Category: Rumi

From the land of Rumi
music · Poem · Poetry · Rumi

From the land of Rumi

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An Indian artist called ‘Satinder Sartaaj’ has a beautiful Punjabi song dedicated to the great poet Rumi. It has perfect vocals along with wonderful lyrics and dramatic Turkish music. The song is describing how being in this life means being in separation from the Beloved and how all of life leads us to union with the Beloved. Here is the video below along with English captions to translate the lyrics. Listen and be transported to the land of Rumi.

Video :

Punjabi lyrics :

ਬੇਕਰਾਰੀਆਂ ਹੁੰਦੀਆਂ ਕੀਮਤੀ ਜੀ
ਹਾਸਿਲ ਇਹਨਾਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਇਤਮਿਨਾਨ ਹੋਵੇ
ਫ਼ਿਦਾ ਸੱਭ ਹੋਂਦੇ, ਤੂੰ ਨਿਸਾਰ ਹੋ ਜਾ
ਉਹਨੂੰ ਪਤਾ ਲੱਗੇ ਤਾਂ ਗੁਮਾਨ ਹੋਵੇਦਿਲਾ, ਹਾਰ ਤੇ ਸਹੀ, ਆਪਾਂ ਵਾਰ ਤੇ ਸਹੀ
ਇੱਥੇ ਹਾਰਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਉਚੀ ਸ਼ਾਨ ਹੋਵੇ
ਐਸੀ ਆਸ਼ਿਕੀ ਕਰੀਂ, Sartaaj ਸ਼ਾਇਰਾ
ਕੋਈ ਹੈਰਾਨ ਹੋਵੇ ਤੇ ਕੁਰਬਾਨ ਹੋਵੇਐਸੀ ਇਸ਼ਕ ਬਜ਼ਾਰ ਦੀ ਰੀਤ ਵੇਖੀ
ਲੱਖਾਂ ਸਾਹ ਆਏ ਤੇ ਰਸੀਦ ਕੋਈ ਨਾ
ਜੀਹਨੇ ਇਸ ਜਹਾਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੈਰ ਪਾਇਆ
ਉਹਦੀ ਗ਼ਮੀ ਕੋਈ, ਉਹਦੀ ਈਦ ਕੋਈ ਨਾਇਸ਼ਕ ਜਿਹੀ ਅਸਾਨ ਕੋਈ ਸ਼ਹਿ ਵੀ ਨਹੀਂ
ਇਸ਼ਕ ਜਿਹਾ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਿਲ ਤੇ ਸ਼ਦੀਦ ਕੋਈ ਨਾ
ਓਏ, ਤੂੰ ਅੰਦਰੋਂ ਹੀ ਲੱਭ, Sartaaj ਸ਼ਾਇਰਾ
ਛੱਡ ਬਾਹਰੋਂ ਮਿਲਣ ਦੀ ਉਮੀਦ ਕੋਈ ਨਾਇਹੋ ਲੁਤਫ਼ ਮੋਹੱਬਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਵੱਖਰੇ ਨੇ
ਜਦੋਂ ਦਰਦ ਹੋਵੇ ਓਦੋਂ ਹੱਸੀਏ ਜੀ
ਇਹੋ ਲੁਤਫ਼ ਮੋਹੱਬਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਵੱਖਰੇ ਨੇ
ਜਦੋਂ ਦਰਦ ਹੋਵੇ ਓਦੋਂ ਹੱਸੀਏ ਜੀ
ਕਦੇ ਹੱਥਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਖੋਲ੍ਹਕੇ ਖੈਰ ਮੰਗੀਏ
ਕਦੇ ਚੀਸਾਂ ‘ਚ ਮੁੱਠੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਕੱਸੀਏ ਜੀਕਦੇ ਪੱਤਿਆਂ ਅੱਗੇ ਗਾਈਏ ਨਜ਼ਮ ਸਾਰੀ
ਕਦੇ ਆਪੇ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਨਾ ਦੁੱਖ ਦੱਸੀਏ ਜੀ
ਇਹੀ ਇਸ਼ਕ ਦਾ ਮੂਲ, Sartaaj ਸ਼ਾਇਰਾ
ਮਹਿਰਮ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਆਖੇ…

