Sharing the poignant yet profound wisdom of these words…
*Autumn Leaf*
I asked the leaf if it was frightened because it was autumn and the other leaves were falling.
The leaf answered, “No. During the whole spring and summer I was completely alive. I worked hard to help nourish the tree, and now much of me is in the tree.
I am not limited by this form. I am also the whole tree, and when I go back to the soil, I will continue to nourish the tree. So I don’t worry at all.
As I leave this branch and float to the ground, I will wave to the tree and tell her, ‘I will see you again very soon’.”
That day a wind came blowing, and a while later, I saw the leaf leave the branch and float down to the soil, dancing joyfully, because as it floated it saw itself already there in the tree.
It was so happy. I bowed my head, knowing that I have a lot to learn from the leaf.
~ Thich Nhat Han
Autumn at The Old Plantation
Sharnagati
Why do some lives go through
Soul stirring moments of awakenings
And some soul numbing pain?
Why do some lives, dominate the weak
And some are broken and shattered in despair beyond repair.
Why do some lives live to experience
luxurious lifestyles.
And some are born to slavery or traded
Why do some lives matter more?
Why lives lived are discriminated for its diversity of nature and differently treated?
Why day and night stops making sense for some.
We truly have no answers
But what we do now is the truth of this moment changes in the next!
That is solace enough to weather the storms.
For life is transitory and everything changes
For nothing stays the same.
This too shall pass.
Savvy
Love boomerangs It is the very nature of love. For love generates more love In the sharing is creating In the creation is the spreading Of this heartfelt expansion called love.
Love is meant to flow For life to be sustained. Love flows its course In its own time. Such is the power of love Love when channeled In goodwill transforms the world.
In this love, life is lived In this love writers write Dancers dance, artists create Poetry flows, Singers sing All in the resonance of love.
Love envelopes the whole spirit Without fear or favor For love boomerangs Such is nature of love. Sweet Love!💙💜💙
During one of his travels, Kalidasa (the Great Poet) felt very thirsty and looked around for water. He saw a woman drawing water from a well.
He went up to her and asked her for water. She agreed to give him water, but asked him, “Who are you? Introduce yourself.”
Now Kalidasa thought that an ordinary village woman was not worthy of knowing who Kalidasa was. So he said, “I am a traveller.”
But his lady replied, “In this world there are only 2 travellers – the Sun and the Moon. Both Rise and Set every day and keep travelling perpetually.”
Then Kalidasa said, “Alright then, I am a guest.” The lady promptly replied, “In this world there are only 2 guests – Youth and Wealth … both are temporary and hence can only be called as guests.”
Intrigued Kalidasa said, “I am a Tolerant person (sahansheel vyakti).” Now the lady replied, “In this world only 2 truly know the meaning of Tolerance – Bhoomi (Earth) and Tree. How much ever you stamp the earth or throw stones at the tree (for the fruits), both continue to nurture us.”
Now Kalidasa was completely perplexed. He said, “Fine. I am a stubborn person (hatavaadi).” The lady smiled and said, “There are only 2 truly stubborn personalities – our nails and our hair. We keep cutting them non-stop, but they continue to grow.”
Kalidasa had been patient so far, but now in anger he said, “I am a fool”. Now the lady gave a wide smile and said, “There are only 2 kinds of fools in this world – a King who rules without having any capability or knowledge & a Minister who is a sycophant to such a King and lavishes praises on such a useless king.”
Kalidasa realised that he had been outsmarted. He fell at the feet of the lady and when he touched her feet and then got up, whom did he see?
Mother Saraswati – the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom. She said, “Kalidasa, you are wise. But only if you know yourself do you become a Manushya (human being). A person without any awareness of self has not reached the pinnacle of being a Human.
Note:
The Guru who recounted this story in His Teachings said, “Children should become a Manushya & know themselves. More than teaching them how to earn more money and become rich, parents should teach them to become aware of themselves and become better Human beings.
Wouldn’t you agree?
What do you think of this ancient story and its relevance to our education today?
How far have we really come with the so called knowledge?
What legacy will we really be leaving behind for our children tomorrow?
When can we bridge this growing gap between learning for knowledge and learning for understanding?
How can we transform our methods of education where we educate not just the mind but also the human heart?
For the truth is that…
Humanity needs us all to be humane more than ever before to survive!
Life is about to bloom for you
Youth is on your side today
If your goal is to make a difference
Know your road is a long one.
Just a word of caution in care
With thoughts from down the road
Every moment has potential
With possibilities unlimited.
Life is both beautiful and uncertain
It can summon the very best in you
It can challenge your deepest reserve
To stay on course, needs your sensibility.
