A DOHA (TWO-LINE POEM ) AND A WEDDING COUPLE

                                                                    

A DOHA (TWO-LINE POEM ) AND A WEDDING COUPLE

 

A friend sent this painting to me and requested that I write two lines for this work of art that shows a wedding couple. I wrote this:-

 

Pehle nag ke saath rakha nag 

Jeevan bhar ka mail...

Ab to parkho jaano phir bhi

 chaar dinon ka khel ...

( Avtar Mota )

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LOADING AND UNLOADING CHARGES

                                        

( Symbolic burning of the  "Death Shadow "  by Kashmiri Hindus at a crematorium in Jammu  .Photo ...Avtar Mota )

 LOADING UNLOADING CHARGES

“The soul is not liable to birth nor to death; neither does it take its origin from any other or from itself; hence it is unborn, eternal without reduction and unchangeable; therefore the soul is not injured by the hurt which the boy may receive.”…Katha Upanishad

 

Jagan Nath (age 80 years) died in his Jammu house where he lived with his wife Raj Rani, while his only son had moved to Canada permanently. As this sudden tragedy struck the old couple, Raj Rani didn’t know what to do or where to go. Both Jagan Nath and Raj Rani were patients of hypertension, diabetes and painful osteoarthritis. They could not walk. Jagan Nath had been confined to bed for about six months before his death. Hearing the sad news, Chaman Lal (age 75 years), their neighbour, came running and sat on a chair. He was suffering from painful varicose veins and hypertension. Sitting on the chair, he directed all arrangements at that critical juncture. Some more elderly neighbours and relatives arrived limping and seeking chairs to sit in. There was none to weep for Jagan Nath. Then, Raj Rani believed that death had favoured Jagan Nath. It had ended his suffering. Looking towards the ceiling of the room, she sat near his body.

The neighbours and some elderly relatives gave the ritual bath to Jagan Nath’s body before the departure to the crematorium. There was no young person among the mourners who could lift Jagan Nath’s body and put it inside the vehicle sent by the crematorium. Finally, Chaman Lal requested the driver and his two helpers to put the body in the vehicle. In the evening, Jai Shankar Bairagi, the caretaker of the crematorium, sent a bill of rupees 8750/= to Raj Rani that read like this:-

 

(1)    Timber for the pyre                   3800

 

(2)    3 Helper charges                         1500

        for burning

(3)    Vehicle                                           550

 

(4)    Loading and unloading               900

 of the body

 

(5)    Donation                                     2000

 

                                              Total     8750.00

( Avtar Mota )

PS

Known as ' tchhaayi naar zaalun' or the practice of burning "Death Shadow" symbolically at a crematorium, is still practised by Kashmiri Hindus. Before returning from a crematorium, a bundle of dry grass is burnt, and those who had come with the dead body make three rounds around this fire and leave for their homes. Poet Farooq Nazki uses ' tchhaayi naar zaalun' as a metaphor in his heart-touching poem about Kashmiri Pandit exiles. I quote the specific lines ," Chhe draaga-mokal  yemberzalan tchhayi naar zalaan,  Yimav qadam kaed garav neibar, tim na aayi pheerith ,na zchhendi sontan". If the lines are read in context, Nazki intends to say," When the narcissus flowers were not seen in the garden, greedy brokers arrived, burning even their shadows to thwart their return to the garden. Alas!  Those who stepped out of their homes neither returned nor did the spring season seek their whereabouts."

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FATHER AND DAUGHTER

                                  

                                           

FATHER AND  DAUGHTER...

"Saada chidiyaan da chamba ve, 

Babul assaan urr jaana...."( A popular Punjabi folk song ) 

When a daughter leaves her parental home , every father turns emotional. He can't  hold back his tears. Saw it in East and West .Saw it across cultures.Who says human emotions and feelings aren't  universal? I found them similar here , there,  anywhere and everywhere.

                                                       

"Saada chidiyaan da chamba ve, 

Babul assaan urr jaana.

