Dohe

                                                                                 
Chalti Chakki Dekh Kar, Diya Kabira Roye
Do Paatan Ke Beech Mein,Sabit Bacha Na Koye


Translation
Watching the grinding stones, the Light Kabir Cries
Inside the Two Stones, no one survives
Meaning:


Kabir sees the grinding stones as the duality that we live in. Heaven and earth, Good and Bad, Male and Female, High and Low - all around is duality. This play of opposites, this Chalti Chakki (moving mill) gets everyone, no one is save from in it's powerful grip.


Whoever enters this duality is crushed. No one survives. Kabir cries because rarely, if ever, does one see the oneness, the divinity, behind the duality.


Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye
Jo Munn Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye


Translation
I went on the search for the Bad Guy, Bad Guy I couldn't find
When I searched my mind, Non one is Nastier then Me


Meaning


This Doha is about observing ones own mind. Kabir says that he searched the world for the bad guy, the real evil person but he couldn't find the evil person no matter where he looked. Then he looked within at his own thinking process, his own mind. The he found the real evil person who lived in his mind, unchecked. When we accuse, condemn another, it is our mind that is doing the finger pointing, the other person is probably innocent or the victim of his circumstances. Were we to inhabit the condemned persons body, live his life, have his conditioning, then we too would behave and act the same.




Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ub
Pal Mein Pralaya Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge Kub


Translation
Tomorrows work do today, today's work now
If the moment is lost, how will the work be done?


Meaning
Do the work that needs to be done now. There is no other time then now.


Aisee Vani Boliye, Mun Ka Aapa Khoye
Apna Tan Sheetal Kare, Auran Ko Sukh Hoye


Translation
Speak such words, you lose the minds Ego
Body remains composed, Others Find Peace


Meaning


In speech use such words that your ego is eliminated. Don't brag, don't gloat, don't make yourself out to be big, important, rich or anything else that the ego attaches to. Building the Ego takes energy from the body, takes away the bodies composure. If ego is lost in ones speech, the listener finds peace from listening to it.

Dheere Dheere Re Mana, Dheere Sub Kutch Hoye
Mali Seenche So Ghara, Ritu Aaye Phal Hoye

Translation
Slowly slowly stay my mind, Slowly everything happens
Gardner may water garden a hundred times, When the Season comes, there is fruit

Meaning

Kabir tells his mind to slow down, everything in life happens slowly, in its own time. The fruit only comes when the season comes, so will the fruit of life come in its own time.

Sayeen Itna Deejiye, Ja Mein Kutumb Samaye
Main Bhi Bhookha Na Rahun, Sadhu Na Bhookha Jaye

Translation
God, give me so, so much wealth, that my community is fed
I don't remain hungry, the Sadhu does not go hungry

Meaning

Kabir asks God for wealth, abundance. He asks that his community is fed, he does not starve and the visiting Sadhu (holy man) does not go hungry. He does not ask for a mansion, a mercedes or millions in a swiss bank account!

Bada Hua To Kya Hua, Jaise Ped Khajoor
Panthi Ko Chaya Nahin, Phal Laage Atidoor

Translation
If You are Big so what? Just like a date tree
No shade for travelers, fruit is hard to reach

Meaning

Being bid, important, poweful, wealthy is of no consequnce - Kabir likens this to a date tree that does not give shade to the traveller and its fruit is out reach.

Jaise Til Mein Tel Hai, Jyon Chakmak Mein Aag
Tera Sayeen Tujh Mein Hai, Tu Jaag Sake To Jaag

Translation

Like the Oil is inside the Seed, Just as the Fire is Inside the Flint Stone

Your God is Inside You, If you have the Power to Wake Up, then Wake Up

Meaning
God is within, like the oil in the seed - wake up if you have the power to.

Mangan Maran Saman Hai, Mat Koi Mange Beekh
Mangan Se Marna Bhala, Yeh Satguru Ki Seekh

Translation
Begging is like dying, Let no one Beg
It is better to die than beg, this is the SatGuru's Message

Meaning

Don't beg - give that you may receive. Give time, give some service, give friendship, give love - don't beg.

Maya Mari Na Mun Mara, Mar Mar Gaye Shareer
Asha Trishna Na Mari, Keh Gaye Das Kabir

Jeevat Samjhe Jeevat Bujhe, Jeevat He Karo Aas
Jeevat Karam Ki Fansi Na Kaati, Mue Mukti Ki Aas

Translation

Alive one sees, alive one knows, find your liberation while alive
If Alive you do not cut the noose of your attachments , how will there be liberation with death?

Meaning

You need to wake up while you are alive, it is your only chance. You need to drop the ties of attachments to illusory things that bind you in illusion. This can only be done while alive, death is not a liberator. 

Kabira Khara Bazaar Mein, Mange Sabki Khair
Na Kahu Se Dosti, Na Kahu Se Bair

Translation
Kabira Stands in the market place, Asks for everyones prosperity
Neither special friendship nor enmity for anyone

Meaning

In the market place, Kabor wishes goodwill to all.

Kabir Man Nirmal Bhaya, Jaise Ganga Neer
Pache Pache Har Phire, Kahat Kabir Kabir

Translation

Kabir Washed His Mind Clean, Like The Holy Ganges River

Everyone follows behind, Saying Kabir, Kabir

Meaning

Kabir cleaned his own mind - for more on cleaning your mind see Mind-Detox

Everyone now follows Kabir.

Pothi Padh Padh Kar Jag Mua, Pandit Bhayo Na Koye
Dhai Aakhar Prem Ke, Jo Padhe so Pandit Hoye

Translation

Reading Books and Scriptures everyone died, No one became Pandit
Two and Half Words of Love, Who ever reads, Pandit he becomes

Meaning

Forget about book learning, no mater how many books you read, you won't become wise, you won't became the Pundit. A few words of love and you'll become Pundit. Try it.

Dukh Mein Simran Sab Kare, Sukh Mein Kare Na Koye
Jo Sukh Mein Simran Kare, Tau Dukh Kahe Ko Hoye

Translation
While Suffering everyone Prays and Remembers Him, in joy no one does
If one prays and remembers Him in happiness, why would sorrow come?

Meaning
The suffering you experience in the world is designed to wake you up. You wake up when you realize God. If you did that during your happy times, then you will not experience suffering. 

 A COURTESY OF sailinks-sathyasaibaba.blogspot.com

                                                                                         

Mingle With Jungle !!! :D

                                                                               
 There is, perhaps, no scene that conjures the word "primordial" more than that of a shadowy, steamy jungle. There are mysteries hidden everywhere, otherworldly screams, camouflaged predators, noxious plants, stinging bugs, mold, decay and boggy impassable ground. It is, in the minds of many, the very thing civilization was invented to fend off. 

Most of that sentiment comes from lack of familiarity with jungles, which are also called tropical rain forests. To know a jungle, it turns out, is to love it. And there's the rub: Jungles are not easy to know. They are incredibly complex places, with most of their life in the leafy, limb-filled spaces above the ground. Humans did not evolve in a place like this, though native people have shown that humans can adapt to it and live well — if they learn the ways of the jungle.

Other arguments have also been used to protect the jungles. Their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, for instance, helps to fight the greenhouse effect and global warming. There is also the hidden pharmaceutical and biodiversity value of jungles. Nature has spent millions of years making a dizzying array of jungle organisms, which produce an innumerable number of complex bioactive compounds that could do wonders for human health — if only we had time to discover and study them. 

Finally, there is inherent value in primordial jungle for itself. The fantastic array of life found in jungles, however unwelcome to most humans, offers something no human creation can ever match — the most complex show of interacting life on the planet. To many, that is not only intellectually stimulating and spiritually refreshing, but far too rich a treasure and too long in the making to be sacrificed for a few more cords of timber. 


Hope for Jungles
Things are not entirely bleak for the jungles, however. In the early 1990s, the world finally came together to stop the destruction. The need for timber harvesters to start using sustainable practices was made crystal clear by huge boycotts by consumers of tropical woods. By the end of the decade, more than 36 million acres of jungle had been certified sustainable by the international Forest Stewardship Council. What's more, certified timber sells for more.

Other arguments have also been used to protect the jungles. Their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, for instance, helps to fight the greenhouse effect and global warming. There is also the hidden pharmaceutical and biodiversity value of jungles. Nature has spent millions of years making a dizzying array of jungle organisms, which produce an innumerable number of complex bioactive compounds that could do wonders for human health — if only we had time to discover and study them.

Finally, there is inherent value in primordial jungle for itself. The fantastic array of life found in jungles, however unwelcome to most humans, offers something no human creation can ever match — the most complex show of interacting life on the planet. To many, that is not only intellectually stimulating and spiritually refreshing, but far too rich a treasure and too long in the making to be sacrificed for a few more cords of timber.

