Desire – Rumi

“I want to sing like the birds sing,

not worrying about who hears

or what they think.” ― Rumi

A Lover’s Call – Khalil Gibran

Where are you, my beloved? Are you in that little
Paradise, watering the flowers who look upon you
As infants look upon the breast of their mothers?

Or are you in your chamber where the shrine of
Virtue has been placed in your honor, and upon
Which you offer my heart and soul as sacrifice?

Or amongst the books, seeking human knowledge,
While you are replete with heavenly wisdom?

Oh companion of my soul, where are you? Are you
Praying in the temple? Or calling Nature in the
Field, haven of your dreams?

Are you in the huts of the poor, consoling the
Broken-hearted with the sweetness of your soul, and
Filling their hands with your bounty?

You are God’s spirit everywhere;
You are stronger than the ages.

Do you have memory of the day we met, when the halo of
You spirit surrounded us, and the Angels of Love
Floated about, singing the praise of the soul’s deed?

Do you recollect our sitting in the shade of the
Branches, sheltering ourselves from Humanity, as the ribs
Protect the divine secret of the heart from injury?

Remember you the trails and forest we walked, with hands
Joined, and our heads leaning against each other, as if
We were hiding ourselves within ourselves?

Recall you the hour I bade you farewell,
And the Maritime kiss you placed on my lips?
That kiss taught me that joining of lips in Love
Reveals heavenly secrets which the tongue cannot utter!

That kiss was introduction to a great sigh,
Like the Almighty’s breath that turned earth into man.

That sigh led my way into the spiritual world,
Announcing the glory of my soul; and there
It shall perpetuate until again we meet.

I remember when you kissed me and kissed me,
With tears coursing your cheeks, and you said,
“Earthly bodies must often separate for earthly purpose,
And must live apart impelled by worldly intent.

“But the spirit remains joined safely in the hands of
Love, until death arrives and takes joined souls to God.

“Go, my beloved; Love has chosen you her delegate;
Over her, for she is Beauty who offers to her follower
The cup of the sweetness of life.
As for my own empty arms, your love shall remain my
Comforting groom; you memory, my Eternal wedding.”

Where are you now, my other self? Are you awake in
The silence of the night? Let the clean breeze convey
To you my heart’s every beat and affection.

Are you fondling my face in your memory? That image
Is no longer my own, for Sorrow has dropped his
Shadow on my happy countenance of the past.

Sobs have withered my eyes which reflected your beauty
And dried my lips which you sweetened with kisses.

Where are you, my beloved? Do you hear my weeping
From beyond the ocean? Do you understand my need?
Do you know the greatness of my patience?

Is there any spirit in the air capable of conveying
To you the breath of this dying youth? Is there any
Secret communication between angels that will carry to
You my complaint?

Where are you, my beautiful star? The obscurity of life
Has cast me upon its bosom; sorrow has conquered me.

Sail your smile into the air; it will reach and enliven me!
Breathe your fragrance into the air; it will sustain me!

Where are you, me beloved?
Oh, how great is Love!
And how little am I!

Soul – Shams Tabrizi

“Nothing kills the soul that commands to evil like seeing the beauty of the heart.”

“Don’t search for heaven and hell in the future.

Both are now present. Whenever we manage to love without expectations, calculations, negotiations, we are indeed in heaven.

Whenever we fight, hate, we are in hell.” —- Shams Tabrizi

Work — Khalil Gibran

Then a ploughman said, “Speak to us of Work.”

And he answered, saying:

You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.

For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life’s procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

 

When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.

Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?

Always you have been told that work is a curse and labour a misfortune.

But I say to you that when you work you fulfil a part of earth’s furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born,

And in keeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life,

 

And to love life through labour is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.

But if you in your pain call birth an affliction and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow, then I answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.

 

You have been told also life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.

And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,

And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,

And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,

And all work is empty save when there is love;

And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.

And what is it to work with love?

 

It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.

It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.

It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.

It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,

And to know that all the blessed dead are standing about you and watching.

 

Often have I heard you say, as if speaking in sleep, “he who works in marble, and finds the shape of his own soul in the stone, is a nobler than he who ploughs the soil.

And he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a cloth in the likeness of man, is more than he who makes the sandals for our feet.”

But I say, not in sleep but in the over-wakefulness of noontide, that the wind speaks not more sweetly to the giant oaks than to the least of all the blades of grass;

And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his own loving.

 

Work is love made visible.

And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.

For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.

And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distills a poison in the wine.

And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.

Two Infants — Khalil Gibran

 

A prince stood on the balcony of his palace addressing a great multitude summoned for the occasion and said, “Let me offer you and this whole fortunate country my congratulations upon the birth of a new prince who will carry the name of my noble family, and of whom you will be justly proud. He is the new bearer of a great and illustrious ancestry, and upon him depends the brilliant future of this realm.

Sing and be merry!” The voices of the throngs, full of joy and thankfulness, flooded the sky with exhilarating song, welcoming the new tyrant who would affix the yoke of oppression to their necks by ruling the weak with bitter authority, and exploiting their bodies and killing their souls.

For that destiny, the people were singing and drinking ecstatically to the heady of the new Emir.

 

Another child entered life and that kingdom at the same time. While the crowds were glorifying the strong and belittling themselves by singing praise to a potential despot, and while the angels of heaven were weeping over the people’s weakness and servitude, a sick woman was thinking.

She lived in an old, deserted hovel and, lying in her hard bed beside her newly born infant wrapped with ragged swaddles, was starving to death.

She was a penurious and miserable young wife neglected by humanity; her husband had fallen into the trap of death set by the prince’s oppression, leaving a solitary woman to whom God had sent, that night, a tiny companion to prevent her from working and sustaining life.

 

As the mass dispersed and silence was restored to the vicinity, the wretched woman placed the infant on her lap and looked into his face and wept as if she were to baptize him with tears.

And with a hunger weakened voice she spoke to the child saying, “Why have you left the spiritual world and come to share with me the bitterness of earthly life ?

Why have you deserted the angels and the spacious firmament and come to this miserable land of humans, filled with agony, oppression, and heartlessness ?

I have nothing to give you except tears; will you be nourished on tears instead of milk ?

I have no silk clothes to put on you; will my naked, shivering arms give you warmth ?

The little animals graze in the pasture and return safely to their shed; and the small birds pick the seeds and sleep placidly between the branches. But you, my beloved, have naught save a loving but destitute mother.”

 

Then she took the infant to her withered breast and clasped her arms around him as if wanting to join the two bodies in one, as before. She lifted her burning eyes slowly toward heaven and cried,

“God! Have mercy on my unfortunate countrymen!”

 

At that moment the clouds floated from the face of the moon, whose beams penetrated the transom of that poor home and fell upon two corpses.