Saadi lammi udaari ve, 

babul kehrre des jaana."

"Ours is a flock of sparrows, 

Dear father,

We have to fly away.

Ours is  a long, 

a very long flight,

We know not to which land 

we shall go."

(Avtar Mota)

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ANGER AND OUR KARMA

                                                                         

           ( Swami Ranganathananda 1908-2005 )

ANGER AND OUR KARMA

( Photo Swami Ranganathananda 1908-2005)

 ‘The ones who do not know the secret are the ones who get angry, ’ An ancient  Indian Proverb

Like a smile, anger is also a part of our Karma. The Upanishads say that anger gives birth to Tamsik Karma: a Karma that has to be repaid. It always engulfs the angry man and his surroundings with negative energy. In Buddhist teachings, anger is often metaphorically compared to an “out of control forest fire” or a “rampaging elephant.” Never ever has anger been without Karmic consequences. If your rage has hurt someone, there is the very real Karmic consequence of “retribution.”  Swami Ranganathananda, Head Monk of Ramakrishna Mission, says this:-

“Emotions like anger are based on forecasts and overestimations, not on impartiality and understanding, and hence basically incorrect. Uncontrolled anger causes much harm to others and creates Bad Karma for the angry person. Anger is a powerful energy that pierces the energy of the person you are angry with like an arrow, causing pain and wounds. The misery that we cause to others is bound to come to us.The angry man always holds a false belief that he is in possession of Truth and he can never be wrong.Accordingly ,  rarely can one  enter into a settlement based on empathy and mutual understanding with a person who never dowses the blaze of his anger."

What Swami Ji has said in the last lines of his above quote is exactly what Mirza Ghalib conveys through ,' Kya bane baat jahaan baat banaaye na bane or what settlement can be arrived at with a person with whom you are unable to initiate a dialogue or communication '.

Anger deprives a person of many things. Unfortunately, one among these deprivations is the truth. Truth rarely comes closer to an angry man. Quite often, the angry man remains surrounded by falsehood. The plant of truth grows and flourishes in the soil of humility alone. And the fragrant breeze of truth keeps visiting the areas where it finds humility.

 Anger may also  make you  loud and foul mouthed perpetually engaging you in observing others and quite often commenting hurtfully . That is why people tend to move away from a compulsive angry person .  

"Nashwa-o-nooma hai asal sey Ghalib farooh ko,

Khaamoshi hi sey nikley hai jo baat chaahiye .”………( Mirza Ghalib )

(Leaves and branches grow due to water and nutrition  from roots,

 So does the much-needed and real expression emerge

from silence and not from words or speech .)

( Avtar Mota )

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CHINAR TREE IN SNOWFALL AND A POEM OF AGNISHEKHAR

                                          

CHINAR TREE IN SNOW

To this photo I am adding a Hindi  poem by Dr Agnishekhar . The influence of  Kurdish poets like Choman Hardi ,Kajal Ahmed and  Sherko Bekas is starkly visible in the style and content  of this poem.For my friends,I have also done simple english rendering of this poem..

(Girtee Barf )

Barf gir rahi hai ,

Aaj phir chinar ke neeche

Koyee dekh raha hai 

Tumhaari   raah 

Dharrak rahi hai eik umeed phir se 

Din badal jaane ki 

Utkat praarthana koyee kar rahaa hai 

Iss himpaat mein ……..

Barf ke inn vishaal prastaron ke neeche 

Beh rahi hai maun  jal dhaaraayein 

Meri  jijivisha hain

Gharon ki chhatein 

Aur peidon ki tahniyon se latak rahi 

Jami huyee pandhaariyaan 

Meray aansoo aur paseenay hain 

Kye huva

 Akela huun  me  Iss chatyrdik shunya mein 

Dhab  rahein hai  barf ke neeche 

Meray Kheit ,

Smritiyaan ,

Jarrein ,

Kavitaayein 

Naam o nishaan meray 

Me har chinaar ke neeche 

Barf ki Banbiyaan mein khada

Kar rahaan huun surya upasana 

Budh-budhaa rahaa huun 

Dhoop !