A COURTESY OF GOOGLE.COM

                                                                           

Tribute To Tibet

                                                                                    
A Brief History of Tibet
                                                                               
Ancient Myth

According to myth, the Tibetan people attribute their existence to the union of an ogress and a monkey. One day a monkey came into a cave in Yarlung River valley and began to cultivate himself to attain immortality. Later, an ogress came to him and tried to tempt him with tricks. She said to the monkey: “Will you marry me?” “No, I am a disciple of Mother Buddha. I am instructed to come here to cultivate myself. If I marry with you, it will violate the religious discipline,” replied the monkey. The ogress proceeded: “If you don’t marry me, I will have to commit suicide because I am destined in my previous incarnation to be degraded into a devil. Then you and I cannot become affectionate couple. Days later, I will become the wife of a devil and give birth to countless sons and grandsons. At that time, the plateau will be plunged into a world filled with devils and thousands of people will be killed. So please do as I told you.” Stuck in the dilemma and puzzled, the monkey had to return to Putuo Hill to seek instruction from Mother Buddha. She said: “This is destiny and this is an auspicious sign. It is a deed of great kindness to marry her and reproduce offspring for the plateau. As a Buddha, you should not hesitate to conduct kind deeds. Hurry back to marry the ogress.”


They got married and brought six baby monkeys into the world. They had different hobbies and different dispositions. They looked for food in the forest by themselves. Three years later, their father went to the forest and found out that the number of monkey had expanded to 500 by the way of reproduction. And they had eaten up the fruits in the forest and suffered from food shortage. Again the old monkey went to Mother Buddha for help. Mother Buddha took the seeds of five types of grains from Xumi Mountain and distributed them across the land. Crops sprung up in the vast land without being cultivated. Hence monkeys got sufficient food. After some time, their tails became shortened and they could speak language. Gradually they became humans, the ancestors of the Tibetan people.

The story that monkey became human was popular with the Tibetan people and was recorded in the ancient scriptures. You can also find the clues of the story in many wall paintings. Tsetang Town in Tibet was named after the story (Tsetang means in Tibetan language the play place for monkeys). The people in Tsetang will tell you that the cave where the monkey lived is still in the nearby Mt Gangpo Ri. The legendary first piece of farming land planting highland barley is in Sala Village, three kilometers away from the town. Up to today, every year when the sowing season comes, it is customary for people to take some “sacred soil” from the first farming field to pray for harvest and blessings from the ancestors.

Tupo Regime

Tibet’s first palace Yumbulagang is located in the Yarlung River Valley near Tsetang Town. It was built by the first Tibet King Nyentri Tsenpo. Tibet has a recorded history of about 1300 years. What happened before that had been passed down in the form of legends and these legends were written down by later generations.
In the 7th century AD, the 32nd Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo established the first kingdom in Tibetan history, the Tupo Regime, through conquest and alliances. The kingdom had the largest territory ever.
The Tupo Regime lasted 200 years to the year of 877. Slave and common people’s uprisings spread through various parts of the kingdom. And the insurrectionary army seized Qiongjie, dig up the tombs of Tibetan kings. Since then, the Tupo Regime fell apart.

Sakya Rule


After the fall the Tupo Regime, Tibet had seen 400 years of division, local powers and wars. In the beginning of 13th century, Genghis Khan unified China and his grandson, Godan Khan unified Tibet by making use of the local religious power. When he learned that Sakya sect was the most powerful and summoned Gonggejianzan, the head of Sakya Monastery, to his court. They discussed and agreed on the conditions for Tibet’s submissions to Mongol Empire. So the head Sakya lama gained the authority over Tibet.

In 1260 Khubli Khan came into power as the emperor of Yuan Dynasty. He granted Basiba, the head lama of Sakya monastery, the position of spiritual leader and presented him a jade seal. The emperor also authorized him to take charge of national Buddhism affairs and administrative affairs of Tibet. In the year of 1265, Basiba was ordered to return to Tibet. He enlarged Sakya Monastery and set up Sakya kingdom to administer the local affairs in Tibet. Now Sakya Monastery is still there 60 kilometers away from Shigates City.


Pazhu Regime


In 1322, a very eminent person in Tibetan history, Qiangqujianzan assumed office as the 10th head of the Wanhu (ten-thousand households). In 1348, Qiangqujianzan defeated Caiba. And in 1354 he occupied Sakya Monastery and replaced the Sakya authorities. Thus he instituted a government called Pazhu Regime controlling the most part of Tibet. Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty bestowed a title “Dasitu” on Qiangqujianzan and an official seal, authorized him to govern Tibet. At that time, the different sects of Buddhism had gradually lost its appeal to the public and the support from people due to the lack of the religious disciplines and monks’ corruption. Tsongkhapa then appeared on the historic stage who advocated the strict observation of the disciplines and religious reform. He gained great support from the Pazhu Government. In 1409, funded by the Pazhu Government, Tsongkhapa gathered 10,000 monks from the various part of Tibet and held a meeting on religious affairs. Later, he established Ganden Monastery near Lhasa. The establishment of Ganden Monastery marked the founding of the strictly disciplined Gelupa sect (also called Yellow Sect). There were 12 generations of kings in Pazhu Regime and they ruled Tibet for 264 years from 1354 to 1618.


Gedanpozhang Regime

Dalai Lama and Panchen were the two great disciples of Gelupa sect founded by Tsongkhapa. They bore the responsibilities of expanding the sect. The 5th Dalai is a dominant person in Tibet history. He lived in the years of both Ming and Qing Dynasty. In 1618 Pazhu Regime was overthrown and replace by the short-lived Gema Regime which lasted only 24 year. The Tibetan king Zangbahan hated Gelupa and adopted a policy to oppress and persecute it. In 1641, after discussion, the 5th Dalai and the 4th Panchen sent someone secretly to Qinghai asking Gushihan, a Gelupa follower, to lead troops to Tibet. The next year, Gushihan led large troops to Tibet and overturned Gema Regime. Supported by Gushihan, the 5th Dalai established the Gedanpozhang Regime. Consequently the Gelupa Sect was put in a dominant position in the Tibetan society. In 1652, the 5th Dalai escorted by 3000 people went to Beijing and Emperor Shunzhi of Qing Dynasty awarded him a golden seal and bestowed him as the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. And the title “Dalai Lama” and the position of Dalai were confirmed by the central government. Ever since, it has become a practice for the central government to approve and confirm a new Dalai Lama.


Collapse of Serfdom


In 1895, 13th Dalai assumed the power to manage the political and religious affairs. In 1904, British army invaded Tibet and occupied Lhasa for 50 days. The 13th Dalai retreated to Qinghai. In 1908, he went to Beijing where Emperor Guangxu and Empress Cide had an audience with him and his title as Dalai Lama was officially approved.

After the Revolution of 1911, Republic of China was founded. In the 5-color national flag, the color of red, yellow, blue, white and black symbolized Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui and Tibetan ethnic group respectively. In the following year, the government of Republic of China restored the title to Dalai Lama and he returned to Tibet.
The 13th Dalai Lama was the teacher of the 9th Panchen Lama. They shared equal political rights in Tibet. However, due to taxation problem, the two leaders had a conflict and confrontation, resulting in Panchen fleeing to Qinghai, where he died of disease in1937.

In 1940, the government of Republic of China hosted the bed-sitting ceremony for the14th Dalai, Danzengjiacuo. In 1949, the government hosted the bed-sitting ceremony for the 10th Panchen, Erdeni.


Establishment of Tibet Autonomous Region

In 1949, People’s Republic of China was founded. The government stuck to the policy of peaceful liberation of Tibet. As a result, Tibet was liberated peacefully in 1951. The policy of regional national autonomy was exercised in Tibet. The democratic reform wad carried out and the feudal serfdom was abolished. In September 1965, Tibet Autonomous Region was established.

A COURTESY OF TIBETTRAVEL.INFO
  

                                                                            

Sun Of Earth

 Rabindranath Tagore (May 7, 1861 - August 7, 1941) the bard of Bengal immaculately brought out the essence of Eastern spirituality in his poetry like no other poet. His spiritual vision, as he himself said, is imbued "with the ancient spirit of India as revealed in our sacred texts and manifested in the life of today." 
 
Tagore's Mystical Quest
 
Swami Adiswarananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, in his preface to 'Tagore: The Mystic Poets' writes, "The inner-seeking spirituality of India infused all of Tagore's writing. He wrote in many genres of the deep religious milieu of Hinduism. The values and core beliefs of the Hindu scriptures permeated his work." Says the Swami: "Rabindranath Tagore's philosophical and spiritual thoughts transcend all limits of language, culture, and nationality. In his writings, the poet and mystic takes us on a spiritual quest and gives us a glimpse of the infinite in the midst of the finite, unity at the heart of all diversity, and the Divine in all beings and things  of the universe."

