Monthly Archives: January 2009

Today’s thought –

“There must be more to life than having everything.”

-Maurice Sendak

…and now, Kabir day 36:

The couplet transliterated:

Man diya kahin aur hi, tan saadhan ke sangh |

Kah Kabir kori gaji, kaise laage rang      ||

Translation:

While the mind roams its myriad paths, the body exercises on its own |

Says Kabir, an unbleached cloth, cannot take on the dye applied to it ||

My understanding – 

The mind strives to find its destiny in this life.

The body, driven by instinct, desire and activity around itself, has an agenda driven by basic instinct. This ‘drive-for-lucre’ causes conflict between the body’s desires and the mind’s quest, and they fall out of sync in their purpose. Living together, they are inextricably attached and yet completely disconnected from each other in both purpose and path.

Kabir, the weaver, has gone back to his profession to find an appropriate analogy – and what a perfect one he found. An unbleached cloth cannot take on color applied to it in any sense of regularity or appropriateness. Similarly, the mind cannot comprehend, accept or come to terms with the body’s physical desires especially when they are not in sync with the larger goals of life.

This is where I found harmony in Maurice Sendak’s quote above – the everything he speaks of is the everything this world has. That is still everything that goes back to dust and ashes when the body is no more. What remains after is what the mind strives for – and what our body must join in the search for, to attain the true purpose of life. For both can only work together, or not at all.

Today’s quote:

“In Jeremiah 23:24 God declares, “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” What does this mean? Is this limited to just one attribute of God, say for example, His knowledge, or just His power, or may be just His authority?

God is present in all places; however, our conception of Him must not be of Him filling space, as water fills a jug, for He has no physical or material dimensions.

It is as spirit that He is everywhere, in heaven, earth and hell. Although it surpasses the understanding of creatures such as we are, who are limited and bound to material bodies, God Himself is present everywhere in His majesty and power.

….

….

God’s omnipresence is not potential or with just his knowledge. If I know a lot of facts about Paris, it does not mean that I am in Paris. Again, God is not present everywhere with just his authority, for if a king exercises his dominion from his palace, it does not mean that he is anywhere else.”

– http://www.tecmalta.org/tft138.htm

..and now, Kabir Day 35:

The couplet transliterated:

Saaheb teri saahibi, sub ghat rahya samaay |

Jyon mehndi ke paat mein, laali lakha na jaaye ||

Translation:

Lord, your presence, invisible and untouchable, yet is everywhere and in everything |

Just as the red dye in the ‘mehndi’ leaf cannot be seen but is there every time a leaf is crushed ||

My understanding:

The quote above, from a page I found in random browsing on the web, evoked sharp memories of the above couplet. The thought is simple but very deep at the same time.

The red dye extracted from crushed mehndi (a shrub with very thick green leaves) leaves is used by Indian girls and ladies to decorate hands and feet in enticing patterns, and is the symbolic representation of celebration. However, looking at the leaf, there is no clue of the wonderful message of joy and celebration it hides within – that can only happen when the leaves are collected, crushed, and applied in the proper fashion to the correct parts of the skin.

Similarly, God, The Power, thought, happiness, our feeling of well-being are all there inside of each one of us and all around us – waiting for us to reach out and experience the bliss within. However, we have to each make that effort to reach and find that happiness – it is not enough to just understand or even acknowledge its existence within and around us. And even the most skeptical amongst us has to agree that science has a long way to go and a lot to learn before it can quantify this feeling – look at the smile on the face of the person next to you (wait if it is not yet there – do not force it into place) and try to put the joy you feel into words!

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” – An old saying.

Kabir Day 34:

The couplet transliterated:

Guru bichara kya kare, sabad na laage ang |

Kahe Kabir maili gaji, kaise jaage rang  ||

Translation:

What can the teacher do if the student is not ready to learn?

Says Kabir, on dirty cloth, the dye will not stick ||

My understanding:

Kabir here has laid out the responsibility of the student in the teacher-student relationship. The student has to open his mind to receive knowledge and learning, before the teacher can be effective.

