Kabir – The couplet
अग्नि आंच सहना सुगम, सुगम खडग की धार |
नाही निबाहन एक रस, महा कठिन व्यवहार ||

transliterated:
Agni aanch sahana sugam, sugam khadag ki dhaar |
Nahi nibahan ek ras, maha kathin vyavahaar ||

Translation:
The bite of a flame can be endured, as can the slice of a sharp dagger |
To deal with all in one tone and temper, though, is a truly difficult task ||

My thoughts:
We live in a space of extremes and opposites.

We know heat because we understand cold. Happiness is enjoyed only after understanding the pangs of sorrow. Suffering (minor or major) precedes true joy. We love because we can hate. Sanity is perceived because madness exists.

In the middle of these opposites (and the associated extremes) we live with a deep desire for calmness. This state of calm, the true center of peaceful bliss, is achieved when we can perceive and work with both ends of the spectrum, without being drawn to, influenced by or attached to either extreme or end.

Then we have found another definition of the path to real happiness.

Kabir – The couplet

सब रंग तांत रबाब तन, बिरह बजावे  नित्त |
और न कोई सुन सके, कई साईं कई चित्त ||

transliterated:

Sab rang taanth rabaab tan, birah bajaave nit |
Aur na koi sun sake, kai sai kai chitt ||

Translation:

This human body is the complete musical instrument, played incessantly by the longing |
None other can hear the music though, but the mind, the Lord, and the connected souls ||

My thoughts:

Music surrounds us. Creation is music – life is but an expression.

The music we make comes in many forms. Our art is our music – our work is the crescendo. The rise and fall of the chest of a sleeping human is the gentlest music of them all – it is our communion with the self.

The bright sun sings with light, while the dark night envelops us in quiet velvet. Hunger sings with growls, while satiation performs with satisfied sighs. Sadness and melancholy are but the slow second part of the symphony of life, with the joyous crescendo yet to come.

Find the music all around you and connect to it – listen, and you will have learned to communicate with God.

Kabir – The couplet
हर चले सो मानव, बेहद चले सो साघ |
हद बेहद दोनो तजे, ताको भाता अगाध ||

transliterated:
Har chale so maanav, behad chale so saadh |
Hadh behad dono taje, taako bhaata agadh ||

Translation:
He who stays within the limits of teachings is man, he who explores beyond is a guide |
But he who soars beyond without limit, he is the true seeker, the saint who finds ||

My thoughts:
Freedom is a curious concept. We are free to think of anything in any way at any time; but to be truly free, we have to first learn to exercise restraint.

The musician who wants to be free to create music needs to limit his other activities so as to allow himself to be immersed in his music – the scientist chasing the elusive solution to a puzzle removes himself from the humdrum of daily life.

Freedom, then, comes from the realization of complete discipline. The first step to freedom is knowledge. Knowledge is what sets us free and on the path to seek truth. Truth enables us to realize the purpose of our existence. Realizing our purpose, when we walk on the path leading to the fulfillment of that purpose is when we find true freedom.

Kabir – The couplet
मन के बहुत सतरंग है, चुन चुन बदले सोय |
एक रंग में जो रहे, ऐसा बिरला कोए ||

transliterated:
Man ke bahut satrang hai, chun chun badale soye |
Ek rang mein jo rahe, aisa birla koi ||

Translation:
The mind flits like a butterfly through many colors, picking one after the other |
When the mind finds focus, it can then direct the soul to success ||

My thoughts:
Our rationality tends to sometimes lead us astray. We need to find reason, and this quest often leads as astray of our target. Sometimes, reason becomes evident only after attaining that which is sought.

This is why many generals insist on discipline and look for obedience rather than free thought. Everyone has a different perspective, and this colors our view of the object. The entire army needs to think as one – the decision is the burden of the general alone. In the absence of such discipline, many wars would have led to pure chaos.

Our entire being is in and of itself larger than any army. Each of senses perceives different from the rest. Each limb has different ways to get to where it needs to be, and each independent part of the body needs to do something different, but in complete coordination, for the body to be where it needs to be at any time. And this still needs coordination with the mind for the inner being to be in sync with the external world.

Focus and concentration – these are what will help us find the right way every time. But we still need direction from our goal, our ambition. So they are not the entire answer, but they are the right way to the answer.

Kabir – The couplet
बंधे को बंधे मिले, छूटे कौन उपाय |
जो मिले निर्बंध को, पल में ले छुड़ाई ||

transliterated:
Bandhe ko bandhe mile, choota kaun upaay |
Jo mile nirbandhko, pal mein le chhoodai ||

Translation:
When a bound person meets another bound person, both are equally helpless |
But a bound person who meets a free man, can be free in no time at all ||

My thoughts:
As a general rule, humans tend to find comfort with others of their own kind of thinking and state. The other common truth about humans is that we are social beings, and use our circle of friends, acquaintances and family to find answers to anything that vexes us.

However, the truth is that if the other is struggling with the same problem, he cannot help me with the answer that he has yet to find. In this manner, as the days of a life progress, we dig ourselves into very deep holes lined with unanswered questions, and pretty soon, all daylight is invisible to us inside the tunnel we have forced ourselves into.