 —Khalil Gibran

Kṛṣṇa — The Strategist /Greek Megasthenes’ Herakles

The story of Mahabharat is incomplete without its main character, Kṛṣṇa also known as Krishna. Kṛṣṇa was the main strategist for the Pandav Army even though his own army, “Narayani Sena” was fighting for the side of Kauravas.

He is referenced as a lover of Radha and their love songs are sung in south Asian societies, Radha never married Kṛṣṇa. He grew up to become a man (if we believe the stories of Mahabharat as a true story) who would be instrumental in changing the ideology of masses with his principles and lectures in Bharat/India.

Birth and childhood

Krishna or Kṛṣṇa as he was also called was the eighth biological son of Devki and Vasudeva (Royal Couple), who were imprisoned by Devki’s evil brother Kansa. In childhood, Krishna does all forms of miracles and there are numerous attempts on his life but he survives and eventually kills his maternal uncle Kansa.

He is transported from the prison cell on the day of his birth to Gokul as Yashoda and Nand’s child and was exchanged with their Biological child by his father Vasudev. In this way Kṛṣṇa is able to escape death on night of his birth. Kansa kills the biological child of Yashoda thinking as child of Devki (his sister) in prison cell by smashing child’s head against the wall. Quite a violent night. Kansa had killed previous six children of Vasudev and Devki like this.

In his childhood Kṛṣṇa is notorious for stealing and eating butter, as a teenage young boy playing a flute along with Radha (who is classified as his girlfriend, love interest, but is older to him). Love story of Kṛṣṇa and Radha is sung and passed on for many ages, since ancient India. No doubt it attracts many lovers of this age.

There are many instances when he watches young girls bath in ponds by hiding and sitting on top of trees, in some instances taking their clothes and running away. A true flirt in every sense. He is also documented to be dancing with many female companions of his, who are known to the world as Gopis of Gopal (Kṛṣṇa’s other name).

Some like to call these girls as his numerous girlfriends or friends or even cheerleaders, who were amazed by Kṛṣṇa’s antics in Gokul. Plus since he played flute very nicely, so it was another attraction. In short a stud for some.

Personality and Teachings

A lot has been written on the personality of Kṛṣṇa by those who worship him (especially the Vaishnavites) and there are many schools of thoughts which sing praise of him. He for one seems to have a good sense of righteousness and believed that the principles need to be upheld even if it means breaking the laws. He was a spiritual guide and a teacher to Arjun, whom he uses/helps to win the war of Kurukshetra.

In the battle of kurukshetra, he motivates Arjun and pumps him up to fight Bhishma and Karna. Arjun in the beginning of the battle is reluctant to fight Bhishma and his teachers who were fighting with Kauravas side. During this time he reveals Arjun his real sense and updates him about the true meaning of life and lectures him on many topic, these lectures collectively are known as Bhagavat Gita.

However, there is another school of thought in India, who are fans of Kauravas who believe the Kṛṣṇa was a trickster and magician, who helped Pandavas to no end. His partisan viewpoint is also taken in to consideration in denouncing him as no god, since god will accept all, as he has created all.

Krishna and Balaram fight the Yadu Dynasty

Kṛṣṇa has an elder brother Balram who is the King of Dwarka, where Kṛṣṇa lives. Balaram was also child of Vasudev, transported to Gokul in stressful circumstances.

Once Radha is married off to someone else and Kṛṣṇa’s first love story ends (I presume she being elder to him plays a role here and his leaving Gokul to fight is uncle Kansa). He falls in love with Rukmini and then elopes with her and humiliates her brother while doing so (brother is represented to be egoistic), again this is story is a favorite of romantics.

He is shown as someone who gets his way through, no matter what the odds are and is rarely angry barring some instances. He is also definitely a poster boy for all the lovers in South Asia.

Marriages

 Kṛṣṇa had 8 queens who are collectively called the Ashtabharya—including Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra and Lakshmana

Later, Kṛṣṇa married 16,000 or 16,100 women who were held captive by the demon Narakasura, to save their honour. He killed the demon and released them all. According to social custom of the time, all of the captive women were degraded, and would be unable to marry, as they had been under the Narakasura’s control. However Kṛṣṇa married them to reinstate their status in the society. This symbolic wedding with 16,100 abandoned daughters was more of a mass rehabilitation. He gave them shelter in his new palace and a respectful place in society. The chief amongst them is Rohini.

Most well-known among his sons are Pradyumna, the eldest son of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmini. Samba, the son of Kṛṣṇa with Jambavati was notorious one whose actions led to the destruction of Kṛṣṇa‘s clan

Arjun and Kṛṣṇa

Mahabharat in its entire entity talks a lot about the relationship of Arjun and Kṛṣṇa. Their friendship and Kṛṣṇa’s mentoring of Arjun is the main drawing points. Arjun apart from being married to Draupadi, was also married to Kṛṣṇa’s sister Subhadhra, with whom Arjun has son named Abhimanyu.

Kṛṣṇa plays an important role in getting Arjun married, first to Draupadi and then to Subhadra. In Draupadi’s case, Karna was also there in the swamwar and is insulted by egoistic Draupadi.

Kṛṣṇa teaches Arjun the true meaning of life and the teaching and lectures are known as Bhagavad Gita.

Draupadi and Kṛṣṇa

Kṛṣṇa was a friend Draupadi always had for consoling and when in trouble. He was instrumental in saving Draupadi from Drushashan, when latter was pulling away her saree and trying to strip her naked in royal court. He also helps her Husbands in getting the revenge for her insult in Hastinapur Royal Court at the hand of Kauravas.

However, I think he chooses to ignore Draupadi’s failings especially her handling of Karna and saying that Duryodhan is in capable of seeing path in front of him , since he is son of a blind man, in short like father like son.

Draupadi is also called Krishna, it is used for her to show that they are one in spirit and to commemorate their friendship. Also because Draupadi was of a darker complexion with fire inside her.

Karna and Kṛṣṇa

The relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Karna is baffling to me. It is so that Kṛṣṇa admired Karna and knew that he had faced massive hardship to reach the place of respect. Kṛṣṇa never tried to help Karna out of his miseries, if he is god then a god can do anything, right or else he is no god but a human being, who is worshiped.

Here the story of karna and his pain shown in “just a sympathetic light”, instead of finishing or giving a resolution to it. It may well show the social construct of the times when the story was written and re-written by many Brahmins, who always view men like Karna as a threat to their social order and establishment (even today in 21st century, some ideologies never change).

Karna is being accused of saying bad words to Draupadi, if vocal harm is considered bad by Kṛṣṇa then not giving value to verbal abuses dealt by karna, is equally baffling. As stated before, It may be more about those era’s Brahmins who believed that “so called higher beings” can say anything and get away, but when a relatively social weaker being challenges and retaliates those verbal comments, he becomes worthy of being killed for his unworthy deeds towards a “higher order” egoistic woman.