Dhoop!

Dhoop!

( Agni Shekhar )

 

( In the snow fall )

 Today the chinar tree is once again 

Under falling snow ,

Some one  stands at  the pathway 

Looking for you .

This heart beats once more with hope  

 “Days are going to change  for sure ”

An intense  prayer by some one 

In this snowfall,

Under this  gigantic snow settlement ,

Many streams of silence keep moving ,

 Like  my resilience .

From the rooftops and  the branches of these trees ,

Frozen water  lines  dangle 

 like my tears and sweat drops ,

What , if alone I stand today ,

In this desolate silence of   all the  four corners ,

Under this very  snow ,

Buried are  my fields ,

My recollections ,

My roots ,

My poems ,

My being  

and identity .

I stand underneath every chinar tree ,

In these  snow stacks ,

 Performing  Sun worship ,

I  keep murmuring ,

Sunshine  !

Sunshine !

Sunshine !

( Avtar Mota )

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MY POEM " PHIR VASANT KASHMIR MEIN AAYA"

                                            

                                

                                          

To these beautiful Springtime  photographs of Kashmir, I add my poem "Phir Vasant Kashmir mein  Aaya  "

(Phir Vasant Kashmir mein  Aaya  )

Phir Vasant Kashmir mein aaya 

 Dhoop khili aakash khula phir

Jeevan beej dhara ne paaya 

Phir needon mein 

choon choon chaan chaan

Makhmal sa  dharti ka bichhona 

Yahi tha apna  chaandi sona 

Laal sunehra neela peela

Hara kesri Kahin ghulabi 

Disha disha  mein manmohak

Rangon ka hai 

adhbudh  vistaar

Nadiyaan kal kal 

Mehka jal thal

Aasha phir  jeevan aadhaar 

Kastoori ka vesh  pehan kar 

 chali bayaar

Aey ithlaati pawan bataana  

Kaisa ye vyavhaar tumhaara 

Jaise ikk sarkaari afsar 

Nirvaasit nishkaasit jan se 

Door rahe ya kare kinaara 

tum bhi  unn ko bhool gayi kya 

Jo kal ghar ko chhorr chale thay 

Jin ko  ekk ekk kar ke ab tak 

 samay ke bulldozer ne rondha 

Haar ke toot ke dhokhe  kha kar

Swapnon ke mahlon ko daha kar 

Tapti reit ki chita bana kar 

Chorr  chale aakhir  sansaar 

Dil kehta hai vyakulta mein 

Iss Vasant mein aissa kuchh ho  

Bache hain kuchh jo kaal chakra se 

Laut ke ghar  aatay iss baar.

Phir Vasant Kashmir mein aaya 

(Avtar Mota )

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RAMNAVMI GREETINGS

                          

HARI ANANT HARI KATHA ANANTA..

हरि अनंत हरि कथा अनंता।

कहहिं सुनहिं बहुबिधि सब संता॥

रामचंद्र के चरित सुहाए।

कलप कोटि लगि जाहिं न गाए॥

Sri Rama or Hari is infinite and so is his story infinite. All sages keep hearing and speaking about him in many ways.The glorious character of Sri Rama can't be sung even in crores of kalpas .

RAMNAVMI.  GREETINGS ..

( Avtar Mota )

PS

Kalpa is a Sanskrit word . In Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, kalpa refers to the period of time between the creation and dissolution/recreation of the universe. The length of a kalpa varies by tradition. In the "Puranas," it is described as 4.32 billion years, while Buddhism cites four kalpas of different lengths, from roughly 16 million years to about 1.28 trillion years.

.

