Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind 

            As the temperature in Delhi fell to 2.4 degrees on 30^th December 2019 and made DelhiItes shiver because such a cold winter had repeated itself after a lapse of 119 years, I was suddenly reminded of a song recited by Amiens, a singer in the play ‘AS YOU LIKE IT’ written by the greatest English playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) between the end of 1598 and the middle of 1600.

                The song which is reproduced below points towards the eternal reality:     “That the wind can be unkind and blow strong but it isn’t as cruel as human society.’ 

The text of the song reads as follows:

            “Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

            Thou art not so unkind

            As man’s ingratitude;

            Thy tooth is not so keen,

            Because thou art not seen,

            Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! Unto the green holly:

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:

            Then, heigh-ho, the holly!

            This life is most jolly.

            Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

            That dost not bite so nigh

            As benefits forgot:

            Though thou the waters warp,

            Thy sting is not so sharp

            As friend remember’d not.

            Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! “

              

31^st December 2019                                                        G. R. KANWAL

                               

LOVE – A POEM ATTRIBUTED TO ROY CROFT

          LOVE – A POEM ATTRIBUTED TO ROY CROFT

The poem reproduced herein is attributed to the American poet Roy Croft (1907-1973)0, but according to another account it was actually written by his compatriot Mary Carolyn Davies (b.1888). It is mostly recited as a wedding song or a wedding speech.

Just for the knowledge of the readers, it may be added here that love is not an ordinary emotion. It is an un-extinguishable flame, a very deep passion, fondness, friendship, liking, attachment, affection, adoration or infatuation. Life cannot survive without it. It may take other different forms, but even then it continues to remain a matter of the heart whose beatings keep volatile not only humans but also other animates existing on this earth.

The poem is entitled LOVE and reads as follows:

“I LOVE YOU.

Not only for what you are,

But for what I am

When I am with you.

I love you,

Not only for what

You have made of yourself,

But for what

You are making of me.

I love you

For the part of me

That you bring out;

I love you

For putting your hand

Into my heaped-up hand

And passing over

All foolish, weak things

That you can’t help

Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out

Into the light

All the beautiful belongings

That no one else, had looked

Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you

Are helping me to make

Of the lumber of my life

Not a tavern

But a temple;

Out of the works

Of my every day

Not a reproach

But a song.

I love you

Because you have done

More than any creed

Could have done

To make me good,

And more than any fate

Could have done

To make me happy.

You have done it

Without a touch,

Without a word,

Without a sign.

You have done it

By being yourself.

Perhaps that is what

Being a friend means,

After all. “

26^th December 2019                                                        G.R.KANWAL      

CHRISTMAS EVE WITH A PSALM

CHRISTMAS EVE WITH A PSALM

On this Christmas Eve (24^th December 2019), let us sing a Psalm (sacred song) from the Holy Bible. The psalm selected in this write up is at  No.01 in The Book of Psalms. In all the book comprises 150 Psalms.  

According to Christian history, It was David. described in the Hebrew Bible as the third king of the United Monarch of Israel and Judah who authored the Psalms included in the Bible. He was a young shepherd who gained fame as a musician.

            Even a casual study of these  Psalms shows that they are full of eternal wisdom.  They praise God, describe His attributes, and  also counsel human beings how to live a righteous life to avoid the wrath of God.

             Given below is the text of the 1^st  PSALM .

1.“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.   

2.But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doth shall prosper.

4. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5.Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. “

24^th December 2019                                                        G. R. KANWAL  

EVENING PRAYER

                EVENING PRAYER

Prayer is not a list of demands addressed by human beings to their type of God Almighty. It should be, rather must be, a ‘Thank You Letter’ for giving you innumerable things in the world In which you live.  It is HE who has given you life and  personal  talents that you regularly employ to pass your days and nights in this beautiful world.

 It is natural that you commit errors, lapses and blunders. There may be even serious moral aberrations crimes and sins. Your duty in such  cases is to seek God’s forgiveness, for He is always merciful to those who repent and promise not to repeat their errant behaviour. 

