Category: Philosophy

If only we could hold time….

From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems (Please read: ‘Good Morning Message #1‘).

The last such message was:’Good Morning Message #200‘.

Good morning Friends,

It appears to be running down faster in old age,
The grains of sand in our life’s hourglass;
At one stage when we were in our teenage,
It didn’t look like it’d come to this impasse.
Wasted hours were as important then as now,
But we thought these won’t matter somehow.

How nice it’d be if we could go through life,
With the wisdom of today and energy of the past;
We could have avoided all the unwanted strife,
And could have loads of satisfaction in contrast.
Wasted hours were as important then as now,
But we thought these won’t matter somehow.

Wisdom doesn’t have to visit us when we are old,
We can call it our friend even when we are young;
But most of us don’t like ourselves to be controlled,
And remain in our youth reckless and highly strung.
Wasted hours were as important then as now,
But we thought these won’t matter somehow.

Wisdom lies in not relearning those things,
That have been passed on by those before;
The wasp of wasted time actually stings,
When there is not much time left in store.
Wasted hours were as important then as now,
But we thought these won’t matter somehow.

….but we can’t and must learn to make use of it.

A double century today….

A double century today and still batting,
Since we took up crease on the first of June;
I have enjoyed, with you, my daily chatting,
I hope you’ll, from this station, never untune.
Thank you for your encouraging reception,
That brought me to this stage since inception.

From light ditties to God and philosophy,
It was a journey we enjoyed together;
Forgive me if inadvertently or consciously,
I made you pass through some heavy weather.
I assure you we have a long way to go,
Before the final bugle I decide to blow.

I thank God for making me write about,
So many diverse subjects under the sun;
Of new ideas there has been no drought,
Hence, we’ve had, together, lots of fun.
Each one would’ve had varied gain,
I hope the exercise wan’t totally in vain.

For future, if you want some specific subjects,
Please don’t hesitate to write in the comments;
I shall try my best to make these less complex,
We shall collectively make of these some sense.
Let me hear from you once in a while,
I assure you that would make me smile.

….You and I are still at the crease!

If God is indeed infinite….

From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems (Please read: ‘Good Morning Message #1‘).

The last such message was:’Good Morning Message #198‘.

Good Morning Friends,

You and I together for the last few days,
Are looking at various attributes of God;
We know we haven’t explored all the ways,
All or some of our theories may be flawed.

All we know is that all of us put together,
Can’t imagine how large is the divinity;
And that’s the time we start thinking whether,
We should actually imagine God as Infinity.

Now lets give our imagination wings to fly,
And think of Infinite in infinite dimensions;
Oh, now we have already reached sky high,
And still not gone far in all possible directions.

Now imagine Him with infinite virtues and powers,
Lets just take two (since we are finite): mercy and love;
And now lets imagine Him beyond years, days and hours,
We shall probably get to a minuscule part of God above.

How often we deal with Infinity in our routine?
I would say the answer is “close to never”;
It is, truly, not even the realm of the foreseen,
To imagine someone who goes on forever.

Hence, each one of us only ends up defining,
What we can imagine with our finite mind;
In our own constraints we end up confining,
Him and us and remain to both almost blind.

….we need to go beyond our finite thinking to see Him.

Mitr piyaare nu haal mureedan da kehna…..

From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems (Please read: ‘Good Morning Message #1‘).

The last such message was:’Good Morning Message #197‘.

Good Morning Friends,

From 4th Jan 19 I started doing something different. In addition to my own inspirational poems everyday, I started giving you, on every Friday, a song or poem that has inspired me. Today is the second one and it is a hymn in Punjabi.

This hymn was written, composed and sung by the tenth guru of the Sikhs: Guru Gobind Singh.

Guru Gobind Singh was the finest example of scholar-warrior in the Indian history. The Gurus were spiritual leaders but, when a war was imposed on them by the cruelties of the mughals, they took up sword to fight for the just cause. When he was told that the mughals outnumbered the Guru’s warriors, he came up with the slogan that each one of his warriors is equivalent to ‘sawa lakh‘ (1.25 lakhs). A few years later, in the Battle of Saragarhi (acknowledged by the UN as one of the bravest battles ever fought in the world (see Wikipedia), his disciples, just 21 in number fought against 10000 Afghans without accepting defeat).

How was this leadership possible? Simple, by setting a personal and familial example. Guru ji let go of all his personal comforts and fought like any of his other warriors, accepting hardships, accepting despondency and moving on (this is not mythological; this is recorded history). He sacrificed his four sons at tender ages: Jujhar Singh (b. 1691), Zorawar Singh (b. 1696) and Fateh Singh (b. 1699) and Ajit Singh ((b. 1687) in the battle. They were so young when they achieved martyrdom that when I was small, I used to listen to this poem:

“Nanhe nanhe bachche chine’ gaye deewaron mein,
Muskraahat bhi na jinaki chheen paaya tha zamaana,
Laal aise hi hamaari veer mitti ne jamen hain,
Sar kataana theek hai jinake liye galat gardan jhukaana.”
(Small, tender children were paved in the walls,
The world had not yet stolen their smiles,
Lads like that our brave soil had produced,
For them it was right to get their heads severed but wrong to bend the neck (in slavery).

And when their mother (an equal partner in this leadership) was told about their sacrifice, she had this to say:

“Chaar muye to kyaa huya
Jeevat kayi hazaar“
(So what I lost four sons,
I have thousands more)

I am inspired by this hymn because suddenly whilst listening to this I am raised to that level whence I realise that God as a friend is beyond despondency, beyond all worldly pleasures. He calls you to do your duty (as Lord Krishna directed Arjuna in the Battle of Mahabharat) and not to worry about the results since He would take care of them. Interim trials and tribulations should never shake your faith.

This beautiful hymn by Guru Gobind Singh, was recited in the Machhivara forest when he was separated from everyone after leading them in the Battle of Chamkaur; not everyone because the connection to the Lord remained strong as always.

Here is my small introduction followed by the hymn in Punjabi, its transliteration in English and finally its translation in English:

Guru Gobind’s faith in God was resolute,
Even when he was rendered alone in battle,
His fortitude and praise of God did not dilute,
Even after his sons were martyred like cattle.

ਮਿੱਤਰ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਨੂੰ ਹਾਲ ਮੁਰੀਦਾ ਦਾ ਕਹਿਣਾ ॥
ਤੁਧੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਰੋਗੁ ਰਜਾਈਆ ਦਾ ਓਢਣ ਨਾਗ ਨਿਵਾਸਾ ਦੇ ਹਹਿਣਾ ॥
ਸੂਲ ਸੁਰਾਹੀ ਖੰਜਰ ਪਿਆਲਾ ਬਿੰਗ ਕਸਾਈਆਂ ਦਾ ਸਹਿਣਾ ॥
ਯਾਰੜੇ ਦਾ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਸੱਥਰੁ ਚੰਗਾ ਭਠ ਖੇੜਿਆ ਦਾ ਰਹਿਣਾ ॥

Mitr piyaare nu haal mureeda da kehnaa ॥
Tudh bin rog rajaaeeaan da oudhan naag nivaasa de rehna ॥
Sool suraahi khanjar piyaala bing kasaaeeaan da sehna ॥
Yaararre da saanoo saathhar changaa bhathh khaerriaa da rehna ॥

Tell the beloved friend (the Lord) the plight of his disciples.
Without You rich blankets are a disease and the comfort of the house is like living with snakes.
Our water pitchers are like stakes of torture and our cups have edges like daggers.
Without You we are like animals at the hands of butchers.
Our Beloved Lord’s straw bed is more pleasing to us than living in costly mansions.

रोज़ करते हैं हम साफ इस तन को,
कब करेंगे हम साफ इस मन को?

बुझ जाती है आसान होंठों की प्यास,
कैसे बुझाएं अपने अंदर की अग्न को?