Tagore's Spiritual Beliefs 
 
Tagore believed that "True knowledge is that which perceives the unity of all things in God." Tagore through his vast body of immortal literary works taught us that the universe is a manifestation of God, and that there is no unbridgeable gulf between our world and God's, and that God is the one who can provide the greatest love and joy.
Tagore's Poetry Teaches Us How to Love God
Tagore's 'Gitanjali' or 'Song Offerings' that contains his own English prose translations of Bengali poetry was published in 1913 with an introduction by the Irish poet W. B. Yeats. This book won Tagore the Nobel Prize for Literature that year. Here's an excerpt from his introduction that helps us realize that "We had not known that we loved God, hardly it may be that we believed in Him…"
The Ubiquity of God in Tagore's Works
 Yeats writes: "These verses … as the generations pass, travellers will hum them on the highway and men rowing upon the rivers. Lovers, while they await one another, shall find, in murmuring them, this love of God a magic gulf wherein their own more bitter passion may bathe and renew its youth… The traveller in the read-brown clothes that he wears that dust may not show upon him, the girl searching in her bed for the petals fallen from the wreath of her royal lover, the servant or the bride awaiting the master's home-coming in the empty house, are images of the heart turning to God. Flowers and rivers, the blowing of conch shells, the heavy rain of the Indian July, or the moods of that heart in union or in separation; and a man sitting in a boat upon a river playing lute, like one of those figures full of mysterious meaning in a Chinese picture, is God Himself…"
Select Poems from Tagore's Song Offerings
The following pages contain a selection of his best poems that are steeped in Indian mysticism and the omnipresence of the Almighty as someone so close to our heart.

                       A TRIBUTE TO MY EARTHLY GOD, MY ESSENCE OF LIVING ! :-)

I had gone a-begging from door to door in the village path, when thy golden chariot appeared in the distance like a gorgeous dream and I wondered who was this King of all kings!

My hopes rose high and methought my evil days were at an end, and I stood waiting for alms to be given unasked and for wealth scattered on all sides in the dust.

The chariot stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell on me and thou camest down with a smile. I felt that the luck of my life had come at last. Then of a sudden thou didst hold out thy right hand and say `What hast thou to give to me?'

Ah, what a kingly jest was it to open thy palm to a beggar to beg! I was confused and stood undecided, and then from my wallet I slowly took out the least little grain of corn and gave it to thee.

But how great my surprise when at the day's end I emptied my bag on the floor to find a least little gram of gold among the poor heap. I bitterly wept and wished that I had had the heart to give thee my all.

LOVE YOU <3 

Peyala

Mujhe Zindegi Se Koi Shiqwa Nehi

Koi Sawal Bhi Nehi Hain Karna

Zindegi Shayed Koi Madhushala Hain

Jab Jahan Se Jaise Bhi Aaye Sharab

Hum Ko Toh hain Bass Peyala Bharna

Jiban Ke Do Peyale Hain Meri

Ek Bhara Raheta  Hain Hamesha

Aur Ek Raheta Hain Hamesha Khali

Ek Peyala Hain Bahot Hoshiyaar Aur Ek Hain Matwali

Bhara Hua Peyala Mein Sharab Hain

Har Tarha Ke Rangon Mein Dhala

Ek Rang Hain Khushi Ke

Ek Rang Hain Ghum Ke

Ek Rang Hain Sinazori Ke

Aur Ek Rang Hain Sitam Ke

Mujhe Lalach Ki Rang Lubhati Hain Kavi

Main Kavi Khudgarzi Ke Sharab Hu Pitah

Kavi Nakami Ke Aheshaash Mein Dube

Dhut Raheti Hoon Apni Ghum-e-Behoshi Mein 

Aur Jab Hoti Hoon Kamyaab Tab 

Sab Kuch Bhul Jati Hoon Jitne Ki Madh Hoshi Mein

Lekin Woh Jo Khali Hain Peyala
Woh Meri Haar Harqat Se Hain Be Khabar
Sirf Meri Pine Ki Hadh Par Iss Peyale Ki Hain Nazar

Kavi Kavi Khali Peyala Se Puchti Hoon

Tum Kyun Rahete Ho Yun Khali

Kaho Koun Si Sarab Se Tumhari

Bhar Du Iss Badan-e-Shishe Ki Dali

Woh Mujhe Hass Ke Kaheta Hain

 Mujhe Bhar Paoge Tum Yun Hi Nehi

Main Hoon Nehi Tumhari Marzi Ke Sharab

Yahan Nehi Chalegi Tumhari Duniyadari

Mujhe Bharta Hain Waqt Ka  Paher

Meri Yahaan Na Raat Hain Na Hain Saher

Na Yahan Mauj Hain Aur Na Hain Kaher

Na Hain Bekhudi Yahaan Aur Na Hain Qadar

Yahan Sab Kuch Khamosh Hain
Aur Yahan Ruh Hain KhanaBadosh
Na Husn Ki Yahaan Hoti Hain Charche
Na Badsurat Ki Koi Hoti Hain Dosh

Yahan Kuch Bhi Door Nehi Aur Nehi Hain Koi Karib

Na Yahaan Koi Habib Hain Kisike Na Hain Koi Raqeeb

Yahaan Kuch Bhi Bhaagti Nehi Aur Kuch Nehi Rukti Janab

Yahaan Na Koi Karta Hukum Aur Na Hi Koi Karta Adab

Khali Peyale Ne Itna Hi Kaha

Tum Pite Rahon Apni Sharab

Tum Jitna Marzi Bhala Bano

Aur Kharab Bano BeHisaab

Sirf Yaad Rakhna Itna Ki 

Yahan Nehi Hoti Hain Koi Hisaab-e-Kitaab

Yahan Har Ek Kaam Ki Aur Uske Anjaam Ki

Dena Parta Hain Saaf Saaf Jabab

Jab Duniya Dalegi Tumhari Muh Par

Safed Ek Tukre Kapre Ki Hizaab

Tab Tum Dekh Paoge Yeh Peyala

Puri Tarha Se Bhara Hain Aab

Iss Peyale Mein Bhara Hain 

Berang Tumhari Taqdeer Ke Pani

Aur Uss Mein Mila Hain Bare Hi Naap Kar 

Tumhari Duniya-e-Sharab Ki Kahani

Ab Jab Pioge Isse Toh Woh Nasha 

Charhegi Dil Mein Tumhare Dimag Mein Nehi

Tab Hoga Faisla Ki Kiska Assar Hain Zada

Yeh Khali  Peyale Ki Sarab-e-Sukun Yah

Woh Bhare Hue Peyale Ki Pyass Jo Kavi Mit Ti Hi Nehi 

                                                                 Drink Sink & Think !! :-)

                                                                           M-e-Z

 

                                                                               

Love You Smita ! :)

                                                                                   
Smita Patil (Marathi: स्मिता पाटील) (17 October 1955 – 13 December 1986) was an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times, Patil appeared in over 75 Hindi and Marathi films in a career that spanned just over a decade. During her career, she received two National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. She was the recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 1985.

Patil graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and made her film debut with Shyam Benegal's Charandas Chor (1975). She became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, a New Wave movement in India cinema, though she also appeared in several mainstream movies throughout her career. Her performances were often acclaimed, and her most notable roles include Manthan (1977), Bhumika (1977), Aakrosh (1980), Chakra (1981), Chidambaram (1985) and Mirch Masala (1985).

Apart from acting, Patil was an active feminist (in a distinctly Indian context) and a member of the Women's Centre in Mumbai. She was deeply committed to the advancement of women's issues, and gave her endorsement to films which sought to explore the role of women in traditional Indian society, their sexuality, and the changes facing the middle-class woman in an urban milieu.

Patil was married to actor Raj Babbar. She died on 13 December 1986 at the age of 31 due to childbirth complications. Over ten of her films were released after her death. Her son Prateik Babbar is a film actor who made his debut in 2008.


Smita Patil belongs to a generation of actresses, including Shabana Azmi and, like her, who are strongly associated with the radically political cinema of the 1970s. Her work includes films with parallel cinema directors like Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and Mrinal Sen as well as forays into the more commercial Hindi film industry cinema of Mumbai. Patil was working as a TV news reader and was also an accomplished photographer when Shyam Benegal discovered her.

She was an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. In 1977, she won the National Award for 'Best Actress' for her performance in the Hindi film Bhumika. In her films, Patil's character often represents an intelligent femininity that stands in relief against the conventional background of male-dominated cinema (films like Bhumika, Umbartha, and Bazaar). Smita Patil was a women's rights activist and became famous for her roles in films that portrayed women as capable and empowered.



"I remained committed to small cinema for about five years ... I refused all commercial offers. Around 1977-78, the small cinema movement started picking up and they needed names. I was unceremoniously dropped from a couple of projects. This was a very subtle thing but it affected me a lot. I told myself that here I am and I have not bothered to make money. I have turned down big, commercial offers because of my commitment to small cinema and what have I got in return? If they want names I'll make a name for myself. So I started and took whatever came my way."

In time she was accepted by commercial filmmakers and from Raj Khosla and Ramesh Sippy to B.R. Chopra, they all agreed that she was "excellent." Her fans, too, grew with her new-found stardom. Patil's glamorous roles in her more commercial films — such as Shakti and Namak Halaal — revealed the permeable boundaries between "serious" cinema and "Hindi cinema" masala in the Hindi film industry.

