मनुष्यता

Here's a hindi poem by Maithilisharan Gupt

मनुष्यता

विचार लो कि मर्त्य हो न मृत्यु से डरो कभी,
मरो परन्तु यों मरो कि याद जो करे सभी।
हुई न यों सु-मृत्यु तो वृथा मरे, वृथा जिए,
मरा नहीं वहीं कि जो जिया न आपके लिए।

यही पशु-प्रवृत्ति है कि आप आप ही चरे,
वही मनुष्य है कि जो मनुष्य के लिए मरे।

उसी उदार की कथा सरस्वती बखानती,
उसी उदार से धरा कृतार्थ भाव मानती।
उसी उदार की सदा सजीव कीर्ति कूजती,
तथा उसी उदार को समस्त सृष्टि पूजती।

अखंड आत्म भाव जो असीम विश्व में भरे,
वही मनुष्य है कि जो मनुष्य के लिए मरे।

सहानुभूति चाहिए, महाविभूति है वही,
वशीकृता सदैव है बनी हुई स्वयं मही।
विरुद्धवाद बुद्ध का दया-प्रवाह में बहा,
विनीत लोक वर्ग क्या न सामने झुका रहे?

अहा! वही उदार है परोपकार जो करे,
वहीं मनुष्य है कि जो मनुष्य के लिए मरे।

अनंत अंतरिक्ष में अनंत देव हैं खड़े,
समक्ष ही स्वबाहु जो बढ़ा रहे बड़े-बड़े।
परस्परावलम्ब से उठो तथा बढ़ो सभी,
अभी अमर्त्य-अंक में अपंक हो चढ़ो सभी।

रहो न यों कि एक से न काम और का सरे,
वही मनुष्य है कि जो मनुष्य के लिए मरे।

"मनुष्य मात्र बन्धु है" यही बड़ा विवेक है,
पुराण पुरुष स्वयंभू पिता प्रसिद्ध एक है।
फलानुसार कर्म के अवश्य बाह्य भेद है,
परंतु अंतरैक्य में प्रमाणभूत वेद हैं।

अनर्थ है कि बंधु हो न बंधु की व्यथा हरे,
वही मनुष्य है कि जो मनुष्य के लिए मरे।

चलो अभीष्ट मार्ग में सहर्ष खेलते हुए,
विपत्ति विप्र जो पड़ें उन्हें ढकेलते हुए।
घटे न हेलमेल हाँ, बढ़े न भिन्नता कभी,
अतर्क एक पंथ के सतर्क पंथ हों सभी।

तभी समर्थ भाव है कि तारता हुआ तरे,
वही मनुष्य है कि जो मनुष्य के लिए मरे।

Of poems and lingering thoughts

Lately I've been empathizing about postmen, coolies, my local "pao wala", the general store's shopkeeper and  likes.I wonder how they go about their day...thinking only about feeding their wives and kids or wondering if they could get more out of life.
So I've decided to let my readers read poems, which will evoke such thoughts in their minds too.
So here's the first one.
Its by the great Robert Frost titled the Roadside Stand.

The little old house was out with a little new shed 

In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped, 

A roadside stand that too pathetically plead, 

It would not be fair to say for a dole of bread, 

But for some of the money, the cash, whose flow supports 

The flower of cities from sinking and withering faint. 

The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead, 

Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts 

At having the landscape marred with the artless paint 

Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong 

Offered for sale wild berries in wooden quarts, 

Or crook-necked golden squash with silver warts, 

Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene. 

You have the money, but if you want to be mean, 

Why keep your money (this crossly), and go along. 

The hurt to the scenery wouldn't be my complaint 

So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid: 

Here far from the city we make our roadside stand 

And ask for some city money to feel in hand 

To try if it will not make our being expand, 

And give us the life of the moving pictures' promise 

That the party in power is said to be keeping from us. 