I am really disappointed in Kṛṣṇa’s approach towards Karna in Mahabharat, but it has been said and believed that the Brahmins use to tell these stories to suit them first, they use to mold them as per their desires in past and create brahmanical order to profess their dominance or superiority over others in the region (same was Salafists do in Islam and try to subdue Sufis).

 

Bhishma and Kṛṣṇa

Both of them had deep respect for each other and had a common belief of upholding the principles. However, the difference between them was Bhishma’s absolute devotion towards rules and his vow. Bhishma refused to break age old rituals and rules, he tried his best to be good but these became his failings.

Whereas Kṛṣṇa was of belief that rule can be broken but principles and human values must be maintained. Therefore many say that the fight of kurukshetra was to break the old order and establish the new older, since old had become too rigid.

Death

After 36 years passed, a fight broke out between the Yadavas, at a festival, who killed each other. Kṛṣṇa retired into the forest and started meditating under a tree. The Mahabharata also narrates the story of a hunter who becomes an instrument for Kṛṣṇa’s departure from the world.

The hunter Jara, mistook Kṛṣṇa’s partly visible left foot for that of a deer, and shot an arrow, wounding him mortally. After he realized the mistake, While still bleeding, Kṛṣṇa told Jara, “O Jara, you were Bali in your previous birth, killed by myself as Rama in Tretayuga. Here you had a chance to even it and since all acts in this world are done as desired by me, you need not worry for this”. The place of this incident is believed to be Bhalka, near Somnath temple.

Kṛṣṇa On management

Kṛṣṇa is someone who believes that rules which are obsolete need to be let go, for running any organizations in effective way, in short a reformist or a revolutionary. The principles for his organization will remain utmost priority and so would be welfare of his employees.

 

Kṛṣṇa in today’s world:

He is a leader and a calm adviser, he would be someone who will give principles top most value and would not hesitate from breaking rules to uphold them. Especially those rules which have become oppressive and benefiting only few. Many view Kṛṣṇa as a left-wing ideologue fighting an obsolete,rigid, non -productive and outdated system.

Principles would be same which most of the humanity believes in but some powerful men/women seem to not follow them for their personal gains and profit.

Lastly, he would most certainly be a rage among women, not to mention a true flirt.

Mahabharat Quotes — Adi Parva

 

There are some very nice Mahabharat quotes, which I would like to share with the reader.

From the first book Adi Parva :

Anukramanika Parva, Chapter 1:

Time creates all things,
and time destroys them all.
Time burns all creatures,
and time again extinguishes that fire.

—Anukramanika Parva, Adi Parva, Mahabharata Book i.1

 

Tapa is not a sin,
Study is not a sin,
Ordinances of Vedas are not sins,
Acquisition of wealth by exertion is not a sin,
When they are abused, then do they become the sources of evil.

—Anukramanika Parva, Adi Parva, Mahabharata Book i.1

 

 

 

Sangraha Parva, Chapter 2:

As all the senses are dependent on the wonderful workings of the mind,
so all the acts and moral qualities depend on this treatise (Mahabharata).

—Sangraha Parva, Adi Parva, Mahabharata Book i.2

 

 

 

Paushya Parva, Chapter 3:

You are the infinite, you are the course of Nature and intelligent soul that pervades all,
I desire to obtain you through knowledge, derived from hearing and meditation.

—Paushya Parva, Adi Parva, Mahabharata Book i.3

 

 

 

Adivansabatarana Parva, Chapter 62:

This (Mahabharata) is equal to the Vedas, it is holy and excellent,
it is the worthiest of all that should be listened to. It is a Purana, adored by the Rishis,
It contains many useful instructions on Artha and Kama. This sacred history makes the heart desire to attain salvation.

—Adivansabatarana Parva, Adi Parva, Mahabharata Book i.

 

 

 

Drupada said to Drona: Friendship never remains in the world in anyone’s heart without being worn out,
Time wears it out, anger destroys it.
The poor cannot be the friend of the rich, the unlearned cannot be the friend of the learned,
the coward cannot be the friend of the brave, how then do you desire the continuance of our old friendship?

—Sambhava Parva, Adi Parva, Mahabharata Book i.

 

 

 

One who is afflicted by destiny can find a remedy in destiny alone.”
— [Elapatra to Vasuki, Astika Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 34]

 

 

 

This single strand of grass that you see, the one from which we are hanging, is the strand of our family lineage. O Brahmana! The strands that you see being eaten up, are being eaten up by time. O Brahmana! The half-eaten root from which we are all hanging is the last of our lineage, practising austerities. O Brahmana! The rat that you see is time, immensely powerful. He is slowly killing the misguided Jaratkaru, engaged in austerities, who is greedy for austerities, but has lost his mind and senses.”

— [Ancestors to Jaratkaru, Astika Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 41]

 

 

 

“According to the sacred texts, there are three kinds of fathers. In proper order, they are the one who gives a body, the one who protects and the one who provides food.

— [Shakuntala describing to King Duhshanta what Sage Kanwa told her about her birth. Sambhava Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 66]

 

 

 

“The wise have said that a man is himself born as his son. Therefore, a man should regard the mother of his son as his own mother. … The wife is the sacred ground in which the husband is born again. Even sages are unable to have offspring without wives.”
—[Shakuntala to Duhshanta, Sambhava Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 68]

 

 

 

“You see the faults of others, even though they are as small as a mustard seed. But you do not see your own, even though they can be seen as large as a bilva fruit. … O Duhshanta! My birth is nobler than your own. O lord of kings! You are established on earth. But I roam the sky. Know that the difference between you and me is that between a mustard seed and Mount Meru.”
— [Shakuntala to King Duhshanta, Sambhava Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 69]

 

 

“I also know the difference between anger and forgiveness and the strength and weakness of each. But when a disciple behaves disrespectfully towards a preceptor, it should not be condoned.”
— [Devayani to Shukra, Sambhava Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 74]

 

 

“Altercations are nothing but the resort of the weak.”
— [Karna to Arjuna, Jatugriha-daha Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 126]

 

 

“Unlike a cow, the fruits of evil actions are not immediate. Such fruits are certainly manifested, if not in one’s own life, in one’s son or in one’s grandson. They are like a heavy meal in the stomach.”
—  [Shukra to King Vrishaparva, Sambhava Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 75]

 

 

“Great is unhappiness for those who desire wealth, greater for those who have acquired it.”
— [Brahamana lamenting, Baka-vadha Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 145]

 

 

 

“One who does not see impurities in one’s acts, is not expected to see it in another.”
— [Upajaya to Drupada, Chaitraratha Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 155]

 

 

 

“But if a crime doesn’t find a punisher, many in the world will commit crimes. A man who has the power to punish a crime and doesn’t do so, despite knowing that a crime has been committed, is himself tainted by the deed, even if he is the lord.”
— [Ourva to ancestors,Chaitraratha Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 171]’

 

 

 

“Which hero will kill an enemy who has been defeated in battle, has lost his fame and is now protected by a woman?”
— [Yudhishtra to Arjuna,Chaitraratha Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 158]

 

 

 

“He was a king who had no abilities. All that he did was breathe air in and out.”
—  [Karna on King Amuvicha, Viduragamana Parva, Adi Parva, Ch 196]

 

 

I shall collect more quotes which I find interesting  in time coming and post on my Blog. Though I would like to mention here that Abhinav Agarwal‘s blog was a great help. The guy is an inspiration for his writings on Mahabharat. I hope my blog is also someday overflowing with Information on Mahabharat like his, he has made a detailed study of all the Parvas (i.e. Volumes) in Mahabharat.

