सुमिरन कर ले मेरे मना…

आज, १४ सितम्बर, हिंदी दिवस के अवसर पर एक विशेष प्रस्तुति

चित्रकार: बिंदु पोपली 

संगीत जब उपासना की ओर ले जाए…कल सुबह के कुछ पल ऐसे ही थे…

एक दिव्य अनुभूति थी जब गुरु नानक के भक्ति-भाव से भरे शब्द पंडित जसराज के भावपूर्ण सुरों में और डॉ एल सुब्रमण्यम के मनमोहक वॉयलिन की तारों पर नाच रहे थे। इस प्रेमपूर्ण संगीत-उपासना में साथ दे रही थीं - कविता कृष्णमूर्ती। और इस संगम में डुबकी लगाने का आनंद-अनुभव शायद शब्दों में वर्णननीय नहीं है।

प्रातः-काल की उस बेला में इस प्रकार का अनुभव वास्तव में ही एक उपासना से कम नहीं है।

(मेरे पास यह संपूर्ण भजन एक साथ ही है, परन्तु इंटरनेट पर दो भागों में ही उपलब्ध है - इसका खेद है क्यूंकि इससे ध्यान भंग होने की संभावना रहती है। )

इसे अनुभव करने के बाद यदि आप आगे पढ़ना चाहें तो....

आज हिंदी दिवस के अवसर पर रह रह कर वही गुरु नानक की पंक्त्तियां याद आ रही हैं। शायद कल के उस अनुभव की छाप है। परन्तु अपने हिंदी न जानने वाले पाठकों के लिए मैं जब इन पंक्त्तियों का अंग्रेजी में अनुवाद करने का सोचती हूँ तो ऐसा लगता है मानो अनुवाद करने से इस भजन के आतंरिक सत्य को, सम्पूर्ण स्वरूप को मेरा प्रयास कभी पकड़ ही नहीं पायेगा। ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि कुछ भाव ऐसे होते हैं जो केवल किसी एक भाषा में ही व्यक्त किए जा सकते हैं।

गुरु नानक के ये शब्द साधारण नहीं हैं। ये एक सच्चे भक्तिलीन हृदय की अभिव्यक्ति हैं जो संपूर्ण मानव-कल्याण के लिए हैं, परन्तु इसे और किसी भाषा में कह सकना इतना आसान नहीं है। कम-से-कम मेरे लिए तो नहीं। इसलिए नहीं की अंग्रेजी में उपयुक्त शब्द नहीं है इस बात को कहने के लिए। पर शब्दों का सही चयन सही भाव भी उत्पन कर सके - ऐसा सदैव आव्यशक भी तो नहीं।

एक और कारण भी है जो अनुवाद में कठिनाई प्रस्तुत करता है। वह है - सांस्कृतिक प्रसंग जिसमें इन पंक्तियों का गूढ़ भावार्थ समझा जा सकता है । क्या "मंदिर दीप बिना " के सही भाव को अंग्रेजी का वाक्यांश "temple without a lamp" वास्तव में अभिव्यक्त कर सकता है ? मंदिर और मंदिर में दीप जलाने के भाव के सांस्कृतिक प्रसंग एवं आतंरिक अर्थ को समझे बिना मात्र अनुवाद कर देने से हम कई बार एक कोमल और पवित्र भाव को, एक आध्यात्मिक कर्म को केवल एक साधारण भावना अथवा एक बाहरी कार्य बना देते हैं।

जब गुरु नानक मंदिर में दीप जलाने की बात करते हैं तो हमारी भारतीय संस्कृति के अनुसार वे हमें स्मरण करवा रहें हैं कि मंदिर केवल बाहर ही नहीं है, वास्तविक मंदिर तो मन के अंदर है। और वह मन-मंदिर हरि नाम के बिना सूना है। बहरी दीप जलाना तो केवल एक बाहरी कार्य है, उसका वास्तविक उद्देश्य तो मन-मंदिर को ज्योतिर्मय करना है।

इसी प्रकार "देह नैन बिन" के भाव को समझने के लिए यह प्रसंग समझना आवश्यक हो जाता है कि यहाँ पर केवल बाहरी नेत्रों या बाहरी दृष्टि की ही बात नहीं हो रही है। बिना आतंरिक दृष्टि के, बिना सूक्ष्म दृष्टि के यह मानव जन्म सूना है, अधूरा है -- यह गूढ़ सत्य हम तभी सराह सकते हैं जब हम भारतीय सांस्कृतिक प्रसंग में इस पंक्त्ति को आत्मसात करें। इन सब को मैं अनुवाद में कैसे लाऊँ ?

और सबसे महत्वपूर्ण बात तो यह है -- जब एक प्रबुद्ध संत-पीर, एक ऋषि जिसने अपने एवं समस्त ब्रह्माण्ड के आत्म-दर्शन किये हों और इस जगत के सत्य-स्वरूप को पहचाना हो, जब वह हरि-स्मरण की बात करता है तो उस उपदेश की व्याख्या आप एक साधारण वाक्यांश - "Remember the Lord" से कदापि नहीं कर सकते हैं। प्रभु और प्रभु-लीला का स्मरण तो अन्य कई लोग भी करते हैं, पर गुरु नानक शायद हमें उस स्मरण की ओर ले जाना चाहते हैं जो वास्तवतिक रूप में हमें हरि-दर्शन के लिए, एक अंतर-ज्योति से साक्षात्कार के लिए तैयार कर सकता है। इस भाव को अनुवादित कैसे किया जाये ?

इन सब सीमाओं को भली-भांति अपने समक्ष रखते हुए मैं अनुवाद करने का प्रयत्न नहीं कर रही हूँ। इच्छुक पाठक इस लिंक पर एक अनुवादित प्रयास पढ़ सकते हैं। अथवा भाव को बिना शब्दों के ही अनुभव करने के लिए भजन को सुन कर हरी-स्मरण में डूबने का प्रयास कर सकते हैं। जैसा जिसको साजे....


सुमिरन कर ले मेरे मना तेरी बीती जाती उमर हरी नाम बिना रे ||

कूप नीर बिन धेनु क्षीर बिन धरती मेघ बिना |

जैसे तरुवर फल बिन हीना तैसे प्राणी हरी नाम बिना रे ||

देह नैन बिन रैन चन्द्र बिन मंदिर दीप बिना |

जैसे पंडित वेद विहीना तैसे प्राणी हरी नाम बिना रे ||

काम क्रोध मद लोभ निवारो छाड़ दे अब संत जना |

कह नानक तू सुन भगवंता या जग में नहीं कोई अपना ||


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To see previous post in the series, "All Music is Only the Sound of His Laughter" click here.
To see all posts in the series click here.

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Linking with ABC Wednesday, I: I is for Indian Languages

The Absence

Source

An unexpected visitor her memory isn’t. Present, always. 

Yet today, on Ram-navmi, the day her Ishta Devta chose to come on the earth in a human form, I sense her Absence. 

Her form in this life, form that I knew, form that gave me mine.

Unexpectedly, by this window. 

Is it the scent in the air that feels like the touch of her soft hands? Or the mystical hum of the wind-chime that speaks like her smiling eyes? Or the pleasing dance of the bamboos in the breeze that sings of the time she wasn’t formless?

She is absent. Again. 

******

Linking this post with Write Tribe's 100 words on Saturday - Prompt - An Unexpected Visitor

So Far So Good....

