એક સરોવર ની વાત

સરોવરનું શાંત સ્થિર જળ...જાણે દર્પણ
સાફ સ્પષ્ટ દેખાતું એમાં
પ્રતિબિંબ આકાશ નું
હર પ્રહર રહેતું બદલાતું, રંગ માં,
કદી ઘેર્યું તો કદી નિરભ્ર
પ્રતિબિંબ જ...છાપ તો કદી ના છોડતું
બસ વાયુ ની લહેર માં કદી જરા ધ્રુજતું

એ જળને સૂર્યકિરણો ચમકાવી રહ્યા
જેમ રત્નો અણમોલ હો ત્યાં ભર્યાં
નિરવ છે વાતાવરણ
બસ થોડા ભ્રમર કમળે ગૂંજી રહ્યા

ત્યાંજ આવ્યું કોઈ ફરતાં ફરતાં
એ જ નિશબ્દતાને કાજ
હતા કે એના કાન તરસતાં?

ના...નહોતી આદત કદાચ એને
જળ વાયુ આભથી એક થઈ ને...
બસ એક થઈ ને,
થોડી ક્ષણો વિતાવવાની

શું કર્યું? ઉઠાવ્યો એક પથ્થર કાંઠે થી.
શું જાણવું'તુ? કેટલે દૂર જાશે એના હાથ થી?
કોણ જાણે...બસ ઉઠાવ્યો,
એ ને તાણી ફેંક્યો પાણી માં...

...છપાક...

પડ્યો તે સરોવર માં...

પાણી ઉડયું થોડું.
ઉડતાં જલબિન્દુએ ઝીલ્યાં કિરણો,
સોનેરી એ પણ ચમક્યા જરા,
ને ફરી મળી ગયા તળાવ માં.
માછલીઓ ચોંકી, તરી દૂર ગઈ,
પંખી એક અવાજ માં ચહેકી ઉડયા.

હા...એક વાત થઈ...જોયું?
એ પથ્થર પણ તો પલળ્યો,
જઈ પડ્યો જ્યારે જળ માં...
બસ જરાતરા ભીનો ન થયો,
સમાઈ ગયો એ પૂરો તળમાં.

હવે તો પાણી ની માછલીઓ
રમશે આસપાસ તરતી,
બનાવશે ઘર
એ જ પથ્થર પાછળ,
જે બની રહ્યું
અંગ નાનકડું
એ સરોવર નું,
જેમાં પડ્યો હતો એ પથ્થર...
બનાવતો વલયો
એકદા...છપાક થી.

- BhairaviParag

(One of my earlier poem in Hindi - वलय - posted elsewhere on this blog, presented again in Gujarati here)

शुभ लाभ and Demonetization

The demonetization move came just 10days after लक्ष्मी-पूजन, which I considered poetic justice. You'll see why.

Here are some old fashioned views that I hold about money:

• Genuinely earned money is never lost.
• There are no shortcuts to value creation.

When you have income because of the real value you added, by providing quality goods and services, only that is शुभ लाभ, which we aim at when we perform लक्ष्मी पूजा। Rest all, even legal means to generate income, like derivatives etc, are not लक्ष्मी but only वित्त। Enjoy, but Never count on such means to last. It would go away in फ़िज़ूलखर्ची in overpriced restaurants or "luxury goods" low in substance or ego boosters like show-off in weddings or in litigation or avoidable health problems.

Plus, just as energy is never destroyed, value too isn't. Some paper currency which will be trashed following the demonetization is just representative of value, for व्यवहार...Not intrinsically valuable like land or gold or foodgrains is, but because it's backed by gold reserves. Shift that backing to new notes from old...Poof go the old ones for those who never actually deserved, on the energy-level. (Yeah, illogical, but then, logic ke haath itne lambe nahi hote ki Truth tak pahunche) ☺

So those professionals & business houses which hold cash to save some tax will just lose out on that much amount which they would have anyways paid to the Government in past years. So don't fret even if you have lost some money in this demonetization. What's deservedly yours will multiply & come back to you soon. As tax is based in constitution, & if that tax would've been used for welfare of our nation, the Government deserves it, now got paid by you, a ऋण fulfilled. If you know you had actually worked for that money which you happen to lose, because of that 200% penalty etc, know that you will earn double in just a short time to come. No one but you will know. And smile.