Her association with artistic cinema remained strong, however. Her arguably greatest (and unfortunately final) role came when Smita re-teamed with Ketan Mehta to play the feisty and fiery Sonbai in Mirch Masala (1987). Smita won raves for playing a spirited spice-factory worker who stands up against a lecherous petty official.

 A COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.COM 
                                                                         A TRIBUTE TO SMITA JI
                                                                   IN THIS SONG SHE IS AT HER BEST  !!
                                                                          LOVE YOU FOREVER <3  :-) 

                                         

                                                                                              

Kalkut / Poison

                                                                                
Samaresh Basu was born on December 11, 1924 (1331 in the Bengali calendar) and spent his early childhood in Dhaka, Bikrampur in what is today Bangladesh. He would in later days recall the deep impressions that the Brata-kathas (fantastic folk-tales recited by women while performing certain religious rites) narrated by his mother left on him as a child. His adolescent years were spent in Naihati, a suburb of Kolkata, in West Bengal. His life was rich with varied experiences. At one point, he used to hawk eggs from a basket carried on his head; later, he worked for meager daily wages. From 1943 through 1949 he worked in an ordnance factory in Ichhapore. He was an active member of the trade union and the Communist party for a period, and was jailed for during 1949-50 when the party was declared illegal. While in jail, he wrote his first novel, Uttaranga, that was published in book form. Soon after his release from the jail, he began to write professionally, refusing to join the factory even when offered his old job.


A prolific writer with more than 200 short stories and 100 novels, including those written under the aliases "Kalkut" and "Bhramar", Samaresh Basu is a major figure in Bengali fiction. His life experiences populated his writings with themes ranging from political activism to,, working class life to, sexuality. Two of his novels had been briefly banned on charges of obscenity. The case against one of these, Prajapati, was settled in the Supreme Court of India which overturned, in 1985, the rulings of the two lower courts.

Among other intellectuals, Buddhadeva Bose, himself once accused of similar charges for his Rat Bhor-e Brishti, came out strongly in support of Samaresh. To quote from Sumanta Banerjee's recent translation Selected Stories (Vol.1), Samaresh Basu "remains the most representative storyteller of Bengal's suburban life, as distinct from other well-known Bengali authors who had faithfully painted the life and problems of either Bengal's rural society or the urban middle class. Basu draws on his lived experience of Calcutta's `half-rural, half-urban,' industrial suburbs."


While the nom de plume "Kalkut" was adopted in 1952 for the immediate need to publish an overtly political piece, the real "Kalkut" can be said to have been born with the publication of Amritakumbher Sandhane, a hugely popular, semi-autobiographical narrative centered around the Kumbha-mela. The many subsequent books by Kalkut had depicted the lives of the common people from all over India and all walks of life (including those who live on the periphery of the "mainstream") with their varied cultures and religious practices in a unique style that was Kalkut's own. He also drew upon the recollections of the Puranas and Itihas; Shamba, an interesting modern interpretation of the Puranic tales, won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1980.

Samaresh Basu breathed his last on March 12, 1988.

A COURTESY OF PARABAS.COM
                                                 
                                              A TRIBUTE TO MY ALL TIME FAVORITE AUTHOR 
                                                        HIS WRITING IS THE RARE COMBINATION 
                                                                   OF PASSION & DEVOTION 
                                                      A GEM OF BENGALI  LITERATURE.
                                                          I LOVE YOU "POISON" <3 <3 <3 :D   

                                                                                 

Main Yehi Hoon

Tum Janti Ho Main Yahaan Hu

Main Yehi Hoon Tumhare Saath

Jab Bhi Tumne Asman Ki Taraf Dekha

Tab Maine Tumhari Taraf Barha Diya Apna Haath

Tum Janti Ho Woh Har Ek Pal

Khushi Mein Aur KhaliPaan Mein

Jab Bhi Tum Ne Socha Mere Bare Mein

Woh Har Ek Lamha Maine Nivaya Tumhara Saath

Tum Karte Ho Yehi Gila Ke 

Main Tum Se Ho Gaya Judah

Lekin Tarapta Hoon Kis Kadar Tumhari Intezaar Mein

Yeh To Sirf Janta Hain Mere Khudah

Tumhare Ansu Mujhe Rulata Hain

Tumhare Dard Mujhe Satata Hain

Tum Rahete Ho Meri Hi Firaaq Mein

Jab Bhi Yaad Tumhe Mere Karib Lata Hain

Woh Rahen Woh Manzile Woh Nadaniya Woh Mushkile

Woh Hasi Woh Larai Tumhari Chahat 

Bhari Woh Har Ek The Jo Gul Khile

Uski Mahek Aaj Bhi Mere Dil Main Hain Samaye 

Main Roz Aata Hu Tumse Milne

Meri Aahat ko Tum Pahechan Karti Toh Hogi Na

Kal Raat Tumhe Khowabon Mein Chhua Tha Hothon Se

Aaj Uski Mehsus Tum Apni Badan Chuke Karogi Na ?

Main Nehi Aa Sakta Haqikat Mein 

Main Saya Hu Mazi Ka Tumhare Samne

Lekin Jab Jab Bhi Tum Pukarogi Mujhe Tarap Ke

Main Aa Jaunga Tumhari Bahen Thamne

Na Main Logon Ki Bhir Mein Hoon

Na Main Hoon Gairon Ke Mehfil Mein

Main Hoon Tumhari Haar Shaash Mein Chhupa

Main Yehi Hoon Raheta Hu Tumhare Dil Mein 

A WORD OF SILENCE OF HEAVEN 

          FOR MY LIONESS

      FROM HIM & ME <3 <3 <3 :-)
M-e-Z 

Yaadein

Jaise Dharkan Ke Bina Shassh Liya Nehi Jata

Waise Hi Yaadon Ke Bina Kavi Jiya Nehi Jata

Meri Pairon Mein Duniya Lakhon Beriyan Pahenade 

Aur Rok De Urr Ne Ki Irade

Lekin Meri Maan Ke Jharokhe Mein Roz 

Jhak Te Hain Kuch Yaadein

Kuch Tute Hue Sapney Hain Kuch Waadein Hain Adhurein

Kuch Lute Hue Khowab Hain Jo Na Ho Sakte Hain Pure

Log Kahete Hain Bhul Jao Mazi Ko

Kya Rakkha Hain Yaadon Ke Wadi Mein

Lekin Sach To Yeh Hain Ke 

Yaad Hi Maan Ki Jaama Punji Hain

Kya Rakkha Hain Behisaab 

Aur BeLagam Khokhle Azadi Mein 

Main Khamosh Hu Ya Main Madhosh Hu

Main Kamyaab Hu Ya Shiquast Ke Maara Hu

 Main Jeeta Hu Ya Main Haara Hu

Jo Bhi Hu Khud Ko Har Lamhe Se Guzara Hu

Meri Aaj Ek Ajnabi Hain 

Meri Kaal Se Main Hu Anjaana

Meri Mazi Hi Meri Buniyaad Hain 

Jisko Duniya Ne Pahechana

Main Tayiar Hu Haar Haal Se Nipat Ne Ke Liyeh

Jo Kuch Mere Saath Hona  Hain Baki

 Tere Nashe Mein Tere Tazurbaon Se Bahe Chalungi Main

Tu Pila Te Chal Mujhe Aye Mazi  Tere Rangin Saqi 

                                                                     A TRIBUTE TO PAST :-). <3
                                                                                M-e-Z  

                                                                         

Sufi Poetry

                                                                                    
Attar of Nishapur (1145 - 1221 ce) saint and mystic, one of the most voluminous authors in Persian literature on religious topics. His best-known work, Conference of the Birds, is an elaborate allegory of the soul's quest for reunion with God


So long as we do not die to ourselves,
and so long as we identify with someone or something,
we shall never be free.
The spiritual way is not for those wrapped up in exterior life.


Farid ud Din Attar

Strive to discover the mystery before life is taken from you.
If while living you fail to find yourself, to know yourself,
how will you be able to understand
the secret of your existence when you die?



Farid ud Din Attar - translation Margaret Smith -The Jawhar Al-Dhat 


In the dead of night, a Sufi began to weep.
He said, "This world is like a closed coffin, in which
We are shut and in which, through our ignorance,
We spend our lives in folly and desolation.
When Death comes to open the lid of the coffin,
Each one who has wings will fly off to Eternity,
But those without will remain locked in the coffin.
So, my friends, before the lid of this coffin is taken off,
Do all you can to become a bird of the Way to God;
Do all you can to develop your wings and your feathers."


Farid ud Din Attar, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


The whole world is a marketplace for Love,
For naught that is, from Love remains remote.
The Eternal Wisdom made all things in Love.
On Love they all depend, to Love all turn.
The earth, the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars
The center of their orbit find in Love.
By Love are all bewildered, stupefied,
Intoxicated by the Wine of Love.


From each, Love demands a mystic silence.
What do all seek so earnestly? "Tis Love.
Love is the subject of their inmost thoughts,
In Love no longer "Thou" and "I" exist,
For self has passed away in the Beloved.
Now will I draw aside the veil from Love,
And in the temple of mine inmost soul
Behold the Friend, Incomparable Love.
He who would know the secret of both worlds
Will find that the secret of them both is Love.