The best of teachers fail when the student is not ready to accept the offering of the teacher. When cloth is not cleaned before applying the dye, the dye will fail to take hold in all those spots where dirt exists – ending up with a cloth looking very different from what was intended. Similarly, when the student and teacher are not on the same page, what is learnt will not match or map into what was the intent of the teaching.

And hence the quote above – the student needs to be ready before the teacher can teach what the student needs to be taught.

Today’s quote:

“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet.

It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there –

buried under the 50,000 thoughts

the average person thinks every day.”

– Deepak Chopra

And now, Kabir Day 33:

The couplet, transliterated:

Bin vaasilai chakiri, bin buddhi ki deh |

Bina gyan ka jogna, phirai lagaye kheh ||

Translation:

Like working without compensation, or a body without intellect |

The ‘ascetic’ without wisdom, roams with ash on his body ||

My understanding:

True wisdom comes from true realization – the understanding of the core of our existence. Talk does not make one wise, nor do external accoutrements.

Without realization, our existence is about as useful as a non-functional light bulb. The shell gains value from the inside- and Kabir asks us to light up and strengthen that core.

Deepak Chopra’s statement (quoted above), talks about this from a different perspective – it is only when we can still the myriad thoughts of the facile outside world that we can look inside to find our true self.

Today’s quote :

“There are four gate-keepers at the entrance to the Realm of Freedom [moksha].

– Self control

– Spirit of Inquiry

– Contentment

– Good Company

With a pure heart and a receptive mind, and without the veil of doubt and  restlessness of the mind, listen to the exposition of the nature and means of liberation.”

–Sage Vasishtha (from old Indian scriptures)

..and speaking of one of those gate-keepers, Kabir on day 32:

The couplet, transliterated:

Kanchan ko paaras parsee, bahuri na lohaa hoye |

Chandan baas palaasa bidhi, tuk kahai naahi koi ||

Translation:

Processed by the touchstone, iron is no longer just iron |

The ‘palasa’ tree from being near sandalwood, becomes like sandal ||

My understanding: 

Kabir here is extolling the virtues of good company. Processed by the touchstone, iron transforms from a base metal to useful and beautiful tools or implements. The palasa tree (a tree with no fragrance or value) when growing near the sandalwood tree, imbibes the sandalwood’s fragrance and is able to serve as the base for incense sticks, and other calming tools.

The true impact of the company we keep is that it makes us greater than our sum – we absorb, imbibe, evolve and grow to be more than all of us individually.

Today’s thought – 
“Our most basic human goal outside of survival, is happiness. Everything we do is an attempt to enjoy our lives. A big part of happiness I think, is contentment. I’m not talking about complacency or apathy; rather, I am talking about being able to get through the day and feel peaceful about life. I am always striving to find balance to achieve contentment without becoming complacent in my life.”
– http://lifegoddess.com/2007/09/26/how-to-find-contentment-in-your-daily-life/ 

And now for Kabir Day 31:
The couplet, transliterated:
Godhan gajadhan baajidhan, aur ratan dhan khan |
Jo aavai santosh dhan, sub dhan dhoori samaan || 

Translation:
Cattle, gold, silver, precious stones, man stores as wealth |
But once he finds contentment, it cannot be matched by any other wealth || 

My understanding:
As the quote above says, the chase for ‘more’ of everything material is the root cause for all our discontent. If we accumulate wealth, then we have to worry about taking care of it and ensuring it stays intact. The tax-man needs to be kept satisfied and up-to-date – more aggravation. The accountant needs to be paid – biting into the accumulation. Which all means more work to keep the sum collected intact and if possible, growing sufficiently to keep up to all the gnawing it is subject to.

Contentment, on the other hand (as different from complacence) is a well that gives more the more we draw from it – it is the proverbial Holy Grail – the cup that never goes empty.

Hence the old blessing – be content, and prosper!