According English poet laureate Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809-92), many things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of. “ What are men better than sheep or goats, that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing God, they lift no hands of prayer for themselves and those who call them friends.

 Given below is an Evening Prayer by the American poet Gabriel H. Charles (1856-1932). Throughout the poem, his attitude is that of sincere penitent. So he prays :

If I have wounded any soul today,

If I have caused one foot to go astray,

If I have walked in my own willful way---

            Good Lord, forgive!

If I have uttered idle words or vain,

If I have turned aside from want or pain,

Lest I myself should suffer through the strain----

            Good Lord, forgive!

If I have craved for joys that are not mine,

If I have let my wayward heart repine,

Dwelling on things of earth, not things divine----

            Good Lord, forgive!

If I have been perverse, or hard, or cold,

If I have longed for shelter in Thy Fold,

When Thou hast given me some part to hold----

            Good Lord, forgive!

Forgive the sins I have confessed to Thee,

Forgive the secret sins I do not see.

That which I know not, Father, teach Thou me-

            Help me to live.

22 December 2019                                               G. R. KANWAL

           

VIOLENCE : A FOOLISH OUTBURST

                 VIOLENCE  :  A FOOLISH OUTBURST

My study shows that no sensible writer, statesman, religious guide , philosopher or social thinker has ever recommended the use of violence for any purpose whatsoever.  Violence is thus a foolish outburst at any  situation or event, old or new.

            According to English author William Hazlitt (1778-1830), violence ever defeats is own ends. Where you cannot drive you can always persuade.  A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can always work wonders and accomplish miracles. There is a secret pride in every human heart that revolts at tyranny. You may order and drive an individual, but you cannot make him respect you.

            World famous British playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) believes that violent fires soon burn out themselves, small showers last long, but sudden storms are short; he tires betimes that spurs too fast.

            Indian apostle of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) had this to say: Experience convinces  me that permanent good can never be outcome of untruth and violence. To use violence for securing rights may seem an easy path but it proves to be thorny in the long-run.  Those who live by the sword die also by the sword. The swimmer often dies by drowning. Moreover, what is gained by violence must be lost before superior violence.

16^th December 2019                                                                    G.R.KANWAL  

  

LIFE IS ACTION

                                 LIFE IS ACTION

‘LIFE IS ACTION’  is the predominant feature of the Urdu and Persian poetry of Sir Mohammad Iqbal (1873-1978). What follows is the English interpretation of one of his poems Khizr-e-Rah included in his Urdu anthology Bang-e-Dara (Call of the Bell).

             Life, says Iqbal, does not think of loss or again. It cannot be measured in terms of todays and tomorrows. It is eternal.  It is ever young and ever moving forward.  Human beings are endowed with a vibrant Life-Force with which they create their own world.  They should try to expand themselves and avoid shrinking.  When expanded , life becomes an ocean; and  when contracted it assumes the shape of a tiny rivulet.

            Though man is a tenant in a house of clay, he has been gifted with infinite power with which he can become a conquerer of the world. In fact, life shows its splendor by subduing the material world. 

            Man has risen as a bubble from the ocean of life, but he is no less than an ocean himself if he truly understands his inner  self and realizes its full potential.   Man is not merely a physical body; his real self is his soul which has within itself an invisible heaven. Man should  arouse his dormant soul through continuous self-realisation and for this he has to abandon passive contemplation and adopt the attitude of ceaseless movement towards self- perfection.

13^th December 2019                                G.R.KANWAL

                     

REMEMBERING OSHO

                         REMEMBERING   OSHO

Acharya Shri Rajneesh was born on 11^th December 1931 and passed away on 19^th January 1990.

An outstanding mystic and spiritual leader, he was the founder of the Rajneesh movement.   His original name was Chandra Mohan Jain.

Before becoming a religious exponent, he served as a university lecturer.   

His name ‘Osho’ , according to his own explanation, is derived from ‘William James’ word ‘oceanic’ which means dissolving into the ocean.  Later, he found the historical use of this word in the Far East, meaning ‘The Blessed One’, on whom the sky showers flowers.

