svartha-gatim hi vishnu-durashaya ye bahir-artha-maninaḥ | andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te ‘pishita-kripana-graham ||”
Translation: “Those who are attached to material pursuits and who worship other deities are blinded by ignorance. They are like the blind leading the blind.”
Surely, surely, slumber is more sweet than toil
Prahlada Maharaja teaches that attachment to material possessions leads to spiritual blindness, true knowledge and liberation through devotion to Vishnu, the same blindness and enrichment that all sailors experience through the lottery compliance, binding them to ignorance.The blinding force here can be viewed as the relentlessness of the sailors’ lottery scandal.
In Tennyson’s poetry, the lotos symbolizes earthly pleasures and the seductive allure of materialism. It causes sailors to lose sight of their motivations, their homeland, and even their sense of time and responsibility. You seem to forget that a physical attraction reflects the stupid human mind, distracting from the higher supernatural motivations of the self. The attractiveness of the lotos can be likened to the effects of opium or emotional relaxations, both of which provide temporary satisfaction while delaying religious reading and making one lost in numbness and stillness.
Ultimately, Tennyson’s poem reflects the universal spiritual truth: the material world may offer transient comfort, but the soul’s true home lies beyond the illusions of earthly desires, where it can experience eternal peace and communion with the divine. The spiritual journey, whether framed through Christian or Indian perspectives, is a call to transcend materialism, awaken to the deeper truths of existence, and return to the “Land of the Lord”—a place of eternal grace, wisdom, and spiritual fulfillment.Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Spiritual Allegory of “The lotos-Eaters”: A Path from Materialism to Divine Salvation with Perspectives from Indian and Christian Spirituality.
In Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem The lotos-Eaters (1832), there are several spiritual and philosophical elements that can be explored. The poem presents a narrative in which a group of sailors, after landing on an exotic island, encounter the intoxicating and forgetful influence of the lotos flowers. As they consume the lotos, they lose their desire to return home and instead long for the peaceful, carefree existence offered by the island. These themes can be seen as having deep spiritual, moral, and philosophical implications,where the human mind when caught in maya (materialistic world), forgets to be on the good and moral path.
Significance of lotos
From an Indian worldview the lotos has a positive, large and profound symbolism. In Hinduism and Buddhism, a lotus is a sacred flower that represents spiritual awakening, purity and enlightenment. However, when viewed from the perspective of Maya—the illusionary world of materialism—the lotus becomes a symbol of attachment to the transient world, which traps the soul in cycles of desire and ignorance,which also provide the opportunity to exercise Moksha. In Hindu thought, the attachment to the physical world is seen as a root cause of human suffering and spiritual delusion. The lotus, when detached from its higher spiritual symbolism, thus serves as a reminder of the soul’s descent into illusion, much like the mariners’ descent into forgetfulness upon eating the fruit, which traps the human soul into the same cycle of reincarnation.
Let us alone. What pleasure can we have To war with evil?
From an Indian spiritual perspective, the journey back home resonates with the concept of dharma (divine duty), karma (action and its consequences), and moksha (spiritual liberation). In Hinduism and Buddhism, the soul’s ultimate goal is to transcend the cycle of samsara (birth, death, and rebirth) and reach a state of union with the divine—Brahman in Hinduism or Nirvana in Buddhism. The mariners’ return to their homeland can be viewed as an allegory for the soul’s return to its original state of purity and unity with the divine,which is rarely achieved by the human soul. The faults of the human world are depicted in the Escape from the weight of life which is the central to the spirituality of the poem. Sailors are drawn to the island as a place of rest, where the harsh realities of their voyage seem to subside as if they are running away from their spiritual and true journey.
Furthermore, In Indian spirituality, the consumption of lotos can be seen as the experience of attaining moksha (liberation) from indulging in worldly pleasures. But the deeper spiritual message suggests that liberation is achieved not through flight or forgetfulness of the world, but through transcendent passion and attachment. This is in line with Tennyson’s words, where ultimately sailors must reject the material pleasures of lotos and return to their true calling, which is salvation through it.
In the poem, the sailors’ desire to return home symbolizes the soul’s longing for a truly spiritual place. The idea here is that the home transcends earth and physical boundaries and represents the ultimate heavenly union, peace and salvation. In Christian theology, the soul’s journey is often depicted as a pilgrimage, where the soul renounces earthly attachments and seeks eternal salvation in the presence of God.
Bhagavad Gita, 2.20:
Sanskrit: “na jayate mriyate va kadācin nāyam bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajo nityah śāśvato ‘yam purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre”
Translation:
“The soul is never born, nor does it die; it is eternal and is never destroyed when the body is destroyed. The soul is never subject to birth and death; it is eternal, imperishable, and indestructible.”