Farid ud Din Attar, in Essential Sufism, James Fadiman and Robert Frager

Four Things to Know


Hatim al-Asamm said, "I have chosen four things to know
and discarded all other things of knowledge.
"The first is this: I know that my daily bread is apportioned
to me and will neither be increased or decreased, so I have stopped
trying to add to it.
"Secondly, I know I owe to God a debt which no one else can
pay for me, so I am busy about paying it.
"Thirdly, I know that there is someone pursuing me ---
Death --- whom I cannot escape from, so I have prepared myself
to meet him.
"Fourth, I know that God is observing me, so I am ashamed
to do what I should not."


Farid ud Din Attar, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


In the dead of night, a Sufi began to weep.
He said, "This world is like a closed coffin, in which
We are shut and in which, through our ignorance,
We spend our lives in folly and desolation.
When Death comes to open the lid of the coffin,
Each one who has wings will fly off to Eternity,
But those without will remain locked in the coffin.
So, my friends, before the lid of this coffin is taken off,
Do all you can to become a bird of the Way to God;
Do all you can to develop your wings and your feathers.


"Farid ud Din Attar, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


Hafiz of Shiraz (1230-91 ce) the greatest lyric poet of Persia, who took the poetic form of the ghazal to unparalleled heights of subtlety and beauty.


I speak frankly and that makes me happy:
I am the slave of love, I am free of both worlds.


I am a bird from heaven's garden. How do I describe that separation,
my fall into this snare of accidents?


I was an angel and highest paradise was my place.
Adam brought me to this monastery in the city of ruin.


The hours' caress, the pool and shade trees of paradise
were forgotten in the breeze from your alleyway.


There is nothing on the tablet of my heart but my love's tall alif.
What can I do? My master taught me no other letter.


No astrologer knew the constellations of my fate.
O lord, when I was born of mother earth which stars were rising?


Ever since I became a slave at the door of love's tavern
sorrows come to me each moment with congratulations.


The pupil of my eye drains the blood from my heart.
I deserve it. Why did I give my heart to the darling of others?


Wipe the tears from Hafiz's face with soft curls
or else this endless torrent will uproot me.


Hafiz - Ghazal 44 - "The Green Sea of Heaven" - Elizabeth T. Gray Jr


The sun
Won a beauty contest and became a jewel
Set upon God’s right hand.


The earth agreed to be a toe ring on the
Beloved’s foot
And has never regretted its decision.


The mountains got tired
Of sitting amongst a sleeping audience


And are now stretching their arms
Toward the Roof.


The clouds gave my soul an idea
So I pawned my gills
And rose like a winged diamond


Ever trying to be near
More love, more love
Like you.


The Mountain got tired of sitting
Amongst a snoring crowd inside of me
And rose like a rip sun
Into my eye.


My soul gave my heart a brilliant idea
So Hafiz is rising like a
Winged diamond.


Hafiz - “The Gift” – translation by Daniel Ladinsky


We are the guardians of His Beauty


We are the protectors
Of the Sun.


There is only one reason
We have followed God into this world:


To encourage laughter, freedom, dance
And love.


Let a noble cry inside of you speak to me
Saying,


"Hafiz,
Don't just sit there on the moon tonight
Doing nothing -


Help unfurl my heart into the Friend's Mind,
Help, Old Man, to heal my wounded wings!"


We are the companions of His Beauty
We are the guardians
Of Truth.


Every man, plant and creature in Existence,
Every woman, child, vein and note
Is a servant of our Beloved -


A harbinger of joy,
The harbinger of
Light.

Hafiz - "The Subject Tonight is Love" - Daniel Ladinsky


Mortal never won to view thee,
Yet a thousand lovers woo thee;
Not a nightingale but knows
In the rose-bud sleeps the rose.


Love is where the glory falls
Of thy face: on convent walls
Or on tavern floors the same
Unextinguishable flame.


Where the turban'd anchorite
Chanteth Allah day and night,
Church-bells ring the call to prayer,
And the Cross of Christ is there.

Hafiz - "Persian Poems" - R.A. Nicholson


Come,
let's scatter roses and pour wine in the glass;
we'll shatter heaven's roof and lay a new foundation.
If sorrow raises armies to shed the blood of lovers,
I'll join with the wine bearer so we can overthrow them.
With a sweet string at hand, play a sweet song, my friend,
so we can clap and sing a song and lose our heads in dancing.


Hafiz (Ghani-Qazvini, no 374) ' the Shambhala Guide to Sufism' Carl.W Ernst, Ph.D.


Jami (1414 - 1492 ce) (Nur al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmad al-Jami) commonly called the last great classical poet of Persia, saint and mystic, composed numerous lyrics and idylls, as well as many works in prose. His Salaman and Absal is an allegory of profane and sacred love. Some of his other works include Haft Awrang, Tuhfat al-Ahrar, Layla wa -Majnun, Fatihat al-Shabab, Lawa'ih, al-Durrah al-Fakhirah.


Who is man?
The reflection of the Eternal Light.


What is the world?
A wave on the Everlasting Sea.

How could the reflection be cut off from the Light?
How could the wave be separate from the Sea?
Know that this reflection and this wave are that very Light and Sea.


Jami, Diwan, tr by W.C. Chittick


Hidden behind the veil of mystery, Beauty is eternally free from the slightest stain of imperfection. From the atoms of the world, He created a multitude of mirrors; into each one of them He cast the image of His Face; to the awakened eye, anything that appears beautiful is only a reflection of that Face.


Now that you have seen the reflection, hurry to its Source; in that primordial Light the reflection vanishes completely. Do not linger far from that primal Source; when the reflection fades, you will be lost in darkness. The reflection is as transient as the smile of a rose; if you want permanence, turn towards the Source; if you want fidelity, look to the Mine of faithfulness. Why tear your soul apart over something here one moment and gone the next?


ami, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'

Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace,
Purify yourself of hatred and love of self.
Polish your mirror; and that sublime Beauty
From the regions of mystery
Will flame out in your heart
As it did for the saints and prophets.
Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor,
The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden.


Jami, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273 ce) saint and mystic, inspiration for the Mevlevi Order of the whirling dervishes, highly revered for the great Mathnawi which is a grand tribute to the depth of spiritual life.




The Jesus of your spirit is inside you now.
Ask that one for help, but don't ask for body-things...


Don't ask Moses for provisions
that you can get from Pharaoh.


Don't worry so much about livelihood.
Your livelihood will turn out as it should.
Be constantly occupied instead
with listening to God.


Rumi, Mathnawi II:450-454


Listen for the stream
that tells you one thing.


Die on this bank.
Begin in me
the way of rivers with the sea.


Rumi - Coleman Barks - from "Say I Am You"


You've no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You.
Nothing seemed right.


What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the Ocean.
Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient.

It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these.


So- I've brought you a mirror.


Look at yourself and remember me.


- Jalaluddin Rumi, Essential Rumi, Coleman Barks, pg141


Longing is the core of mystery.
Longing itself brings the cure.
The only rule is, Suffer the pain.


Your desire must be disciplined,
and what you want to happen
in time, sacrificed.


Rumi - The Essential Rumi - Coleman Barks

Oh! Supreme Lover!
Let me leave aside my worries.


ami, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'

Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace,
Purify yourself of hatred and love of self.
Polish your mirror; and that sublime Beauty
From the regions of mystery
Will flame out in your heart
As it did for the saints and prophets.
Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor,
The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden.


Jami, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'




Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273 ce) saint and mystic, inspiration for the Mevlevi Order of the whirling dervishes, highly revered for the great Mathnawi which is a grand tribute to the depth of spiritual life.




The Jesus of your spirit is inside you now.
Ask that one for help, but don't ask for body-things...


Don't ask Moses for provisions
that you can get from Pharaoh.


Don't worry so much about livelihood.
Your livelihood will turn out as it should.
Be constantly occupied instead
with listening to God.


Rumi, Mathnawi II:450-454


Listen for the stream
that tells you one thing.


Die on this bank.
Begin in me
the way of rivers with the sea.


Rumi - Coleman Barks - from "Say I Am You"


You've no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You.
Nothing seemed right.


What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the Ocean.
Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient.


It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these.


So- I've brought you a mirror.


Look at yourself and remember me.


- Jalaluddin Rumi, Essential Rumi, Coleman Barks, pg141


Longing is the core of mystery.
Longing itself brings the cure.
The only rule is, Suffer the pain.


Your desire must be disciplined,
and what you want to happen
in time, sacrificed.


Rumi - The Essential Rumi - Coleman Barks


Oh! Supreme Lover!
Let me leave aside my worries.


The flowers are blooming
with the exultation of your Spirit.


By Allah!
I long to escape the prison of my ego
and lose myself
in the mountains and the desert.


These sad and lonely people tire me.
I long to revel in the drunken frenzy of your love
and feel the strength of Rustam in my hands.