Osho was an extremely bold thinker. Through his uncountable enlightening lectures, he demolished innumerable superstitions held by the practitioners of various faiths and creeds because he found them based on blind beliefs.

He repeatedly said in his discourses that if we cling to the past, the only possibility is global suicide, and if we drop the past the possibility arises of writing a new destiny of man.

Here is one short example of his innovative style of thinking.  Life, says he, is not a punishment. It is a reward. As such, human beings should be thankful to existence that it has chosen them to breathe through them, to love through them, to sing through them and to dance through them.  Moreover, if they keep on growing in maturity and understanding, they will never become old because learning keeps people young.   

 11. 12. 2019                                               G.R.KANWAL 

 .

THE ART OF LIVING

          THE ART OF LIVING

A FEW RANDOM HINTS: PART I.

1. Do nothing rashly.

2. Do whatever is best for the common good.

3. Do not act aimlessly.

4. Never forget that life is short and every individual is mortal.

5. The time before you was vast, it will be vast even after you.

6. Living in his world is more like a wrestler’s practice than that of a dancer.

7. Do not judge anything as good or bad which is not in your jurisdiction.

8. What is useless for the hive is also useless for the bee.

 9. Look within. The foundation of all living is there.

10. Wind up yourself into yourself.

11. Think of life as one long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, towards a goal that only a few can hope to reach.

12. Bear in mind that all friends and comrades vanish one by one.

13. Do what you ought to, come what may.

14. Play the part allotted to you with conscientiousness, sincerity and unselfishness.

15. If you want to serve humanity, listen to no other voice that of love and active goodness.

                                                                        (To be continued)

8^th December 2019            G. R. KANWAL

         

BOYS AT THE AGE OF FOURTEEN

                  BOYS AT THE AGE OF FOURTEEN

“In this world of human affairs there is no worse nuisance that a boy at the age of fourteen.

“He is neither ornamental nor useful.  It is impossible to shower affection on him as on a little boy; and he is always getting in the way.  If he talks with a childish lisp he is called a baby, and if he answers in a grown-up way he is called impertinent.  In fact any talk a t all from him is resented.

“Then he is at the unattractive growing age.  He grows out of his clothes with indecent haste; his voice grows hoarse and breaks and quivers; his face grows suddenly angular and unsightly.

“It is easy to excuse the shortcomings of early childhood, but it is hard to tolerate even unavoidable lapses in a boy of fourteen. The lad himself becomes painfully self-conscious. When he talks with elderly people he is either unduly forward, or else so unduly shy that he appears ashamed of his very existence.

“Yet it is at this very age when in heart of hearts a young lad most craves for recognition and love; and he becomes  he devoted slave of any one who shows him consideration.  But none dare openly love him, for that would be regarded as undue indulgence, and therefore bad for the boy.

“So, what with scolding and chiding, he becomes very much like a stray dog that has lost his master.    

“For a boy of fourteen his own home is the only Paradise.  To live in a strange house with strange people is little short of torture, while the height of bliss is to receive the kind look of women, and never be slighted by them. “

The extract given above is from ‘Home Coming’ a story by Rabindranath Tagore.  The hero of this story is a fourteen-year old boy who has lost his father and is entrusted for his further upbringing to his maternal uncle.

While the uncle was quite considerate to the boy, his wife was not.  As a result, the boy gets afflicted with  fever after some time and dies.  Without the love of his parents, especially the mother, he was emotionally starved. Away from his home, he was like a stray dog. His physical, mental, emotional and social needs remained ungratified.  Tagore’s dictum “For a boy of fourteen his own home is the only paradise” proves true.  Away from his parental home, he was in hell and dies while he was in the custody of his uncle.  

“Homecoming” is a story about the behaviourial problems of adolescents both boys and girls.  What has been said about boys in this extract equally applies to girls.  

It is interesting to note that Tagore has mentioned not only the problems of adolescents, but also suggested remedies which should be adopted by all co0ncerned.            