A new post in the series - Reminders to self

Readers may recall an earlier post in which I had spoken of my ongoing effort to facilitate some kind of peaceful co-existence between two pushy creepers in my garden fighting over space. I figured it is now time to update on the “harmony” building exercise. As the post title says, so far so good. I have been able to keep check on the more aggressive Passion Flower vine by some regular snip-snip, and the somewhat shy Rangoon Creeper is now getting its chance to grow and blossom. It feels so good to go out in the garden in the morning and see the beautiful blossoms of Rangoon Creeper in their shades of pink gently swaying up on the garden wall. To hold gently a few of the slightly drooping bunches in my hand and take in their mild, sweet fragrance is a delight. I can actually see the blossoms from my chair on the dining table too while having my meals. Yes, the vine was strategically planted or my chair was carefully picked – either way, the view is quite nice!

And sometimes the harmony comes inside too, inside the home…like in the pictures below:

         

And hopefully this outer exercise will keep working its way inside…slowly and gradually….inside me, inside the real home within, and help quiet down the restlessness some more, help silence some of the noises inside, bless me with greater faithfulness toward a deeper aspiration, and grant me a greater inner harmony. (Silence is the spiritual significance for Pasiflora/Passion Flower, and Faithfulness for Rangoon Creeper. I also have another vine in my garden, almost ready to bloom, the flower of which has been given the significance, Harmony. I may write more about that when the blooms show up.)

For now, with a prayer in my heart, I share a piece of music that exemplifies how beautiful harmony is possible when the greats come together. There is a lesson in there somewhere about inner harmony too, about making each part within greatly refined and developed for a more beautiful harmony. This piece of music is from "Call of the Valley" which is perhaps the largest-selling album ever in the Indian classical music genre. The first of its kind and the best there is. Feel the harmony of santoor, bansuri and guitar, and enjoy in silence!

This is my 100th post. I thought for a few days about what I want to write for my 100th post, but nothing seemed more true and right than this theme of harmony.

I thank all my friends, readers and visitors who have kept me motivated and going with this blog. So far it has been a wonderful journey - outwardly as well as inwardly, and I hope the journey to the next 100th post will be even more gratifying.

My deepest gratitude and reverence for that inner guide, that inner seeker who is gently leading me on to this search for inner beauty, beauty that is everlasting and that expresses the eternal spirit of the thing. 

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Click here for all the posts in this series.

Click here for the previous post in this series.

Slowly, with Time

A new post in the series - Light and Sound

When a picture searches for its music, or a piece of music finds its right picture...the result is a magical experience of Light and Sound.

Source

I have been away for months. Time now to face the empty home. Without her. Alone after half a century, with lifetime of memories. The walls, the rooms shall speak loudly of last year, of her battle with the disease and her going. Sadness, anxiety, pain, worry, fear… yes, all these but something more. Something wordless. An emptiness that only time will fill. As only Time can.

Her words I remember - I am lucky, for I have faith.

Am I lucky too? To have such faith? Time alone will tell.

“Happiest who stand on faith as on a rock.”^***

Soul-soothing Music by Karunesh, Beyond Time

Linking this to Write Tribe 100 words on Saturday, 2014-7

*** A line from Sri Aurobindo's poem, Savitri, Book VIII, Canto III

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Previous posts in this series:

Please Be Kind             Eastern Light

Douce Mère

A special post for February 21, 2104

136th Birth Anniversary of the Mother

Aditi - The Mother. 

Aditi is the indivisible consciousness, force and Ananda of the Supreme; 

the Mother, its living dynamis, the supreme Love, Wisdom, Power. 

Sacred Lotus, spiritual significance: Aditi-The Divine Consciousness

~ photo by Suhas Mehra

THE MOTHER OF GOD

by Sri Aurobindo

A conscious and eternal Power is here
Behind unhappiness and mortal birth
And the error of Thought and blundering trudge of Time.
The Mother of God, his sister and his spouse,
Daughter of his wisdom, of his might1 the mate,
She has leapt from the Transcendent's secret breast
To build her rainbow worlds of mind and life.
Between the superconscient absolute Light
And the Inconscient's vast unthinking toil
In the rolling and routine of Matter's sleep
And the somnambulist motion of the stars
She forces on the cold unwilling Void
Her adventure of life, the passionate dreams of her lust.
Amid the work of darker Powers she is here
To heal the evils and mistakes of Space
And change the tragedy of the ignorant world
Into a Divine Comedy of joy
And the laughter and the rapture of God's bliss.
The Mother of God is master of our souls;
We are the partners of his birth in Time,
Inheritors we share his eternity.

