JAMES ALLEN: IF MEN ONLY UNDERSTOOD - "LIVE IN LOVE"

2015-07  James Allen:  If Men Only Understood - "Live in Love"

James Allen [1864-1912]

If men only understood

That the wrong act of a Brother
Should not call from them another,
But should be annulled with kindness,
That their eyes should aid his blindness,
They would find the Heavenly Portal
Leading on to Love immortal—
If they only understood.

If men only understood
That their wrong can never smother
The wrong-doing of another;
That by hatred hate increases,
And by Good all evil ceases,
They would cleanse their hearts and actions.
Banish thence all vile detractions—
If they only understood.

If men only understood
That the heart that sins must sorrow,
That the hateful mind tomorrow
Reaps its barren harvest, weeping,
Starving, resting not, nor sleeping;
Tenderness would fill their being.
They would see with Pity's seeing—
If they only understood.

If men only understood
All the emptiness and aching
Of the sleeping mid the waking
Of the souls they judge so blindly,
Of the hearts they pierce unkindly.
They, with gentler words and feeling,
Would apply the balm of healing—
If they only understood.

If men only understood
That their hatred and resentment
Slays their peace and sweet contentment
Hurts themselves, helps not another,
Does not cheer one lonely Brother,
They would seek the better doing
Of good deeds which leaves no ruing—
If they only understood.

If men only understood
How Love conquers; how prevailing
Is its might, grim hate assailing;
How Compassion endeth sorrow,
Maketh wise, and doth not borrow
Pain of passion; they would ever
Live in Love, in hatred never—
If they only understood.

James Allen: Poems of Peace: [Click Here]


James Allen: If Men Only Understood: YouTube Audio: [Click Here] 3:16 min

James Allen Free Library: [Click Here]

TAGORE: THE POST OFFICE - HOW TO BE HAPPY SELLING CURDS

2015-06  Tagore: The Post Office - How to be happy selling curds

Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian writer of all forms of literature (as well as a painter and composer), predominantly wrote in Bengali, though several of his poems and plays have been translated into English. Originally written in Bengali in 1912, Dak Ghar was translated into English as The Post Office and performed in 1913 by the Abbey Theatre Company in Dublin and London. The play was then published in 1914. To this day, The Post Office is the most renowned and beloved of Tagore's dramatic works, and it is still regularly produced in the United States and abroad. 

The story is about Amal, an eight year old boy who is terminally ill and confined to his bed by the family physician. His only contact with the outside world is through his window. From there he watches village life, engages passers-by in eager conversation from the vantage of his open window.  Only by dying is the boy finally set free. The play is a poignant tribute to the human spirit that gathers hope, even where there seems to be none. It symbolizes the whole human experience of the uncorrupted soul with its yearning and flights of imagination being trapped in the limitations of the body.

HOW TO BE HAPPY SELLING CURDS

 [from THE POST OFFICE by Rabindranath Tagore]

Dairyman. Curds, curds, good nice curds.

Amal. Curdseller, I say, Curdseller.

Dairyman. Why do you call me? Will you buy some curds?

Amal. How can I buy? I have no money.

Dairyman. What a boy! Why call out then? Ugh! What a waste of time.

Amal. I would go with you if I could.

Dairyman. With me?

Amal. Yes, I seem to feel homesick when I hear you call from far down the road.

Dairyman [Lowering his yoke-pole] Whatever are you doing here, my child?

Amal. The doctor says I'm not to be out, so I sit here all day long.

Dairyman. My poor child, whatever has happened to you?

Amal. I can't tell. You see I am not learned, so I don't know what's the matter with me. Say, Dairyman, where do you come from?

Dairyman. From our village.

Amal. Your village? Is it very far?

Dairyman. Our village lies on the river Shamli at the foot of the Panch-mura hills.

Amal. Panch-mura hills! Shamli river! I wonder. I may have seen your village. I can't think when though!

Dairyman. Have you seen it? Been to the foot of those hills?

Amal. Never. But I seem to remember having seen it. Your village is under some very old big trees, just by the side of the red road--isn't that so?

Dairyman. That's right, child. 

Amal. And on the slope of the hill cattle grazing.

Dairyman. How wonderful! Aren't there cattle grazing in our village! Indeed, there are!

Amal. And your women with red sarees fill their pitchers from the river and carry them on their heads.

Dairyman. Good, that's right. Women from our dairy village do come and draw their water from the river; but then it isn't everyone who has a red saree to put on. But, my dear child, surely you must have been there for a walk some time.