प्रभु का नाम वो औषधी है यारो,
सब दुख भूल जाते हैं उसमें मग्न हो।

हर किसी को हासिल है ये तोहफा,
जिसको दिल से प्रभु की लग्न हो।

बाहर और अंदर का अंधेरा मिटा दे,
नमन कीजिये इस कुदरती किरण को।

दुख सुख में कभी न भूलिये, दोस्तो,
जगाओ अपने मन में उस परम पिता भगवन को।

“एक ओमकार सतनाम करता पुरख निरभौ निरवैर अकाल मूरत अजूनी सैभं गुर प्रसाद जप,
आद सच, जुगाद सच, है भी सच, नानक होसी भी सच।”

Sweetness in words is more important than in food.

From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems (Please read: ‘Good Morning Message #1‘).

The last such message was: ‘Good Morning Message #118‘.

Good morning Friends,

We are so particular about food we serve and eat,
It should really have good aroma and taste;
It should be soft, it should be sweet,
And nothing of it should ever go waste.

It shouldn’t be pungent, it shouldn’t be bitter,
It should never make our eyes cry;
It shouldn’t make one unintended spitter,
It should be pleasant to tongue and eye.

Alas, none of these apply to words we use,
And we use them without a thought;
We don’t mind if these are hot and loose,
Or make our listeners completely distraught.

Blessed are those who have the fine art,
Of conveying disagreements with a smile,
Their utterances are never taken to heart,
Carrying everyone with them is their style.

May you be blessed with such a nature,
So that sweetness and smiles you spread;
May your speech add to your stature,
As a person of warm heart and level head.

May your day be nice and pleasant,
Even with those who don’t agree with you;
May peace and sanity be always present,
In everything you decide to say or do.

Choose Sweetness over Bitterness.

Take a break before you break down.

From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems (Please read: ‘Good Morning Message #1‘).

The last such message was: ‘Good Morning Message #114‘.

Good morning Friends,

If you live in a crowded city or a town,
And you rarely allow Nature to come near;
Chances are that from sunrise to sundown,
You live a life of constant anxiety and fear.

“Will I reach my office on time today?”
“Will my boss be annoyed or happy?”
“I hope friends will let me have my way,
Rather than telling me to make it snappy.”

“The traffic is killing, the noise is a roar,
Everywhere I go I am never alone;
This one is annoying, that one is a bore,
What really have I got of my own?”

Take a trip to the green hills or plains,
And let Nature work its magic on you,
Walk in the clear air, be drenched by the rains,
Look at the flowers red, white, yellow and blue.

Enjoy your own company for a change,
Or share it with your partner, birds and butterflies,
Lo and behold you can, your life, rearrange,
Happiness soars and anxiety dies.

Believe me it doesn’t cost much to be rejuvenated,
It’s not money, you’ve got to spare time,
But, do it before you’re completely saturated,
With daily chores for which no one gives a dime.

Let me wish you a day and life today,
Wherein you do things for your own sake,
Where you allow Nature to have its say,
And tell yourself, “I deserve a break.”

From the first of June, 2018, I started writing Good Morning messages in the form of poems (Please read: ‘Good Morning Message #1‘).

This was done when a course mate, Viru, suggested that people sharing memes as WhatsApp forwards had become passé and impersonal. He suggested that we should be as personal and unique as possible.

Here is my second attempt (pics have been added only in the blog and not in the original message on WhatsApp):

An awesome day is at your doorstep.

There is good in every day,
It’s not difficult to find;
For everyone of us in some way,
Is good at heart and kind.

Despite all the things that’re wrong,
If you look for something right;
It won’t really take you long,
To find across the tunnel light.

God made the world in such a way,
That good would always prevail;
Yes, people and things do go astray,
But good? Well, it would never fail.

