O ! MY FOOLISH HEART India’s greatest Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Gha

 

O ! MY  FOOLISH  HEART

                   India’s greatest Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869) asks in one of his ghazals :

DiI-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai

akhir is dard ki dava kya hai

 

A simple English translation of this verse is as follows:

“O! my foolish heart , what has happened to you?  You are crying for something impossible. It is well known that whatever a lover may do, the pain of love finds no relief.  

 

            So, what should the heart do ?  Naturally, it should stop crying and continue to bear the pain . The heart is the centre of love’s pleasant and unpleasant emotions. Union between the lover and the beloved, which happens rarely, creates gratifying  feelings. In the entire love  poetry of the  world, love remains ungratified. A lover seeks a perfect alliance with his lady love, but fails to get it.  This disappointment , however painful it may be, is not to the disadvantage of the lover, because it tremendously activates his mind and imagination and turns him into a poet of  heart-touching verses.

 

 

            Ghalib became a great poet because of his unrequited love. In another heart-touching verse: he admits:

 

            Ye na thi hamari qismat ke visal-e-yar hota

            Agar  aur  jite   rahte   yahi    intizar      hota      

(Me and my lover were not destined to be united.  Long wait yielded no result.  Any further waiting, too, would have remained fruitless).

           

            Gratified love is comic. It does not touch those tragic heights which . ungratified love does. That is why all great and sublime poetry is the result  unrequited love.

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19^th March 2022                                    G.R.Kanwal

  

L I T T L E T H I N G S

 

L I T T L E   T H I N G S

            Little things are little in size but not in importance.  In fact, all big things are congregations of small things. A big house is a collection so many bricks.  An hour is a sum total of sixty minutes and a minute is an aggregate of sixty seconds and a second is a group of so many fractions of a second.

We cannot imagine about big things without imaging their small components.  Even our noses , whatever be their size, are combinations of numerous layers of skins. It means all big things are dependent upon their smallest possible particles. What does it mean then? We must not abhor little things.  On the contrary we must love them because without their existence big things cannot come into existence. 

According to Ecclesiasticus “He that despises small things, shall fall by little and little. “ And in the words of  Robert Smith, the English Clergy (1818-1895) , most of the critical things in life, which become the starting points of human destiny, are little things.

English Chemist, Sir  Humphrey Davy (1778-1829) makes a more striking statement when he says: Life is made up , not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles and kindness and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve and secure comfort.    

                English poet Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810-1889) makes us much wiser when he says: Despise not small things, either for evil or good, for a look may work thy ruin, or a word create thy wealth.---A spark is a little thing, yet it may kindle the world.

                Note unforgettably: A spark is a little thing, yet may kindle the world.

                Finally,  a short poem by American poet and author, Julia Abigail Fletcher (1823-1908). The title of her poem is:

                                                                LITTLE THINGS

 For which is best remembered till today. It was set to music and published in educational textbooks for more than half a century. It is an inspirational poem which inspires both young and old  to live every  minute  of one’s with great gusto. 

A humble minute ,says she,  is not a  humble  fraction of time. In its generative potentiality , it is  the begetter of  mighty ages and  endless eternity. Hence, we should spend it most vigorously and to the maximum benefit.

                The poem reads as follows:

Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean

And the pleasant land

 

Thus the little minutes,

Humble though they be,

Make the mighty ages

Of eternity.

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17^th March 2022                                                                              G.R.Kanwal

 

 

 

SILENCE AS MYSTICS VIEW IT

SILENCE AS MYSTICS VIEW IT      

                I remember the school-days advice “Think before you speak  and look before you leap.” It is still a good piece of advice. Thoughtful speaking is far better than thoughtless utterance which may be sheer nonsense .  

Silence is a much broader subject. It has also existential and  spiritual connotations. It may not be wrong to believe that silence preserves energy and prolongs  life.   

Self-imposed silence is  both a social and spiritual discipline. We find many places like hospitals, libraries, dormitories , yoga halls, meditation centres, etc. where sound is disallowed.  