Amal. Really, Dairyman, never been there at all. But the first day doctor lets me go out, you are going to take me to your village.

Dairyman. I will, my child, with pleasure.

Amal. And you'll teach me to cry curds and shoulder the yoke like you and walk the long, long road?

Dairyman. Dear, dear, did you ever? Why should you sell curds? No, you will read big books and be learned.

Amal. No, I never want to be learned--I'll be like you and take my curds from the village by the red road near the old banyan tree, and I will hawk it from cottage to cottage. Oh, how do you cry--"Curd, curd, good nice curd!" Teach me the tune, will you?

Dairyman. Dear, dear, teach you the tune; what an idea!

Amal. Please do. I love to hear it. I can't tell you how queer I feel when I hear you cry out from the bend of that road, through the line of those trees! Do you know I feel like that when I hear the shrill cry of kites from almost the end of the sky?

Dairyman. Dear child, will you have some curds? Yes, do.

Amal. But I have no money.

Dairyman. No, no, no, don't talk of money! You'll make me so happy if you have a little curds from me.

Amal. Say, have I kept you too long?

Dairyman. Not a bit; it has been no loss to me at all; you have taught me how to be happy selling curds. [Exit]

[If you like this anecdote, you may read THE POST OFFICE in full; it is studded with many such gems -- like the episode of Sudha, the flower girl.] 

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The Post Office - Study Guide by Lauren Brotman [Click Here]

YouTube Video: Tagore's Dakhghar - Amol O Doiwala! [Click Here]

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Freedom in Tagore's Plays by Bhaswati Ghosh [Click Here]

TAGORE : THE CRESCENT MOON [CHILD-POEMS]

2015-05 Tagore - The Crescent Moon [Child-Poems]

Rabindranath Tagore [1861-1941]

Rabindranath Tagore (1861– 1941): Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. In translation his poetry was viewed as spiritual and mercurial; his seemingly mesmeric personality, flowing hair, and other-worldly dress earned him a prophet-like reputation in the West. "His prose was elegant and poetry magical." Gitanjali [1913], Crescent Moon [1913], Post Office [1914], King of the Dark Chamber [1914] are instances in point.

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The Crescent Moon is a collection of 40 child-poems by Rabindranath Tagore. The poems are deceptively simple but are full of profound thoughts for contemplation. We shall study here, just two of these gems: Playthings and the Child-Angel:

Playthings

Child, how happy you are sitting in the dust, playing with a broken twig all the morning.

I smile at your play with that little bit of a broken twig.

I am busy with my accounts, adding up figures by the hour.

Perhaps you glance at me and think, "What a stupid game to spoil your morning with!"

Child, I have forgotten the art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.

I seek out costly playthings, and gather lumps of gold and silver.

With whatever you find you create your glad games, I spend both my time and my strength over things I never can obtain.

In my frail canoe I struggle to cross the sea of desire, and forget that I too am playing a game.

The Child-Angel 

They clamour and fight, they doubt and despair, they know no end to their wranglings.

   

Let your life come amongst them like a flame of light, my child, unflickering and pure, and delight them into silence.

They are cruel in their greed and their envy, their words are like hidden knives thirsting for blood.

Go and stand amidst their scowling hearts, my child, and let your gentle eyes fall upon them like the forgiving peace of the evening over the strife of the day.

Let them see your face, my child, and thus know the meaning of all things; let them love you and thus love each other.

Come and take your seat in the bosom of the limitless, my child. At sunrise open and raise your heart like a blossoming flower, and at sunset bend your head and in silence complete the worship of the day.

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For the full text of The Crescent Moon [Click Here]

YouTube Video: "Playthings" by  Rabindranath Tagore [Click Here]

PAUL GALLICO: THE SMALL MIRACLE - NEVER TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER

2015-04  Paul Gallico:  The Small Miracle - Never Take No for an Answer

Pepino is a ten year old orphan in the Italian town of Assisi. His only "legacy" is Violetta, a docile donkey with a Mona Lisa smile. They make a living together by transporting goods for people. But one day Violetta falls very ill, and ceases to smile. 

Pepino is desperate. He wishes to take Violetta to the crypt of St. Francis, in the lower church of the Basilica, and pray to him. But the supervisor, and the bishop do not look kindly upon the idea. How far up the hierarchy can Pepino go to save his dearest friend? 

The small miracle is that Pepino fights the might of the Catholic Church to meet the Pope, to let Violetta into the crypt where St Francis of Assissi is laid to rest. This is one of Paul Gallico's sweetest, most delicate tales, more poignant than, even the The Snow Goose.  

