साधसंगत - संत अमर सिंह जी की दृष्टि में

पटियाला के हरमन प्यारे गीतकार विसाखी राम जी और सुशील कुमार जी पहले पागल-सेवक के नाम से और फिर अमर -सेवक के नाम से गीत लिखा करते थे। उनके गीत पूरे निरंकारी मिशन में प्रसिद्ध थे और बड़े चाव से गाए जाते थे। आज भी कई बार उनके गीत सुनने को मिलते रहते हैं। 

बहुत पुरानी बात है - उन्होंने एक पंजाबी गीत लिखा - जिसके शब्द थे -

 "एह संत प्यारे ने - एह रब्ब दे दुलारे ने - एहना नूं करो प्रणाम"

यह गीत संगतों में बहुत पसंद किया गया। 

एक बार कुछ नए सज्जन सत्संग में शामिल थे और वे पागल-सेवक जी के गीत सुन कर बहुत प्रभावित हुए। संगत के बाद उन्होंने पागल-सेवक जी को अपने सत्संग में आने का निमंत्रण देते हुए अनुरोध किया कि वे उनके सत्संग में भी आकर कुछ भजन सुनाएं।  

उनके निमंत्रण को स्वीकार करके अमर -सेवक जी ने उनके सत्संग में जाकर कुछ भजन गाए। सब लोग फ़र्श पर एक गोल दायरे में बैठे थे और बड़े प्रेम और श्रद्धा से भजनों का आनंद ले रहे थे। 

एक सज्जन ने अनुरोध करते हुए कहा - कृपया वह गीत सुनाइए - 

 "एह संत प्यारे ने - एह रब्ब दे दुलारे ने - एहना नूं करो प्रणाम"

अमर -सेवक जी ने बड़ी नम्रता से पूछा कि आप में से संत कौन हैं ? 

कृपया उन्हें सामने बिठाइए ताकि हम उनसे मुख़ातिब हो कर ये गीत गा सकें। 

उन्होंने कहा " न महाराज। हम तो पापी जीव हैं। यहां कोई संत नहीं है सब जिज्ञासु हैं - सेवादार हैं। "

अमर -सेवक जी ने हाथ जोड़ कर कहा कि क्षमा करें - तब वो गीत हम यहाँ  नहीं गा सकते। हम किस की ओर इशारा करके कहें कि एह संत प्यारे ने ?- एहना नूं करो प्रणाम?

जब संत अमर सिंह जी को इस घटना का पता चला तो उन्होंने इस का ज़िक्र कई बार संगतों में किया और कहा: 

कि वो शायद संगत तो थी लेकिन साधसंगत नहीं। 

क्योंकि साधसंगत उसे कहा जाता है जहां कोई साधु - कोई संत विराजमान हो। जहां कोई साधु या संत ही न हो तो उसे साधसंगत कैसे कहा जा सकता है?

जहां सब पापी या जिज्ञासु ही हों तो उसे जिज्ञासुओं की संगत तो कह सकते हैं - साधसंगत नहीं। जहां सब सेवादार ही सेवादार हों तो उसे तो सेवादारों की संगत कहना चाहिए।
साधसंगत में अगर सभी नहीं तो कम से कम एक साधू - एक संत का होना तो ज़रुरी है। उसके बिना साधसंगत का रुप नहीं बन सकता।"

संत अमर सिंह जी - जिन्हें सब प्रेम और श्रद्धा से पिता जी कहा करते थे - हर बात को बहुत गहराई से देखते, सोचते और संगतों को समझाया करते थे। 

ये मेरा सौभाग्य है कि कुछ समय उनके चरणों में रहने और उनकी सेवा करने का मौका मिला।  

                                    ' राजन सचदेव '          

कौन ज्यादा सुखी है Kaun zyaada Sukhi hai

 कौन ज्यादा सुखी है...    

सोने की चैन वाला ?             

या   ----

   चैन से सोने वाला  ?

Kaun zyaada sukhi hai...

Sonay ki chain waala?

ya ...

Chain say sonay waala?

The Lust for Comfort

The lust for comfort...
That stealthy thing that enters the house as a guest -
and then becomes a host,
and then a master.
                                                       ~Khalil Gibran~

जहां रहेगा वहीं - Jahan rahega vahin

जहां  रहेगा  वहीं  रौशनी  लुटायेगा
चिराग़ का अपना कोई मुक़ाम नहीं होता

Jahan rahega vahin raushni lutaayega

Chiragh ka apna koi muqaam nahin hota 

वो मर गये हैं मगर Vo mar gaye hain magar

अवाम आज भी कच्चे घरों में रहते हैं

वो मर गये हैं मगर मकबरों में रहते हैं

Awaam aaj bhi kachay gharon me rehtay hain 

Vo mar gaye hain magar makbaron me rehtay hain 
 

                                   'Haseeb Soz'

Awaam  = General public

वक़्त का तमाचा Vaqt ka Tamaacha

वक़्त का अगर इक तमाचा लगा 

               तो मेरी फ़क़ीरी भी क्या 

                           और तेरी बादशाही भी क्या  

Vaqt ka agar ik tamaacha lagaa

To meri faqeeri bhi kya 

Aur teri Baadshahi bhi kya 

(Tamaacha  =   Slap in the face)

Kathopanishad - Story of Nachiketa Part 4 (Lessons from Previous page)

Previously:
Nachiketa confronts his father and tells him that his supposedly charitable actions are useless. 

Gautam, Nachiketa’s father found his remarks disrespectful and insulting.
And when Nachiketa asked: “To whom you shall give me?”
He became extremely angry and shouted “To death shall I give you”
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am sure everyone would feel that it was wrong for the father to speak such harsh words to his son. 