 

Reference link:

http://blog.abhinavagarwal.net

Pleasure — Khalil Gibran

 

Then a hermit, who visited the city once a year, came forth and said, “Speak to us of Pleasure.”
And he answered, saying:

Pleasure is a freedom song,
But it is not freedom.

It is the blossoming of your desires,
But it is not their fruit.

It is a depth calling unto a height,
But it is not the deep nor the high.

It is the caged taking wing,
But it is not space encompassed.

 

Ay, in very truth, pleasure is a freedom-song.
And I fain would have you sing it with fullness of heart; yet I would not have you lose your hearts in the singing.

Some of your youth seek pleasure as if it were all, and they are judged and rebuked.
I would not judge nor rebuke them. I would have them seek.

 

For they shall find pleasure, but not her alone:

Seven are her sisters, and the least of them is more beautiful than pleasure.
Have you not heard of the man who was digging in the earth for roots and found a treasure?

And some of your elders remember pleasures with regret like wrongs committed in drunkenness.
But regret is the beclouding of the mind and not its chastisement.

They should remember their pleasures with gratitude, as they would the harvest of a summer.
Yet if it comforts them to regret, let them be comforted.

 

And there are among you those who are neither young to seek nor old to remember;
And in their fear of seeking and remembering they shun all pleasures, lest they neglect the spirit or offend against it.

But even in their foregoing is their pleasure.
And thus they too find a treasure though they dig for roots with quivering hands.
But tell me, who is he that can offend the spirit?
Shall the nightingale offend the stillness of the night, or the firefly the stars?
And shall your flame or your smoke burden the wind?

Think you the spirit is a still pool which you can trouble with a staff?
Oftentimes in denying yourself pleasure you do but store the desire in the recesses of your being.

 

Who knows but that which seems omitted today, waits for tomorrow?
Even your body knows its heritage and its rightful need and will not be deceived.
And your body is the harp of your soul,
And it is yours to bring forth sweet music from it or confused sounds.
And now you ask in your heart, “How shall we distinguish that which is good in pleasure from that which is not good?”

 

Go to your fields and your gardens, and you shall learn that it is the pleasure of the bee to gather honey of the flower,
But it is also the pleasure of the flower to yield its honey to the bee.
For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life,
And to the flower a bee is a messenger of love,
And to both, bee and flower, the giving and the receiving of pleasure is a need and an ecstasy.
People of Orphalese, be in your pleasures like the flowers and the bees.

 

.

 

The Criminal — Khalil Gibran

A young man of strong body, weakened by hunger, sat on the walker’s portion of the street stretching his hand toward all who passed, begging and repeating his hand toward all who passed, begging and repeating the sad song of his defeat in life, while suffering from hunger and from humiliation.

When night came, his lips and tongue were parched, while his hand was still as empty as his stomach.

He gathered himself and went out from the city, where he sat under a tree and wept bitterly. Then he lifted his puzzled eyes to heaven while hunger was eating his inside, and he said, “Oh Lord, I went to the rich man and asked for employment, but he turned me away because of my shabbiness; I knocked at the school door, but was forbidden solace because I was empty- handed; I sought any occupation that would give me bread, but all to no avail. In desperation I asked alms, but They worshippers saw me and said “He is strong and lazy, and he should not beg.”

“Oh Lord, it is Thy will that my mother gave birth unto me, and now the earth offers me back to You before the Ending.”

His expression then changed. He arose and his eyes now glittered in determination. He fashioned a thick and heavy stick from the branch of the tree, and pointed it toward the city, shouting, “I asked for bread with all the strength of my voice, and was refused. NOW, I shall obtain it by the strength of my muscles !

I asked for bread in the name of mercy and love, but humanity did not heed. I shall take it now in the name of evil !”

The passing years rendered the youth a robber, killer and destroyer of souls; he crushed all who opposed him; he amassed fabulous wealth with which he won himself over to those in power. He was admired by colleagues, envied by other thieves, and feared by the multitudes.

His riches and false position prevailed upon the Emir to appoint him deputy in that city – the sad process pursued by unwise governors. Thefts were then legalized; oppression was supported by authority; crushing of the weak became commonplace; the throngs curried and praised.

Thus does the first touch of humanity’s selfishness make criminals of the humble, and make killers of the sons of peace; thus does the early greed of humanity grow and strike back at humanity a thousand fold !

Crime and Punishment —-Khalil Gibran

Then one of the judges of the city stood forth and said, “Speak to us of Crime and Punishment.”

And he answered saying:

It is when your spirit goes wandering upon the wind,

That you, alone and unguarded, commit a wrong unto others and therefore unto yourself.

And for that wrong committed must you knock and wait a while unheeded at the gate of the blessed.

Like the ocean is your god-self;

It remains for ever undefiled.

 

And like the ether it lifts but the winged.

Even like the sun is your god-self;

It knows not the ways of the mole nor seeks it the holes of the serpent.

But your god-self does not dwell alone in your being.

 

Much in you is still man, and much in you is not yet man,

But a shapeless pigmy that walks asleep in the mist searching for its own awakening.

And of the man in you would I now speak.

 

For it is he and not your god-self nor the pigmy in the mist, that knows crime and the punishment of crime.

Oftentimes have I heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world.

But I say that even as the holy and the righteous cannot rise beyond the highest which is in each one of you,

So the wicked and the weak cannot fall lower than the lowest which is in you also.

 

And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree,

So the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.

Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self.

You are the way and the wayfarers.

 

And when one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone.

Ay, and he falls for those ahead of him, who though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone.

 

And this also, though the word lie heavy upon your hearts:

The murdered is not unaccountable for his own murder,

And the robbed is not blameless in being robbed.

The righteous is not innocent of the deeds of the wicked,

And the white-handed is not clean in the doings of the felon.

Yea, the guilty is oftentimes the victim of the injured,

 

And still more often the condemned is the burden-bearer for the guiltless and unblamed.

You cannot separate the just from the unjust and the good from the wicked;

For they stand together before the face of the sun even as the black thread and the white are woven together.

 

And when the black thread breaks, the weaver shall look into the whole cloth, and he shall examine the loom also.

If any of you would bring judgment the unfaithful wife,

Let him also weight the heart of her husband in scales, and measure his soul with measurements.

And let him who would lash the offender look unto the spirit of the offended.