Eastern Light

A new series - Light and Sound

When a picture searches for its music, or a piece of music finds its right picture...the result is a magical experience of Light and Sound. 

Photo by Hengki Koentjoro, sourced from here

There is a certain mystical quality to the above picture, something about this skyline of grand temples and pagodas that seem to be reaching up to the infinite heavens above.

A few more silent minutes of contemplation reveals that the picture also speaks of a sense of deep awareness that the real infinity lies within, hidden between or behind or underneath light and shadow, clarity and obscurity, luster and dullness.

To me at least, in its own way this picture speaks of something very specific that emphasizes the uniqueness of the East, where the deepest inmost seeking has traditionally been the starting point for most of the outer action, including the building of massive structures where inner contemplation meets outer worship, with an aim to unite the worshipper, the act of worship, and the object of worship into One that is in fact Everyone and Everything.

In their own language of melody and notes, of sounds and silences, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Friends expressed a similar sentiment in their album East Greets East. The picture above seems to find its music in the following track...  

Don't the picture and the music go together well? I think so.

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Linked to ABC Wednesday: "E" is for East.

In Praise of Anjaniputra

A new post in the series - "All Music is Only the Sound of His Laughter"

"...when one speaks of Hanuman, this represents the evolutionary man, and Rama is the involutionary being, the one who comes from above...The evolutionary being is the one that’s the continuation of the animals, and the other is a being from higher worlds who, when the earth was formed, materialised itself upon earth—it does not come from below, it has come from above. But in the evolutionary being there is that central light which is the origin of the psychic being, which will develop into the psychic being, and when the psychic being is fully formed, there is a moment when it can unite with a being from above which can incarnate in it. So this being from above which descends into a psychic being is an involutionary being..."

~ The Mother, Collected Works, Vol. 5, pp. 323-324

Source

For a few weeks now, I have been feeling a special pull toward Lord Hanuman. I can guess a few reasons for this but those would only be mental guesses, not really the truer, inner, deeper reasons. Or perhaps it could be something as simple as the fact that my father, a life-long devotee of Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman, is staying with me these days. Whatever might be the reason, certainly the darshan of the magnificent 36-feet-tall diety at the Panchamukha Anjaneya Temple, where the Lord presides in all His Glory, Grandeur and Humility, happened at the right time for me when we visited there on New Year's eve.

This blog entry today is my humble offering and prayer to the Lord of Courage and Devotion, Strength and Surrender, the one who represents the power of spiritual discipline, sadhana shakti, the evolutionary being who through complete devotion, selfless service and absolute surrender to the Divine raises himself to the stature of gods.

A prayer that takes hold of my mind and heart today finds its expression in the form below:

*****

O Supreme Servitor to the Divine Supreme,
Thy Grace is what the heart seeks today.
Lord of Quiet Strength, Absolute Fearlessness,
Have mercy, the mind seems to be losing its way.

Things precious were snatched by an unnamed stranger
Under the dark anonymous cover of that fated night.
Not sad about the loss material, pained by the violation
This weak mind needs your blessing, a drop of Your Might.

The thought of mistrust and the fearsome fear of the unknown
These hurt more really, and the inner loss is such.
A prayer for Fearlessness is my lasting refuge,
For outer means can help but really not much.

On the outer wall of the outer house a column awaits
To become the abode of the Mighty Vayuputra.
Meanwhile, in the home within, the temple awaits
Its purification by the sound of His Divine Mantra.

*****

Singer: Pandit Jasraj

Click here for previous post in this series.
Click here for all posts in this series.

