“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.”
– Saint Augustine
Kabir – The couplet
भक्ति द्वार अति संकरा, राई दसवें भाग ।
मन तो मैंगल है रहा, कैसे आवे जाय॥
transliterated:
Bhakti dwar ati sankara, rai dasavein bhaag |
Man to maingal hair aha, kaise aave jaay||
Translation:
The path of devotion is very narrow, one tenth the width of a grain of sand |
The (egotist) mind is behaving as an intoxicated elephant, how can it (enter or) pass ||
My understanding:
As the sun enters the Makara rashi, and the cycle repeats, I am reminded of the endless bounty we are always presented – the many chances we are given. Every year, every day, every moment, we are presented with the opportunity to start afresh, to renew and reinvigorate.
Our ego, ever expanding, refuses to offer even a portion of such bounty or relent in the least on any front as we progress to life.
So the challenge in front of us is to overcome and crush that ego, so that we may grow, rather than feed an ego that will dissolve into dust at the end of this drama called life.