Quotes that I crossed paths with:
It would little avail to ask how we know. That would be like asking how we know that Beethoven’s “Hymn to Joy” is joyous. If a man were to say, “It is not joyous to me,” he would not condemn the music; he would tell only his morbidness. There is no logic to establish an axiom, for an axiom is the basis of all logic; and the soul of Jesus has axiomatic truth. Jesus is light, and there is no proof for light except light itself. 
– George Buttrick

“The man who has met God is not looking for something – he has found it; he is not searching for light – upon him the Light has already shined.”
-A.W. Tozer 

..and now, Kabir, day 30: 

The couplet, transliterated: 
Tin sanehi bahu milai, chautha mila na koi |
Sabahu piyaare ram kai, baithe parbas hoi || 

Translation (from G.N. Das):
Many long for honor, wealth and lust
None for salvation |
Those who do, they remain lost
In His love and devotion || 

My understanding:
Salvation is not a goal for most of humanity. Bound by the knots of power, wealth and lust, they have no space in their mind to accommodate the demands of salvation. This trinity (wealth, power and lust) of this world, that was created by men, for men and can only serve limited purpose in life, however manages to grow in size to take up all of our time in this limited life. 

Listen to those around us talk, and pay careful attention to garner that which is not being said. Is the complaint about the food, the preparer or the overall experience itself? As I do this inspection more often, one thing that strikes me is the amount of ego around us – for every individual, the world, at some level, is all about and only about us – the big ME.

Takes me back to another popular couplet from school –
“For every finger I point at my neighbor,
There are three more pointing back at me.”

Means, that every time I listen to those around me, I need to pay three – nay, thirty – times more attention to my own petty (well, by now, anyways) complaints. 

Then I turn attention to the Lord – he has to listen to ALL of us – and he still loves us! So why can I not be more tolerant of my neighbor and the passing stranger? Pass on a little love and compassion, and the world will pay back in huge multiples – my personal experience is proof. And it is in this light, this love, that God exists!

True power and wealth come not when we have or control everything, but rather when we are able to relinquish everything that we have, and are able to allow each one of God’s creation the full freedom of their own will, to do what they will or must.

Today’s quote – 

“A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see.”
– John Grogan (character in movie “Marley and me”) 

..and now Kabir day 29: 

The couplet translated:
Desh desaantar main phira, maanus bada sukaal |
Jaa dekh sukh oopjai, taaka bada dukaal      ||

Translation:
Wandering both at home and abroad, I met many a man |
Rarely did I find, one who brought a smile to the heart || 

My understanding: 
The inner goodness, the simple heart of a man, shows up in his eyes, face, the spring in his step and the tinkle of his voice. Caught up in the bonds of this world, knotted up by the silken strands of desire, most men are too distraught (navigating the web they find themselves in) to be able to share and be shared.

Finding a person free of the tangles of desire is akin to finding a rare treasure – such men are to be sought and their friendship and companionship truly hoarded, as Kabir asserts.

For me this finds echoes in the story of the movie and book “Marley and me” – the simple story of a newlywed couple and a dog they adopt. The dog, to all initial external appearances, is a nuisance, a terror, a pain in all the wrong places. However, it takes only a little introspection to understand that the dog is looking for and has found true friendship in the family, and give more love than its frame can possibly hold. The quote above, the last statement in the movie, sums up the movie perfectly.

If only more would take heed of the simple message, this world’s beauty would be so much more visible to all of us!

“It means bondage when the mind desires something or grieves at something, rejects or accepts anything, feels happy or angry with anything.”
– Ashtavakra Gita – Chapter 8 Verse 1

..and now, Kabir Day 28:

The couplet transliterated:
Bhoop dukhi avadhoot dukhi, dukhi runk bipreet|
Kahe Kabir Yeh sub dukhi, sukhi sant man jeet ||

Translation:
Unhappy are the king and the learned, even the beggar lives unhappy |
Says Kabir, amongst all, only the saint in control of his mind is happy ||

My understanding:

James Shirley says it wonderfully in his poem “Death The Leveller”:
“The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crookèd scythe and spade.”

Unhappiness is a familiar state of mind for most humans – some even get unhappy when they have nothing to get unhappy about – for they worry that the next moment will bring great unhappiness.