Be brave for the strongest can tremble
Be stable for the steadiest can tumble
Be humble for pride never wins
Be mindful of the now and tread with care.
Many a person will sing your praises
There will many paths open to explore
There will be many discoveries awaiting
Succumb not to temptation of aiming small.
Choose to think expansive and yet focus
Every thing is on a fine thread of balance.
As you make your choices
You shift and alter your paths ahead.
Sharing a beautiful song by Cliff Richard The Young Ones
So many…
Mountains to climb and achieve
Oceans to cross and discover
Pathways to create your imprints
All this and so much more….
Intentions to manifest and more
Journey to make and understand
Life is just starting for you
Miles to go before you Settle!
Life is what you make of it
Success is in how you see it
Love is how you feel within
Laugh a lot! Live Life Lovingly!
Yes dreams do come alive
Stars will twinkle & sparkle on
Trust your path is in the making
All it needs is you!
Today’s post is a compilation in collaboration, My reader and good friend for many years now Ashok Subbarao and I share our views in a collaborative way. He suggested if we could do a post together. And sent me his article. And I added my contemplations. So his prose and my poetry interweave in these words ahead.
Living on the Edge
Are we the cause of all the suffering We are not only the cause We are the reason For the ‘State of Earth’ today.
We have breached all laws of nature We have plundered and massacred Not only our own But innocent voiceless sentient beings.
Our crimes are heinous Our ways unethical Morality or humanity It is completely missing.
The Plundering Humans
The continuous growth of consumerism and the insatiable hunger for more and more utilities and luxuries to fulfill the simple necessities of life have made countries plunder nature’s precious resources. So much so that humans have grown so selfish to uproot green cover of forests and waste life-giving water that nature started showing signs of decay in the form of various natural calamities. This was not an act of revenge but as an intrinsic part, nature to balance and sustain itself.
Yes, life can be lived with simple food, basic needs, and uncluttered living as the rest was provided by nature itself and that too, totally free.
However, man’s greed knows no bounds. With focussed developments in the era of industrialization and in the present age, the technological advancements to boot, man’s demands kept increasing, and these
are what a human being thinks are his basic needs.
Across the world today. Our acts are turning violent Our actions correlate To the price, we all must pay!
We speak without kindness We act without empathy We are ruthless and hopeless. Without integrity and trust.
Tilting natures precious balance By our callous and self-serving ways. Our earth has taken a toll Bearing patiently in witness mode.
The rising temperatures across the world is a result of felling forests for newer colonies, roads, factories, offices, multiplex and what have you; thereby increasing the need for air conditioners which provide relief inside a house, but the amount of energy and power that is sucked out and throwing of heat in the atmosphere is creating more heat.
I would not be surprised when the day is not far when there would be so much heat that the AC compressors too would burst. What will we do then? But humans are so naive and adamant without care.
Man has broken every law of nature Now nature needs to self-repair Humankind must change their ways Seek ways to maintain and sustain the earth.
Centuries of abuse and neglect Nature has no time to be silent It’s truly now or never. Nature must begin to equalize.
Just being human is not enough We must practice our humanity Else the wrath of nature Can no longer be contained
Our ways had got out of hand Life was getting unbearable And so beyond control And way beyond hope.
The only solution is for countries worldwide to totally ban the destruction of forests in the name of development, introduce more public transport so that people stop buying more and more cars which emit gases in the air and encourage people to plant more trees and reverse materialism. This could be a small beginning in restoring balance, for nature will remedy itself.
Today the earth is revolting in its own sweet way and proving to humankind that if they do not amend their ways to sustain, the planet will render us humans as not just powerless, and perhaps the entire existence of humans can be erased. Nature along with is splendor accompanied by other sentient beings will reclaim their space. It is a simple way of nature saying “Hello Mankind I am alive too!.”
In the madness of being modern The malady of our times Values and ethics were trashed Respect and regard were binned.
Stress and tension Anxiety and panicking Sleeplessness and fatigue Plaguing the world over.
Materialism and indulgence Hitting an all-time high In greed apathy and indifference. We took our world for granted.
And vis-à-vis the present pandemic called Covid-19, I cannot but remember the three monkeys as depicted in the picture. See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil a message given by Mahatma Gandhi the apostle of peace.
And it is so ironic that today, we have to cover all the three with a mask. Can we shed the artificial mask that we have been wearing for so long and promise mother earth to behave more sensibly and wisely? Probably we might be pardoned and some semblance of sanity may return to our lives.
Now nature has put humans in cages Animals and birds roam free Roads are empty, rivers are cleaner Pollution has given way to purer air.
While mankind is locked down Nature is restoring to sustain herself Truth is its the only way left to survive! There is perhaps no other way!
Either you appear as you are or be as you appear.