My English translation for the lyrics :

Restlessness is very precious
It is from this, that one achieves contentment
Everyone gets impressed, but you become devoted
When the beloved sees this, he/she will feel proud of you

Give up your heart
Give up your whole self
Let the losers be deemed winners here (who surrenders is the winner)
Love in such a way, poet Sartaaj
That some gets surprised and others sacrifice themselves (over the love)

Such is the ritual of this love market that
Even after giving the beloved a lakh breaths, there is no acknowledgement
Whoever steps in this land of love, has no permanent happiness or sadness

There is no other refuge like love
There is nothing which is as extremely difficult as love
Keep looking inside yourself Sartaaj
Don’t hope to find this love outside of yourself

The gentleness of love is something fascinating
When it hurts in love, we feel like laughing

Sometimes lovers lift their hands and pray to God
While sometimes they will clench their fist in anger
Sometimes they will sing love poetry to the leaves (of a plant/tree)
While sometimes they will not even admit their own sorrows to themselves

Ask these lovers what did you get in return for this
They will say they can see God in their beloved’s face
It’s because of this devotion
That we see the light in love
Think about where you stand, poet Sartaaj
The town of love seems pretty far for you

Why do you keep your feet in two boats
Either come together or go your separate ways

Be brave and take a side
Either become a spec of dust or become a miracle

Do something in love that makes others jealous
Do something in love that makes others remember you

Rumi poem interpretation – Unnamed Poem
Poem · Poetry · Rumi

Rumi poem interpretation – Unnamed Poem

radhikab

Here is my interpretation of Rumi’s unnamed poem:

Which is worth more, a crowd of thousands,

or your own genuine solitude?

Freedom, or power over an entire nation?

A little while alone in your room

will prove to be more valuable than anything else

that could ever be given to you.

In this poem Rumi is trying to explain how important he thinks being alone with oneself is. It is only when we quiet the mouth as well as the mind’s chatter that revelations happen. These aha-moments which happen in a meditative state are priceless according to him.

He compares an extroverted leader who might have power – maybe over an entire nation to a mystic who has freedom and who is completely satisfied in his own solitude, and asks the reader which one they think is worth more? There is no right or wrong here, obviously. Leaders are just as important to the society as mystics. A person who is a good balance of extroversion and introversion, leadership and mysticism would indeed be like a dream come true.

Taken from The Essential Rumi

translated by Coleman Barks

Image credit : me

Rumi poem interpretation – Love is reckless
feel good · love · Poem · Rumi · Spiritual

Rumi poem interpretation – Love is reckless

radhikab

Here is my interpretation of Rumi’s poem ‘Love is reckless’

Love is reckless; not reason.

Reason seeks a profit.

Love comes on strong,

consuming herself, unabashed.

Here the author is comparing logic and love. Love cannot be made to happen by a logical reasoning or conclusion. Love just happens – it is reckless. It can happen to anyone at any time – it does not see if this is in the person’s profit or not. When it happens it consumes the person – body, mind and soul. It is an all consuming feeling.

Yet, in the midst of suffering,

Love proceeds like a millstone,

hard surfaced and straightforward.

Love is also a very strong feeling – no matter how much suffering surrounds it – it keeps carrying on like a strong millstone.

Having died of self-interest,

she risks everything and asks for nothing.

Love gambles away every gift God bestows.

Once a person is in true love, the idea of selfishness does not occur to the person – for they start living only for the benefit of their beloved. In this love frenzy they don’t mind giving up anything valuable that God has bestowed upon them.

Without cause God gave us Being;

without cause, give it back again. 