Yeah, some might laugh and call me naïve. Or not fit to live in 'todays India' as some person actually said few years ago. But this is what I am, and happily so.

But then, YOU KNOW. 

So, such are my principles of handling money -

• Never play with money. Not by playing cards, not in speculative markets...and then I do not know which other ways.
• धन-शुद्धि by contributing to good causes - whether धार्मिक or social.
• Count on only deservedly earned money as yours. Not the money which I have gained by even legal means like stock prices or what is inherited. For such gains, i just consider fortunate and feel grateful to the circumstances that led me to the gains.
• As a corollary, when you add value in any area but do not charge for it, the value comes back to you in some form or the other. It brings 'luck' and prosperity.

That's it. Thanks so much for reading. :)

सूरज कहीं नहीं जाता

People change, Situations change, Opinions change. But there's something that does not change...ever. Unshakeable, unperturbed, untouched by impermanence. Call it Knowledge, Love, or Divine...If you have ever truly known it, it is yours forever...You never lose THAT!

सूरज कहीं नहीं जाता

घिरें बादल भले, वर्षा भी तो है उसी का उपहार
जानते हम वह रहा चमकता घन के उस पार
धरती की तृषा बुझे जैसे ही 
प्रकाश से फिर नहलाता 
सूरज कहीं नहीं जाता

भले ही मुँह फेर ले धरती उससे रात अँधेरे में
क्षितिज के पार ठहरा मूर्त धैर्य सा हम जब घूमें फेरे में
तम से ज्योति की ओर दृष्टि हो जैसे ही 
नए दिन को फिर फैलाता 
सूरज कहीं नहीं जाता

जो भी है अमूल्य आलोकित जीवन में तुमने पाया 
भले छूट जाए कुछ क्षण कुछ दिन जब हो मन भरमाया 
अगर जाना है उसे मन से, भले ही अब है नकारा
जानो अनन्त समय तक हर पल वो है तुम्हारा 

भीड़भाड़ में हाथ से छूट कभी 
कंकड़ सा ठोकर भी खाता
धूल की परतें हट जाएँ 
रत्न फिर हाथ आ जाता
 
...सूरज कहीं नहीं जाता

- BhairaviParag

Quote of the moment:

"...Once you blossom then you never wither. If you move ten steps ahead, you may go back eight steps but you can never go back all ten steps..." ...(Full text here)

-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

वलय

Situations do not leave a mark on a mind that is one with the vast creation, just as no images lie permanent on a mirror. Disturbances, if any, only last for a few moments, like ripples in water...and as time flies, they only add to the richness of understanding of life.

शांत जल एक सरोवर में
उस में साफ़ स्पष्ट दिख रहा

प्रतिबिम्ब आकाश का 

हर प्रहर बदलता, बिना छाप छोड़े

हवा से ज़रा सा कभी कभी कांपते 

उस पानी को सूर्य की किरणें चमका रहीं 

जैसे रत्न झिलमिलाते रहते

नीरव है वातावरण
बस कुछ पंछी ही उड़ रहे 

तभी कोई आया टहलता 

उसी निःशब्दता की तलाश में

शायद आदत नहीं थी उसे
जल से आकाश से एक हो कर 

बस एक हो कर कुछ देर बैठने की
उठाया एक पत्थर किनारे से
क्या देखना था...कितनी दूर जाता है?
पता नहीं...बस उठाया
तानकर फैका पानी में

...छपाक... 