A Father is supposed to love and take care of all his children, even if they are at fault and never have any ill-wishes towards them. 

Nachiketa’s father loved his son and his outburst was out of anger, not from the heart.

At times, under certain circumstances, many people react out of momentary anger by shouting phrases like “I am gonna kill you” or “you are asking for your death warrant or “go to hell’ etc. If there is not a true understanding between the parents and children, then such dialogues can have serious consequences, pull apart relationships, and even split up families.

Therefore, we should never take anyone for granted. While talking to children or anyone for that matter, we should always be careful about what we say and how we say it. 

Young children have a curiosity to know everything around them.
The young adults want to know everything in detail - how things work - why we do things the way we do.
They want to know the reason behind everything - behind every ritual.
Usually, most parents, adults, and seniors - especially with Indian or Asian background, tend to ignore them. 

Instead of answering their questions and satisfying their curiosity, they tell them to follow their directions without asking any questions.
Or they simply ignore them. Like Nachikata's father did.
If we want our children to grow and progress - if we like to maintain a good relationship with them, then we must try to listen and understand them.

  
At the same time, children and young adults also need to understand where their parents are coming from. 

Maybe their frustration - the outbreak of their anger is circumstantial and temporary - and they do not mean what they said in the angry spur of the moment. The love and care that parents have always provided should never be forgotten. 

But we can understand from the previous observations- and will see more as the story unfolds - that Nachiketa was not an ordinary child. 

Even at such a tender age, he was very wise and had learned the scriptures also. 

He did not react in the same way - in anger, because he knew his father did not really mean what he said. He knew his father loved him very much and did not have any ill-wishes towards him.

Nachiketa loved and respected his father very much and considered him as his mentor and Guru. 

He wanted to obey his father. He wanted to do whatever his father wanted him to do. 

So he began to think, what did my father really mean when he said, ‘To death shall I give you’.  

It cannot be what it sounds like…there must be a deeper meaning to what he said.
He was too wise to take those words at the face value and began to ponder.

Since he had studied the Scriptures, he also knew that a learned man, such as his father, knows very well that ‘no one dies before their time'.
Perhaps by saying ‘to death shall I give you’, my father wants to send me somewhere - to find out and understand about Death, he thought.

Considering his father was too busy with his project of the Yagna, Nachiketa decided to embark on the journey on his own - to meet the Yam Raj - to find the meaning of ‘Death’.
                              ‘Rajan Sachdeva’
(To be continued)

तर्क-वितर्क

ऐसे अबोध एवं अनभिज्ञ लोगों से तर्क-वितर्क एवं बहस करने का कोई लाभ नहीं जो अपनी अज्ञानता - अपनी अनभिज्ञता से अनजान हैं।

जीवन अल्प है - बहुत छोटा है -  इसे इन बातों पर बहस करके व्यर्थ न गंवाएं कि कौन सही है और कौन ग़लत।
सही एवं ज्ञानी लोगों का साथ - उन के साथ सहमति और समायोजन करना अबोध एवं अनभिज्ञ लोगों के साथ बहस करने से बेहतर है।

यदि आपके पास सही ज्ञान है - विवेक बुद्धि है, तो इसका प्रयोग करें और अपनी जीवन-यात्रा को सही - नेक और पवित्र मार्ग पर जारी रखें।  

इस बात की चिंता मत करें कि लोग क्या कहेंगे। 

अंततः - यह आपका जीवन है - आपका पथ - आप का लक्ष्य - जो केवल आप ही प्राप्त कर सकते हैं।
अपने मार्ग पर स्वयं ही चलना पड़ता है - कोई अन्य व्यक्ति इसे हमारे लिए या हमारे नाम पर तय नहीं कर सकता।  

You can not argue with...

You can not argue with ignorant people who are unaware of their ignorance.

Life is too short to argue and fight about who and what is right. 

Therefore, making adjustments with the right people is better than arguing with the wrong people.

If you have the right knowledge - true Gyana, then adhere to it and continue your journey on the righteous path - without worrying about what others say.

After all - it's your life - your path - your goals that only you can achieve. 

No one else can walk your path for you.

Nav-Rasa - The Nine Emotions

                                          Nav-Rasa - The Nine Emotions

In ancient Sanskrit literature, there is a mention of nine types of human emotions called “Nav-Rasa”.
The same concept is found in the ancient Sangeet Shastras, the Indian classical music literature.
While studying, I read an authentic Shloka on this topic and then taught it for many years which explains these Nav-Rasa; the nine emotions.

Recently, it caught my eye again and while pondering over it I found a whole different meaning of this shloka.
             Shringaar, Haasya, Karuna, Raudra, Veer, Bhyaankah
             Veebhats-o-Adbhut Ityashto Rasa ShaantsTathaamatah

Love, happiness, sympathy, Courage, Terror, Fear,
Disgust, and confusion; these are the eight Rasas (emotions) and then there is also the peace.

I wondered why the author said, These are the eight Rasas and then there is peace also.

We always thought that eight plus the Shaant makes it nine but why the author did not include it and said 'Iti Nava Rasa'; that these are the nine Rasas? 

 
Was it for the poetical reason or is there another deeper, hidden meaning behind it?
Perhaps the writer was trying to say that these are the eight emotions that can be brought about from outside and the absence of all these emotions is the “Shaant Rasa” or Peace. 

We are trying to find Shaanti; the peace from outside, as if it is like the other emotions which can be created with outside influence, while in fact, it is nothing but the absence of all other emotions. 

Instead of trying to find the ‘peace’ we should try to eliminate the others.
A still and thoughtless mind is always at peace.
                                                            ‘Rajan Sachdeva’