“Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it’s safe or certain.”
-Anonymous
Kabir – The couplet
जो तू चाहे मुक्ति को, छोड़ दे सबकी आस ।
मुक्त ही जैसा हो रहे, सब कुछ तेरे पास ॥
Transliterated:
Jo Tu Chaahe Mukti Ko, Chhod De Sabki Aas |
Mukt Hi Jaisa Ho Rahe, Sab Kuchh Tere Paas ||
Translation:
It you are desirous of deliverance (moksha), give up hanging on to life’s attractions |
As you find the ultimate freedom, you will find you possess everything! ||
My understanding:
Desire and possession are the two biggest bottomless pits we trap ourselves in – and then we complain that freedom is eluding us!
I have heard many say they desire moksha – freedom from the cycle of life and death – but in the very next breath, they are already contemplating on what they need to do to make their life more interesting/better/more livable.
Those desirous of moksha have to first understand what they are asking for – for being trapped in the encumbrances of life is the very thing moksha is the opposite of – and yet, they seem to ask for both. The subsequent complaint, that both are elusive, is a never-to-be-solved vicious circle – if you want the one, the other cannot exist.
Now here is the hidden secret – as soon as we give up falling prey to the mirage of life’s physical promises, we find that life becomes truly pleasurable, fun and truly livable. And then, at the end of this physical life, we can joyfully step into true deliverance.
However, we fear that which we do not know – and that fear makes us reject it even if it presents itself in its true glory in front of us, unasked. So we have to:
- Give up this irrational fear of the unknown
- Understand the falsities that are the mirage of life’s promises
- Recognize that only me, and no one else, can truly put me on the path to moksha
Then we will have fond the true joy of life and living and learning!