I'm sick of mortal kings.
I long to see your light.
With lamps in hand
the sheikhs and mullahs roam
the dark alleys of these towns
not finding what they seek.


You are the Essence of the Essence,
The intoxication of Love.
I long to sing your praises
but stand mute
with the agony of wishing in my heart.


Rumi - 'The Love Poems of Rumi' - Deepak Chopra & Fereydoun Kia

Inside this new love, die.
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky.
Take an axe to the prison wall.
Escape.
Walk out like someone suddenly born into color.
Do it now.
You're covered with a thick cloud.
Slide out the side. Die,
and be quiet. Quiteness is the surest sign
that you've died.
Your old life was a frantic running
from silence.


The speechless full moon
comes out now.


Rumi - The Essential Rumi - Coleman Barks


The Morning Wind Spreads
The morning wind spreads its fresh smell.
We must get up and take that in,
that wind that lets us live.
Breathe before it's gone.


Rumi - 'The Essential Rumi' - Coleman Barks

Everyone is overridden by thoughts;
that's why they have so much heartache and sorrow.
At times I give myself up to thought purposefully;
but when I choose,
I spring up from those under its sway.
I am like a high-flying bird,
and thought is a gnat:
how should a gnat overpower me?


Rumi - Mathnawi II, 3559-3561 - 'Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance' - Camille and Kabir Helminski


I wonder
from these thousand of "me's",
which one am I?
Listen to my cry, do not drown my voice
I am completely filled with the thought of you.
Don't lay broken glass on my path
I will crush it into dust.
I am nothing, just a mirror in the palm of your hand,
reflecting your kindness, your sadness, your anger.
If you were a blade of grass or a tiny flower
I will pitch my tent in your shadow.
Only your presence revives my withered heart.
You are the candle that lights the whole world
and I am an empty vessel for your light.

Rumi - "Hidden Music" - Maryam Mafi & Azima Melita Kolin


 Happy the moment when we are seated in the Palace, thou and I,
With two forms and with two figures but with one soul, thou and I.
The colours of the grove and the voice of the birds will bestow immortality
At the time when we come into the garden, thou and I.
The stars of heaven will come to gaze upon us;
We shall show them the Moon itself, thou and I.
Thou and I, individuals no more, shall be mingled in ecstasy,
Joyful and secure from foolish babble, thou and I.
All the bright-plumed birds of heaven will devour their hearts with envy
In the place where we shall laugh in such a fashion, thou and I.
This is the greatest wonder, that thou and I, sitting here in the same nook,
Are at this moment both in ‘Iraq and Khorasan, thou and I.
Jelaluddin Rumi, in The Mystics of Islam, translated by Reynold A Nicholson


 Awakened by your love,
I flicker like a candle's light
tryin to hold on in the dark.
Yet, you spare me no blows
and keep asking,
"Why do you complain?"


Rumi - "Whispers of the Beloved" - Maryam Mafi & Azima Melita Kolin


My heart tells me it is distressed with Him,
but I can only laugh at such pretended injuries.


Be fair, You who are the Glory of the just.
You, Soul, free of "we" and "I,"
subtle spirit within each man and woman.


When a man and a woman become one,
that "one" is You.
And when that one is obliterated, there You are.


Where is this "we" and this "I"?
By the side of the Beloved.
You made this "we" and this "I"
in order that you might play
this game of courtship with Yourself,
that all "you's" and "I's" might become one soul
and finally drown in the Beloved.


All this is true. Come!
You who are the Creative Word: Be
You, so far beyond description.


Is it possible for the bodily eyes to see You?
Can thought comprehend Your laughter or grief?
Tell me now, can it possibly see You at all?
Such a heart has only borrowed things to live with.


The garden of love is green without limit
and yields many fruits other than sorrow or joy.
Love is beyond either condition:
without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh.


Rumi - Mathnawi I, 1779-1794 - The Rumi Collection - Kabir Helminski


Saadi of Shiraz (1215 -1292 ce), a great poet of Persia, author of the Gulistan (Rose-Garden) and the Bostan (Orchard), who also wrote many odes and lyrics.




O bird of the morning, learn love from the moth
Because it burnt, lost its life, and found no voice.
These pretenders are ignorantly in search of Him,
Because he who obtained knowledge has not returned.


Sheikh Muslih-uddin Sa'di Shirazi - The Gulistan of Sa'di


How could I ever thank my Friend?
No thanks could ever begin to be worthy.
Every hair of my body is a gift from Him;
How could I thank Him for each hair?
Praise that lavish Lord forever
Who from nothing conjures all living beings!
Who could ever describe His goodness?
His infinite glory lays all praise waste.
Look, He has graced you a robe of splendor
>From childhood's first cries to old age!
He made you pure in His own image; stay pure.
It is horrible to die blackened by sin.
Never let dust settle on your mirror's shining;
Let it once grow dull and it will never polish.
When you work in the world to earn your living
Do not, for one moment, rely on your own strength.
Self-worshiper, don't you understand anything yet?
It is God alone that gives your arms their power.
If, by your striving, you achieve something good,
Don't claim the credit all for yourself;
It is fate that decides who wins and who loses
And all success streams only from the grace of God.
In this world you never stand by your own strength;
It is the Invisible that sustains you every moment.

Saadi, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


Sanai (1118 -1152 ce) (Abû'l-Majd Majdûd b. Adam Sanâ'î) is revered as one of the first great mystical poets of Persia. He produced many lyrical poems and a religious epic, The Walled Garden of Truth.


Don't speak of your suffering -- He is speaking.
Don't look for Him everywhere -- He's looking for you.


An ant's foot touches a leaf, He senses it;
A pebble shifts in a streambed, He knows it.


If there's a worm hidden deep in a rock,
He'll know its body, tinier than an atom,


The sound of its praise, its secret ecstasy --
All this He knows by divine knowing.


He has given the tiniest worm its food;
He has opened to you the Way of the Holy Ones.


Sanai


'The Puzzle'


Someone who keeps aloof from suffering
is not a lover. I choose your love
above all else. As for wealth
if that comes, or goes, so be it.
Wealth and love inhabit separate worlds.


But as long as you live here inside me,
I cannot say that I am suffering.


Sanai, translation by Coleman Barks - 'Persian Poems'


'The Way of the Holy Ones'


Don't speak of your suffering -- He is speaking.
Don't look for Him everywhere -- He's looking for you.


An ant's foot touches a leaf, He senses it;
A pebble shifts in a streambed, He knows it.


If there's a worm hidden deep in a rock,
He'll know its body, tinier than an atom,


The sound of its praise, its secret ecstasy --
All this He knows by divine knowing.


He has given the tiniest worm its food;
He has opened to you the Way of the Holy Ones.


Sanai, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'

Those unable to grieve,
or to speak of their love,
or to be grateful, those
who can't remember God
as the source of everything,


might be described as a vacant wind,
or a cold anvil, or a group
of frightened old people.


Say the Name. Moisten your tongue
with praise, and be the spring ground,
waking. Let your mouth be given
its gold-yellow stamen like the wild rose's.


As you fill with wisdom,
and your heart with love,
there's no more thirst.


There's only unselfed patience
waiting on the doorsill, a silence
which doesn't listen to advice
from people passing in the street.

Sanai - "Persian Poems" - Coleman Barks
Yunus Emre - (1241 - 1321 ce). Yunus' poetry made a great impact on Turkish culture.

The drink sent down from Truth,
we drank it, glory be to God.
And we sailed over the Ocean of Power,
glory be to God.


Beyond those hills and oak woods,
beyond those vineyards and gardens,
we passed in health and joy, glory be to God.


We were dry, but we moistened.
We grew wings and became birds,
we married one another and flew,
glory be to God.


To whatever lands we came,
in whatever hearts, in all humanity,
we planted the meanings Taptuk taught us,
glory be to God.


Come here, let's make peace,
let's not be strangers to one another.
We have saddled the horse
and trained it, glory be to God.


We became a trickle that grew into a river.
We took flight and drove into the sea,
and then we overflowed, glory be to God.


We became servants at Taptuk's door.
Poor Yunus, raw and tasteless,
finally got cooked, glory be to God.


Yunus Emre, translated by Kabir Helminski and Refik Algan - 'The Drop That Became Sea'


Ask those who know,
what's this soul within the flesh?
Reality's own power.
What blood fills these veins?


Thought is an errand boy,
fear a mine of worries.
These sighs are love's clothing.
Who is the Khan on the throne?


Give thanks for His unity.
He created when nothing existed.
And since we are actually nothing,
what are all of Solomon's riches?


Ask Yunus and Taptuk
what the world means to them..
The world won't last.
What are You? What am I?


Yunus Emre, translated by Kabir Helminski and Refik Algan - 'The Drop That Became Sea'


We entered the house of realization,
we witnessed the body.


The whirling skies, the many-layered earth,
the seventy-thousand veils,
we found in the body.
The night and the day, the planets,
the words inscribed on the Holy Tablets,
the hill that Moses climbed, the Temple,
and Israfil's trumpet, we observed in the body.
Torah, Psalms, Gospel, Quran-
what these books have to say,
we found in the body.