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna teaches that the soul is eternal and that its true nature is not hindered by the material world. Calling sailors home, the soul is encouraged to discover its true nature beyond the limitations of earthly existence and to embark on a path of spiritual awakening. Lotos-eaters in this sense represent those who have forgotten their purpose and true self and are lost in the illusions of the material world, and can only return to eternity through conscious effort in the truth of the matter. In Hindu philosophy, the soul (atman) is believed to be on a continuous journey through the cycle of rebirth, a process involving many lives and each birth is seen as an opportunity for the soul to evolve and achieve its origins results or actions of past actions. The soul is permanently indestructible and is distinguished from the body by its momentary decay. As successive births proceed, the soul passes through various stages, facing various circumstances, environments, and challenges according to past actions and desires. With each rebirth, the soul accumulates knowledge and wisdom, slowly dealing with attachments and shortcomings. This journey, which continues through the cycles of birth, death and rebirth until the soul transcends the material world and its infinite cycles and reaches the state of spiritual enlightenment and liberation (moksha), emphasizes the importance of realization himself, emphasizing righteousness and godly devotion, for every life belongs to the soul. It serves as a stepping-stone to humanity’s final return to Heaven. Here also the voyage that the sailors are on can be treated as the spiritual path and the island as the distraction and addiction and hurdles that soul faces at each step.
The Tension between earthly pleasures and the heavenly calling
Tennyson’s poem creates a subtle tension between the sailors’ desire to remain in the peaceful, idyllic land of the lotos Eaters and their desire to finally return home. This reflects an internal conflict expressed in human nature: the desire for temporary pleasures and the desire of the soul for heaven, eternal truth.
Let us alone. What is it that will last?
This tension in the Christian spirit reflects the struggle between earthly trials and the call to seek the kingdom of God. Christ taught that worldly attachments such as wealth, power, and pleasure are temporary, and that true fulfillment comes from seeking spiritual righteousness. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns against storing up treasures on earth, but urges believers to seek the Kingdom of Heaven, where true and eternal treasures can be found. Ultimately, the sailors’ desire to return home reflects the return of the Christian soul to God after encountering the distractions of the world.
Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV): “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).
In these verses, Jesus teaches his followers to avoid becoming overly attached to material possessions, as they are temporary and vulnerable to decay and theft. Instead, he encourages them to focus on accumulating spiritual wealth—virtue, righteousness, love, and devotion—which are eternal. This teaching underscores the Christian principle that true fulfillment and purpose are found not in the pursuit of worldly success or pleasure, but in aligning one’s life with God’s will and seeking spiritual righteousness. Jesus reminds that what one treasures reflects the true priorities of the heart, and those who focus on spiritual values will find lasting peace and fulfillment. The sailors’ forgetfulness and subsequent desire to return home symbolize the inner conflict of the human soul: the attraction of maya (material world) and the realization of the true identity that exists beyond material existence.
The Role of Divine Grace in Spiritual Awakening:
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV): “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
In these lines, salvation is a gift from God, given through His grace, and not something that can be earned through human efforts or good works. Grace, in Christian doctrine, refers to God’s unmerited favor and love for humanity, which makes salvation possible. Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the means by which individuals accept God’s grace. This verse stresses that no one can boast about their own actions or righteousness because salvation is not based on personal achievement, but on God’s generosity. It highlights the core Christian belief that salvation is a divine gift, and it can only be received through faith in Christ, not through any human effort. The mariners’ eventual yearning to return home is not merely a personal decision but can be seen as a subtle invocation of divine grace. In Christian doctrine, salvation is not attained purely through human effort but through God’s grace. The return to the divine “home” is ultimately made possible by the call of God, just as the mariners’ return is hinted at through their faint desire to move beyond the temporary satisfaction of the lotos fruit.In Indian spirituality, the concept of divine grace, or kripa, is also central to the soul’s liberation. It is through the grace of God or a spiritual teacher (guru) that the soul is awakened from the slumber of material ignorance and is guided towards enlightenment. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that it is through divine grace that the soul can transcend the illusory world and attain spiritual wisdom. The mariners’ awakening and their return to their original path, though not fully realized in the poem, symbolize this moment of grace and awakening, which allows the soul to rise above the distractions of the world and seek reunion with the divine.
Bhagavad Gita, 9.22:
Sanskrit: “ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate | teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemam vahāmy aham ||”
Translation:
“To those who are constantly devoted and who always think of Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”
Explanation:
In this verse, Lord Krishna teaches that those who surrender themselves completely and dedicate their hearts and minds to Him receive His divine grace. Krishna, as the Supreme, bestows the wisdom and understanding that guides the devotee toward liberation (moksha). The verse highlights that the grace of God is the primary force that leads the soul out of the material world’s ignorance (Maya) and toward enlightenment. It is not merely through one’s efforts but through Krishna’s grace that the soul can awaken to its true nature and ultimately reunite with the divine.It can be estimated and believed that It was the fate of the sailors to be trapped in the addiction where they are constantly in ignorance and blindness.