It is in the news that all these pitiful kin 

Are to be bought out and mercifully gathered in 

To live in villages next to the theatre and store 

At the shiny desert with spots of gloom 

That might be people and are but cedar, 

Have no purpose, have no leader, 

Have never made the first move to assemble, 

And so are nothing to make her tremble. 

She can think of places that are not thus 

Without indulging a 'Not for us!”

Life is not so sinister-grave. 

Matter of fact has made them brave. 

He is husband, she is wife. 

She fears not him, they fear not life. 

They know where another light has been 

And more than one to theirs akin, 

But earlier out for bed tonight, 

So lost on me in my surface flight. 

This I saw when waking late, 

Going by at a railroad rate, 

Looking through wreaths of engine smoke 

Far into the lives of other folk. 

The fallen rose

All alone it lies there, on that cobblestone road. All alone, neglected and not cared. That Rose which once flaunted its beauty is now turning a bitter shade of brown on that carefree road.

Perhaps it signifies the rejection of a loved one, or maybe has fallen off the head of a pompous unmindful lady or has been cast out from its rosy friends because it could no longer blend in with them. But nevertheless, that Rose lies there, meeting its death. Its beauty, all gone. Its alluring power fades to nothing.

I wonder if this happens to all of us. When we glow, show our avidness, or talents, our capabilities to the world, we feel as though we are on cloud nine, with people all around praising us, literally worshipping at our feet. The aura of awesomeness that surrounds us blinds us from the thorns of reality.  And just when that glow gradually dampens, we crash hard on the floor. The same people turn against us. We are now trodden on, neglected, not cared for and left for the dead.

The Rose which once swayed its plump redness in the winds with all bees and birds bumbling and chirping aloud around it has now been left to enjoy its solitary decay.

How can we be so cruel to such a beautiful thing? Wasn’t it the same rose that adorned our heads and met the glee of everyone? Wasn’t it the same rose that perhaps swooned at our grandmothers who sat in her veranda watching it? Wasn’t it the same rose that made our hearts flutter when it was presented to us as a token of friendship or love? Yes it was the same rose. Then why did we fail to see its significance when it just turned a tinge of brown. Why did we forget its purpose to us? Is it justifiable to be indifferent to things that once flattered our hearts…

Why is it that we always see what is on the outside? Why is it that we judge a person on their looks and their flamboyance? Isn’t there something called the inner beauty? Why do humans fail to see the inner beauty that is unique to each and every one of us? Why do people put up a fake personality and be unmindful to their inner beauty and sham about who they think they should be?

All these questions seem to mingle in the air around me when I think of that dead, decaying Rose fallen on that carefree road.

Looking out the window

They say birds of a feather flock together.
One tries to fly away and the other watches him closely from a wire, he says he wants to as well but he is a liar.He's never going to let go of  the wire.

I am staring out the window, listening to the pitter patter of the raindrops and the cry of the cicada, besieged by the sudden serenity that over comes nature in that lush moment.And I cant stop singing the above lines from Regina Spektor's song called 'Two birds'.This got me wondering about the similarities between the two birds and us humans.

One bird is not ready to leave the other.He says he wants to,he is not only fooling the other bird but also himself. Don't we humans to do the same?We cling on to so many unfathomable things.

People hold onto another person,or memories,good or bad,or different struggles of their life.They carve a special place in the niche of their hearts for these people.Yes you will say it is love, but one day when that person abruptly leaves them, their lives are shattered into a million pieces just like a mirror to bring in bad luck!
From my own personal experiences i say that people find it very hard to let go off a loved one.
Some how in this strangely working universe, this absence leaves a hollow space, an emptiness of sorts within each one of us.And its very difficult to fill in this hollow space.
Out of the fear of the unknown, people prefer to hold on to the familiar sufferings.I can rightly say that this will hinder one's personal growth, will make one shrivel up inside like an old leaf, and be unaware of the beautiful things happening around them.

I am writing this as a freshman, yes i am new to the whole 'College" experience but i can assure you, letting go of all my past struggles, challenges,bad memories and yes of course my mistakes which i had then deeply regretted, has really helped me open my eyes and broaden my mind a bit more than the usual(I am not gonna exaggerate).I am a person who finds it really tough to let go of anything, may it be some big struggle or some small snide remark by any person.

