Completed in 1902, the six-foot-tall sculpture “The Thinker” by August Rodin portrays Italian poet Dante Alighieri in front of the gates of hell, pondering “The Divine Comedy,” his three-part epic journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. Guided first by the Roman poet Virgil and later by his idealized beloved Beatrice, Dante moves from despair and sin toward enlightenment and divine union.
The poem serves as both a spiritual allegory of the soul’s ascent to God and a vivid moral commentary on human vice, virtue, and the structure of the universe. Rodin chose to depict Dante as a man mentally tormented by these grand meditations.
The Bhagavad Gita reminds us that the mind can also be our best friend. An open mind is the gateway to freedom, as it offers perspectives the fearful mind cannot see. Bengali saint Chaitanya (1486-1533) declared that repeating the Krishna mantra gives the chanter access to the life of an open mind: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This simple practice slows the heart rate, brings oxygen to the brain, and permits a calmer, more reasoned assessment of life’s challenges.