Everybody says these words of Yunus
are true. Truth is wherever you want it.
We found it all within the body.


Yunus Emre, yranslated by Kabir Helminski and Refik Algan - 'The Drop That Became Sea'


I am before, I am after
The soul for all souls all the way.
I'm the one with a helping hand
Ready for those gone wild, astray.


I made the ground flat where it lies,
On it I had those mountains rise,
I designed the vault of the shies,
For I hold all things in my sway.


To countless lovers I have been
A guide for faith and religion.
I am sacrilege in men's hearts
Also the true faith and Islam's way.


I make men love peace and unite;
Putting down the black words on white,
I wrote the four holy books right
I'm the Koran for those who pray.


It's not Yunus who says all this:
It speaks its own realities:
To doubt this would be blasphemous:
"I'm before-I'm after," I say


Yunus Emre


Your love has wrested me away from me,
You're the one I need, you're the one I crave.
Day and night I burn, gripped by agony,
You're the one I need, you're the one I crave.


I find no great joy in being alive,
If I cease to exist, I would not grieve,
The only solace I have is your love,
You're the one I need, you're the one I crave.


Lovers yearn for you, but your love slays them,
At the bottom of the sea it lays them,
It has God's images-it displays them;
You're the one I need, you're the one I crave.


Let me drink the wine of love sip by sip,
Like Mecnun, live in the hills in hardship,
Day and night, care for you holds me in its grip,
You're the one I need, you're the one I crave.


Even if, at the end, they make me die
And scatter my ashes up to the shy,
My pit would break into this outcry:
You're the one I need, you're the one I crave.


"Yunus Emre the mystic" is my name,
Each passing day fans and rouses my flame,
What I desire in both worlds in the same:
You're the one I need, you're the one I crave.


Yunus Emre


Sa'd al-din Mahmud Shabistari(1288 - 1340 ce) is one of the most celebrated authors of Persian Sufism. Because of his gift for expressing the Sufi mystical vision with extraordinary clarity, his Gulshan-i Raz (Secret Rose Garden) rapidly became one of the most popular works of Persian Sufi poetry.


Go sweep out the chamber of your heart.
Make it ready to be the dwelling place of the Beloved.
When you depart out, He will enter it.
In you, void of yourself, will He display His beauties.


Mahmud Shabistari - 'Rose Garden of Mystery'


'One Light'


What are "I" and "You"?
Just lattices
In the niches of a lamp
Through which the One Light radiates.


"I" and "You" are the veil
Between heaven and earth;
Lift this veil and you will see
How all sects and religions are one.


Lift this veil and you will ask---
When "I" and "You" do not exist
What is mosque?
What is synagogue?
What is fire temple?


Mahmud Shabistari, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


Sheikh Ansari Jabir ibn 'Abdullah al-Ansari (1006-1088 ce) He was called Sheikh al-Islam and he was also given the title Zayn al- 'Ulama (Ornament of the Scholars) and Nasir al-Sunnah (Supporter of the Prophetic Tradition). Later on in Persian texts he was called Pir-e Herat (the Sheikh of Herat).


Some of Ansari works include Kashf al-Asrar "Unveiling of the Secrets" (Commentary of the Qur'an), Tabaquat al-Sufiyya (The Generations of the Sufis), "Munajat" (Intimate Invocations) which is incorporated into the Kashf al-Asrar and in the Tabaqat.

'The Friend Beside Me'


O God
You know why I am happy:
It is because I seek Your company,
not through my own (efforts).


O God,
You decided and I did not.
I found the Friend beside me
when I woke up!


Sheikh Ansari - Kashf al_Asrar, Vol. 5, p. 407 - 'Munajat - The Intimate Invocations' - A.G. Farhadi


'Where Are You?'


O God,
You are the aim of the call of the sincere,
You enlighten the souls of the friends, (and)
You are the comfort of the hearts of the travellers---
because You are present in the very soul.


I call out, from emotion:
"Where are you?"


You are the life of the soul,
You are the rule (ayin) of speech, (and)
You are Your own interpreter (tarjaman).


For the sake of Your obligation to Yourself,
do not enter us into the shade of deception, (but)
make us reach union (wisal) with You.


Sheikh Ansari - Kashf al_Asrar, Vol. 5, p. 598 - 'Munajat - The Intimate Invocations' - A.G. Farhadi

'Pursuit of the Friend'


The heart left,
and the Friend is (also) gone.
I don't know whether I should go after the Friend
or after the heart!
A voice spoke to me:
"Go in pursuit of the Friend,
because the lover needs a heart
in order to find union with the Friend.
If there was no Friend,
what would (the lover) do with (his) heart?"


Sheikh Ansari - Kashf al_Asrar, Vol. 1, p. 628 - 'Maqulat-o Andarz-ha - Sayings and Advice' - A.G. Farhadi


'The Beauty of Oneness'


Any eye filled with the vision of this world
cannot see the attributes of the Hereafter,
Any eye filled with the attributes of the Hereafter
would be deprived of the Beauty (Jamal) of (Divine) Oneness.


Sheikh Ansari - Kashf al_Asrar, Vol. 7, p. 511 - 'Maqulat-o Andarz-ha - Sayings and Advice' - A.G. Farhadi


'In Each Breath'


O you who have departed from your own self,
and who have not yet reached the Friend:
do not be sad, (for)
He is accompanying you in each of (your) breaths.


Sheikh Ansari - Kashf al_Asrar, Vol. 7, p. 268 - 'Maqulat-o Andarz-ha - Sayings and Advice' - A.G. Farhadi


Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya (717 - 801 ce) was born in Basra. As a child, after the death of her parents, Rabi'a was sold into slavery. After years of service to her slavemaster, Rabi'a began to serve only the Beloved with her actions and thoughts. Since she was no longer useful to the slaveowner, Rabi'a was then set free to continue her devotion to the Beloved.


Rabi'a taught that the true lover, whose consciousness is unwaveringly centered on the Beloved, is unattached to conditions such as pleasure or pain, not from sensory dullness but from ceaseless rapture in Divine Love.


Rabia was once asked, "How did you attain that which you have attained?"
"By often praying, 'I take refuge in You, O God, from everything that distracts me from You, and from every obstacle that prevents me from reaching You.'"


Rabi´a al-Adawiyya, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'

In love, nothing exists between heart and heart.
Speech is born out of longing,
True description from the real taste.
The one who tastes, knows;
the one who explains, lies.
How can you describe the true form of Something
In whose presence you are blotted out?
And in whose being you still exist?
And who lives as a sign for your journey?


Rabia al-Adawiyya

I have two ways of loving You:
A selfish one
And another way that is worthy of You.
In my selfish love, I remember You and You alone.
In that other love, You lift the veil
And let me feast my eyes on Your Living Face.

Rabi´a al-Adawiyya. Doorkeeper of the heart:versions of Rabia. Trans. Charles Upton


 The source of my suffering and loneliness is deep in my heart.
This is a disease no doctor can cure.
Only Union with the Friend can cure it.


Rabi´a al-Adawiyya, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


I have made You the Companion of my heart.
But my body is available to those who desire its company,
And my body is friendly toward its guest,
But the Beloved of my heart is the guest of my soul.


Rabi´a al-Adawiyya translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


Brothers, my peace is in my aloneness.
My Beloved is alone with me there, always.
I have found nothing in all the worlds
That could match His love,
This love that harrows the sands of my desert.
If I come to die of desire
And my Beloved is still not satisfied,
I would live in eternal despair.


To abandon all that He has fashioned
And hold in the palm of my hand
Certain proof that He loves me---
That is the name and the goal of my search.


Rabi´a al-Adawiyya, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


O Lord,
If tomorrow on Judgment Day
You send me to Hell,
I will tell such a secret
That Hell will race from me
Until it is a thousand years away.


O Lord,
Whatever share of this world
You could give to me,
Give it to Your enemies;
Whatever share of the next world
You want to give to me,
Give it to Your friends.
You are enough for me.


O Lord,
If I worship You
From fear of Hell, burn me in Hell.


O Lord,
If I worship You
From hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates.


But if I worship You for Yourself alone
Then grace me forever the splendor of Your Face.


Rabi´a al-Adawiyya, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - 'Perfume of the Desert'


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir (Abu Sa'id ibn Ab'il Khair ) (967 - 1049 ce) referring to himself as "nobody, son of nobody" he expressed the reality that his life had disappeared in the heart of God. This revered Persian Sufi mystic from Khorasan preceded the great poet Jalaluddin Rumi by over two hundred years on the same path of annihilation in Love.


Until you become an unbeliever in your own self,
you cannot become a believer in God.


Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir - 'Nobody, Son of Nobody' - Vraje Abramian


If you are seeking closeness to the Beloved,
love everyone.
Whether in their presence or absence,
see only their good.
If you want to be as clear and refreshing as
the breath of the morning breeze,
like the sun, have nothing but warmth and light
for everyone.


Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir - 'Nobody, Son of Nobody' - Vraje Abramian


Beloved, show me the way out of this prison.
Make me needless of both worlds.
Pray, erase from mind all
that is not You.