New Beginnings

What a strange and difficult year it has been! On so many fronts, in so many ways. So many struggles, so many conflicts, so much uncertainty...and yet something deeper and higher kept guiding, showing the light, and holding the hand whenever required. Pain was immense, and yet Peace kept afloat in the middle of that turmoil. Much too much was lost, and yet so much was gained too through all this. Sweet and Bitter tastes of life got their due share of the pie, and Laughter and Sadness renewed their marital vows and agreed to co-exist. Through all of which Life offered in its onward march, much was learned and hopefully will continue to be assimilated and integrated within for inner growth and progress.

As this year ends and a new one begins, I wish to express gratitude for all the experiences and lessons Life brought me and pray for greater acceptance and inner balance.

Source

Common name: Begonia 

Spiritual Significance: Perfect Balance (One of the most important conditions of a growing peace.)

As I await new beginnings in the new year, my mind finds expression for its unspoken wishes in the following words of the Mother given to Her children as New Year Blessings...

May this year be a year of luminous peace in the joy that comes from 
true kindness—the human child of Divine Compassion.

Let us hope also that this year will not pass without bringing us together once more.

Let the dawn of the New Year be for us also the dawn of a new and better life.

...the New Year must dispel the smoke of ignorance and make the Light shine forth.

Collected Works of The Mother, Volume 15, pp. 181-182

And my heart finds solace in this soothing music by Pandit Ravi Shankar....

In anticipation of a new dawn of a New Year, with a prayer in the heart for greater peace and equanimity, and for Her Grace to help see things deeply and inwardly....

Wishing all my readers a Happy New Year.

Journey toward Light

Source

Spiritual significance of the flower: Immortality 

Forms are in perpetual transformation; identify yourself with the Immortal Consciousness and you will become it.

Botanical name: Gomphrena globosa, Globe amaranth, Bachelor's button 

Thirteen days have passed since my last post on this blog.

A life-transforming experience has happened during this time.

One of the greatest, eternal truths of Life has revealed itself, in a very upclose and personal manner. A moment of acceptance, a moment of letting go, a moment of surrender, a moment of awakening - the moment gave so much as it took away so much. The moment of earthly goodbye became a moment of lifelong blessing. Witnessing the Journey toward Light continues to change so much...inwardly.

Death is not the opposite of Life. Death is the opposite of Birth. Life goes on. Only Form changes. The essence of the Departed One takes a Formless Form and continues to bless and love and be with the loved ones.

"The world we live in is not a meaningless accident that has unaccountably taken place in the void of Space; it is the scene of an evolution in which an eternal Truth has been embodied, hidden in a form of things, and is secretly in process of unfoldment through the ages. There is a meaning in our existence, a purpose in our birth and death and travail, a consummation of all our labour. All are parts of a single plan; nothing has been idly made in the universe; nothing is vain in our life."

Sri Aurobindo, Essays Divine and Human 

In her memory, because she loved it so....

May the peace continue to prevail in the midst of the pain, may the rememberance of the eternal truth continue to give strength.

Remembering The Mother

Celebrating Navratri....

A special post in the series: A Poem and A Song - V

Aditi - The Mother. 

Aditi is the indivisible consciousness, force and Ananda of the Supreme; 

the Mother, its living dynamis, the supreme Love, Wisdom, Power. 

~ Sri Aurobindo

White Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera 'Alba'

Spiritual Significance: Aditi-the Divine Consciousness

Pure, immaculate, gloriously powerful.

~ Photo by Suhas Mehra

What better way to start this special time of the year, this season of remembrance and of invoking the Divine Mother, than to meditate on these divine lines of Sri Aurobindo from his epic poem, Savitri....

At the head she stands of birth and toil and fate,

In their slow round the cycles turn to her call;

Alone her hands can change Time’s dragon base.

Hers is the mystery the Night conceals;

The spirit’s alchemist energy is hers;

She is the golden bridge, the wonderful fire.