मज़हब के मुग़लिबों की क्या दे हम दुहाई,
इन्सान को बना देते हैं मुसलमान, हिन्दू और ईसाई।
दुनिया को तक़सीम करके ये करते हैं राज,
पैदा तो हुए थे सब बहन और भाई।

मज़हब नहीं कहता पर ये कहते हैं,
माजूदा वक़्त छोड़ के ये माज़ी में रहते हैं,
डराते हैं हमें मौत से, गुनाह से, बुराई से,
खुदा से ज़्यादह हम इनके ज़ुल्म सहते हैं।

ईष्वर एक है यह ये भी मानते हैं,
पर अपने वाले को सबसे बेहतरीन जानते हैं,
कहते तो हैं वाइज़ आपस में बैर न करो,
पर करते हैं वही जो मन में ठानते हैं।

सबसे बड़ी लड़ाईयां दीन ओ धर्म की हैं,
बात तो दोस्तो यह बहुत शर्म की है।
धर्म के मतलब इनसे क्यूं सीखे हम,
अपनी अपनी सोच और अपने कर्म की है।

हे खुदा, दुनिया को कर दे मज़हब से आज़ाद,
सबसे बढ़ कर इसी ने किया इंसानियत की बर्बाद,
यह अब महज़ पैसा और ताक़त पाने का है ज़रिया,
हर मुग़लिब बढ़ाना चाहता है चाहने वालों की तादाद।

मेरे तस्स्वुर में आया है एक बहुत प्यारा ख्वाब,
जात पात और धर्म से लोग नहीं हो रहे ख़राब,
इस खयाल का भी वक़्त अब आने को है, रवि
शायद न करना पड़े इसके लिए कोई इन्कलाब।

शोर ओ गुल में रूह की आवाज़ को भी सुन,
नूर ओ रंग में इस दबे राज़ को भी सुन।

बहुत दिलकश हैं ज़िन्दगी के हसीन नग़मे,
पर दूर कहीं बज रही है यह हल्की सी धुन।

फरेब-ऐ-नज़र है, सराब है, महज़ ग़ुबार है दुनिया,
जागते सोते चंद रोज़ के खवाइश-ऐ-ख्वाब न बुन।

रिश्ते, मुहबतें, याराने सब दिल ओ दिमाग की हैं बातें,
शहनाई की मुबारक धुन, घुंघरू की यह रूण झुन।

हमसफर रहे हैं अभी तक लालच, अना और खुद गर्ज़ी,
दौरान-ए-हयात में अब रहमत ओ रूहानियत भी चुन।

हंगामा-ए-जंगल में आवाज़ें बहुत रही हैं बुलंद,
गौर से, रवि, अब इस नन्हे परिंदे की भी सुन।

Shor o gul mein rooh ki awaaz ko bhi sun,
Noor o rang mein is dabe raaz ko bhi sun.

Bahut dilkash hain zindagi ke haseen nagmein,
Par door kahin baj rahi hai yeh halki si dhun.

Fareeb-e-nazar hai, saraab hai, mehz gubaar hai duniya,
Jaagte sote chand roz ke khwaish-e-khwaab na bun.

Rushtey, muhabattein, yaarane sab dil o dimaag ki hain baaten,
Shehnayi ki mubaaraq dhun, ghungroo ki yeh run jhun.

Humsafar rahe hain abhi taq laalach, anaa aur khud garzi,
Dauran-e-haiyaat mein ab rehmat o ruhaniyat bhi chun.

Hungama-e-jungle mein awaazen bahut rahi hain buland,
Gaur se, Ravi, ab is nanhe parinde ki bhi sun.

Recently, a number of friends and collegues have left us……

जाने कब सांस रुक जाए, गर्म खून हो जाए सर्द?
यह जो महल हमने बनाये हैं, कब हो जाएँ गर्द?
जाने कब फरमान आ जाए मौत के शेहन-शाह का?
कौन जाने कहाँ है मुकाम ज़िन्दगी की राह का?

तिनका तिनका बटोर कर बनाया है जो आशियां,
हमसफ़र ओ रहबरों का बढ़ता हुआ ये कारवां,
कठपुतलियां हैं सब, जाने किस को वह उठा ले?
आज, कल या परसों, कब, कैसे, कहाँ?

मजबूरी ओ उदासी ने बाँध दिए हैं हाथ,
दोस्तों और आशिकों का है पल दो पल का साथ;
अभी तो सुहाना दिन है, रंग है और नूर है,
जाने कब बन जाए यह सियाह अँधेरी रात?

