“Whenever the cloud of ego threatens to engulf me, I remind myself of my roots. It helps keeping my feet on the ground.”
– Faraaz Kazi
Kabir – The couplet
ऊंचे पानी न टिके, नीचे ही ठहराय ।
नीचे हो सो भरी पिए, ऊंचे प्यास जाय ॥
Transliterated:
Oonche Paani Naa Tike, Neeche Hi Thahraay |
Neeche Ho So Bhari Piye, Unchhe Pyaasa Jaay ||
Translation:
Water never floats, but rather flow to the lowest space|
He who is on the ground can slake his thirst fully, he who flies stays thirsty||
My understanding:
Be grounded in a stable understanding of self and circumstance, and stress will not be able to faze or change you. Develop this understanding in moments of calm so that you can change even troubled times into peaceful moments, rather than let the trouble change you into its nature.
When we are calm, we can channel our energies to modify our environment to match our demeanor – when agitated, we absorb the energy of the environment, meaning we transform to reflect the environment.
The choice is always ours to make – mold the world to reflect us, or mold our self to be a slave to the whims of the moment.
The grounded one can drink from the fountain of peace, and enjoy all the presented bounty in peace. The agitated one, though seemingly in glorious flight, is not able to spend more than a fleeting moment to perceive each presented gift – far less truly explore and enjoy its full potential. Because of this, the one in flight will forever be chasing what seems like an ephemeral dream of peace and bliss. To receive, we have to be ready to receive. Which means to allow the gift to reveal itself to us, rather than being in a rush to get it all and then move on. For once we truly receive this gift, we will need nothing else and no more!