The luminous heart of the Unknown is she,

A power of silence in the depths of God;

She is the Force, the inevitable Word,

The magnet of our difficult ascent,

The Sun from which we kindle all our suns,

The Light that leans from the unrealised Vasts,

The joy that beckons from the impossible,

The Might of all that never yet came down.

All Nature dumbly calls to her alone

To heal with her feet the aching throb of life

And break the seals on the dim soul of man

And kindle her fire in the closed heart of things.

All here shall be one day her sweetness’ home,

All contraries prepare her harmony;

Towards her our knowledge climbs, our passion gropes;

In her miraculous rapture we shall dwell,

Her clasp shall turn to ecstasy our pain.

Our self shall be one self with all through her.

In her confirmed because transformed in her,

Our life shall find in its fulfilled response

Above, the boundless hushed beatitudes,

Below, the wonder of the embrace divine.

~ Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, Book III, Canto II, pp. 314-315

And to continue the meditative mood with this divine music.... 

Singer: Pandit Jasraj

For previous posts in this series, click here, here, here, and here.

Who is that Presence?

A Poem and A Song - III: A Series to Celebrate Art in All Forms 

It is actually quite amazing when you find the same thought being expressed through a picture, a poem, a song, or even a gesture.
Perhaps it happens because the thought has sunk deep into you, at least for the time being, and you just view a certain picture, read a certain poem and hear a certain song as expressions of that singular thought.
Or perhaps they really are conveying the same thought, but in different shades and hues. 
And it just so happens that when that very thought captured your attention, certain pictures, poems and songs also appeared before you allowing you to delve deeper into the thought and let it reveal its deeper essence to you.
Regardless of how it happens, it is always a moment to relish and cherish the beauty. The beauty of the picture, the song, the poem. The beauty of the experience. The beauty of the moment.

Artist: Prince Chand

I still remember the first time I heard the poem titled "Who" by Sri Aurobindo. It was being recited by someone at a public function. The immensity of what I felt at the moment can't be described in words. Since then I have read this poem so many times and every time it has been a blessing. 

The poem was written in 1909, and was first published in Karmayogin. 

Read it aloud to know Who Is. Who is That?

Who

In the blue of the sky, in the green of the forest,

Whose is the hand that has painted the glow?

When the winds were asleep in the womb of the ether,

Who was it roused them and bade them to blow?

He is lost in the heart, in the cavern of Nature,

He is found in the brain where He builds up the thought:

In the pattern and bloom of the flowers He is woven,

In the luminous net of the stars He is caught.

In the strength of a man, in the beauty of woman,

In the laugh of a boy, in the blush of a girl;

The hand that sent Jupiter spinning through heaven,

Spends all its cunning to fashion a curl.

These are His works and His veils and His shadows;

But where is He then? by what name is He known?

Is He Brahma or Vishnu? a man or a woman?

Bodied or bodiless? twin or alone?

We have love for a boy who is dark and resplendent,

A woman is lord of us, naked and fierce.

We have seen Him a-muse on the snow of the mountains,

We have watched Him at work in the heart of the spheres.

We will tell the whole world of His ways and His cunning:

He has rapture of torture and passion and pain;

He delights in our sorrow and drives us to weeping,

Then lures with His joy and His beauty again.

All music is only the sound of His laughter,

All beauty the smile of His passionate bliss;

Our lives are His heart-beats, our rapture the bridal

Of Radha and Krishna, our love is their kiss.

He is strength that is loud in the blare of the trumpets,

And He rides in the car and He strikes in the spears;

He slays without stint and is full of compassion;

He wars for the world and its ultimate years.

In the sweep of the worlds, in the surge of the ages,

Ineffable, mighty, majestic and pure,

Beyond the last pinnacle seized by the thinker

He is throned in His seats that for ever endure.