जा गिरा सरोवर में

पानी उड़ा थोडा
उड़ती बूँदें भी ज़रा सी चमकीं धुप में
फिर मिल गयीं ताल में
मछलियाँ चौंकीं, तैर दूर गयीं
पक्षी भी उड़े एक आवाज़ दे कर
जल में कुछ वलय बने
फ़ैल कर कुछ बड़े बन
फिर मिल गए समतल में
झिलमिलाते आसमानी दर्पण के 

 
हाँ, एक बात तो है
वह पत्थर भी तो गीला हो गया

जब गिरा जल में
बस गीला ही नहीं
डूब गया है पूरा ही
पानी में, बैठ गया तल में

अब पानी की मछलियाँ
खेलेंगी आसपास, तैरती हुईं
बनाएँगी घर उसी पत्थर के पीछे
इस तालाब का छोटा सा
एक हिस्सा ही बन गया
वह पत्थर जो गिरा
एक बार....छपाक से

 

-BhairaviParag

धूप में एक फूल

सूर्य खिला है आसमान में 
धुप सुनहरी है लाया 
विश्व सारा दिख रहा है उजला
साफ़ साफ़ हर कण दिखलाया

उद्यम में लगा जग सारा
प्रकाश को गले लगाया
सुवासित श्वेत शतदल सुमन
कहीं कुञ्ज में था, दिख न पाया 

तप्त हुआ वातावरण
लौ का जैसे बादल लहराया 
पुष्प दल से नमी लगी उड़ने
रंग भी ज़रा सा कुम्हलाया 

पर वही गर्म हवा
कभी शीतल पवन थी, जब था साया
जो जाना था ह्रदय से 
उसे अनदेखा न कर पाया

तृषा कई दिनों की थी बुझी
जब पवन था वर्षा लाया 
उन्हीं पंखों पर आया था जल
बन ओस किरणों को था चमकाया

समय बदल गया है, देखो,
बात हमारी भी मानो 
संभल जाओ, जी जाओगे
पत्तों ने बहुत समझाया

दाह लगा हुआ था पर
शीतलता भूल न पाया
फूल कभी कंटक बन न पाया
क्या करे, मुरझा गया 

-BhairaviParag 

The Tale of a Tree

After reading "THE MANGO TREE'

First stanza (emphasized)  idea courtesy - friend Ashish Khandeparkar's poem ‘THE MANGO TREE’, which I rephrased here, summarizing it in 4 lines.
Inspired by that tale of letting go, I extended the thread as a story of change & growth. 

The gifts we receive – all our talents, wealth, knowledge become a burden if we fail to share them with the world around us. Any possessions are of no value if they bind us down. Letting go of ego, when we become light and open to the life around us, we in turn become a vehicle for goodness in life, an instrument of the divine. As one who gives, gets more and more, to be passed on in turn. And that makes a complete person, grown to his full potential, bright and beautiful, and loved by all.

A Mango Tree was with fruits weighed down,

Gave away sweet treasure it possessed

For comfort brought by sharing all you own

is precious than any wealth, it expressed.

In freedom new, tree sang and danced

with breeze and rains and birds that flew.

Flowers then blossomed, Gave a chance

to grow and gift again fresh fruits new.

As seasons changed the tree rejoiced

the letting go of wealth, be light.

For sweetest boons it became the choice

like flute hollow plays notes just right

As years passed by, tree grew to be

a shelter giving shade hope and rest

for the passersby who could well see

a life well-lived in times that test.

-BhairaviParag

Cynicism

There's a difference between Skepticism & Cynicism.

While skeptics may doubt, and do not accept an IDEA without understanding it fully through logic/experience, Cynics take a PERSON, or worse, Human beings in general to be flawed, by nature, and as driven by selfishness, greed, anger, lust, false ego. 

Doubts come and go. A cynic assumes beforehand the worse to be true. Not trusting the goodness of people around, often without a thorough examination. There is no margin for imperfections left before adjudging a person as untrustworthy. If a person is not seen as pure white, that has to be black, in a cynics book.

What is beyond a cynic’s grasp is, the thoughts, emotions or tendencies of the mind do not define a person. Neither are qualities - good or bad - permanent. Any thought or action is a product of a person’s state of mind at that moment, the situation, and past impressions – that is Karma. 

Judging a person by any of his past action or word, taking it to be a line on stone is not only unwise, it transforms healthy skepticism into hard cynicism, turns love into hatred, alienates a person from people around, brings loneliness and depression, and in turn, makes a person fiercely defensive of his views, going in a stonewall so as to be somehow guarded from pain. They begin to see sensitivity and innocence as fragility and vulnerability – a weakness. And take pride in smart cynicism as an ability to ‘see through’ people.

But pain is as much a beautiful part of life as joy is. One just cannot insulate oneself from pain. And neither should try. As anything one tries – So called ‘positive attitude’, defensiveness, sarcasm, escapism - will be superficial. Pain is there for a reason. It gives depth and new insights, brings loved ones closer to support you, and reminds you of impermanent nature of things.

Human beings do not come in Black or White. There are all shades of colours, different at any given moment. Thoughts change, emotions change, opinions change. Nothing is worth holding on to, except the realization that our true nature is pure consciousness, which gets hidden by imperfections, which are just distortions because of ego and past karma. This is an understanding that Indian mind sciences give, with its source in the Upanishads, and is best achieved through experience, not by intelligence alone. 

A cynic’s view that human beings are essentially flawed and have to be disciplined - or have to be fearful of God sitting somewhere in heaven - in order to behave is more reminiscent of desert religions.  And that gets reflected in psychological theories that originated in the west. That thoughts and actions are a product of deep-rooted fear or memory of some events of the past, and that makes up a personality. The same discipline of psychology does take different phobia or emotional disturbance or depression as issues that need help. 

The point that i look to arrive at in this write-up, essentially a reflection at the approach taken by many to make sense of the world, is that cynicism causes so much negativity that it is a sure-shot path to depression. (As emphasized in paragraph 5 above.) As such, it should also be viewed as a tendency that needs help to come out of. A vicious spiral not only harmful to the person involved, but also the people around who get pulled down by the negativity. 

Thanks for reading. Please do leave your comments, as i look forward to your views and a good discussion and new insights.

लोकः समस्त सुखिनो भवन्तु

-BhairaviParag

You Rise In Love

You rise in love.
So much, that you come
eye to eye
with the creator
And what else
but just marvel
at the creation
Your loved one is...

You rise in love.
So much, that any faults
of the loved one
seem like specs of dust
and are cleared away
Just with one breeze
of the breath
the loved one breathes...

You rise in love.
So much, that you
command the clouds
to reside in your eyes
dark and deep
any marks of hurt
Just a drop or two
wash away with ease...

You rise in love.
So much, that the sun
shines on your heart
and storms pass
but you are untouched
warm and bright
As you are loved too
your heart at peace...

You rise in love.
So much, you are now
tall as a mountain
So steadfast, unshakable,
if the whole earth of
past and present vibrates, 
you are a shelter
calm, safe. All worries cease.

No. You don't fall in Love...
You Rise in Love.

-BhairaviParag

It's beautiful, feeling blue

Every experience adds meaning to our life,though we may not realize it then. The beauty lies in discovering it. Feeling Blue then turns to feeling the depth that sensitivity brings, once the pain melts away

It's beautiful, feeling the sky

of vast understanding
of infinite possibilities, yes, to fly

of wet heavy raindrops
blending with a ray of light
that splits to reveal a bow
its glorious colours true

of hiding million stars
in the light of the day
of letting them shine
only when it's dark

It's beautiful, felling blue, 
like the sky

It's beautiful, feeling the ocean

of deep meanings,
of million waves, yes, even turbulent

of nestling many islands
lush green with sweetest water
where to play in the sands
and basking in sun new

of hiding million pearls
in the closed oyster shells
of letting them reveal
themselves to true seeker

It's beautiful, feeling blue,
like the ocean 

It's beautiful, feeling The Blue

 

when the mind is in the refuge 
of the melodious flute 
of the sunny robes
of feather light many-hued
with heart soft as butter.
Yes, It's beautiful then,
feeling, even blue.

 - BhairaviParag

Moved on...

 

She  moved  on  and  on....

Each step, touching the ground, 

ever so lightly

like a sun's ray

The speckles of dust could hardly hear her

quietly coming their way

like a white cloud,

untouched by any, floating without a sound

The bushes on both sides of her pathway

resting in the dull evening Sun,

ready to shed

their flowers faded,

who gifted the faint whiff of sweet fragrance

still lingering in the warm air

meeting her breath,

making her sorrow

even richer with depth...

healing, just as a song sung in the distance

She thanked them,

bowing her head,

looked up, just smiled,

knew, Nothing needs to be said.

and... moved  on...

- BhairaviParag