There is infinite wisdom in the fact that true happiness lies in the truly small things – the morning sun, the ice on the roof, the grass under the frost, the twinkling star in a dark sky, the smile on a child’s face, the twinkle in a spouse’s or friend’s eye.

Find that happiness, and prosper – for it takes little to truly smile, but that smile is enough to light up the whole world in its radiance!

Today’s quote:

It’s a fascinating phenomenon if you stop and think about it. People are willing to damage their current and future financial situation in order to keep up with the Joneses.
– Brian Kim (http://briankim.net/blog/2008/03/how-to-stop-keeping-up-with-the-joneses/ )

..and now, Kabir, day 27

The couplet – transliterated:

Aisi gati sansar ki, jyon gaarad ko that |
Ek pada jaihi gaad mein, sabai jaahi tehi baat ||

Translation:
The world’s people are like herds of sheep, following one other without reason |
If the leader falls into a pit, the rest follow into the same in unison ||

My understanding:
Kabir is requesting us to awaken to our reasoning ability, and behave in a fashion that helps us achieve our own goal, not that of others. Man has been blessed with the ability to rationalize and function sensibly – if only he chooses to.

A long time ago, wealth was defined as a goal to aspire for, and the chase of lucre has since taken over as the primary goal a large portion of the world’s population’s base function. Most people collect “stuff” without reasoning why or rationalizing the need for it.

Instead of hoarding wealth, if we were to emulate the rest of the animal world by “taking what we need, giving all we can” would most of the strife in the world have any reason to exist?

Today’s quote

..from the SciFi TV series “Babylon 5” – a conversation between the characters Dr. Stephen Franklin and Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova:

SF – “It’s all so brief, isn’t it? Typical human lifespan is almost a hundred years, but it’s barely a second compared to what’s out there. It wouldn’t be so bad if life didn’t take so long to figure out. Seems you just start to get it right and then .. it’s over.”
SI – “Doesn’t matter. If we lived two hundred years, we’d still be human. We’d still make the same mistakes.”
SF – “You’re a pessimist.”
SI – “I am Russian , Doctor. We understand these things.”
– Babylon 5 (Episode – Soul Hunter)

..and now, Kabir Day 26:

The couplet transliterated:
Sanjh padi din dhal gaya, baaghin gheri gaay |
Gaay bechari na mari, baaghin na bhooki jaay ||

Translation:
As the evening darkens, the tiger stalks the cow |
The poor cow cannot die, nor the tiger go hungry ||

My understanding:
Another allegorical couplet from Kabir, this is referring to the duality of the soul and the body and the cycle of life and death.

Here the cow represents the soul and the tiger represents death.

The tiger will not go hungry, and attack its prey at the first opportunity it gets. Death can kill the body, but not the soul. The soul, attached to the body, will suffer the pangs of separation as the body dies – this is the price it pays for its attachment to the body. The cycle of life and death is wrapped into every aspect of living as manifest amidst us. So that one may live, others must die (think of the plants and livestock that feed us and keep us going).

Kabir is enlightening us to these basic rules of life so that we may become aware of the sacrifice of those that feed us, physically and mentally, and then learn to contribute back into the spring of life and knowledge (life by planting and cultivating, knowledge by learning, understanding and improving on the base store of current knowledge).

On tools and weapons..

Wandering around the web in an absolutely aimless search, I came across a blog post with a photo of a hammer under the caption..” Thoughts on thoughts…. tools and weapons” [ http://bearbicycle.blogspot.com/2008/12/thoughts-on-thoughts-tools-and-weapons.html ] – and a respondent made a telling comment –

Actually a tool is just a tool. IT’S THE MIND THAT IS THE “WEAPON”.
– Frank W. James

And now, Kabir Day 25: 

The couplet transliterated:

Kabira loha ek hai, gadhne mein hai fair |
Tahika bakhtar bana, taahika samsher     || 

Translation:

Says Kabir, the same iron is used to make many things |
Armor to protect, and the sword to smash the armor and wearer || 

My understanding:
Think about it for a while – the only weapons around are the minds milling around. What we refer to as weapons are truly only tools the brain creates to facilitate the mind’s demands.