The author says that God has given us this life and the many experiences it provides in a completely selfless manner – in true love for us. In exactly that manner, we can use our being to serve everyone with love and ultimately give our being back to God. It is not necessary to always do things with a profit in mind. This is akin to the idea – ‘Let all you do, be done in love’ 1 Corinthians 16:14

Masnavi: Teachings of Rumi

by Jelaluddin Rumi (Author), E. H. Whinfield (Editor, Translator)

Image Credit : https://hdwallpaperfx.com/lovers-in-nature/

Hafez poem interpretation – The Woman I love
feel good · love · Poem · Poetry · Rumi · Spiritual

Hafez poem interpretation – The Woman I love

radhikab

Here is my interpretation of Hafez’s poem ‘The woman I love’

Because the Woman I love lives inside of you,

I lean as close to your body with my words as I can
and I think of you all the time,
dear pilgrim.

Hafez is talking to the woman he is in love with – he refers to her as the woman inside her – because he is actually in love with the soul (not merely the body) of this woman. So he says, instead of leaning his body closer to his lover’s – he prefers to lean closer to her with his words and thoughts. He cannot stop thinking of her.

Because the One I love goes with you wherever you go,
Hafiz will always be near.

He says, because he thinks of the one inside her all the time (this means God – as God dwells inside all of us) – he is going to be near her always, even though physically he is distant. He is alluding to the fact that we are all connected via energy and via God as we all are nothing but unit consciousness.

If you sat before me, wayfarer, with your aura bright from
your many charms,

my lips could resist rushing to you, but my eyes, my eyes
can no longer hide the wondrous fact of who
you really are.

He says that if he were physically beside the woman he loves, he would see her aura shining around her bright. This bright aura is an indication of the many good quality that this woman cultivates within her being – here is where he gets a glimpse of God within her. He says, he could control himself from the urge to kiss her – but his eyes are going to give him away. They are going to give away the secret that he is in awe of her and that he can clearly see the divinity that lives inside her and is very much in love with it. He calls her pilgrim and traveller to show the fact that ultimately, she is on her way to be one with God.

The Beautiful One whom I adore
has pitched Her royal tent inside of you,

so I will always lean my heart
as close to your soul
as I can.

He says, God has made a permanent home inside her. And so he will try to be with her soul always, through his heart – love, prayer and thoughts. He is talking here about a divine kind of love, where the lover does not physically need the beloved in his life. It is a love that surpasses physical limitation. It is a love that extends into the 5D of love, thoughts and prayers – where he can love her through any distance and where one day, they both will be one with God and merge with each other in him.

Taken from The Subject Tonight is Love by Daniel Ladinsky

Image credit : Bernd Vogel / Corbis

Rumi poem interpretation – Cry out in your weakness
Poem · Poetry · Rumi · Spiritual

Rumi poem interpretation – Cry out in your weakness

radhikab

Here is my interpretation of Rumi’s poem ‘Cry out in your weakness’

A dragon was pulling a bear into its terrible mouth.
A courageous man went and rescued the bear.
There are such helpers in the world, who rush to save
anyone who cries out. Like mercy itself,
they run toward the screaming.
And they can’t be bought off.

If you were to ask one of those, 
“Why did you come so quickly?” he or she would say, 
“Because I heard your helplessness.”
Where lowland is, that’s where water goes. 
All medicine wants is pain to cure.

Rumi says that there are people on this Earth who are heroes. They are almost like an incarnation of Mercy itself. Such good-hearted, brave people as well as helpful beings like Angels, Ascended masters, Devdutas, and other light beings are always present to help anyone who needs help and asks for it. They gravitate towards anyone who asks for help. They cannot even be bought off by money or any other temptation – they are born with the purpose of lifting a person from a state of helplessness to empowerment.

And don’t just ask for one mercy.
Let them flood in. Let the sky open under your feet.
Take the cotton out of your ears, the cotton
of consolations, so you can hear the sphere-music.
Push the hair out of your eyes.
Blow the phlegm from your nose,
and from your brain.

Let the wind breeze through.
Leave no residue in yourself from that bilious fever.
Take the cure for impotence,
that your manhood may shoot forth,
and a hundred new beings come of your coming.
Tear the binding from around the foot
of your soul, and let it race around the track
in front of the crowd.

Loosen the knot of greed
so tight on your neck. 
Accept your new good luck.
Give your weakness to one who helps.