Bhagavad Gita, 5.22:
Sanskrit: “ye hi samsparśa-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te | ādi-anta-vantaḥ kaunteya nāteshu ramate budhaḥ ||”(Krsna, Bhagavad Gita 5.22)
Translation:
“An intelligent person does not delight in the pleasures of the senses that arise from contact with the material world. Such pleasures are the sources of misery, and they have a beginning and an end. The wise person does not rejoice in them.”
In this verse, Lord Krishna explains that worldly pleasures arising from sense experience are temporary and ultimately lead to suffering. Pleasure arising from the interaction of the senses is temporary and has a beginning and an end. Krishna warns that attachment to such pleasures leads to a cycle of desire and pain (samsara). A wise person who knows that these pleasures are not malicious does not indulge in them. The implication of the passage is that true happiness is not found in temporal and material pleasures but in spiritual perfection and divine devotion.The comparison of these parallels as false dreams reveals their fleeting and deceptive nature revealed. Just as a dream seems true but magically comes true upon waking, so material pleasures seem to satisfy in the moment but ultimately fail to bring lasting happiness or peace the Gita commands encouraging avoidance of such illusions and the search for eternal truth through spiritual wisdom. The lottery promises peace and infinite happiness, but the spiritual truth is that it is a false promise. The state of forgetfulness caused by lots is not true spiritual peace, but a kind of spiritual death. Sailors may be free from the worries of life, but they are robbed of their maturity, purpose, and meaning.
“Reviews of “The Lotos-Eaters” took note of this rendition of the gods, with James Spedding pointing out, “The gods of the Lotos-eaters … are altogether Lucretian.” Yet while Lucretius argued that “pain is produced by the operation of the natural, so it is childish to blame the gods who are indifferent to human affairs,” the Victorians interpreted Lucretius in a very different way, “outraged by the very notion of an indifferent deity reveling in his separated felicity, amused by the world’s pain”. The mariners, in supporting this latter view, argue that if the gods do not care about their supposed charges, why should the sailors toil for an afterlife? A lifetime of work, according the sailors, may not even grant them the reprieve of the Elysian Fields, as some believers are still banished to Hell.”
This can be seen as a commentary on the illusion of material pleasure or emotional satisfaction as a path to material fulfillment. The sailors’ longing for eternal rest is juxtaposed with the deeper and more complex spiritual truth that peace is achieved not through resignation or disinterest but through struggle, understanding and growth. The theme of forgetfulness can relate to the concept of spiritual amnesia, where one forgets one’s higher purpose and indulges in the fleeting pleasures of the material world Spirit in it represents the soul’s tendency to be distracted by the temptations of the world and to lose sight of its deeper, more permanent nature and to even blame God for its suffering.
The island of the Lotos seems a paradise: “always afternoon,” filled with “languid air,” a gleaming river, snow-topped mountains with “the charmèd sunset…in the red West.”
This can be seen as a warning commentary on the dangers of deviating from reality to pursue a purely normative life True spirituality in this sense is not based in the world not withdrawing from it or seeking refuge from its problems, but engaging with it and understanding its complexity.
The lotos fruit in the poem symbolizes the allure of earthly pleasures, much like the distractions and temptations described in various religious traditions. In Buddhist philosophy, for instance, attachment to sensory pleasure is considered a fundamental cause of human suffering and a barrier to enlightenment (Rahula, 1974). The lotos-eaters’ detachment from their original quest echoes a common Buddhist theme: the refusal to engage in the world’s cycles of desire and suffering results in spiritual stagnation rather than liberation. Tennyson’s sailors, much like the lotos-eaters of Homer’s myth, seek peace through forgetting their responsibilities, yet in doing so, they lose their sense of purpose. The choice to “sink into the deep” (Tennyson, 1832) becomes not one of transcendence, but of spiritual atrophy. This offers a cautionary spiritual > *“Let us alone. What is it that will last?
If we draw the parallels of importance in today’s world, this detachment from time is strikingly similar to the temporal disconnection created by modern technology. Endless notifications, binge-worthy streaming, and AI-curated content blur the boundaries of time, leaving users in a perpetual state of distraction. The poem’s exploration of timelessness serves as a metaphor for how technology consumes hours, making individuals oblivious to the fleeting nature of life and the importance of purposeful action. Moreover, just as the lotos-eaters become indifferent to their original purpose—returning home—today’s tech-driven culture fosters a similar apathy toward long-term goals. The sailors’ belief that they have found peace and fulfillment in the land of the lotos is ultimately an illusion. Their contentment comes at the cost of abandoning their humanity and the challenges that define it. Tennyson critiques this false sense of fulfillment, suggesting that a life without struggle and growth is hollow. Modern addiction to AI and gadgets presents a similar illusion of satisfaction. The dopamine rush from social media likes, AI-recommended content, or the convenience of automation creates a false sense of achievement. However, this often leads to feelings of emptiness and disconnection in the long term. Like the sailors, individuals entranced by technology may mistake temporary gratification for genuine fulfillment.
