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Yes its sinking in.. Rank 40, CSE 2015.The UPSC circle- the close and the beginning.

Bagh-e-Bahisht Se Mujhe Hukam-e-Safar Diya Tha Kyun Kaar-e-Jahan Daraz Hai, Ab Mera Intezar Kar                      - Mohammad...

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Essays on love (3)

The truth, the self, the essence
THE 'YOU'
उसको छू दो जहाँ से, सच बदलता नहीं। 
तुझको देखो जिधर से, तू रहेगा वही। 

तू रोज़ सुबह को जगता जहाँ से है,
उससे बढ़के, 
रोज़ सोना मगर... 

तू साँझ में, शहरों की भीड़ की उलझन में, खुद को, 
यूँ न खोना मगर... 

रास्ता न मिले जो कहीं, इन मकानों के जंगलों में... 
और लगे कुछ है टूटा कहीं, इन दीवारों के हौंसलों में... 
चलना, 
गुम न होना मगर। 

There is this doctrine of syadvada in the jaina philosophy. There's this very famous example which explains it, that someone touched the foot of the elephant in dark, and called it a pole, touched its tail, and called it a rope, touched its trunk and called it a snake and so on.. The TRUTH however was 'the elephant' whom everyone touched, but no one saw, no one understood. 

Has this happened with you? And, if it has that does not and should not change the truth of your existence, no matter from wherever they touch it, no matter how they stack it, no matter how they try to change it

This world around, is doing that to you continuously. Like, the wind and the river and all these forces try to even out, to erode the mountain, but that does not change the mountain or its core. The mountain and the magma inside it preserves itself, its core, like truth, and the mountain rises. It rises despite every effort of being eroded and peeled out. It rises because of what it is- its core, its essence, its truth.

Preserve it- your self, your essence, the 'You'. And preserving it does not mean changelessness or stagnation. It only means evolution. 

May you grow, may you evolve each day, without regrets. So, when you go to sleep tonight, before you close your eyes, may you have risen an inch higher from the place you woke up this morning.

Don't let anyone in this world, at home or in this heartless crowd, in this crazy insane city, erode that 'You'. For it is precious. You are precious. 

And when, some evening, you can't find your way back to yourself, and you feel lost like a child in this concrete jungle of houses and homes. When you feel disowned, like a broken favourite toy, crushed by the colourful walls and their chains, just keep walking. But, don't lose the 'You', the essence. Keep walking with your head high and your heart believing.

Keep walking.

photograph source https://www.pinterest.com/pin/494973815272612540/

14 comments:

  1. The first time i heard this parable of the huge elephant was when our professor was introducing Sociology to us in his first lecture. It really struck me that day. I didn't realise it initially but it was the beginning of a whole new journey for me, because it transformed the way i thought. By the end of the course, having studied in detail some dozens of thinkers and their philosophies, i realised that all of what anybody thinks could be true and untrue simultaneously. Every way of thought, every philosophy i came across seemed true and invalid at the same time. Because this parable became sort of a basis of thought for me, i came to be equidistant from every thought out there.
    It came to a point where nothing could be held absolute, not even what one feels or thinks or even is. Becoming this way isn't depressing at all, in fact it feels enlightening at times. Because it means you will constantly be searching for the absolute in everything, even the most insignificant of events, and finding something new all the time. It also means facing newness every day, which can be pretty scary too.
    The path you suggest here, in my experience, leads to rediscovering yourself over and over again. It leads to continuously questioning who you are and finding a new answer every time, in fact finding no answer most of the times.
    This is probably what the sufis and saints and mystics talk of in their poetry too. I hope, like them, all of us can one day find that paramaananda they find.

    Your post really got me thinking. Thanks a ton.

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  2. i feel these are the lines which is helping me at this stressed time... thanks a ton mam,for these beautiful andinspiring lines...

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    Replies
    1. I am glad if they did make some difference.
      Best wishes.

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  3. very inspirational mam..you are awesome..

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  4. Thanks a lot mam, really inspiring and thought provoking description... a bit

    relief in my stressed time...

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  5. So inspiring mam💕i needed it this time😇..

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  6. Esteemed Mam,
    First of all , I would like to thank you mam for posting such an elegant and most impressionable poem. I was just visiting insightonindia sites as a begginers to know about the nature of Civil services examination which is considered to be one of the prestigious exam in the country. Mam, I am civil services aspirant. Hoping to be sit in the 2018 examination, but as a begginers , I do feel terrified . o don't know how to start ,from where to start, what kinds of strategy, material and management should I adopt.? I am puzzled to know the vastness of this syllabus. But in between writing of this text , I apologie for not commenting on above mentioned beautiful poes which is intriguing. I know that my text is going to be a little bit longer. But I decided to write text you mam to seek advice pertaining to examination. I am not good in English and grammar. Mam. What I read , I forget soon..I face real problem in thought making process and correlate the subject to other things. It is my humble request to you mam , . please kindly guide me. I read thoroughly post of some toppers like Arkita shukla Mam ji , Garg sir ji .You must be thinking after reading this test why I wrote text to you. The thing is that when I was reading your post relating to examination which seemed somewhat similar to me. But I wanna your advice on implementation , book list ,current affaris , and persistency regarding this exam. Hoping to get reply soon from your side mam.
    Hope is the good thing . May be the best of thing and No good things ever die. The same I am expecting to you.
    Your Anonymous Pupil .
    Avinash Kumar Mishra

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  7. Hello this is a very good essay which inspires a lot thanks for sharing this syadvada jain philosophy,because of knowing this philosophy a motivation has started ,which got its spark from this wonderful essay that says a person should be like an elephant,mountain and never to lose this self identity which is always a unique one. I have started to read all your writings which makes me to be motivated and to introspect myself thank you for writing such awesome stuff.

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