 

And if any of you would punish in the name of righteousness and lay the ax unto the evil tree, let him see to its roots;

And verily he will find the roots of the good and the bad, the fruitful and the fruitless, all entwined together in the silent heart of the earth.

 

And you judges who would be just,

What judgment pronounce you upon him who though honest in the flesh yet is a thief in spirit?

What penalty lay you upon him who slays in the flesh yet is himself slain in the spirit?

And how prosecute you him who in action is a deceiver and an oppressor,

 

Yet who also is aggrieved and outraged?

And how shall you punish those whose remorse is already greater than their misdeeds?

Is not remorse the justice which is administered by that very law which you would fain serve?

Yet you cannot lay remorse upon the innocent nor lift it from the heart of the guilty.

 

Unbidden shall it call in the night, that men may wake and gaze upon themselves.

And you who would understand justice, how shall you unless you look upon all deeds in the fullness of light?

Only then shall you know that the erect and the fallen are but one man standing in twilight between the night of his pigmy-self and the day of his god-self,

 

And that the corner-stone of the temple is not higher than the lowest stone in its foundation.

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The Perfect one

I happened to come across the post of Devdutt Pattanaik and as usual the man did not disappoint with his lines. In these lines he explains the dilemma of present day people. The desire for Perfection. It may well stand for parents who all want their sons and daughters to be engineers or doctors (most importantly from IIT, AIIMS, Harvard, Stanford , Oxford or Cambridge not that I hold anything against those who are already in there). Then the leftist utopians who want society perfect in their opinion and so with the Ultra-right wings who want society as per their choice and with their interpretation of perfection (in India’s case to determine who is higher and who is lower by birth ,  a viewpoint which Hindutva propagating elitist Brahmins do have (RSS ones to be specific has loads of them) and neither far  behind are Jihadist/Ultra Right Islamist/ Wahhabis /Salafist who want their interpretation on world for everything, same holds true for Ultra right Christians (belonging to various thoughts of schools which includes Roman Catholics, Methodist, Protestants etc) and Ultra-right Jews)

This quest for “perfection” and every individuals own interpretation is without doubt a cause of conflict, however it does not mean that so called “imperfection‘ should be forced down the throat of others who disagree.

Let us ponder over it, for example some parents will let their child go through emotional and psychological roller coaster so that child may reach their interpreted perfect state (sometimes such quest is also termed as Child Abuse) .

A girlfriend/ boyfriend would “test” their counter parts to an extent that their relationship breaks (Cause of an abusive relationship). We desire ideal teachers even though we might know the he/she might have prejudice against us owing to color, caste and religion ( reminds me of battles of Karna and Eklavya in Mahabharat).

Mothers who would make child’s life miserable in order to make her daughter a perfect girl ( someone with things which she was not able to posses or achievements she was not able to get and then finally get this daughter of her a ‘perfect‘ match)  or the son whom she wishes to convert into her interpretation of a perfect man, when she feels let down by all other men in her life including her brothers and father. The craving for that self made idealism or perfection would make her go to any extent. The most important point here being that this state of perfection is her self made or thrust upon her by some vindictive souls (a complexity of today’s world).

I may not be wrong in my observation that intolerance breeds from not willing to accept diversity, not willing to accept that if she has three sons, all three will be different. Someone might like a Nike shoe, someone an Adidas one and someone a Jordan shoe. Will her belief in a particular brand (say Nike) make her other two sons imperfect in her view point and if so, should it ?

Then again, my words above can be interpreted by my naysayers as my desire for a ‘perfect’ mother.

Talking about the concept of  ‘perfect Husband‘, females usually identify such when they start comparing their spouses with their successful fathers, brothers or her sister’s husbands (in short brother-in-laws).  This idea of perfection only goes till those beings with which she has close contact (thereby making her obliviate of the fact of other interpretations of perfection). Usually it is also effected by how much easier her life the person in question has made which is fueling the cause of comparison that she makes with respect to her “not so perfect” husband. This desire however does causes her misery. Something which Devdutt Pattanaik mentions in above lines.

The perfect wife, well I guess for this many can be accused including the so called role models. Every individuals interpretation of a perfect wife varies from the physical looks:

• Is she like Sharapova (The Tennis superstar)
• or like  Gisele  Bündchen (The German-Brazilian supermodel)
• or like Asli Tandogan  (The Turkish actress)
• or like Candice Swanepoel  (Victoria Secrets model)
• or like Diane Kruger (German actress, who played Helen in Troy)
• or like Nazanin Afshin-Jam     ( The Iranian Beauty)
• or like Dilan Gwyn
• or like María Valverde  (The Spanish Actress)
• or like Laetitia Casta  (The french beauty)
• or like Eva Green ( The french actress )
• or like Nathalia Ramos (The Spanish Actress)
• or like katherine webb  ( Sweet Home Alabama, baby)
• or like Kristin Kreuk ( The Canadian Actress)
• or like Rachel Hurd-Wood ( The British Actress)
• or like Saoirse Ronan         (The Irish Actress)
• or like  Yelena Isinbayeva  (the Russian Olympic gold medallist )

most importantly what is her eye color: Blue, grey, green, Brown , Black or each eye has different color. Her hair color also matters: Red, black, blonde, brown, white, does she color her hair often like purple or green”

to her habits :

Is she cleanliness oriented, does she rides bikes, does she climbs mountains, does she plays extreme sports, is she feminine stay at home type, Is she a late riser, does she eat non-veg, does she wears traditional clothes or revealing ones ,does she uses colorful abuses 🙂 , does she smokes and drinks,  most importantly does she NOT nagg ?

to possessing skill sets:

notably is she like Nigella Lawson while baking, can she help in her man’s work, help with presentations and all,  Can she manage the finances, does she poses motherly qualities,Is she knowledgeable, fields of qualification…. ?

to her money:

Is she rich even though she might be not so good looking and pain in the ass and whose money is that her Daddy’s or her own ?

to her education:

MIT,Yale, Princeton, Columbia,Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Cornell, UCLA,AIIMS, John Hopkins, IIT,  blah blah blah…… but for some no education and hot figure does wonder just like a white paper, you can write whatever you want without questions asked.

Finally who is her DADDY (it makes men decide whether their life will be miserable one or a pleasant one if they end up accidentally with her :D)

Now coming to those who govern the nation the Bureaucrats and Politicians. For latter part I would refrain to comment  because it is a waste of time but for former it needs to be understood that any system can never be perfect. No matter how automatic your response gets still that ‘perfect‘ Bureaucrat will never be there. Even for that matter the interpretations of perfections would keep on changing or evolving. Example the profit margins, idea of success, the time Bureaucrat needs to devote to Public (that risks him/her being ‘imperfect’ husbands or wives).  The idea of economic success on which he/she works. No doubt there are certain principles which needs to be followed but interpretation of the actions vary. Example an uptight one might be loathed for not being flexible, a flexible will be loathed for not being uptight, a reformist will be loathed for sidelining traditionalist and a traditionalist one will be loathed for not being a reformist. Left, center and right wing ideas do play a part here but then each one is perfect in their own ways for those who follow them.

