Born again ..

Twice born or dwija in Sanskrit or born again in Christianity refers to the spiritual rebirth of man. Man is born once and blossom physically into youthfulness. Having lived through the trials and tribulations of life in youth and adulthood, there comes a period of reflection bringing about a deeper understanding of life, its ebb and flow. After this period of introspection, we have the opportunity to be born again in this world; to see everything in a new light. This spiritual rebirth can set us free.

The life cycle of the dandelion is a classic example of spiritual rebirth and the freedom that comes with it. The dandelion blooms once from the bud, then withdraws only to bloom again as a puff ball of seeds. The seeds are dispersed by the wind and the dandelion finds its freedom and fulfills its purpose.

"Unless a person is born again his life will remain like a blank sheet in the book of existence." - Khalil Gibran

An anonymous life..

In a world where people bare open their daily lives to the public, I prefer to live an intensely private life. Protected from the glare of the public eye, unsolicited interruptions and distractions, I can focus on what is truly important to me. 

In an obscure corner of the world, I seek to live a quiet, unassuming life. One can live a creative and content life despite being a nobody to the world at large. In anonymity brews the golden richness of an inner life. I see, feel, think, love and learn and just as quietly I hope to take leave of this magnificent world.

How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!  - Emily Dickenson

I asked for fame, so others would know me; I was given obscurity, that I might know myself. - Billy Mills, Oglala Lakota

In the light and dust I find my freedom ..

We become truly free only when we transcend the limits of this little body and envelop the limitless. When we see ourselves as part of one big whole, nothing will feel alien to us. We will become one with everything there is ..the light, the dust and the grass. Our mind expands into the infinity of the universe and our thoughts become free to roam into its farthest corners.

The dust and light

Tagore, the philosopher poet sings of this freedom in his song Aamar mukti ..

My freedom is in the light of the sky
My freedom is in the dust, in the grass
Far beyond the mind and body I lose myself
My freedom soars in the melody of songs
My freedom is in the mind that is in everyone
Pain and danger made trifle by hard labor
My soul burns as a flame in the altar of the creator,
My freedom comes when I offer myself to thee

(Adapted from the translation by Ratna De) 

Aamar mukti aaloy aaloy ei aakashe,
Aamar mukti dhulay dhulay ghaase ghaase.
Dehomoner sudur paare haariye pheli aaponare,
Gaaner sure aamar mukti urdhe bhaase.
Aamar mukti sarbojaner moner maajhe,
Dukkhobipad-tuchchho-kara kotthin kaaje.
Bishwodhaatar jogyoshaala atmohomer bonhi jwaala -
Jiban jeno diyi aahuti mukti-aashe.

Call of the Inner child ..

Within each of us dwells a childlike spirit needing attention. Like a child craves for the mother's undivided attention, the 'inner child" yearns for our company.

Have you felt, at times the urge to abandon all chores and worldly cares? It is a call to commune with the inner child in leisure and solitude. So long as this call is neglected, there will be a restlessness and a nameless longing within us. We can be content only when we nourish the inner child.

The poet Tagore laments this neglect in the poem Tumi amay dekechhile chhutir nimontrone ..

You called me, to join you
On a day of leisure
I was far away from you
I know not what I was looking for

When finally I arrived at your shore
The setting sun was taking his last peek of the day
Through the mountain top, gazing at the glittering daffodils
And I realized my day has ended, unmindful and careless

You called me, to join you
On a day of leisure

Your writings, I see in the garland of shiuli flowers

Your words, in the glow of dawn, as if touched by gold

Your belated invitation reached this tired soul

On a cold night when bruised flowers are falling
Swept by the wind, listless in your absence.

You called me, to join you
On a day of leisure

(Translation credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3bRLN3twm8&list=RDB3bRLN3twm8&start_radio=1&t=1 )

Sensitive and thoughtful men

To find sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful men is something rare. Most of the men I see are consumed by cares of money and market; of buying, selling, saving. The rest are consumed by sports or hooked to gadgets. Rarely does anyone have a genuine passion, creativity or care for anything outside of themselves. We have to transcend space and time to meet men of depth and deeper insights. 

All through history it is men who have inspired us with the greatest in action, thought, philosophy, music and art; Viktor Frankl, Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Tagore, Gandhi, Kuvempu, Emerson, Tolstoy, Oliver Sacks, Dag Hammarskjold, Morihei Ueshiba, Khalil Gibran, Lao Tzu, J. Krishnamurti, Thiruvalluvar and many more.

Joy animates the world ..

While watching Blue Planet the other day, the narrator Sir David Attenborough mentions that scientists have not been able to unravel the mystery of why the dolphins ride the waves.  He then concludes that they probably do simply for the joy of it.

Why do children play? Why do the birds sing? Why do we dance? Why the synchronized dance of a swarm of birds?  All for the joy of it ....

It is indeed joy that animates the world. When there is no joy in our hearts, we are crippled. All our activities dwindle down and we withdraw into ourselves.

The joy that permeates the universe is called Anandam in Sanskrit. The ancient seers saw into this truth and proclaimed in the Upanishads that "From joy are born all creatures, by joy they are sustained, towards joy they progress and unto joy they return" 

Homesickness and longing

Only one who has strayed far away from the motherland knows of homesickness and the angst and longing for home. From the frigid north, crossing continents and oceans I arrive home to mix and mingle in the heat, dust and sweat of the homeland; my body longs to be toasted like a coffee bean in the familiar heat. 

Payannur, Kerala, India

Time and again, I am awed by the living wealth of this land; the fertile red mud, the grand rivers, the pouring rain and intense heat, the spectacular variety and multitude of plants and animals that live and thrive here. Tagore's song "Sarthok janom amar" resonates with the sentiments of my heart.

Blessed am I that I am born to this land and that I had the luck to love her.
What care I if queenly treasures are not in her store but precious
Enough is for me the living wealth of her love.
The best gift of fragrance to my heart is from her own flowers
And I know not where else shines the moon that can flood my
Being with such loveliness.
The first light revealed to my eyes was from her own sky and let
The same light kiss them before they are closed for ever.
(Translation by Tagore)

Sarthok janom amar ami janmechi ai deshe
Sarthok janom ma go tomai bhalobese
Jani ne tor dhanraton ache ki na ranir maton
Sudhu jani amar ango jurai tomar chayai ase
Kon banete jani ne phul gandhe amon kare akul
Kon gagone othe re chad amon hasi hese
Aakhi mele tomar alo pratham amar chokh juralo
Oi alote nayon rekhe mudbo nayon seshe