Rumi says open your arms to the Heavens and ask for all the mercies you need. Don’t be afraid to bow before God and ask for whatever you want. Do not keep any ego, which Rumi calls as ‘bilious fever’. Basically, Rumi says the authentic way of being completely strong is to surrender to consciousness, but this action of surrender however, has the opposite effect of unleashing more potential in a person. So accept this new fortune or luck which comes after giving up ego, which is given by consciousness/God and be grateful for it.

Crying out loud and weeping are great resources.
A nursing mother, all she does
is wait to hear her child.
Just a little beginning-whimper,
and she’s there.

God created the child, that is, your wanting,
so that it might cry out, so that milk might come.

Cry out! Don’t be stolid and silent with your pain. 
Lament! And let the milk
of loving flow into you.

Rumi compares this surrender and asking for mercies, help or wants to how a new born baby cries when born. The sound of the baby crying is what makes the mom’s body secrete the milk. Similarly, God is the mother and we are the child. Rumi says don’t suffer your pain in silence – but lament – not in front of humans – but in front of God and then let God send his love towards you.

The hard rain and wind
are ways the cloud has
to take care of us.

Be patient.
Respond to every call
that excites your spirit.
Ignore those that make you fearful
and sad, that degrade you
back toward disease and death.

God takes care of us in different ways – hard rain is like the pain which we get in life and winds are the relief that God gives us when facing difficulties. So even if it is not obvious, God is always taking care of us like a mother takes care of a child. This process might take some time to become clear to you, so be patient. In order to see this quicker, you must follow anything that makes you feel extremely happy from the inside – which excites your soul. Stay away from those who make your spirit weak and bring you down – because this will take you further away from seeing the mercies that God is laying upon you.

Taken from The Essential Rumi

translated by Coleman Barks

Image credit : http://thejacksonpress.org/?p=13507

Rumi poem interpretation – The Seed Market
Poem · Poetry · Rumi · Spiritual

Rumi poem interpretation – The Seed Market

radhikab

Here is my interpretation of Rumi’s poem ‘The Seed Market’

Can you find another market like this?

Where,

with your one rose

you can buy hundreds of rose gardens?

Where,

for one seed

you get a whole wilderness?

For one weak breath,

the divine wind?

In this poem Rumi compares human life to a seed. He says that it is a truly wonderful creation this world – where a tiny seed of rose can ultimately grow into a multiple rose gardens. Similarly, a whole forest must’ve once started from one small seed eons ago. Similarly, for a human being – a single weak breath of a human can be enough for the human to get awakened and enlightened. If the last breath is taken with an intention to achieving Moksha – even the weak one can be converted into divine.

You’ve been fearful

of being absorbed in the ground,

or drawn up by the air.

Now your waterbed lets go

and drops into the ocean,

where it came from.

But humans in general are fearful of death, they are attached to existence. The thought of this body being taken away scares them. But in the end, once the body has stopped living – every part is going to disintegrate into elements and will go back to it’s source.

It no longer has the form it had,

but it’s still water.

The essence is the same.

The body disintegrates, it disappears but the soul and spirit lives on. It moves from this 3 dimensional reality into another dimension.

This giving up is not a repenting.

It’s a deep honoring of yourself.

When the ocean comes to you as a lover,

marry, at once, quickly,

for God’s sake?

Don’t postpone it!

Existence has no better gift.

Rumi says that live your life in such a way, that when death is upon you and comes to take you as a lover – go with it. Happily, non-attached to this existence. Marry death. This will set you free – since you have no attachments and hopefully you are free of karma by then. This is the best gift existence can give you – the gift of liberation, Moksha, Nirvana.

No amount of searching

will find this.

A perfect falcon, for no reason,

has landed on your shoulder,

and become yours. 

You cannot really achieve this freedom. It is not a thing to be achieved – it can only be reached by letting go and then letting go some more. It is symbolically, like a Falcon which has chosen you to land on – the Falcon symbolizes the third-eye chakra. This falcon i.e., your third-eye chakra opening is simply God’s grace. Use it wisely to achieve the ultimate human goal of liberation.