This is when it helps to seek out an unburdened soul – for this soul, in the absence of my binding vexations, finds simple, easy and often fun solutions to my issues along with other side benefits that my blinders had hidden from my sight.

A real teacher is a good guide, and a simple person – for the complex ones are too busy resolving their own complexities to truly understand my questions properly.

Kabir – The couplet
जो कोई निन्दे साधू को, संकट आवे सोय |
नरक जाये जन्मे मरे, मुक्ति कब हू न होय ||||

transliterated:
Jo koi ninde sadhu ko, sankat aave soye |
Narak jaaye janme mare, mukti kabahu na hoye ||

Translation:
He who curses the righteous, suffer much in life |
Lives in hell, he does, and finds not but a moment of peace||

My thoughts:
In our daily rush to get to the end of the day, we rarely pause to stop and see the effect our words, actions and thoughts have on those around us. But it is these very actions and words that define our ability to enjoy a peaceful night of sleep at the end of the day.

Every human, rich or poor, needs to feed, and needs to sleep. If I can find enough food to stave off my hunger, and I can sleep a full night without restless tossing, I am already better off than 80 percent of humanity. How much money can buy me that level of satisfaction?

Kabir – The couplet
भूखे को कुछ दीजिये, यथाशक्ति जो होय |
ता ऊपर शीतल वचन, लाखों आत्मा सोय ||

transliterated:
Bhookhe ko kuch dijiye, yatha shakti jo hoye |
Taa upar sheetal vachan, lakhon aatma soye ||

Translation:
Feed the poor, to the extent personal resources allow |
Blessed by a satisfied soul, we gain the strength to satisfy many more ||

My thoughts:
The quote and the couplet above already state the obvious. But there is an underlying truth that is often ignored. When we serve, especially when we serve without thought of gain or return, we get more than another soul’s blessing. We learn, we discover more of our real self, and we become more that we were when we started.

This is because service helps us reach in and find that inner core of strength to go beyond a material need to understand another person. This learning is more than an entire life can pay for – and the enrichment gained is otherwise unattainable.

Kabir – The couplet
शील क्षमा जब उपजे, अलग ध्रिस्टी तब होए |
बिन शील पहुंछे नहीं, लाख कहे जो कोई ||

transliterated:
Sheel, kshama jab upaje, alag dhristi tab hoye |
Bin sheel pahunche nahi, lakh kahe jo koi ||

Translation:
Morality and forgiveness, when realized, change our very perception of the world around |
Without morality, we end up at the door of nowhere, no matter how much we say ||

My understanding:
Morality is guided by ethics, and when combined with the virtue of forgiveness, allows us to overcome our darkest fears and most troubling moments.

For our fears, when truly understood, stem from our own lack of knowledge – not from any threat to our being.

Ethics tells us what is right, and morality guides our action. When this is coupled with the ability to forgive, we have finally learned to live. This is the stepping stone, nay the foundation block, on which we can simplify our lives and perceive the real truth, rather than the fog that our five physical senses impose on our perception.

Kabir – The couplet
कबीरा ज्ञान विचार बिन, हरी ढूंड न को जाए |
तन में तिरलोकी बसे, अब तक परखा नाही ||

transliterated:
Kabira gyan vichar bin, Hari dhoondan ko jaaye|
Tan mein Tirloki base, ab tak parkha naahi ||

Translation:
Without appropriate thought or knowledge, we look for God is all external spaces |
The truth is, God is inside us, but we perceive not the wonder inside! ||

My understanding:
We as humans have been gifted with the magic of rationality, reasoning and clear thought. However, we put all this aside the moment we are faced with any new question – and the quest for God is one of those timeless quests.

We search everywhere, when the simple reality is that he is the inner voice, the core of peace and understanding, the nub of clarity that exists in all of us. If only we still the noises of our crowding thoughts and external input for a sheer fleeting moment, we will find our personal God, and life will forever be changed with this realization.

Find that God inside, and find eternal peace and bliss.

True bliss is a right we were all born with – it is up to us to find and enjoy it!

Kabir – The couplet
मन उन्मना न तोलिये, शब्द के मोल न तोल |
मुरख लोग न जनासी, आप खोये बोल ||

transliterated:
Man unmana na toliye, shabd ke mol na tol|
Murakh log na jaanasi, aapa khoye bol ||

Translation:
When the mind is disturbed, pay no heed to the words that flow – they mean nothing |
The fool, ignorant of this simple truth, raves, rants and loses||

My thoughts:
In the previous post, I had talked about the need to listen to that, which is not being said. Even here, that statement holds true. Find inner silence, and then listen to that which is not being said. That allows us to hear past the anger and emotion, and arrive at the heart of the matter quickly. This allows us to offer appropriate help, or stay away till the others find their own inner peace.

Juxtaposing this couplet on the previous one, one is able to see the completion of the circle – speak only after understanding, express with love, and silence the self when overcome by emotion.