As Kabir points out, it is not the iron that is to be faulted for the destruction around us – nor the weapons forged from it. It is not the iron-smith either – he is performing his job and trade. It is the person directing the wielder of the weaponry that is the true perpetrator of the crime – and all around who condone it or support it share the blame equally.

Yet, at some point in the entire cycle of crime and punishment, we have to also accommodate self-preservation and protection of the weak and innocent – and this by definition means taking up arms for a righteous cause. So it requires a proper understanding of the cause, the drive and the purpose. In anything as relative as human life, there can be no absolutes (to paraphrase something I read written by Hugh Prather). As in everything else, understanding and moderation are the key to a successful and meaningful life.

Today’s quotes: 

Money sometimes makes fools of important persons, but it may also make important persons of fools.
– Walter Winchell

To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.
– Bette Davis

The chief value of money lies in the fact that one lives in a world in which it is overestimated.
-H. L. Mencken

..and now, Kabir Day 24

The couplet , transliterated
Sabad barabar dhan nahin, jo koi janai bol |
Heere to daamai milai, sabad hi mol naa tol || 

Translation:
Speech is beyond price, if used sensibly |
Diamonds can be bought, speech cannot    || 

My understanding:
Here, Kabir places money in perspective when compared to the value of speech (expression, the true reflection of a man’s core).

In very simple words, Kabir is telling us that honest speech is priced beyond all tender. Even the most expensive diamond has a price, for the real value of the diamond lies in the desire it arouses in the buyer. Desire demands satisfaction, which limits the value it generates (for if it is beyond reach, over a point of time it loses its value since the target will shift attention to something more attainable).

Speech, on the other hand, when reflecting the core values and beliefs of a person, is valueless since it is not being used to attract but rather as a statement for a purpose. History stands witness to the fact that it has always been the leader’s speech, not weapons or technology, that eventually won undying loyalty and the world’s various lands and riches.

So Kabir is exhorting us to nurture and build that treasure that can never be torn away from us!

Today’s quote:

Pride is seldom delicate, it will please itself with very mean advantages; and envy feels not its own happiness, but when it may be compared with the misery of others.
– Samuel Johnson

..and now, Kabir on pride (day 23)

Couplet, transliterated:
Kabira soi surma, mansun maon jujha |
Punch payada pahilai, door karai sub dooja ||

Translation:
Says Kabir – he is the real hero, who has freed his mind of pride |
Gained control of the senses five, and has ridden all negativity from within ||

My understanding:
Here, Kabir is looking at the contribution of pride in the mental makeup of a man. Samuel Jackson expressed the same thought in his quote above.

As Kabir says, pride tends to blind us the reality and distances us from understanding and compassion. Without understanding and compassion, one cannot be of service to anyone – not even oneself (since pride prevents us from accepting even our own errors / mistakes). Humility, then, is a core fundamental treasure that one should covet and retain.

The five senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste – can all be blinded by the mind as we often experience. Kabir is asking us to rid ourselves of these blinders since we need these senses to report reality back to us in order to be correct in our resultant action. Unsaid here is the blinding of hidden senses of understanding and compassion – pride can completely block out these finer feelings, and needs to be banished for man to flower into his true complete self.

Today’s thought:

Ridiculous yachts and private planes and big limousines won’t make people enjoy life more, and it sends out terrible messages to the people who work for them. It would be so much better if that money was spent in Africa – and it’s about getting a balance.

–Richard Branson 

Kabir Day 22: 

The couplet transliterated:

Kabir vyas katha karai, bheethar bhedai naahi |

Auron ko paramodhata, gaye mohar kamahi       || 

Translation:

(Says Kabir) Learned in philosophy, (some) learned men do not internalize their learning|

They teach and preach to others, but only for commercial considerations ||

My understanding: 

In today’s world, as in all times past and in the distant future, there will be attractions in the world that will incite desires for possession and jealousy. At the same time, there will also be books and teachings on the value of moderation in all things and the benefits of abstinence.