Taken from The Essential Rumi

translated by Coleman Barks

Image credit : http://earthsky.org/science-wire/plants-do-math-to-get-through-the-night

Take me
feel good · Poem · Poetry · Rumi · Spiritual

Take me

radhikab

Rumi, take me with you,
Show me the places you have seen.

We don’t belong to this world,
Both you and me.

Lets explore the realms together,
Find adventures old and new.

Hopefully we will find a home
A place we belong to.

Image credit : Google Images

Rumi unnamed poem interpretation
love · Poem · Poetry · Rumi · Spiritual

Rumi unnamed poem interpretation

radhikab

When I am with you, we stay up all night.

When you’re not here, I can’t go to sleep.

Praise God for these two insomnias!

And the difference between them.

This poem describes the feelings of lovers – when they meet they don’t want to sleep – they would rather do other things and not waste their time sleeping.

And when they are not together, they cannot sleep because they miss the other and are lost in thoughts of their lover – due to which the brain cannot relax and they cannot sleep.

Rumi thanks God for these feelings and these two different reasons for having this insomnia. He is basically emphasizing what a wondrous thing love is! In love one can enjoy being apart as much as being together. As love is the core feeling which is given by God and takes us near God as well.

Taken from The Essential Rumi

translated by Coleman Barks

Image credit : Google Images

Rumi poem interpretation – The Guest House
Poem · Poetry · Rumi · Spiritual

Rumi poem interpretation – The Guest House

radhikab

Here is my interpretation of Rumi’s poem ‘The Guest House’

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

Rumi says that being a human being  and returning to this state of being in the body of a human is like coming to a guest house. We sleep every night and in the deep dreamless sleep state we get in touch with our true nature, i.e., we become pure consciousness. But in the morning – we wake up again and come back to this illusionary world.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

In this illusionary state, we will go back to being who we were before we slept. We will experience various feeling that come to us. Some due to our own accord, some due to others. Rumi says enjoy all of these feelings. These are simply vibrations – feel them and entertain them as guests in your house.

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

If these feelings are uncomfortable, away from your true nature of joy and peace – still honor them. They might feel overwhelming and shake you to your core. However, such feelings are necessary too. We need to experience the whole spectrum of life in order to live it fully. Creation gives it all to us. Once we have fully enjoyed and experienced a feeling, we are clearing space for a new feeling to take it’s place. A new experience, a new energy, a new vibration. We need to experience it all.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Similarly for any other so called ‘bad thoughts/feelings/energy’ go through them. Feel them. Stay with them.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

Gratitude is an alchemic quality. So use it. It will alchemize your being. Whatever you feel in this human form is a message that Universe, Creation is trying to send to you. Listen to it, understand it, interpret it. It is a guide for you to walk in this human path, so use it as it is meant to shape you and take you to your ultimate purpose.

Taken from The Essential Rumi

translated by Coleman Barks

Image credit : https://parade.com/7476/viannguyen/top-10-cities-with-the-greenest-homes/

Rumi poem interpretation – Unnamed Poem
Poem · Poetry · Rumi · Spiritual

Rumi poem interpretation – Unnamed Poem

radhikab

Here is my interpretation of Rumi’s unnamed poem

In your light I learn to love.

In your beauty, how to make poems.

Rumi says that once we go into the light – here light means, our true nature – which is love and light. A pure, clear frequency of love and light – he learns how to truly love. Once a person finds this kind of real/divine love – one can start observing beauty. This beauty will then move the person to such a degree that they would want to write a poem about this beauty.

You dance inside my chest,

where no one sees you,

Rumi says that this love stays inside one’s heart – where no one else can see it. It is only felt by the person who has it in their heart and is a very personal, private experience.

but sometimes I do,

and that becomes this art.

Sometimes however, this love can give a person supernatural and surreal experiences which can inspire true art. This is God’s grace to this human being.

 

Taken from The Essential Rumi

translated by Coleman Barks

Image credit : https://www.guardian-angel-reading.com/blog-of-the-angels/seeing-flashes-light-spiritual/