Tuesday, January 15, 2013

SOHAM , SUFI POETS OF KASHMIR AND THE SAGE OF BELUR


                                                                             


KANYAKUMARI.... 

Where is river Ganga ? Where is the yamuna ? The ocean does not know the difference . It is all water .

(Photo Autar Mota ..What you see close to Vivekananda Rock memorial is tall stone sculpture of the Tamil poet and philosopher Tiruvalluvar, author of the Thirukkural. It is about 133 feet in height.


To this photo i am adding a brief story titled " SOHAM , SUFI POETS OF KASHMIR
  AND THE SAGE OF BELUR "

 SOHAM , SUFIS AND THE SAGE OF BELUR

I am fortunate  enough  to have seen and heard  Shri Ranganathananda  ( 1908-2005 ) .   He was an authority on Vedas and  Upanishads , Scholar extraordinary  , Philosopher and Head Monk of  Belur Mutt or  swami Vivekananda’s  Rama Krishna Mission in India  . Swami ji  as he was fondly known never talked about narrow religious issues. His discourses touched issues facing humanity at large , cutting across all barriers  of color , race or religion. In fact  Belur Mutt or Temple  is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions.
Mohammed Ali Jinnah  once listened to Ranganathananda's lecture on Islam and Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and  had remarked:

“Now I know how a true Muslim should be.”

Swami ji  declined the Padma Vibhushan as it was conferred on him in his individual capacity and not for the Mission. swami ji would often say ;-

 “ The endeavors and conclusions of the sense-bound intellect can not be the last word in man’s search for truth. An intellectual approach to truth will end only in agnosticism; and often in cynicism. But the whole being of man seeks to experience truth, to realize it. … This rising above rationalism to direct experience and realization, this growth of man from the sensate to the super-sensual dimension, is the special message of Indian spiritual tradition ”

Once Swami ji  explained the importance of word SOHAM  . I had heard the word  in   Hindu Bhakti  as well as in  Muslim  Sufi poetry of  kashmir. SOHAM- Soo  or SOHAM is reflected in the Shrukhs of  Nund Reshi  as also in the  poetry of Wahab Khaar , Soachh Kraal , Shamas Faqir,Ahad zargar ,Nyaam sahib , Ahmed Batwaari , Rehman Dar ,Rahim Sahib ,Shah Qalandhar  and many more  sufi poets of Kashmir. This concept emerged in sufi poetry due to a unique  blending of Mahayana  Budhism ,Vedanta and Islamic Tassavuf   in kashmiri thought   .  I quote  some other poets who used this concept :-

(1)
Yot  yithh  zanamuss kenh chhunaa Laarun
Daarnaai daarun Soham Soo
Brahma Vishnu  Maheshwar  Gaarun
Daarnaai daarun Soham Soo.
( shah Gafoor )
After being  born ,What is here to gain ;
  So hold SOHAM kriya for existence .
 Create  Brahma , Vishnu and  Maheshwara
 And own SOHAM kriya for existence .


(2)
Raahe badh Nishi kar Traahi Bhagwaan
Puniyee Paap Traavithh kar Yaksaan.
Voan samad Miran Shastra heyoo
Paru OM  Soo  Om SOHAM Soo
( Samad Mir )
Be away from the misleading path
Think not of  evil or Good but be unvarying  ,
Samad Mir speaks  the message of shastras
And recite OM  and SOHAM  soo .


(3)
Tosas Om ki Punn Khaaer Massaai
Baa Rasaa rasaai Kornuss Tayaar
SOHAM Soo Yaar Vuchha Novanussaai
Baa Rasaa rasaai Kornuss Tayaar 
( Assad Parray )
I spun Omkar in shahtoos and offered it to the lord
And he  completed  me slowly and steadily .
He made me to befriend SOHAM soo
And he  completed  me slowly and steadily .


(4)
Mar Zinda par SOHAM  soo
Hamas Damas  Saeit  zaan
( Ahmed  Raah )
Die while existing and recite SOHAM soo
Know linkage of breath control with HAMAS..

WHAT  IS  SOHAM
As per swami Ranghanathananda  SOHAM  originated from VEDAS .Soham is Paramount when  a person  tries to identify himself with the universe or ultimate reality .Swami ji explained that when a child is born  the first cry that the universe hears from his  Mouth is
“ Koham ? Koham ? ”
“ Who am I ?  Who Am I ? ’
The universe in turn responds  with words
“ SOHAM ! SOHAM ! ”
“ Your are what I am ! You are What I am !”
Added swami ji that  the word is also a MANTRA  in Tantrism  that  comes from Ajapa Japa  or a meditation that is done without uttering a word. Swami ji explained that SOHAM  consists of two words . Soooooo…. And  Hummm. While sooo means  the tender  sound of inhalation and Humm implies the exhalation.
SOHAM   IN  KASHMIR’S  TRIKA  PHILOSOPHY
 The Pranayaama  Kriya  (Breathing  Technique  for the vital Pranaa or life.  Prana enters the body through the breath and is sent to every cell through the circulatory system. Prana creates life by allowing the heart to beat  )   that was performed extensively in kashmiri pandit households was   nothing but Ajapa japa or SOHAM ( sooo  plus  hummm… ). It is a Kriya Yoga and also  an essential  ingredient of Kashmir’s luminous Shaiva thought  which is primarily aimed at realization of  existing identity with universal consciousness     .
SOHAM when reversed becomes HAMSA OR HAMSO  which means  ‘I AM THAT  ’ . HAMSA  OR  HAMSO  also refers to  SWAN . kashmiri poets have used word  RAAZHANS  for the word  HAMSA  or  HAMSO .  And in kashmir’s  shaivism  HAMSO  or HAMSO  is nothing but Atman .
kashmir’s   shaivism  refers to the Phenomenal world as real  and calls it shakti while the Advaita sidhanta holds it as Maya or illusion. In this way  kashmir’s shaivism  is a contrast  to Adi Shankara’s  Advaita .Another aspect peculiar to TRIKA  DARSHANA  or   kashmir’s  shaivism is that it accepts no restrictions  between caste , race or sex.  TRIKA  never accepted the supremacy  of VEDIC  CASTE SYSTEM.

(Autar Mota )
Tuesday 15th January 2013..... Time 11.45 PM ... Good Night .

                                               
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3 comments:

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  2. A Very good piece of article mentioning the contribution of Kashmiri Sufi Poets who wrote beautiful Sufi Lyrics with Yogic contents.

    ReplyDelete

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