I read a Portuguese saying on a colleague's Facebook page a few weeks back “You have five friends and rest is landscape” . Although this may seem out of place for some, in today's time and age where everyone has hundreds of friends on Facebook, the saying is a true representation of human psyche. While Plastic smile Selfies, fake admiration of buildings and night views, fill servers over servers , some true emotions however remain sunk deep inside us for years . " I was asked a question today as to why we seek who we seek . My answer can be comprehensively summed in my favorite ghazal. This will also allow me to relish the poetic description while I translate this to simpler Hindi and English. Another masterpiece by an unknown poet so well composed and sung by The Ghazaljeet Singh .
So as usual , one story and One Ghazal for this weekend.
So as usual , one story and One Ghazal for this weekend.
तलाश ए मज़िल ए जाना .....तो एक बहाना था , तमाम उम्र मैं अपनी तरफ रवाना था .....
My journey to find my beloved soul mate was just an excuse , I was in fact searching for my own soul.
Rumi quotes, what you seek is seeking you. There are multiple theories around law of attraction however one fundamental fact is that we seek a part of our own persona in our loved ones. When a loved ones talks, you can feel your own thoughts being expressed, even more swiftly and in a sharper manner . The definition of a great connect is the one which makes you deeper and travel. Despite of what people say, they love themselves more than anything else . Some exceptions exist but they are exceptions. People will always choose the epicenter of world as them, even those who claim to be in unprecedented, selfless divine love . Being in love however does trigger a spiritual journey for sure, you make space for the other person, you accommodate, you see things from an emotional perspective rather than a logical one, That is the beginning of a journey inside however all relationships in this world have a curse called "Social Norm", specific behaviors are defined, fathers should behave like this , mothers like this , young mothers like this and single mothers like that . Fact is I haven't seen many people break those paradigms. Those who do , tend to , unfortunately, start a new social trend. We seek us , we seek ratification of us than truly seeking someone as they are .
मैं उसको हश्र में किस नाम से सदा देता , के मेरा उसका तारुफ़ तो ग़ायबाना था
What would I address my soul mate as (when dying), my connect was so nondescript.
This has another connotation to God being nondescript. Urdu poetry actually has a very thin line between the beloved and the God largely due to the Sufi influence of the writers, They do however clearly describe the beloved as one on the highest pedestal . For Urdu learners, Hashr means End and Gayabana is similar to Gayab, doesn't mean disappear, means invisible or nondescript.
Why are descriptions important ? In India , each relationship is detailed with the blood lineage. An uncle has to be specified , is he a Chacha (fathers Younger brother) or Taya /Tau (Fathers elder Brother) , Uncle is never good enough . We try and define relationship as unambiguous but they cant be. I am sure centuries ago, it was done to bring some scare of sanity, in today's time and age , this concept has lost sense. The best relationships are nondescript and they remain best this way . In last few years, I have learned, people who hide behind a enforced socially accepted , prescriptive tag to every relationship are very insecure, very shallow and very veiled. People who handle ambiguity really well are ones who thrive spiritually . Love specially, with humans or with divinity is always nondescript.
This has another connotation to God being nondescript. Urdu poetry actually has a very thin line between the beloved and the God largely due to the Sufi influence of the writers, They do however clearly describe the beloved as one on the highest pedestal . For Urdu learners, Hashr means End and Gayabana is similar to Gayab, doesn't mean disappear, means invisible or nondescript.
Why are descriptions important ? In India , each relationship is detailed with the blood lineage. An uncle has to be specified , is he a Chacha (fathers Younger brother) or Taya /Tau (Fathers elder Brother) , Uncle is never good enough . We try and define relationship as unambiguous but they cant be. I am sure centuries ago, it was done to bring some scare of sanity, in today's time and age , this concept has lost sense. The best relationships are nondescript and they remain best this way . In last few years, I have learned, people who hide behind a enforced socially accepted , prescriptive tag to every relationship are very insecure, very shallow and very veiled. People who handle ambiguity really well are ones who thrive spiritually . Love specially, with humans or with divinity is always nondescript.