7^th December 2019                                   G. R. KANWAL

  

SIX ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

                           SIX ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

Zoroaster, Iranian spiritual leader and religious prophet (C 628 BCE – C 551 CEB) believed in one universal transcendent all-good and un-created supreme creator deity, Ahura Mazda, which means the Wise Lord.

The six attributes of God reproduced herein are mentioned in a small book entitled “Gems from the Divine Song of Zoroaster) compiled by one Shri D .J .Irani.  This book was published in Bombay now Mumbai, in August 1922.

1.     The Spirit of the Good Mind.

The Wise Lord is the fountain source of the Perfect Good Mind. It is placed first, for the Good Mind or Good Thought is the foundation on which the edifice of all goodness in words and in actions is based.

2.     The Spirit of Truth.

It  is part of the very essence of the Supreme Being. From the principle of Truth and Right proceed the harmony of Universal Law and Order, and hence the term “Asha” is often used to mean the Holy and Immutable Laws of the Universe.

3.     The Spirit of Holy Sovereignty.

Ahura Mazda is the Supreme Sovereign Lord, and the term “Khashtra” refers both to His Spiritual Sovereignty as well as to His Dominion of Heaven.  And just as men can have the gifts of the Good Mind and Righteousness for themselves, so can they establish by means thereof a Kingdom of Heaven on this earth, if they would only strive to do so.

4.The Spirit of Benevolent Piety. 

It is described as the spirit of the active and zealous mind, working diligently for the welfare of mankind , It is  also known as the “Bountiful Armaiti.”  For example, a peasant toiling arduously on his soil, rearing up his family, caring for his flock and lands, is more blest by the Spirit of Bountiful Piety than a recluse who has renounced the world and lives on alms. Hence Piety with the diligent and benevolent mind also becomes a religious duty.

5. The Spirit of Healthful Well-being or Perfection.

6. The Spirit of Immortality.

            These are said to be the Twin Spirits, or the Twin Blessings which Providence awards to the man who yearns for and strives to possess the above-mentioned attributes of the Almighty.

            According to Zoroaster, a man or woman, who is inspired by the Good Mind. whose actions are guided by Truth, who works diligently for the welfare of God’s Good Creation, who strives in his or her humble way to make the world progress towards perfection, will certainly be blessed by Providence by the Twin Blessings of Healthful and Happy Life here, and Immortality ever afterwards in the Fair Abode of the Great Father.

            For more about Zoroaster and his teachings, please refer to some current encyclopedia.

6^th December 2019           G. R. KANWAL            

           

ADVICE ABOUT FRIENDS

                                         ADVICE ABOUT FRIENDS

We often hear that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics, which means that adversity makes strange bedfellows. I am not going to dwell on this subject in this short write up. However, it is pertinent to quote the words of an American Clergy Minot Judson Savage (1841-1918). He said: “You’ll find the friendship of the world mere outward show! ---‘Tis like the harlot’s tears, the statesman’s promise, or the false patriot’s zeal, full of fair seeming, but delusion all,.”

             I have, however, found the best piece of advice in a poem written by English composer Joseph Parry (1841-1903).  He was educated at Royal Academy of Music, University of Cambridge and is genuinely famous for a number of heart-warming songs and poems which will never become obsolete.  The one given below is full of perennial wisdom on the subject of friends, old and new.

                        MAKE NEW FRINDS, BUT KEEP THE OLD

“Make   new friends, but keep the old;

Those are silver, these are gold.

New-made friendships, like new wine,

Age will mellow and refine.

Friendships that have stood the test---

Time and change --- are surely best;

Brow may winkle, hair grow gray,

Friendship never knows decay.

For ‘mid old friends, tried and true,

Once more we our youth renew.

But old friends, alas! May die,

New friends must their place supply.

Cherish friendship in your breast----

New is good, but old is best;

Make new friends, but keep the old;

Those are silver, these are gold.”

  3^rd December 2019                                      G. R. KANWAL