Coming to starting remark made by Devdutt Pattanaik, I have read enough to understand that in Indian Mythologies two characters are most important  Krishna and Ram, I would like to believe that none were perfect (though it might seems that I am doing it to justify my own imperfection and Ultra-right wing might not accept this view point).  I ask when such imperfection lie among ‘gods’ then why should a MORTAL man be forced to be a symbol of perfection ?

No wonder Anti Hero’s of today are a rage as none are perfect ones but full of flaws, few I would like to mention who I like:

• Danny Archer in Blood Diamond (played By Leonardo Di Caprio )
• Michael Corleone in Godfather (Played by Al Pacino)
• Batman in Batman series by Christopher Nolan  (Played by Christian Bale)
• Xander Cage in xXx (Played by Vin Diesel)
• Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey Jr)
• John Rambo (Played by Stallone)
• Captain Jack Sparrow (Played by Johnny Depp )
• Don Draper in Mad Men (Played by Jon Hamm)
• Nicholas Brody in Homeland (Played by Damain Lewis)
• The ‘Great’ Hank Moody in Californification (Played by David Duchovny, Mathaaa Fackkaa)
• Dexter Morgan in Dexter (Played by Michael C Hall )
• Michael Scofield in Prison break (played by Wentworth Miller)
• Tony Soprano in Sopranos (Played by James Gandolfini)
• Spartacus in Spartacus series (Played by Andy Whitfield and Liam McIntyre)
• Gannicus in Spartacus series (Played by Dustin Clare )
• Hawkeye/Nathaniel Poe  in Last of the Mohicans (Played by Daniel Day Lewis )
• Richard Riddick in Chronicles of Riddick (Played by Vin Diesel)
• Captain Nathan Algren of The Last Samurai (Played by Tom Cruise)
• Cameron Poe of ConAir (Played by Nicholas Cage )
• Dominic Toretto in Fast and Furious series (Played by Vin Diesel)
• Yuri Orlov in Lord of War (Played by Nicholas Cage)
• Achilles in Troy (Played by Brad Pitt)

In short there is more to life than being just ‘PERFECT‘ !

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The Madman —Kahlil Gibran

The following lines are from the book “The Madmen” by Khalil Gibran, one of my favorite authors:

DEFEAT

Defeat, my defeat, my solitude and my aloofness;

You are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs,

And sweeter to my heart than all worldglory.

Defeat , my defeat, my self-knowledge and my defiance,

Through you I know that I am yet young and swift of foot

And not to be trapped by withering laurels.

And in you I have found aloneness

And the joy of being shunned and scorned.

Defeat, my Defeat, my shining sword and shield,

In your eyes I have read,

That to be enthroned is to be enslaved,

And to be understood is to be leveled down,

And to be grasped is but to reach one’s fullness

And like a ripe fruit to fall and be consumed

Defeat, my Defeat, my bold companion,

You shall hear my songs and my cries and my silences,

And none but you shall speak to me of beating of wings,

And urging of seas,

And of mountains that burn in the night,

And you alone shall climb my steep and rocky soul.

Defeat, my Defeat, my deathless courage,

You and I shall laugh together with the storm,

And together we shall dig graves for all that die in us,

And together we shall stand in the sun with will,

And we shall be dangerous.

Stoicism

 Dictionary defines Stoicism as

1. Indifference to pleasure or pain; impassiveness.

2. The doctrines or philosophy of the Stoics

Thought provoking:

The other day I read about how stoicism is going out of society ( at least of what I read ), a characteristic which is synonymous for being a man or should I put it more appropriately, for being “THE” man (I however doubt that Men would let it extinct and women too for that matter). The “certain”  societies (which include both west and east) as per say if we debate due to the feminist influence is asking the young boys to be groomed in the ways in which they could be more “sharing their feelings”, their ups and downs, thus could be well understood by young girls and treated for showing signs of violence. Those who don’t wish to “share” well they would be breeded out (after all female sexual liberalization is an important issue here and those “low” men who are not in “YES” with them need to be breeded out, genes you see. One however doubts that this line works fine with the mafias per say or men with stupendous authority).

Now I don’t wish to say that a male shouldn’t tell his view point to his female counterpart or his consort but the important thing is that “feminization of male virtue “must not be done in anyway.

Origination, course in history and understanding:

Stoicism has its roots in a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC. The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of “moral and intellectual perfection,” would not suffer such emotions.

To be more specific, following are the text I read in a world renowned site:

The Stoic ethic espouses a deterministic perspective; in regard to those who lack Stoic virtue, Cleanthes once opined that the wicked man is “like a dog tied to a cart, and compelled to go wherever it goes.” A Stoic of virtue, by contrast, would amend his will to suit the world and remain, in the words of Epictetus, “sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy,” thus positing a “completely autonomous” individual will, and at the same time a universe that is “a rigidly deterministic single whole.”

In short, one believes that Stoicism is not only used by males desiring to be MAN but rather by the saints and Arm forces men ( and women) in particular as they bear the brunt of humanity in all forms. One has also come to analyze that Stoicism focuses more on the using logics which maybe synonym with principals for some.  Many kings, Business leaders and revolutionary leaders without knowing exhibit a classic case of stoicism, where they set aside their pain and get on with the job. (In Mahabharat, I feel Bhishma is an epitome of Ancient India’s equivalent to Stoicism. He gave away everything but never let go of his principals). Greek writers have time and again said the Great Alexander, one the finest Army Generals to have lived exhibited classical stoicism.

Marcus Aurelius was a great and the most famous Stoic who was introduced to this philosophy when he was 11 years old. His character was played by Richard Harris in the movie Gladiator which won Oscar in 2000.

Coming to the point of saints exhibiting stoicism, the Sufi saints showed remarkable stoicism when they were being butchered and killed by the hardline Islamic elements (in short someone like a Wahabbi or Salafis in present day, an ideology followed by Taliban), as they accused Sufis  (The most liberal of sect within Islam) of heresy for singing and dancing. Similarly the Protestants showed stoicism while being targeted by the Roman Catholic Church accused again of heresy. Interestingly many have said that Christianity itself took a lot from stoicism while it was building and Christ absorbed the ideology in his preaching.

Sikhism, an Indian martial religion had a very spirituality inclined birth in 14 century A.D but in order to fight the authoritarian Sharia propagating Mughal Ruler Aurangzeb (the most notorious of the Mughal, many say it was due to his hardline views that Mughal Empire crumbled), the Sikhs transformed themselves into a remarkable fighting force.  The tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh used the stoicism of the saints and employed it in infusing a martial spirit in the followers of Sikhism. Therefore in process, creating an army to uproot Tyranny which was quite revolutionary ( in specific Rule of Aurangzeb).

