Monday, 12 August 2019
Relationship, old vs new
The Speaking Tree | Lifestyle | ET
By Sumit Paul
“Had we never lov’d sae kindly,
Had we never lov’d sae blindly,
Never met — or never parted —
We had ne’er been brokenhearted.”
— Robert Burns, Scottish poet
Everything in life has a purpose.
There’s nothing that happens without a reason. A breakup
also has a meaning. It teaches the person(s) deeper lessons of life and
relationships. At the same time, when we break off with someone, however close
he/she may have been, we are again open to forging new bonds. So long as one is
in a relationship, it’s difficult to weigh other options. But once the earlier
bond loses its grip, you are as free as breeze.
No one is indispensable in life and, after some time, one
naturally forgets all. And one has to forget all, one by one, to feel a sense
of blissful emptiness that permeates not just the whole universe but also
pervades one’s whole existence. There’s a saying in Urdu, ‘Apni majlisein
badalte rahiye’ (Keep changing your company). To welcome the new with an open
heart and sans any reservations can make life meaningful.
To sum up with Allama Iqbal’s couplet, ‘Dhoondh koi nai
raah khud ke liye/ Kab tak qadeem raahon pe chalta rahega?’ (Find a new path
for yourself/ How long will you keep treading on the same old and beaten
path?).
So, leave the beaten and welltrodden path and embark upon
a new sojourn on an unknown road. Uncertainty has its own charm. Incertitude
leads one to new and exotic territories.
Embrace it whole heartedly.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
All moments are precious
The Speaking Tree
| Lifestyle | ET
By Sumit Paul
Socrates was in prison awaiting his execution. One day he
heard a fellow prisoner singing a difficult lyric by the poet, Stesichorus.
Socrates begged the man to teach him the lyric. “Why?” asked the singer. “So
that I can die knowing one thing more,” was Socrates’ reply.
There’s a Persian maxim, ‘There’s no end to learning.’
It’s never too late to learn a new thing and add to the repertoire of your
knowledge. Thomas Arnold, professor of philosophy, and Allama Iqbal at the
University of Lahore were on a voyage to England. Thomas Arnold was one of the
three great Arnolds, who were contemporaries. The other two were Matthew Arnold
and Edwin Arnold.
Suddenly, an overpowering tempest threatened to sink the
ship in the middle of the sea. Everyone on board was terrified, except for the
great philosopher.
He was reading, unfazed. The captain of the ship asked
Arnold, “Aren’t you afraid of death?”
“Death has its time. Why should I worry? I cannot afford
to waste a single moment learning something new,” calmly answered the unruffled
philosopher.
The tempest eventually died down and professor Arnold
learnt that the 1st-century Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna was a Brahmin, who
embraced Buddhism and propounded his famous ‘Madhyam Marg’ (the middle path).
Arnold also came to know that the same Nagarjuna gave the world the concept of
‘Ex Nihilo’ (nothing comes out of nothing), all during that mad scramble to
save one’s life. There’re so many things to do in life.
Alas, one life ain’t enough.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
Quote from the True Charm and power of Vedanta
The eyes of the whole world are now turned towards the
land of India for spiritual food and India has to provide it for all the races.
Here alone is the best ideal for mankind and Western scholars are now striving
to understand this ideal which is
enshrined in our Sanskrit literature and philosophy , and which has been the
characteristic of India all though the ages.
... the land where humanity has attained its highest
towards gentleness, towards generosity , towards purity, towards calmness above
all, the land of introspection and of spirituality –its India
When the life blood is strong and pure, no diseases germ
can live to that body. Our life –blood is spirituality, if it flows clear if it
flows strong and pure and vigorous everything is right political, social any
other material defects even the poverty of the land will all be cured if the
blood is pure.
But, if He exists?
I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7
minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his
colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting
ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The
doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten
minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire
lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you
grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.
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