                Given below, on the importance of silence.  are the views of four  renowned mystics.

First: Guyon Madam, French mystic (1648-1717). There are three kinds of silence. Silence from words is good, because inordinate speaking tends to evil. Silence, or rest from desires and passions is still better  because it promotes  quietness of spirit. But the best of all is silence from unnecessary and wandering thoughts, because that is essential to internal recollection and because it lays a foundation for a proper reputation and for silence in other respects.

Second: Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, essayist, philosopher (1803-1882). What a strange power there is in silence ! How many resolutions are formed, how many sublime conquests effected, during that pause when lips are closed, and the soul secretly feels the eye of her Maker upon her ! They are the strong ones of earth who know how to keep silence when it is a pain and grief unto them, and who give time to their own souls to wax strong against temptation.  

 Third: Hazrat Inayat Khan, Indian Sufi mystic (1882-1927). There is an intoxication in activity, and nowadays activity has increased so much that from morning till evening there is never any repose, owing to our daily occupations which keeps us continually on the move.  And at night we are so  tired that we want only to sleep, and next morning the activity begins anew.  By this kind of life much is destroyed; man is so eager for his enjoyments that he does not think of the life that is there to be enjoyed.  Every person should have at least an hour a day in which to be quiet, to be still   

 Fourth: Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, globally known as Osho (1931-1990). There is only one dialogue with existence and that is in silence. Try it with anything as an experiment – even with a rock. Be silent with it --- take it in your hand and be silent ---and there will be a communion. But you cannot use language with it, the rock doesn’t know any language. Because you use language, you cannot be related to it. Man has lost silence completely. When you are not doing something, you are not silent; the mind goes on doing something or other. Because of this continuous  inner talk, this continuous inner chattering, you are not  related to anything, not even to your beloved ones. Only through silence is one related.

                 And finally, as American Statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) said: None preaches better than the ant, and also says nothing.

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7^th March 2922                                                              G.R.Kanwal  

 

LORD BUDDHA’S VIEW ON WAR

 

LORD BUDDHA’S VIEW ON WAR

War has been applauded by few,  condemned by many. It is the ugly mother of vast  material destruction . There is also the regrettable demise of numerous moral and spiritual values.  The  immediate and long-term evil effects  of war on its victims  are too many to count.    

 A strange truth is  that wars do not end wars. They produce more wars, each one more monstrous than its predecessor.

 How are wars viewed by Enlightened ones like Lord Buddha?  Here is a short  answer:

A questioner said to Lord Buddha “I am a soldier, and am appointed by the king to enforce his laws and to wage his wars. Does the Tathagata (The Perfect One) who teaches kindness and compassion permit the punishment of the criminal? Does the Tathagata declare that it is wrong to go to war for the protection of our homes, our wives, our children, and our property? Does the Tathagata teach the doctrine of a complete self-surrender? Does the Tathagata maintain that warfare waged for a righteous cause should be forbidden.”

It was a tough question but Lord Buddha was not unable to answer it without diluting or   sacrificing any one of  his doctrines . He replied:

“He who goes to battle, even though it be in a righteous cause, must be prepared to be slain by his enemies, for that is the destiny of warriors, and should his fate overtake him he has no reason for complaint. But he who is victorious should remember the instability of earthly things.  His success may be great, but be it ever so great the wheel of fortune may turn again and bring him down into the dust. “

So, what is the moral of the dialogue between the soldier and Lord Buddha?   Only

this: Don’t forget the wheel of fortune .

According to Lord Buddha the greatest conquest  is the conquest of one’s self, not by destroying the souls of others but by preserving them. 

(Source: The Sayings of Buddha). 

 

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1^st March 2022                                                              G.R.KANWAL     

 

A BRIEF NOTE ON WAR

 

A BRIEF NOTE ON WAR

War is not the end  of problems.  It is their beginning.  It creates hardest existential problems that cry for instant solutions but linger on unsolved for months, even years.