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To read the full story of "The Small Miracle" by Paul Gallico: [Click Here]

YouTube Movie : "The Small Miracle" by Paul Gallico  
"Nevert Take No for an Answer" [Click Here] [79 min]

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PAUL GALLICO: THE SNOW GOOSE - A STORY OF DUNKIRK

2015-03    Paul Gallico: The Snow Goose - A Story of Dunkirk

Paul Gallico [1897-1976]

Paul William Gallico [1897-1976] was an American novelist, short story and sports writer. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictures. 

He is perhaps best remembered for the mini epics, The Snow Goose [1940] and The Small Miracle [1950], written in simple, lyrical prose and for the novel The Poseidon Adventure [1969] primarily through the 1972 film adaptation.

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Philip Rhayader lives alone in an abandoned lighthouse on the desolate Great Marsh of Essex. One afternoon, a hauntingly beautiful child, Fritha, visits Rhayader, bringing with her an injured snow goose. 

At first Fritha is scared of Rhayader, with his sinister hump and crooked hand, but he is gentle and kind and Fritha begins to visit regularly. When the snow goose departs for home, Rhayader is left alone again. 

The following winter, the snow goose and Fritha return to the lighthouse. Time passes and one year Fritha is frightened to discover her feelings for Rhayader. But this is 1940 and Rhayader is setting sail for Dunkirk to help the soldiers trapped on the beaches. Fritha never sees Rhayader again. But the story of the saviour with the snow goose passes from soldier to soldier and into legend...

When you finish reading The Snow Goose you are left with conflicting emotions. You are uplifted, but the tragic events that have just unfolded also leaves you with a tear in your eye. The story of the man whose physical deformities prevent others from seeing the beauty within is as old as time but the way in which Gallico weaves it together with the maturing life of a young girl, the migration of a Canadian snow goose and the evacuation at Dunkirk make it unique. 

"The Snow Goose is beautifully poetic; set prior to and during the Second World War. It is written in simple, lyrical prose. The ending, a tribute to the indomitable human spirit, is unforgettable and the illustrations are perfect in the way they portray the remoteness and raw beauty of the Great Marsh."

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To read the full story of "The Snow Goose" [Click Here] [16 pp] 

YouTube Video Movie "The Snow Goose" [Click Here] [50 min]

BG17: "THREEFOLD TAPAS" - "SAATVIC, RAAJASA AND TAAMASA TAPAH" [GUNA]

2015-02  "Threefold Tapas" -  "Saatvic, Raajasa and Taamasa Tapah"
                  based on "Guna" [Character] 

We saw in the previous post, austerities of the body, speech and mind:

Austerity of the body consists in worship of the gods, the good, the elders and the wise; purity, honesty, continence, and nonviolence. [17.14] 

Austerity of speech consists in speaking words which do wound, which are true, pleasant and beneficial, and studying the scriptures. [17.15] 

Austerity of the mind consists in calmness, gentleness, silence, self-restraint and inner purity. [17.16] 

This classification is based on "karanams": "Kayika, Vankmaya and Manasa Tapah". Now, we see another based on "gunas" as "Saatvic, Raajasa and Taamasa Tapah".

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1] This three-fold austerity of the body, speech and mind 

[तत् त्रिविधं तपः  thath thrividham tapah]

2] when practiced 
[तप्तं  thaptham] 

3] by devout , steadfast persons 
[युक्तैः नरैः   yukthaihi naraihi] 

4] with supreme faith 
[परया श्रद्धया  parayaa shraddhayaa] 

5] without longing for any reward 
[अफला काङ्क्षिभिः  apalaa kaankshibhihi]  

is said to be wholly saattvic in nature 
[सात्विकं परीचक्षते  saathvikam pareechakshate].

When these austerities of the body, speech and mind, are practiced without attachment to the results, and in a spirit of supreme faith, by devout persons, the sages call this practice saattvic. [17.17]

श्रद्धया परया तप्तं तपः तत्  त्रिविधं नरैः |

अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिः युक्तैः सात्विकं परीचक्षते  ||    17.17

[shraddhaya paraya taptam tapah tathu trividham naraihi

aphalakankshibihi yuktaihi saativkam parichakshate.]