The Master of man and his infinite Lover,

He is close to our hearts, had we vision to see;

We are blind with our pride and the pomp of our passions,

We are bound in our thoughts where we hold ourselves free.

It is He in the sun who is ageless and deathless,

And into the midnight His shadow is thrown;

When darkness was blind and engulfed within darkness,

He was seated within it immense and alone.

~  Sri Aurobindo

And then hear this...Truth expressed in another way. A lovely rendition of Husn-e-haqiqi, written by Sufi poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid (1845-1901). 

Beautiful indeed. 

Singer: Arieb Azhar
Credit: This version with English subtitles is available via the youtube channel of 
Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry 

To see previous posts in this series, click here and here.

Only You

A Poem and A Song - II: A Series to Celebrate Art in All Forms 

It is actually quite amazing when you find the same thought being expressed through a picture, a poem, a song, or even a gesture.

Perhaps it happens because the thought has sunk deep into you, at least for the time being, and you just view a certain picture, read a certain poem and hear a certain song as expressions of that singular thought.

Or perhaps they really are conveying the same thought, but in different shades and hues. 

And it just so happens that when that very thought captured your attention, certain pictures, poems and songs also appeared before you allowing you to delve deeper into the thought and let it reveal its deeper essence to you.

Regardless of how it happens, it is always a moment to relish and cherish the beauty. The beauty of the picture, the song, the poem. The beauty of the experience. The beauty of the moment.

Artist: Freydoon Rassouli

Some years ago, I discovered the amazing work of this Iranian-American artist, Rassouli. In most of his artworks that I have seen on the net I find a deep mystic quality and a sort of an invitation to go deep into the inspiration behind the work itself. An artist influenced by Sufism and Eastern mysticism, Rassouli takes the viewer to a journey within through his paintings. In his own words, "My paintings are inspirational for they allow the observer to experience infinite viewpoints and perceptions. They are not abstract for they represent what is actually more real than what our eyes are able to see. They allow the viewers to be inspired by taking their own perception beyond their senses and their surroundings."

In one of his artist statements, Rassouli says - "Creation is the product of synchronizing our energy with the universe. Once we experience the whole and recognize it, we become aware that we are nothing but the Divine Creative Force."

You, You Only Exist

You, you only exist

We pass away, till at last,

our passing is so immense

that you arise: beautiful moment,

in all your suddenness,

arising in love, or enchanted

in the contraction of work.

To you I belong, however time may

wear me away. From you to you

I go commanded. In between

the garland is hanging in chance; but if you

take it up and up and up: look:

all becomes festival!

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Singer: Pandit Jasraj

To see previous post in this series, click here.

Reckless Lovers

A Poem and A Song - I: A Series to Celebrate Art in All Forms 

It is actually quite amazing when you find the same thought being expressed through a picture, a poem, a song, or even a gesture.

Perhaps it happens because the thought has sunk deep into you, at least for the time being, and you just view a certain picture, read a certain poem and hear a certain song as expressions of that singular thought.

Or perhaps they really are conveying the same thought, but in different shades and hues. 

And it just so happens that when that very thought captured your attention, certain pictures, poems and songs also appeared before you allowing you to delve deeper into the thought and let it reveal its deeper essence to you.

Regardless of how it happens, it is always a moment to relish and cherish the beauty. The beauty of the picture, the song, the poem. The beauty of the experience. The beauty of the moment.

Dream by M.A.R. Chughtai

How does one write anything about a piece of art like this? It captures the essence of love between a lover and beloved, between two souls merging to become one, become earth and sky, become Radha and Krishna. No words are necessary. Only a feeling. Or if you must have some words, let them be of Rumi. Or of Amir Khusrow.

Love is reckless

Love is reckless; not reason.

Reason seeks a profit.

Love comes on strong,

consuming herself, unabashed.

Yet, in the midst of suffering,

Love proceeds like a millstone,

hard surfaced and straightforward.

Having died of self-interest,

she risks everything and asks for nothing.