Some wars may be holy, as the one sanctioned by Lord Krishna in The Mahabharata, however, most of them are  unholy and should never, never be waged.

In modern times with most destructive weapons available to warriors, war should be declared illegal and the one who indulges in it should  be awarded severest possible punishment.

Nations should be allowed to fight  logically rather than militarily.

War, says American Clergy  Robert Hall, (1764-1831) is nothing less than a temporary repeal of the principles of virtue. It is a system out of which almost all the virtues are excluded and in which almost all the vices are included.

According to Elihu Root (1845-1937) who was Secretary of War under 32nd American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, “War comes today as the result of one of three causes; either actual or threatened wrong by one country to another, or suspicion by one country that another intends to do it wrong…or, from bitterness of feeling, dependent in no degree whatever upon substantial questions of difference ….The least of these three causes of war is actual injustice. “

And finally in this short, rather a very short note on a most important subject , the opinion of the  Irish poet and playwright  Oscar Wilde (1854-1900): “ As long as war is regarded as wicked it will always have its fascinations.  When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.”

 

26^th February 2022                                                      G.R.KANWAL

 

   

INCOMPLETE URDU GHAZAL – 1

 

INCOMPLETE  URDU  GHAZAL – 1

 

              Zaba’n par aa nahin sakte kisi ki

              Kuch aise raaz bhi hain zindagi ke

 

            Badhi uljhan mein hoon kaise pukaroon

            Hazaron naam hain us ajnabi ke

           

            Charaghon se kaho bujhney se pehle

            Nisha’n kuch chodh jaaein roshni ke 

           

 

Shikasta Paa hoon, phir bhi ho rahae  hain

            Bahaut charche miri aawargi ke

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Interpretations

1.Nobody can divulge all the secrets of life hidden in his heart. 2. That stranger who has become my friend has untold names.  By what name to call him is the problem? 3. Request the burning lamps to leave behind some traces of light before they get extinguished. 4. My feet are fractured; I can’t even walk, yet my rivals are spreading rumours about my unprovable  foot-looseness.  

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                                                                                                G.R.Kanwal

                                                                                                17^th February 2022   

 

 

                     

    

 

 

 

 

BE STRONG !

 

 

BE STRONG !

                        (A POEM BY MALTBIE DAVENPORT BABCOCK)

 

BE STRONG! is an inspirational poem. It is short but very profound. The poet M. B. Babcock was an American clergyman (1858-1901) who is more famous for another poem “This Is My Father’s World.”

 

The intent of an inspirational poem is to uplift your mood, to relieve you from depression, idleness and pessimism and to reactivate  you for action, fight and struggle with great hope and endless optimism. Such a poem motivates you to shed your prevailing  weakness, call up your hidden strength and engage yourself in your destined activities like a hero. It urges  you to go on working hard, struggling and fighting till the deep intrenched wrong is converted into right.  You are born to do this. You are not here to play, to entertain yourself, to dream and spend your time in idle thoughts and speculations, but  to work hard and face the struggle confronting you. You are not  meant  to faint or keep quiet. Your duty is to show your indomitable strength and speak out your thoughts fearlessly. This beautiful aspect of your life’s aim is God’s gift.  It is virtuous, not vicious. So, shun not the struggle, don’t bend your knees before it, but face it boldly in God’s name . The result will  be not a mournful elegy but a delightful song

 

The poem reads as follows:

 

BE STRONG !

We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;

We have hard work to do and loads to lift.

Shun not the struggle --- face it; ‘tis God’s gift.

 

Be Strong !

Say not, “The days are evil. Who’s to blame?”

And fold the hands and acquiesce – oh, shame!

Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s name.

 

Be Strong !

It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong,

How hard the battle goes, the day how long;

Faint not ---- fight on ! Tomorrow comes the song.

           

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14^th February 2022                                                 G.R.KANWAL