अजब कशिश थी समंदर की सब्ज़ आखों में , हर एक चश्मा उसी की तरफ रवाना था
The green sea has a strange fatal attraction, it attracts every water source in the world .
Green sea is a mythical object in many religions . Not always , the big attacks the small , the small sometimes, willfully becomes prey. I have always believed , we don't always come across bad times, bad people and bad luck accidentally, we walk to them also. We ignore the inner calling which asks us to reconsider , yet sheer destiny drives us to pain. Destiny it is that all pure water sources end up in the salty sea. It is a fatal attraction that the Chasma (Natural water bodies in hills) always end up in sea thinking we will be part of a grand plan, they loose their own identity in end . Many a Times in life , we inflict pain on our selves and become self destructive . the couplet beautifully describes the self destructive nature of love .
Green sea is a mythical object in many religions . Not always , the big attacks the small , the small sometimes, willfully becomes prey. I have always believed , we don't always come across bad times, bad people and bad luck accidentally, we walk to them also. We ignore the inner calling which asks us to reconsider , yet sheer destiny drives us to pain. Destiny it is that all pure water sources end up in the salty sea. It is a fatal attraction that the Chasma (Natural water bodies in hills) always end up in sea thinking we will be part of a grand plan, they loose their own identity in end . Many a Times in life , we inflict pain on our selves and become self destructive . the couplet beautifully describes the self destructive nature of love .
मैं तेरी धुन में रवां था , मुझे पता ना चला , गुबार ए राह में शामिल ग़म ऐ ज़माना था
I was so attuned to your words that I didn't realize that you had the worldly matters to take care of too .
Dhun means Tune, rawaan means accustomed, attuned . Gubaar is a dusty storm. This is the last couplet of ghazal , in which the lover is in fact describing the journey of their love to his beloved. In the concluding note , he absolves her of the fault of following the social compulsion. Love always has an element of illusion and rises above realism . Society and its norms keep divinity , spirituality , love away from mankind, to keep the lights of the world on . A few more Nanaks, Bulleshahs and Rumis will make the veins of powerful weak . He accepts he got carried away in illusion and realism hits him.
Often , people listen to a ghazal and appreciate a thought or two, ghazals are the most concise love tales laced with deep heartfelt expressions.
And the story today , I think, I heard it in an ISKCON discourse about Meera describing love and God to a fellow villager . She asks a neighbor who was an atheist about God, he said till few weeks back , I was an atheist, because God hadn't blessed us with a child but now that we are blessed with a child, I have started to believe in God. She swiftly replies, so when the child dies, will you be an atheist again ? The man is speechless.
If it is finite and perishable, it is not Love. Love always remains undiminished ..........a year or 21 years. ...Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.....said Rumi :)
I was so attuned to your words that I didn't realize that you had the worldly matters to take care of too .
Dhun means Tune, rawaan means accustomed, attuned . Gubaar is a dusty storm. This is the last couplet of ghazal , in which the lover is in fact describing the journey of their love to his beloved. In the concluding note , he absolves her of the fault of following the social compulsion. Love always has an element of illusion and rises above realism . Society and its norms keep divinity , spirituality , love away from mankind, to keep the lights of the world on . A few more Nanaks, Bulleshahs and Rumis will make the veins of powerful weak . He accepts he got carried away in illusion and realism hits him.
Often , people listen to a ghazal and appreciate a thought or two, ghazals are the most concise love tales laced with deep heartfelt expressions.
And the story today , I think, I heard it in an ISKCON discourse about Meera describing love and God to a fellow villager . She asks a neighbor who was an atheist about God, he said till few weeks back , I was an atheist, because God hadn't blessed us with a child but now that we are blessed with a child, I have started to believe in God. She swiftly replies, so when the child dies, will you be an atheist again ? The man is speechless.
If it is finite and perishable, it is not Love. Love always remains undiminished ..........a year or 21 years. ...Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.....said Rumi :)
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