Tagore: Honor the spirit within ..

A poignant song where the poet feels deeply remorseful for not honoring the spirit that dwells within. Even in the midst of all worldly activities, we must seek times of quiet solitude to recognize and honor the living spirit which makes everything possible.

Aamar hiyar majhe lukiye chile dekhte aami paai ni
Tomay dekhte aami paai ni.
Bahir pane chokh melechi,aamar hridoy pane chaai ni.
Aamar shokol bhalobashay shokol aaghat shokol aashay
Tumi chile aamar kaache,ami tomar kaache jaai ni.
Tumi mor aanondo hoye chile aamar khelay-
Anande tai bhule chile,keteche din helay.
Gopon rohi gobhir praane aamar dukkhosukher gaane
Sur diyecho tumi, aami tomar gaan to gaai ni.

You lie hidden within me, yet I failed to see you ..
Casting my eyes outward, I didn't look within
In all my adorations, all hurts, all aspirations
You were with me; yet I didn't come to you
You were the joy in all my plays
Oblivious in joy, I let the days fritter away
Buried deep in my heart, to songs of my lifes joys and sorrows
You gave the tune, and yet I sang not thy song ...

Serve the Spirit within

To impart knowledge of the soul or spirit that dwells within, the ancient Greeks used the "allegory of the queen bee" and the ancient Hindus used the "allegory of the chariot"

Allegory of the Chariot (Katha Upanishad)
Know thyself as the soul, the master of the chariot; the body as the chariot; the intellect as the charioteer; and the mind as the reins; the senses as the horses. The soul associates with the body, intellect, mind and senses to experience the world. They all must serve the soul, the life within. Devoid of knowledge, the bewildered intellect looses control, the mind is unsteady, the senses are uncontrollable, as wild horses. Endowed with knowledge, the intellect keeps the mind steady, the senses controlled as trained horses taking the soul to its final destination which is the highest goal of life.

ātmānaṁ rathinaṁ viddhi
śarīraṁ ratham eva ca
buddhiṁ tu sārathiṁ viddhi
manaḥ pragraham eva ca
indriyāṇi hayān āhur
viṣayāṁs teṣu gocarān
so ’dhvanaḥ pāram āpnoti
tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam

Allegory of the Queen Bee  (Letters from a Stoic by Seneca)
See that the spirit is well looked after. Our thoughts and our words proceed from it. We derive our demeanor and expression and the very way we walk from it. If the spirit is sound and healthy our style will be firm and forceful and virile, but if the spirit tumbles all the rest of our personality comes down in ruins with it.
The queen unharmed, the bees all live at one; 
Once she is lost, the hive's in anarchy

The spirit is our queen. So long as she is unharmed, the rest remains at its post, obedient and submissive. If she wavers for a moment, in the same moment the rest all falters.

"You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience" - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin