Monday, May 19, 2008

Love Poems of Rumi



If anyone asks you
how the perfect satisfaction
of all our sexual wanting
will look, lift your face
and say,

Like this.

When someone mentions the gracefulness
of the nightsky, climb up on the roof
and dance and say,

Like this.

If anyone wants to know what "spirit" is,
or what "God’s fragrance" means,
lean your head toward him or her.
Keep your face there close.

Like this.

When someone quotes the old poetic image
about clouds gradually uncovering the moon,
slowly loosen knot by knot the strings
of your robe.

Like this.

If anyone wonders how Jesus raised the dead,
don’t try to explain the miracle.
Kiss me on the lips.

Like this. Like this.

When someone asks what it means
to "die for love," point
here.

If someone asks how tall I am, frown
and measure with your fingers the space
between the creases on your forehead.

This tall.

The soul sometimes leaves the body, the returns.
When someone doesn’t believe that,
walk back into my house.

Like this.

When lovers moan,
they’re telling our story.

Like this.

I am a sky where spirits live.
Stare into this deepening blue,
while the breeze says a secret.

Like this.

When someone asks what there is to do,
light the candle in his hand.

Like this.

How did Joseph’s scent come to Jacob?

Huuuuu.

How did Jacob’s sight return?

Huuuu.

A little wind cleans the eyes.

Like this.

When Shams comes back from Tabriz,
he’ll put just his head around the edge
of the door to surprise us

Like this.

Love is the Water of Life

Everything other than love for the most beautiful God

though it be sugar- eating.

What is agony of the spirit?

To advance toward death without seizing

hold of the Water of Life.

Lovers
O lovers, lovers it is time
to set out from the world.
I hear a drum in my soul's ear
coming from the depths of the stars.

Our camel driver is at work;
the caravan is being readied.
He asks that we forgive him
for the disturbance he has caused us,
He asks why we travelers are asleep.

Everywhere the murmur of departure;
the stars, like candles
thrust at us from behind blue veils,
and as if to make the invisible plain,
a wondrous people have come forth

In The Arc Of Your Mallet

Don't go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground, in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.
Vision, see nothing I don't see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
be that with me. Be the rose
nearest to the thorn that I am.

I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends, when you go
up on the roof by yourself at night.

There's nothing worse than to walk out along the street
without you. I don't know where I'm going.
You're the road, and the knower of roads,
more than maps, more than love.

***
Love is reckless; not reason.

Reason seeks a profit.

Love comes on strong,

consuming herself, unabashed.


Yet, in the midst of suffering,

Love proceeds like a millstone,

hard surfaced and straightforward.


Having died of self-interest,

she risks everything and asks for nothing.

Love gambles away every gift God bestows.


Without cause God gave us Being;

without cause, give it back again.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Abd el-Kader



`Abd al-Qādir al-Jazā'irī (6 September 1808 - 26 May 1883, in Arabic عبد القادر الجزائري) was an Algerian Islamic scholar, Sufi, political and military leader who led a struggle against the French invasion in the mid-nineteenth century, for which he is seen by the Algerians as their national hero.

"If the divine Mercy grants him the knowledge of himself, then his adoration will be pure; and, for him, paradise and hell, recompense, spiritual degrees and all created things will be as though God had never created them. He will not accord them any importance, nor will he take them into consideration, except to the extent that it is prescribed by the divine Law and Wisdom. For then he will know Who is the sole Agent."

"But, in conformity to His wisdom it was right that afterwards the Prophet should be sent back form the vision of pure Unity and that he should return… toward the separative vision. For, He created man and jinn only that they should worship Him and know Him -- and, if they remained at the degree of pure Unity, there would be none to worship Him. In this separative vision, the Worshipped and the worshipper, the Lord and the servant, the Creator and the creature are again perceived."

"The pleasure and the love of God for His creatures constitute the original state. His pleasure and love are the means by which He has brought His creatures into existence and are the cause of that bringing into existence. He who knows that he possesses neither being nor act rediscovers himself in that original state of pleasure and divine love."

"In the same way, when there is the state of extinction (fana') -- which the men of the way also call "union" (ittihad) -- the worshipper and the Worshipped, the Lord and the servant, disappear together. If there is no worshipper, there is no Worshipped; and if there is no servant, there is no Lord. For, when two terms are correlative, the disappearance of one necessarily brings about the disappearance of the other, and therefore they disappear together."

"The divine Reality, when it "combines" with the creatures in a strictly conceptual mode, is hidden to the eyes of the spiritually veiled, who see only the creatures. Conversely, it is the creatures that disappear in the eyes of the masters of the Unicity of contemplation(wahdat al-shuhud), for they see only God alone. Thus, both God and the creatures hide the other…"

"God has stolen my [illusory] "I" from me and has broght me near to my [real] "I" … The colors have returned ot the pure primoridal white. The voyage has reached its end and everything other than Him has ceased to exist. All attribution, every aspect and all relation being abolished, the original state is re-established."

"Turn your face toward the sacred Mosque (Koran 2:144,149,150)"
Commentary:This means: "Turn the [divine] face which is particular to you"…

This face is the secret (sirr) through which your spirit subsists… It is the source of man's being and the command [formulated in the verse] is in reality concerned with this. God … does not consider your exterior form but only your heart -- which is the "divine face" proper to each of you, and it is this "divine face" which, in you, "contains" God even though His sky and His earth cannot contain Him… He who turns (toward the sacred Mosque} with his body alone, without also turning this face, has not truly turned…"

"Everything which is other than Allah is "hidden" in non-being, even if it appears to spiritually veiled beings to be endowed with existence. But the sage does not concern himself with what is non-being and does not make it the aim of his acts."

"Then God -- may He be exalted! -- said to me, "What are you?" I replied, "I am two things, according to two different relations. With respect to You, I am the Eternal, forever and ever. I am the necessary Being who epiphanizes himself. My necessity proceeds from the necessity of Your essence and my eternity from the eternity of Your knowledge and Your attributes.

"With respect to me, I am pure non-being who has never breathed the perfume of existence, the adventitious being who remains nonexistent in his adventitiousness. I only possess being so long as I am present with You and for You. Left to myself and absent from You I am one who is not, even while he is (fa-ana mafqud mawjud)."

"And He is with you wherever you are … (Koran 57:4)
Commentary: … The companionship expressed by "with" is that of the Being and the non-being, for there is no Being other than Allah…

If Allah -- May He be exalted! -- was not, by His very Essence, which is the Being of all that is, "with" the creatures, we could not attribute being to any of these createres and they could not be perceived either by the senses, by the imagination, or by the intellect. It is their 'being with' which assures to creatres a relation with Being. Better yet, it is their being itself. This 'being with' embraces all things, whether they are sublime or lowly, great or small. It is through it that they subsist. He is the pure Being by which 'that which is' is. The 'being with' of Allah consists therefore in the fact that He is with us through His essence; that is, through that which we call the divine Self (huwiyya), universally present …

Indications of this divine 'being with' are contained in the following verses:

And He is witness of all things (Koran 34:47)
And Allah, behind them, encompasses them (Koran 85:20)
Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah (Koran 2:116)

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Shri Hanuman Chalisa



Sri Guru charana saroja raj,
Nija mana mukura sudhar,
Varanau Raghuvara vimala yasa,
Jo dayaka phala char.
With the dust of Guru's Lotus feet, I clean the mirror of my mind and then narrate the sacred glory of Sri Ram Chandra, The Supereme among the Raghu dynasty. The giver of the four attainments of life.
Budhi heena thanu jaani ke,
Sumeerou pavana kumar,
Bala budhi vidhya dehu moheem,
Harau klesa vikar.
Knowing myself to be ignorant, I urge you, O Hanuman, The son of Pavan! O Lord! kindly bestow on me strength, wisdom and knowledge, removing all my miseries and blemishes.
Jaya Hanuman gnan guna sagara,
Jaya kapeesa thihu loka ujagara. 1
Victory of Thee, O Hanuman, Ocean of wisdom and virtue, victory to the Lord of monkeys who is well known in all the three worlds
Rama dhootha, athulitha bala dhama,
Anjani puthra pavana sutha nama, 2
You, the Divine messenger of Ram and repository of immeasurable strength, are also known as Anjaniputra and known as the son of the wind - Pavanputra.
Maha veera vikrama bhaja rangi,
Kumathi nivara sumathi ke sangi. 3
Oh Hanumanji! You are valiant and brave, with a body like lightening. You are the dispeller of darkness of evil thoughts and companion of good sense and wisdom.
Kaanchan varna viraja suvesha,
Kannan kundala kunchitha kesa. 4
Sri Hanumanji's physique is golden coloured. His dress is pretty, wearing Kundals ear-rings and his hairs are long and curly.
Hatha bajra aur thwajaa virajai,
Kanthe munja janehu sajai. 5
Shri Hanumanji is holding in one hand a lighting bolt and in the other a banner with sacred thread across his shoulder.
Shankara suvana, kesari nandana,
Theja prathapa maha jaga vandana. 6
Oh Hanumanji! You are the emanation of SHIVA and you delight Sri Keshri. Being ever effulgent, you and hold vast sway over the universe. The entire world propitiates.. You are adorable of all.
Vidhyavan, gunee athi chathura,
Ram kaaja karibe ko aathura. 7
Oh! Sri Hanumanji! You are the repository learning, virtuous, very wise and highly keen to do the work of Sri Ram.
Prabhu charitha sunibhe ko rasiya,
Rama Lakshmana Sita mana basiya. 8
You are intensely greedy for listening to the naration of Lord Ram's lifestory and revel on its enjoyment. You ever dwell in the hearts of Sri Ram-Sita and Sri Lakshman.
Sookshma roopa dhari siya him dikhava,
Vikata roopa dhari Lanka jarava. 9
You appeared before Sita in a diminutive form and spoke to her, while you assumed an awesome form and struck terror by setting Lanka on fire.
Bheema roopa dhari asura samhare,
Ramachandra ke kaj sanvare, 10
He, with his terrible form, killed demons in Lanka and performed all acts of Sri Ram.
Laaya sanjeevan lashana jiyaye,
Sri Raghuveera harashi ura laye, 11
When Hanumanji made Lakshman alive after bringing Sanjivni herb Sri Ram took him in his deep embrace, his heart full of joy.
Raghupathi keeni bahuth badayi,
Thum mama priya hee Bharatha sama bhayi. 12
Sri Ram lustily extolled Hanumanji's excellence and remarked, "you are as dear to me as my own brother Bharat.
Sahasra vadana thumharo yasha gavaim,
Aaha kahavai Sri pathi kantha lagavai, 13
Sri Ram embraced Hanumanji saying: "Let the thousand - tongued sheshnaag sing your glories"
Sanakadhika brahmadhi muneesa,
Narada saradha sahitha aheesa, 14
Yama, Kubhera dikapala jahamthey,
Kavi kovidha kahi sakaim kahamthey, 15
The sanaka sages, the Lord Brahma, Sage Narada, Goddess Saraswathi, the lord Shiva, the god of death, god of wealth, the guardians of directions, and great poets tried to explain your glory adequately but failed..
Thum upakara sugreevaheem keenha,
Rama milaya rajapatha deenha, 16
By making him meet Rama,
And getting him again the kingship,
You provided inestimable help to Sugreeva.
Thumharo manthra Vibheeshana maana,
Lankeswara bhaye saba jaga jaana. 19

All the world knows, that Vibheeshana became king of Lanka, because he obeyed your holy words.
Yuga sahasra yojana para Bhanu,
Leelayo thahi madura bala janu. 18

Thinking that he is but a sweet fruit, You swallowed Lord Sun, Who is thousands of miles away.
Prabhu mudrika meli mukha maheem,
Jaladhi landhi gaye acharaja naaheem. 19

You crossed the ocean, holding the Lord’s ring, In your mouth, and this is nothing surprising for you,
Durgama kaj jagat ke jethe,
Sugama anugraha thumhare dethe, 20

You provide victory in difficult times to the people of the world and give your blessings
Rama dware thuma rakhawale,
Hotha na agyan bina paisare. 21

You are the guard to the door to the mind of Rama,
And without your permission, none can enter there.
Sab sukha lihai thumhari sarana,
Thum rakshak kahu ko darna, 22

All pleasures start from you,
And when you give protection,
Why is there a need to fear any one,
Aapana theja samarou aapai,
Theenom loka hankthe kaapain, 23

You alone can control the burst of your energy, seeing which all the three worlds shiver,
Bhootha pisacha nikata nahi aavai,
Mahabeera Jap naama sunavai. 24

Evil spirits and ghosts do not come near, when they hear the name of the great hero, Hanuman.
Nasai rog harai sab peera,
Japatha niranthara hanumath beera. 25

Diseases and sufferings are destroyed, when the Name of Hanuman is repeated always.
Sankata se Hanuman chudavai,
Mana karma vachana dhyana jo lavai. 26

Hanuman will save you from sorrow,
Who meditates on him with mind, action and words.
Sab par Ram thapasvi raja,
Tinake kaja sakala thum sanja. 27

You fulfilled all jobs of Rama, Who fulfilled desires of all his devotees.
Aur manoradha jo koi lavai,
Soye amitha jeevan phala Pavai. 28

And any of those who bring their desires to you
Would get them fulfilled and get a better life.
Charahu yuga prathap thumhara,
Hai parasidha jagatha ujiyara. 29

In the four eons your name is famous, and is famous all over the three worlds.
Sadu santh ke thum rakware,
Asura nikanddana rama dhulare. 30

You protect the sages and devout,
You kill asuras as per wish of great Rama.
Ashta sidhi nava nidhi ke datha,
Aasa vara dheen Janaki matha. 31

You were granted eight powers, and nine types of wealth, by the boon of mother Sita,
Ram rasayana thumhare pasa,
Sada rahow Raghupathi ke dasa, 32

You have with you the essence of Rama,
And would always remain his slave,
Thumhare bhajan ram ko pavai,
Janma janma ke dukha bisaravai, 33
Antha kala Raghupati pura jayee,
Jahan janma Haribaktha kahayee, 34

By devotion to you, one gets Rama,
And get removed sorrows of several births,
And at death he goes to the place of Rama,
And all his life would be pointed to as devotee of Vishnu.
Aur devatha chitha na darayee,
Hanumath seyi sarva sukha karayee. 35

He who does not think about gods other than him,
Would get all pleasures from Hanuman himself.
Sankata harai, mitai sab peera,
Jo sumirai Hanumath bala beera. 36

All sorrows vanish and all obstacles are finished,
For him who always remembers the very strong Hanuman.
Jai jai jai Hanuman gosai
Krupa karahu Gurudeva kee nayi. 37

Victory, victory, victory to the saint Hanuman,
Oh great teacher please show mercy on us.
Yah satha baar pata kara joyi,
Chootahi bandhi, maha sukha hoi. 38

He who reads this one hundred times,
Would be freed from shackles and get great pleasure.
Jo yah pade Hanuman chaleesa,
Hoi sidhi sake goureesa. 39

Whoever reads this Hanuman forty,
Would get powers with Lord Shiva as witness.
Thulasidasa sada Hari Chera,
Keejai nada hrudaya maha dera. 40

Thulasi das who is always a devotee of Hari,
Requests Hari to reside in his mind always.

Jai Hanuman!