आज हमारी बज़म से जाने कहाँ वह जाते हैं?
कल हम ज़ुबान थे, आँख अब चुराते हैं,
मेला है भाई, भीड़ में भी सब अकेले हैं,
दुनिया यूँ ही चलती है, लोग आते हैं, जाते हैं I

यही हकीकत है तो आता है ख्याल मन में,
क्यों ना खुशियों के बूटे उगाएं दिल के आँगन में?
दोस्ती हो सबसे दुश्मनी का नाम ही न हो,
सब ही खुश आमदीद हों अपने नशेमन में I

ज़िन्दगी मिल जुल के प्यारी ओ हसीन हो,
दोस्तों की यादें खूबसूरत और रंगीन हों,
ज़िन्दगी ज़िंदादिली से जियें हम ऐसे,
के मौत को भी हमारी ज़िन्दगी पर यकीन हों I

ज़ेहन में न रंजिश किसी के वास्ते हो,
“छोटी सी ये दुनिया, पहचाने रास्ते” हों,
वफायें हों, जफाओं से कोई नाता ही न हो,
दिल में गर्माहट हर किसी के वास्ते हो I

मौत के फ़रिश्ते को पुर उम्मीद मिलें हम,
वक़्त आने पे हमारे हँसते हुए निकले दम,
छोड़ जाएँ खुशियां सब अपनों के लिए,
न आंसू हों, न पशेमानी, न ख़ौफ हो, न ग़म I

ऐ खुदा, तेरा ‘रवि’ हर दम तैयार हो,
मुस्कराते ले जाना, न के जब बिमार हो,
जीते जी मेरे अपनों का हो घर संसार,
मेरे मरने पे भी उनकी ज़िन्दगी में बहार हो I

Jaane kab saans ruk jaaye, garm khoon ho jaaye sard?
Yeh jo mahal hamane banaaye hain, kab ho jaayen gard?
Jaane kab farmaan aa jaaye maut ke shehan-shah ka?
Kaun jaane kahan hai mukaam zindagi ki raah ka?

Tinaka tinaka batore kar banaaya hai jo aashiyaan,
Hamsafar o rehbaron ka badhata hua ye karvaan,
Kathhputliyan hain sab, jaane kis ko woh uthha le?
Aaj, kal ya parson, kab, kaise, kahan?

Majburi o udhasi ne baandh diye hain haath,
Dosto aur aashiqon ka hai pal do pal ka saath,
Abhi to suhaana din hai, rang hai aur noor hai,
Jaane kab ban jaaye yeh siyah andheri raat?

Aaj hamari bazm se jaane kahan woh jaate hain?
Kal hum zubaan the, aankh ab churaate hain,
Mela hai bhai, bheedh mein bhi sab akele hain,
Duniya youn hi chalti hai, log aate hain, jaate hain.

Yahi haqeeqat hai to aata hai khayaal man mein,
kyun na khushiyon ke boote ugaayen dil ke aangan mein?
Dosti ho sabse dushmani ka naam hi na ho,
sab hi khush amdeed hon apne nasheman mein.

Zindagi mil jul ke pyaari ho o haseen ho,
Doston ki yaadein khoobsurat aur rangeen hon,
Zindagi zindadili se jiyen ham aise,
Ke maut ko bhi hamaari zindagi pe yakeen ho.

Zehan mein na ranjish kisi ke vaaste ho,
“Chhoti si ye duniya, pehchaane raaste” hon.
Wafaayen hon, jafaayon se koi naata hi na ho,
Dil mein garmaahat har kisi ke vaaste ho.

Maut ke farishtay ko pur umeed milen ham,
Waqt aane pe hamaare hanste huye nikle dam,
Chhod jaaye khushiyan sab apno ke liye,
Na aansu hon, na pashemaani, na khauf ho, na gham.

Ai khuda, tera ‘Ravi’ har dam taiyyar ho,
Muskraate le jaana, na ke jab bimaar ho,
Jeete ji mere apno ka ho ghar sansaar,
Mere marne pe bhi unaki zindagi mein bahaar ho.