The ideology of stoicism or more importantly the Epistemology maintains that knowledge can be attained through the use of reason. Truth can be distinguished from fallacy; even if, in practice, only an approximation can be made. The philosophy of Stoicism is useful in teaching young children in order to cope with life.

Stoicism in movies:

Movie as such as I always believe are a way of educating masses and in some way a reflection of society thereby presenting the conventional wisdom or propagating a popular ideology or initiating an idea,which in turns becomes ideology. Therefore presentation of men plus women and the characters they play have a significant impact on the minds and souls of young people who watch them with adulation.

In recent times there have been numerous movie which have strengthen the age old belief of stoicism that the real man of steel or woman of substance is the one who keeps on fighting for the principals, in short full of determination, conviction and logic of course. Ignorant of the pains and pleasures coming along during the momentous tasks.

Following are the list of some remarkable movie which had the ideology of stoicism in them where “strength and honor” are important integral part (at least that is what I found, do correct me if I wrong):

• BraveHeart
• Patriot
• Gladiator
• Lord of the Rings
• XXX (The one staring Vin Diesel , why what were you thinking  ? 🙂 )
• Fast and Furious series
• The Chronicles of Riddick series (Pretty much all Vin Diesel movies)
• Babylon A.D.
• James Bond series
• Batman series (Christian Bale one)
• Spider Man series (Tobey Maguire one)
• Kingdom Of Heaven
• Hurt Locker
• Black Swan (according to some, after all the girl went through hell, though still disputable)
• Black Hawk down
• Saving Private Ryan
• The Last Samurai
• Rocky Series (Stallone got it right )
• Rambo series  (Stallone got it right baby AGAIN)
• The Godfather I and II ( Do tell me if you believe it is wrong and I will make you an offer  which you cannot refuse)
• Robin Hood ( Russell Crowe one)
• Master and Commander
• Troy
• Last of the Mohicans
• Men of Honor
• Prince of Persia :The sands of Time
• Underworld series (Kate beckinsale, even though she is Vampire, she still had ethics)
• True Grit
• The last Castle
• The Bridge on the river kwai
• King Arthur
• Hidalgo
• Lawrence of Arabia
• Bourne Series ( How can one forget THAT ! )
• Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2 (Uma Thurman did a remarkable job)
• Black hawk Down
• Munich
• Spy Games
• Body of Lies
• Departed (Though many may point out that the lead character was going to a shrink for his doubts and issues)
• Fight Club (Bradd Pitt one, though many would say that there was a case of insomnia working there)

The movies of Ridely Scott in particular have stoicism as a backline most as many of the above mentioned list has his movies.

Conclusion:

Therefore, My advice to young ladies , young mothers of boys and more importantly those fem-Nazis (Militant feminist) take a chill and relax, killing stoicism will not help you in attaining goal of being with your “perfect” man as they are trying to create (in order  to subside for their disillusionment of waiting like Cinderella). The real knight in shining armor will come carrying this virtue, so for young girls and unmarried single women, who deep down still hold on to that idea of knight in the shining armor (even though those militant feminist would like you to think otherwise), they should remember that  Stoicisms is something that they will have to live with. After all the knight needs to fight the battles and wars in order to be a knight (and in process be indifferent to pain and pleasure).

For further reading on stoicism you can go to the following links

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/04/13/stoicism-101-a-practical-guide-for-entrepreneurs/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9fs

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/latergreeks.html

http://blog.garycorby.com/2010/04/stoicism.html

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 Note : The writer has NO idea WTF is he talking, so  don’t  go all worshiping this post and most importantly do not make a freaking movie inspired by this post.

Mahabharat – The Epic book

Mahabharat is one of my favorite mythological books along with Iliad. Somehow I find it more real compared to Ramayana. Although many in India regard Ramayana as “the” book, I personally beg to differ. For me Ramayana symbolizes bondage but Mahabharata unleashing of spirits and thoughts, for someone who does not like bondage much, Ramayana might not excite much (Though I guess that talk might be blasphemous to some. I would just say it is the choice of having something spicier ).

Mahabharat offers a variety of characters whom we in this present world could relate to and I would be trying to give my own understanding of the characters as time goes on, hoping to find some answers myself too in the process. Additional to that I can say Business Sutra  reignited my interest for it providing a different perspective and a deep insight into Mahabharat. I enjoy the Business Sutra very much started on CNBCTV18 in which Devdutt Pattanaik  talks about mythology. I can honestly say that it is a delightful experience listening to him. I have rarely seen someone describe and enlighten people about Indian manuscripts and old age text like he does and use it in terms of management.

In the coming posts I would talk and think about certain characters which made me think and question. For a list they would be as follows:

• Bhishma
• Karna
• Arjun
• Yudhishtar
• Bhim
• Krishna
• Duryodhan
• Shakuni
• kunti
• shantanu
• Ganga
• Nakul and sehdev
• Draupadi
• Durshashan
• Balram
• Ghatotkach
• Barbarika or Khatushyamji
• Abhimanyu
• Dhitrashtra
• Gandhari
• Pandu
• Satyawati
• Dronacharya
• Sanjay
• Vidura

Now one would try to start it generation by generation but would dare say that it would not always be that restrictive……. It may vary as per my admiration for the character (and mood)  so bear with me who ever will read it,apologies before hand if it puts you off. It will be more in terms my understanding of these characters…

Your Children — Khalil Gibran

This poem is another proof of the brilliance of khalil Gibran, out of many other  poems of his, this I find very enchanting. Those parents who believe and consider children to “oblige” to their demands, considering themselves as gods (in short fueling their egos). I think it is a good answer.

For those about to be parents, it is a cautionary note, not to fool themselves into believing that they hold any command over anyone. For circle of life has power beyond few immediate living beings.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you, they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite.
And He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hands be for happiness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
So He loves the bow that is stable.

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A Visit From Wisdom – khalil Gibran

Khalil Gibran is one of many authors who have influenced me deeply. Particularly in the case of Khalil Gibran, when I read his books, I found myself in a state of drunkenness much like in sufi poetry (at-least that is what my friends observe). For the record I do-not drink, so that might be some substantiating evidence of his “enchanting and elevating ” writing. It is a feeling that when your brain feels light and heavy at the same time. Very few authors have this remarkable ability to do that to reader.

I have thought of writing about him, but his range of books and writing is so huge that it would take me couple of years to summaries it. I would be putting the extract of his philosophies which I have found reverting. He is an American-Lebanese writer and my love affair with Lebanon (if I can call my admiration of the country that ) began upon reading his writing.Following are the line of his chapter on a visit from wisdom which I enjoy.

In the stillness of night Wisdom came and stood
By my bed. She gazed upon me like a tender mother
And wiped away my tears, and said : ‘I have heard
The cry of your spirit and I am come to comfort it.
Open your heart to me and I shall fill it with light.
Ask of me and I shall show you the way of truth.’