Some intelligent persons will always be able to take the value from the learning and translate it to commercial gain as they add their understanding and perception to the learning and share it with others in their times. If this is necessary for their livelihood, then it is just and there is no issue to be taken with the teacher looking to sustain himself even as he teaches.

However, if the teacher is not able to imbibe the core philosophy he preaches into his own life, and instead uses it as a tool to satisfy his “lust-for-lucre”, Kabir is warning us here to identify such persons for what they are and stay away since such a person is teaching not to improve us but to say whatever will get him what he wants (not what we need).

Today’s thought:

The world is not moved only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.

–Helen Keller 

And now, Kabir, day 21:

The couplet, transliterated: 

Kabira jogi manhi ke, tan jogi kou aur,  |

Man ke jog lagawat, dasa bhai kachoo aur || 

Translation: 

Kabir is an ascetic of the mind, not of the body |

If all did the same, their lot would be so much better || 

My understanding:

Kabir here is speaking of the relation between mind and body. Most philosophies and thinkers seem to point to the mind as a guest of the body, or as a dress to be worn at birth and discarded at death.

The average human gets so caught up in taking care of the body that the entire mind’s energies are devoted to the one task. If instead of the mind taking care of the body, the body were put to the task of serving the mind in it’s true endeavor of completing life’s tasks, humanity would be better served – both the individual and all society would be the benefactors.

Today’s thought –

“Each morning the alarm goes off, and a new day begins.”

– Carl D. Windsor

Kabir, day 20:

The couplet, transliterated:

Ghar rakhwara bahera chidiya khai khet |

Adha pardha ubarai, chet sake to chet  ||

Translation:

The house guard is hard of hearing, so birds are damaging the crop |

Prevent further loss by waking up and scaring the birds away      ||

My understanding:

Here, once again, we are visited Kabir, the mystic. His intended audience being the average human of the time, his explanations use examples the average citizen of the time could easily relate to, and yet have powerful messages for those willing to pay attention.

Here, he is talking of the havoc we invite on our life (our house, of which we are the sole guard) when we do not pay attention to the external factors that influence our daily existence. The deaf guard is us when we get so involved in mundane work or distracted by desire that we ignore all the warning signals around us. The birds are desire, jealousy, greed, and all other negative influences we harbor in the chase of material pleasure.

Kabir is not asking us to abstain – nay – he, in other teaching, has clearly indicated that love and experience, not distance, is what helps us achieve our purpose in life. However, he is asking us to live life in moderation, and to stay alert to the warnings of excess. Just as the greatest medicine can become poison when consumed in excess, he is warning us to wake up before distractions lull us into a false sense of well-being when all is not truly well.

So, in the immortal words of other saints, ‘Awake, arise, and be well!’

Thought for today – 

Acknowledge Your Creativity and Genius

The qualities of creativity and genius are within you, awaiting your decision to match up with the power of intention. Genius is a characteristic of the creative force that allows all of material creation to come into form. It is an expression of the divine.

-Dr Wayne W. Dyer

..and now for Kabir day 19..

The couplet transliterated:

Tel tilli soun upaje, sada tel ko tel   |

Sangati ko bero bhayo, tate naam phulel ||

Translation:

Extracted from the oil seed, oil stays oil to the very end   |

The moment it is touched by essence, fragrant oil it becomes ||

My understanding:

Once again, Kabir, in his familiar style, is explaining the mystic with simple examples from daily life. 

Oil, extracted from the oil seed, by its nature, is fairly stable and stays oil for as long as one keeps it in appropriate containers, waiting for the day it is used. 

The moment it is blended with the essence of any fragrance, it picks up the fragrance, and never loses the fragrance. 

Similarly, a soul, coming into the world, is a plain soul unattached to any worldly experiences or desires. The company of the wise and saintly will make the person what the world calls a “good and nice-to-be-with” person. Unsightly company will have the exact opposite result. We become the image of those we associate with, different from any individual since we are the sum of our experiences. The core of our being never changes, but the entire being begins to reflect the light of those that shine on it. And soon enough, the rainbow of light becomes the pleasure of companionship.