Tennyson’s poem can also be interpreted as a spiritual journey, where the mariners’ eventual return home symbolizes a movement toward divine redemption. The concept of “home” in the poem transcends mere physical location and instead becomes a metaphor for spiritual awakening and salvation. For the Christian reader, this return to “home” resonates with the Biblical idea of returning to the Lord, a journey of the soul toward Heaven.
“Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7, NIV)
This verse emphasizes the act of repentance and returning to God. It conveys the idea of the soul turning back to the Lord, where mercy and forgiveness are found, symbolizing a return to “home.” The journey from the land of the lotos-Eaters to the familiar shores of home can be viewed as an allegory for the soul’s redemption from the distractions of the earthly, material world back to the sanctity of divine grace.In Christian theology, the human soul is often portrayed as being on a pilgrimage toward God, and many aspects of this pilgrimage involve a rejection of earthly distractions and a return to divine fellowship. The mariners’ initial forgetfulness upon consuming the lotos mirrors the way in which individuals, consumed by the world’s temptations, lose sight of their divine purpose. However, the call to return home also hints at the possibility of spiritual awakening and renewal. The home, or “heavenly land,” can be interpreted as the realm of God, the “Land of the Lord,” a place of eternal peace and communion with the divine.
Looking at it from Indian philosophies—especially greed (greed), speculation (sakti), and irshaya (greed), and maya (illusion), karma (action and effect), and reincarnation (cycle of birth); mind and rebirth). Sailors’ enjoyment of the lotos fruit can be interpreted as a metaphor for the entrapment of the Like that forbidden fruit in the Bible, the lotos tree is that intoxicating fruit that tempts sailors into a state of spiritual forgetfulness. The fruit is a powerful symbol of the seductive greed of the material world—which, though initially pleasant, eventually leads to spiritual decay.Same concept can be seen in Indian spirituality as the lotos seed giving rise to greed ( corruption), illusion (power), and jealousy (envy) , all of which are basic elements, are obstacles to spiritual progress in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies.
1. Lobh (Greed)- The sailors’ initial desire to eat the lotos fruit reflects greed, an insatiable hunger for more—material wealth, sensual pleasure, or power. Greed is the dominant force that binds one to the material world, seeking eternal fulfillment in external sources rather than the inner riches of spiritual wisdom rather than a land full of lush fruits eating lotos Flesh the earthly world is a symbol of transitory happiness leading to false satisfaction In Indian spiritual thought, greed is an illusory, obstructive force the path of the soul to realize its higher potential and leads to endless desire and satisfaction.
2. Moha (Attachment) – After eating the lotos, the sailors wish to remain in the smooth lush landscapes of the Island, relinquishing their desire to return home. It is a symbol of love or attachment—a deep emotional bond formed by individuals with worldly interests, possessions, and relationships. In Hinduism, attachment is considered a major cause of suffering because it traps a person in the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara), unable to attain spiritual liberation (moksha). It also hinders spiritual growth
3. Irshaya (Jealousy): Though irshayah(jealousy) is not explicitly mentioned in Tennyson’s poem, it can be inferred in the desire of the sailors to leave their past and accept a peaceful life of lotos-eaters and silently accepted. This desire for what others have—their material wealth, happiness, or peace—leads to dissatisfaction and inner turmoil. Sailors, though fiercely jealous, enjoy the apparent happiness of lotos-eaters, while individuals long for a seemingly good life In Indian spirituality, jealousy is seen as a hindrance mainly preventing peace and self-realization, because it comes from lack and comparison rather than satisfaction in one’s spiritual journey
Satanic Powers: Demonic powers and spiritual threads
In Indian mythology, the Asuras are powerful beings, demons who represent the forces of darkness, ignorance and malice. It is often associated with rajas (lusts) and tamas(ignorance), the qualities that bind the soul to the material world. The land of the lotos Eaters can be seen as a place ruled by demonic forces, where sailors fall prey to physical temptations that cloud their vision and destroy their true divine nature when those dark magical forces this arrests the soul and prevents it from realizing its higher purpose. Sailors become weak and apathetic after following the lotos, disconnected from their purpose and indifferent to the world around them This reflects the effect of demonic forces on the soul —when desire, attachment and jealousy seize the soul it falls into a state of ease like a sailor. In Hindu philosophy, the soul subjected to demonic influence is not actually evil but is cut off from divine wisdom and is caught in the illusion of ignorance. Passive sailors manifest this spiritual trap in that they are lost in the distractions of the material world, unable to let go and search for higher spiritual truths
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