And I said : ‘Who am I, Wisdom, and how came
I to this frightening place? What manner of things
Are these mighty hopes and these many books and
Strange patterns ? What are these thoughts that pass
As doves in flight? And these words composed by
Desire and sung by delight, what are they? What are
These conclusions, grievous and joyous, that embrace
My spirit and envelop my heart? And those
Eyes which look at me seeing into my depths and
Fleeing from my sorrows ? And those voices mourning
My days and chanting my littleness, what are they ?

‘What is this youth that plays with my desires
And mocks at my longings, forgetful of yesterday’s
Deeds, rejoicing in paltry things of the moment,
Scornful of the morrow’s coming?

‘What is this world that leads me whither I know
Not, standing with me in despising? And this earth
That opens wide its mouth to swallow bodies and
Lets evil things to dwell on its breast? What is this
Creature that is satisfied with the love of fortune,
Whilst beyond its union is the pit? Who seeks Life’s
Kiss whilst Death does smite him, and brings the
Pleasure of a minute with a year of repentance, and
Gives himself to slumber the while dreams call him?
What is he who flows with the rivers of folly to the
Sea of darkness? O Wisdom, what manner of things
Are these?’

And she answered, saying :
‘You would see, human creature, this world
Through the eyes of a god. And you would seek to
Know the secrets of the hereafter with the thinking
Of men. Yet in truth is this the height of folly.
‘Go you to the wild places and you shall find
There the bee above the flowers and behold the eagle
Swooping down on his prey. Go you into your neighbor’s
House and see then the child blinking at the
Firelight and his mother busied at her household
Tasks. Be you like the bee and spend not the days of
Spring looking on the eagle’s doing. Be as the child
And rejoice in the firelight and heed not your Mother’s affairs. All that you see with your eyes was And is for your sake.

‘The many books and the strange patterns and
Beautiful thoughts are the shades of those spirits
That came ere you were come. The words that you
Do weave are a bond between you and your brothers.
The conclusions, grievous and joyous, are the
Seeds that the past did scatter in the field of the
Spirit to be reaped by the future. That youth who
Plays with your desires is he who will open the door
Of your heart to let enter the light. This earth with
The ever open mouth is the savior of your spirit from
The body’s slavery. This world which walks with
You is your heart; and your heart is all that you
Think that world. This creature whom you see as
Ignorant and small is the same who has come from
God’s side to learn pity through sadness, and knowledge
By way of darkness.’

Then Wisdom put her hand on my burning brow
And said:
‘Go then forward and do not tarry, for before  walks Perfection. Go, and have not fear of thorns
On the path, for they deem naught lawful save Corrupted blood.’

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Fitrat-e-zindagi

Vo sahil hi kya jo lehro se takra na sake….

vo shama hi kya jo andhero ko roshan na kar sakee…

Aatish-e-zindagi se sambhalna to sab jante hai janam… ((2))

par vo zindagi hi kya jis mein hum jal na sake…..                              ———–Diwane-e-sahil

Female : A victim in the world ?

I always wondered that in  societies across world, it is always said that female are looked down upon and are victimized by the men especially their male relatives. They are not given adequate opportunities , position of power, not listened to etc.

What if it is other way round too ?

Scenario 1 :

A female because of  “partial ” treatment meted out on her decides to take things in her hand  and chooses to do partiality in context of her son and daughter, she is more partial of her daughter in little things and avoids giving his son the “powers”, therby denying him something that was done to her.

It might be her own way of  ” balancing ” the world but would that amount to abuse ?

Scenario 2 :

Young girls picking on a boy, well that is something which we must have witnessed through out our childhood, must have seen a guy been picked on by a group of females or even your self. There is a theory that girls from all girls school are far more aggressive and adventurous compared to those from co-ed education. Though there are many individuals who consider this theory to be a fluke too( but that is for another day).

Scenario 3:

There are then cases of female pedophiles who use their gender to escape the punishment from the law. Now the “politically” correct male and fem-Nazi female will never accept such phenomenon and blame males for all sexual abuses. The question still however remains, are we all living in  a denial ?

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Scenario 4:

A female boss hell bent at making males under her suffer more than females , well just for the reason she despises them and they cannot be ” Trusted“. ( A case of bringing personal issues to the table)

Scenario 5:

Where a female demands more of the money and accolades  with less of the work, citing her gendre and her role in society. I got an interesting video in this regard.

One knows that many would not agree especially in India because they seem to have a phobia of associating “mother” or Females with something like this and if they find the mother is under some illness (Psychological)then the whole family is sidelined.

One just wonders can’t women in powerful position be accused of something similar of what men do ?

Though in their case the amount of power they control can be an issue. Over the years many things seem to have come in light in the change of a  female behavior: her taking to smoking and drinking, leading a single life with multiple partners, never having a baby, terrorist activities ,pedophiles etc. ”  in lines of a male behavior “…..

Can we still on a general level classify them as the victims ? It is a question that reverberates in my mind ? Though still to a larger extend woman are in prostitution or in bad marriages etc but that can’t take away the fact that some women “choose” to be “different”.

It has been into the foray especially after the feminist movement came into the being. Surely during the period it was done females were deprived lots but over the period of time as they have gained powerful spots and were raised in an environment  of “equality”  their behavioral response to various subjects have also changed.

Though one does not wishes to take credit out of the genuine women who work and help their families get better but it seems our world isn’t Bipolar any more in terms of of female behavior and activities, some call it “inflation” which is necessary ,some just get angry of changing scenario and some are indifferent.

What ever it may be but one thing is sure that that the world it use to be 10 or even 20 years back is no longer same in terms of woman rights and their behaviors or their response systems and if a woman can comment on how bad a man treats her, the days are not far when same charges will be started to be made on females in times to come.

Over speaking !

I have been accused in the past of over-speaking a phenomena which use to exist when i was at home but came into public life when i entered college life.

Over speaking according to dictionary refers to a term when an individual over does his speech, but a lot depends upon the fact as to explanation of things are done in correct way or not.

No doubt sometimes it may lead to painful and avoidable moments but more than the speaker , one believe it is the listener who throws these paradigms at speakers.

It may also be taken to notice the listener`s choice to hear about the topic that is to say her/his desires which are undoubtedly and unquestionably fueled by the biological necessities and curiosity quest, still might be referred self-discriminatory.

Though one very much wishes to uphold the constitutional right of freedom of the individual but would like to argue that, her/his thoughts might also be a result of too much of advertisements or the information on wish individual is feeding themselves, thereby reluctant into listening about things which might lead to uncomfortable situation for them.

There by again pointing to the fact that how much of a weapon education has become in these “modern” times and our desires fulled by the biological parameters also result in our approach towards life.

 

One would like to advice the wise intellectuals ,please be more reasonable and have a kaizen approach towards life in which an individual tries to achieve new standards but with a very tolerant and scholarly approach…