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/