Have mercy Beloved,
though I am nothing but forgetfulness,
You are the essence of forgiveness.
Make me needless of all but You.


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian


Piousness and the path of love
are two different roads.
Love is the fire that burns both belief
and non-belief.
Those who practice Love have neither
religion nor caste.


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian

Be humble.
Only fools take pride in their station here, trapped in
a cage of dust, moisture, heat and air.
No need to complain of calamities,
this illusion of a life lasts but a moment.


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian

Suppose you can recite a thousand holy
verses from memory.
What are you going to do
with your ego self, the true
mark of the heretic?
Every time your head touches
the ground in prayers, remember,
this was to teach you to
put down that load of ego
which bars you from entering
the chamber of the Beloved.


To your mind feed understanding,
to your heart, tolerance and compassion.
The simpler your life, the more meaningful.
The less you desire of the world,
the more room you will have in it
to fill with the Beloved.


The best use of your tongue
is to repeat the Beloved's Name in devotion.
The best prayers are those in
the solitude of the night.
The shortest way to the Friend
is through selfless service and
generosity to His creatures.


Those with no sense of honor and dignity are best avoided.
Those who change colors constantly
are best forgotten.
The best way to be with those
bereft of the Beloved's qualities,
is to forget them in the
joy of silence in one's corner of solitude.


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody"

Drink from this heart now,
for all this loving it contains.
When you look for it again,
it will be dancing in the wind.


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian


Let sorrowful longing dwell in your heart,
never give up, never losing hope.
The Beloved says, "The broken ones are My darlings."
Crush your heart, be broken.


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian


If you do not give up the crowds
you won't find your way to Oneness.
If you do not drop your self
you won't find your true worth.
If you do not offer all you
have to the Beloved,
you will live this life free of that
pain which makes it worth living.


Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian


Sheikh Sultan Bahu (1628 - 1691 ce) belonged to the Qadiri Order of Sufis and is known by the title of Sultan-ul-Arifin (king of the Gnostics). Born in the Soon Valley, he wrote in both Persian and Punjabi, and is regarded as one of the most prominent Sufi poets of the Indo-Pak subcontinent.




Those who have not realized God will wander,
homeless in this world, destitute in the next.
But watch the lovers dance with ecstasy,
as they merge into the oneness of God [Allah].


Sultan Bahu, translated by J.R. Puri and K.S. Khak


The river of oneness has surged,
quenching the thirst of the deserts and wastelands.
If you don't nurture God's love in your heart,
you will be dry and parched like those deserts.


Sultan Bahu, translated by J.R. Puri and K.S. Khak


The Lord is an ocean of oneness
in which lovers swim as they please, free of care.
In their own turn, they appear in the world
to dive deep into that ocean, to gather pearls.
Among the pearls is a gem --
unique in value, unmatched in lustre --
that shines like the moon.
We are all in the employ of the Lord, O Bahu;
let us pay homage to him through our prayers.


Sultan Bahu, translated by J.R. Puri and K.S. Khak

Repeat the Name of God,
and always contemplate on Him
while doing your repetition --
keener than a sword is such remembrance [Zikhr, Simran].


Sultan Bahu, translated by J.R. Puri and K.S. Khak


Repeat the Name of God, O Bahu,
and free yourself from the worries of life.


Sultan Bahu, translated by J.R. Puri and K.S. Khak


 Those who enshrine the Lord in their hearts, O Bahu,
have both the worlds at their command.


Lovers remain completely intoxicated
in the ecstasy of their love for the Beloved.
They offer their souls to the Beloved
while still living
and thus immortalize themselves
in this life and the hereafter.


Sultan Bahu, translated by J.R. Puri and K.S. Khak


Muhammed Ibn 'Ali Ibn 'Arabi (1165 - 1240 ce) Known as Muhyiddin (the Revivifier of Religion) and the Shaykh al-Akbar (the Greatest Master), he was born into the Moorish culture of Andalusian Spain and traveled widely throughout the Islamic countries.


O Marvel! a garden amidst the flames.
My heart has become capable of every form:
it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks,
and a temple for idols and the pilgrim's Kaa'ba,
and the tables of the Torah and the book of the Quran.
I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love's camels take,
that is my religion and my faith.


ibn al-`Arabi, Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, in The Mystics of Islam, translated by Reynold A Nicholson


All that is left
to us by tradition
is mere words.


It is up to us
to find out what they mean.


ibn al-`Arabi, Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, in The Mystics of Islam, translated by Reynold A Nicholson


 Were it not for
the excess of your talking
and the turmoil in your hearts,
you would see what I see
and hear what I hear!


ibn al-`Arabi, Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, in The Mystics of Islam, translated by Reynold A Nicholson


When my Beloved appears, With what eye do I see Him? With His eye, not with mine, For none sees Him except Himself.


ibn al-`Arabi, Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, in The Mystics of Islam, translated by Reynold A Nicholson


Baba Kuhi of Shiriz, a Persian dervish-poet who died around 1050 ce: (see also a brief essay Eyes of the Heart)


In the market, in the cloister--only God I saw.
In the valley and on the mountain--only God I saw.
Him I have seen beside me oft in tribulation;
In favour and in fortune--only God I saw.
In prayer and fasting, in praise and contemplation,
In the religion of the Prophet--only God I saw.
Neither soul nor body, accident nor substance,
Qualities nor causes--only God I saw.
I oped mine eyes and by the light of His face around me
In all the eye discovered--only God I saw.
Like a candle I was melting in His fire:
Amidst the flames outflashing--only God I saw.
Myself with mine own eyes I saw most clearly,
But when I looked with God's eyes--only God I saw.
I passed away into nothingness, I vanished,
And lo, I was the All-living--only God I saw.


Baba Kuhi, in The Mystics of Islam, translated by Reynold A Nicholson

Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj known as al-Hallaj (the wool-carder), he was put to death in Baghdad for having uttered ana 'l haqq (I am the Truth):


I am He whom I love,
and He whom I love is I:
We are two spirits
dwelling in one body.
If thou seest me,
thou seest Him,
And if thou seest Him,
thou seest us both.


al-Hallaj, Kitab al-Tawasin, in The Mystics of Islam, by Reynold A Nicholson


 Thy Spirit is mingled in my spirit
even as wine is mingled with pure water.
When anything touches Thee,
it touches me.
Lo, in every case Thou art I!"


al-Hallaj, Kitab al-Tawasin, in The Mystics of Islam, by Reynold A Nicholson


Amir Khusrau (1253 - 1325 ce ) Indian Sufi mystic, musician, poet and scholar. He was a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi, and is one of the most beloved poets of the Chishti Sufi lineage.


Love came and spread like blood in my veins and the skin of me,
It filled me with the Friend and completely emptied me.
The Friend has taken over all parts of my existence,
Only my name remains, as all is He.


 Moinuddin Chishti (1141 - 1230 ce) born in Khorasan. A widely beloved Persian spiritual leader who carried the Chishti lineage to India.


The noise of the lover is only up to
the time when he has not seen his Beloved.
Once he sees the Beloved, he becomes calm and quiet,
just as the rivers are boisterous before they join the ocean,
but when they do so, there are becalmed forever.


The one who knows becomes perfect only when
all else is removed from in-between him and the Friend.
Either he remains or the Friend.


Hazret-i Uftade (1490-1580 ce) Mehmed Muhyiddin Üftade was a widely revered Turkish saint, and founder of the Jelveti order of Sufis who emphasized the return into the midst of society after learning to overcome the lower-self.


If you desire the Beloved, my heart,
Do not cease to pour out lamentations.
Observing His existence, reach annihilation!
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.


Let tears of blood pour from your eyes
May they emerge hot from the furnace
Say not that he is one of you or one of us
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.


Let love come that you may have a friend
Your distresses are a torrent
Sweeping you along the way to the Friend
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.


Take yourself up to the heavens
Meet the angels
And fulfill your desires
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.


Pass beyond the universe, this [unfurled] carpet
Beyond the pedestal and beyond the throne
That the bringers of good tidings may greet you
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.


Remove your you from you
Leave behind body and soul
That theophanies may appear
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.


Pass on, without looking aside
Without your heart pouring forth to another
That you may drink the pure waters
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.
If you desire union with the Beloved
Oh Uftade! Find your soul
That the Beloved may appear before you
Say “Oh He and You who is He”.


Other Mystical Poetry:


When the soul is plunged in the fire of divine love, like iron, it first
loses its blackness, and then growing to white heat it becomes like
unto the fire itself. And lastly, it grows liquid, and, losing its nature, is
transmuted into an utterly different quality of being. And as the difference
between iron that is cold and iron that is hot, so is the difference between
soul and soul, between the tepid soul and the soul made incandescent by
divine love.


Richard of St. Victor - de Quattuor Gradibus Violentae Charitatis

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.


These are words we dimly hear:


You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.


Flare up like flame
and make big shadows I can move in.


Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself lose me.


Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.


Give me your hand.


Rainer Maria Rilke
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