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The penance which is performed  

[यत् तपः क्रियते   yath tapah kriyathE] 

in order to gain  respect, honour and worship

[सत्कार मान पूजार्थं   sathkaara maana poojaartham]

and certainly with pride

[च एव दम्भेन च cha yeva dambhena cha]

here

[इह  iha]

is said to be

[प्रोक्तं   proktam]

Raajasa in nature

[राजसं   raajasam]

flickering and temporary [not stable and not permanent]

[चलं अध्रुवम्   chalam adruvam]

Austerities practiced in order to gain respect, honor, or admiration, and with pride, here, are called Raajasa; they are neither stable nor permanent. [17.18]

सत्कार मान पूजार्थं तपो दम्भेन चैव यत्  |
क्रियते तदिह् प्रोक्तं राजसं चलं अध्रुवम्  ||   17.18

satkara maana poojartham tapo dambhena chaiva  yatu
kriyate tadiha proktam raajasam chalam adruvam ||

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The penance which is performed 
[यत्  तपः क्रियते] yath tapah kriyathe

through perversity
[मूढ ग्राहेण  moodha graahena]

with self-torture
[आत्मनो पीडया  aathmana peedhaya]

or for harming another
[वा परस्य उत्सादनार्थं  vaa parasya] 

that has been declared to be Taamasa
[तत् उदाहृतम् तामसं  thath udaahrudam taamasam]


Austerities practiced out of perversity, with self-torture, or for the purpose of ruining another, are declared to be taamasa in nature. [17.19]

मूढ ग्राहेण आत्मनो यत्  पीडया क्रियते तपः |
परस्योत्सादनार्थं वा तत् तामसं उदाहृतम्   ||  17.19

mudha grAhena Atmano yat peedaya kriyate tapah
parasyot saadanaarthaM vaa  tat taamasaM  udaa hrutam.

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BG17: "THREEFOLD TAPAS" - "KAAYIKA, VAANKMAYA AND MAANASA TAPAH" [KARANA]

2015-01 BG17: "Threefold Tapas"- Austerity of Body, Speech and Mind
                            based on "Karana" [Organs]

In Chapter 17 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna talks about 1] Sraddha 2] Aahara 3] Yagna 4] Tapas and 5] Dhaana, each of which may be Saatvic, Rajasic or Taamasic. One should cultivate Saatvic and reject Rajasic and Taamasic.  Here we take for discussion Tapas of Saatvic nature.

"Tapas" means Austerity. Austerity is being morally strict. Austerity is threefold - of the body, speech and mind. The definitions of these are given in Gita Slokas 17.14, 17.15 and 17.16 respectively. We shall study these three in this post and the wholly "Saatvic Tapas" [17.17] in the next.

Austerity of the Body [BG 17.14]:

What is austerity of the body? 
Austerity of the body consists in --

1] Worship of the Gods, the twice-born, the gurus and the wise
    [देव द्विज गुरु प्राज्ञ पूजनं  dEva dvija guru prAgna pUjanam]
2] External Cleanliness
    [शौचं shaucham]
3] Straight-forwardness or Honesty
    [आर्जवम् Arjavam]
4] Continence or Restraint in physical life and
    [ब्रह्मचर्यं brahmacharyam च cha]
5] Nonviolence [not harming people, animals or nature].
    [अहिंसा ahimsa]
 
देव द्विज गुरु प्राज्ञ पूजनं शौचं आर्जवम्  |
ब्रह्मचर्यं अहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते  ||      17.14


Austerity of the Speech [BG 17.15]:

What is austerity of the speech? 
Austerity of the speech consists in --

1] Speech which does not offend anyone
    [अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं  anudvegakaram vAkyam]
2] which is truthful
    [सत्यं sathyam]
3] which is pleasant
    [प्रियं priyam]       
4] which is beneficial
    [हितं hitham]
5] Regular study of Scriptures and repeated Nama Japa.
    [स्वाध्याय अभ्यसनं ऎव च svAdhyAya  abhyasanam Eva cha ] 

अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियं हितं च यत्  |
स्वाध्याय अभ्यसनं च ऎव वाङ्ग्मयं तप उच्यते ||  17.15             


Austerity of the Mind [BG 17.16]:

What is austerity of the mind? 
Austerity of the mind consists in --

1] Serenity of the mind
     [मनः प्रसादः manah prasAdah]
2] Gentleness
     [सौम्यत्वं saumyatvam]
3] Silence with the mind active in thinking
     [मौनं maunam]
4] Self-control and
     [आत्म विनिग्रहः Atma vinigrahah] 
5] Purity of heart
     [भाव सम्शुद्धि bhAva samshuddhih]

मनः प्रसादः सौम्यत्वं मौनं आत्म विनिग्रहः |
भाव सम्शुद्धिरिति येततु तपो मानसं उच्यते ||   17.16

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