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THE GREATNESS OF THE SPOKEN WORD

"BOLNA  KA KAHIYE  RE  BHAI.".......KABIR 

( Brother !   Spoken words are great  )

 Once we visited Golden Temple, Amritsar  before sunrise . We were there at 5am. Too early for some but an appropriate time for meditation and  contemplation for many .Yesterdays thoughts are washed off. The mind  wakes up   fresh for the day. The world within is calm and   noiseless and so is it  outside   . The Sikh scriptures hail it as Amrit-Vela or the divine time . A time  for  Naam-Japa  or reciting the name of that lone  Akaal Purukh ( the Deathless Entity )  . When we went inside the  sanctum sanctorum , the Raagi was singing  Kabir’s Nirguna Bhajan .

  

Bolna ka kahiye re bhai ( Brother !   Spoken words are great   )

I had heard this Bhajan many times ; Once live from   Raagi Harjinder Singh  ,Srinagar-wale..  e( Baba !  Bolnaa Ka kahiye  ).This Kabir Bhajan has been  incorporated in  Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjun Dev Ji . 

Kabir has always laid stress on the discipline of the  spoken  word. He believes that Man gets  trapped by his own   thoughts, words and deeds.  A thought created in the mind gives rise to words and  deeds. Good thought creates good words and good deed  so does a  bad thought foul our mouth and drive us towards a misdeed . The skill lies in  handling thoughts .According to Kabir,  those who give words to every thought  get trapped  or enmesh themselves in the  Maaya Jaal.  Kabir believes that our  tongue is our  access key  to the world.Those who can't handle the spoken word , quite often rub others on wrong side apart from landing themselves in trouble and gloom . The mishandlers of spoken word spend most part of their precious life in arguments, anger and quarrels .  They create a world of sorrow and misunderstanding around them and rarely find a sincere well-wisher .  If the spoken word is used properly , every door opens   for us  but if abused or misused  or used without restraint,   every door appears locked. Carefully  spoken words create an aura of goodwill and happiness around us . Words spoken without restraint  can  create sorrow ,gloom and misunderstanding for  us .

 (Shabd baraabar dhan nahin  jo koyee jaane bol ,

Heera tau daamon mile shabd ke mol na taul  )

 ( Kabir )

 (No wealth equals the spoken word,

 Should a person know the skill of the speech .

For diamond can also be bought for a price ,

But spoken word remains priceless and no balance can weigh it  .)

Aisee vaani boliye, mun ka aapa khoye 

Apna tan sheetal kare, auran ko sukh hoye 

( Kabir )

  (Speak such words, as are free from the trap of the ego,

 Then alone this  body shall be  calm and the listener  turn Joyful)

Mukh Aave soyee kahe bole nahin vichaar 

Hatey paraayi aatmaa jeeb bandhi talwaar 

( Kabir )

 (Some people say whatever comes  to their mouth  ,

Never do they  ponder  before their speech .

Such words that disturb the  soul of the listener 

Alas ! They carry a sword upon their tongue ) .

And then the silence . For Kabir it remains the universal speech.    And Silence is the final language of spirituality.Here goes the  Nirguna Bhajan  of Kabir “Bolnaa ka kahiye re bhai  ” with my simple English rendering …

"Bolna Ka Kahiye Re Bhai 

Bolat Bolat Tat Namayee 

Bolat Bolat Badhe Bikara 

Bin Bolyan Kyon Hoyee Bichara 

Sant Mile Katchu Kahiye Kahiye 

Mile Asant Mushti Kari Rahiye 

Gyani Suun Bolyan Hitkari 

Moorakh Suun Bolyan Jhakh Mari 

Kahe Kabir Aadha Ghat Dole 

Bharya Hoyee Tau Mushan Na Bole "

( Kabir )

 

 (Brother !   Spoken words are great ,

 But spoken words  veil  the truth also .

Spoken words also lead to confusion .

But then without speaking, How can one converse?

Should you meet a  saint then talk you should  ,

Keep silent should you come across an imp ,

What a blessing is it to talk to the wise ?

What a waste of time talking to a fool ?

And then Kabir says ,

 "The half filled always makes noise 

While fully filled  keeps quiet .."

( Avtar Mota)

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.