Love gambles away every gift God bestows.

Without cause God gave us Being;

without cause, give it back again. 

~ Rumi

Singer: Ustad Shujaat Khan, Lyrics: Amir Khusrow, 1253-1325

Music Unites, Inside and Out

A new post in the series - "All Music is Only the Sound of His Laughter."

Sometimes you come across a most beautiful musical gem in a rather forgettable film. This was the case for me with the following rendition of a shabad in the film, Halla bol.

In the recent years “Ik Omkar” which is part of the mool mantra of Sri Guru Granth Sahib also became a part of the popular Hindi film, Rang De Basanti. 

Even in their very contemporary renditions, these shabad gurbani are somehow able to express the eternal spirit behind them. Perhaps part of the reason may be that when working on such timeless hymns of devotion, faith and love for the Divine, the composers and singers are also able to get in touch with something eternal in them, something that is part of the Divine. 

I am reminded of a concert I attended in April 2006 at Miami University, Ohio in the US. This benefit concert was led by the talented and popular music composer, A. R. Rahman, and the performers included about 150 students from Global Rhythms Ensemble. Global Rhythms was launched in 1996 under the artistic direction and leadership of Mr. Srinivas Krishnan (an alumnus of Miami University). The program has “evolved from strong roots in India and her music, her musicians, her composers, and her people, all of which have enabled the ensemble to forge its inclusive and international identity… The musical creations of Global Rhythms are thus rooted in a community of performing artists and composers from across the world, particularly A.R. Rahman, who have donated their valuable efforts to keep the spirit of such harmonious bonds alive”. 

For this particular concert the students of Global Rhythms Ensemble and Srinivas Krishnan had chosen to perform selected compositions by Rahman, including a variety of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu songs. The performers were primarily American youngsters; there were a few Indian-American performers as well in the choir, who were either part of the university or local community. It was quite interesting, in a way, to see these young American kids enjoy performing Hindi or Tamil songs and really getting in the groove! The unifying spirit of music took over the whole concert hall - it was really a good way to witness a movement towards harmony.

But what really touched me was when the choir sang a beautiful Sufi prayer composed by Rahman (for the film, Bose: The Forgotten Hero). This was the first time I had ever heard this song, and was really moved by the atmosphere created during those few minutes.

After the performance Rahman told the audience that when he had first received the request from the students that they wanted to sing this song/prayer he didn’t initially agree to their request. His objection was that such a devotional and spiritual song can’t be performed like they would casually sing any other song. The performers had to somewhat prepare themselves to get in the right frame of mind and heart. Among other things this also required that performers must not consume any alcohol before or after the performance, they must not wear any footwear on the stage, and they must cover their heads. He told the audience that he was later informed by Srinivas Krishnan that all performers understood the value of all this preparation and complied with all of it, both for their rehearsals as well as for the show. Certainly during the show just before they sang the Sufi prayer, we witnessed all the performers getting off the stage for a few seconds to remove their shoes and wear a headscarf as they prepared to perform the song. Perhaps through this one seemingly small experience, some of these youngsters could also appreciate and might have even experienced a bit of the highest aim of music – to connect with the Divine. 

This episode may seem like a small thing to some people. But to me, this was a powerful example of the emergence of a new resolve in some sections of today’s young generation – no matter what their nationality or place of residence – to devote their energies toward meaningful and constructive ways which represent a movement toward harmony, mutual respect and unity, rather than fragmentation, disintegration and division. I may be idealizing this whole experience a bit, but then why should we not emphasize all the good that is happening around us? After all, the more positive and harmonious vibrations we can create around us, the more things begin to happen that are indeed positive and harmonious. 

The concert ended with Rahman leading the choir with one of his signature compositions - Vande Mataram, which again everybody on the stage sang with a great enthusiasm and feeling. 

Now that indeed is an unforgettable gem from a very forgettable film! 

Click here for the previous post in this series.