Is one afraid of repeating the same circumstances of the past and hence not moving forward?If it is so, then how would one adapt to change of any kind.While learning biology in junior college my teacher would keep on quoting Darwin's basic principle;SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.And this is as much applicable to real life as it is to the evolutionary studies!

If you aren't ready to let go, you would not survive in this dog eat dog world.You would not open up to any new experiences or any other person what or who could really create a much more severe impact in your life.Basically you are not ready to give yourself a chance.In doing so you are not only adding misery to your own life but also directing it towards someone who doesn't need it.THINK!


Stephen King said, some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.

Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it. 

Why is it so difficult to just let go?Why do we keep wondering about 'what might have been'?For once just stop all this thinking and BREATHE!
Get yourself detached from all these cruel "rattraps" of the world.Stay aloof because you are not going to leave anything behind besides your thoughts and deeds. Your deeds should be selfless and that is what is gonna make them immortal and universal.

Now I'd love to go back to mesmerizing myself in the romantic scene outside my window and loosing myself in the novel I'm currently reading with a nice cup of coffee!

Strings tethered

Phew..what a time its been..these past few months.All those killer headaches and all the up downs around the city.

But something that is true for everyone is that we get out reflective thoughts especially during nature calls, or while travelling in a bus alone    staring out the window or when having trouble falling asleep!

Having realized how monotonous my life has currently become, i regret not having enough time to do my deep thinking and reflecting on how the world works.But oh well....that is my oxygen.I'm just obsessed with it. But no matter ..no matter...monotony can be a good thing too if you consider it under certain circumstances.

So this is what i like to picture....staring at the vast expanse of nothingness and getting lost avidly into my silent thoughts.

Recently I've been thinking about our different desires.And this time I'd like to talk about our DESIRE TO BE HEARD.






We all have problems. And right from childhood we are taught that we ourselves are carriers of our own grieves. And I think this is where we loose out.If only we would give others a chance to express themselves I think we could breathe much more easily than what we would.Listening to other people's grievances when you are sad or hurt makes you feel that you're not the only one who is grieving on the inside..though it may sound selfish but we got to admit;we all feel a little, if not much,relieved realising that our problems are not as big as the others.
But for some reason no body dares to open up.Nobody gives a damn about anything.They just go on...as if nothing happened, as if nothing matters to them.
Is it that these people are afraid or not brave enough to let others hear them out?Do they live in fear that their reputation or self highness will hit the low octave just in case they do show that they have a weak spot somewhere in there?
I just wish all the people would stop lying about everything.Each and everything that they speak is a big fat lie..so i'm saying through my experience living in a society where people just dont give a damn about others.Being selfish is accepted given the cut throat circumstances that we live in....but that doesnt mean we arent supposed to be stopping once in a while and hear out and lend a helping hand to those who need it.

Yes..we all crave to be heard.Somewhere inside us we just want to yell out loudly to the cruel world to drop everything that its doing and hear us out.Who values our opinions,our thoughts our quotes more?
We,ourselves 'course!! But nobody is even bothered to look up into your eyes and tell you that no matter what,I'm always there to hear you out..no one i tell you ..no one.

So we can wind up saying that maybe one day if you just hear out a beggar while strolling the streets, it would change his and perhaps your life too.
And then maybe,one day we could hear all the echoes of those lost voices!

String of light

Reading the Bible,I came across this in a gospel, not that you don't know.Jesus walked on water to reach to his disciples who were in a boat and on seeing this, they were scared.Then Jesus told Peter to come out and walk with him.So Peter did so.But then a strong wind started blowing and Peter was afraid and he began to sink down. At once, Jesus grabbed hold of him and said " How little faith you have!Why did you doubt?"

A little further he quoted to his disciples that even if you have faith as tiny as a mustard seed and you ask this mountain to move, it will move.(Its not for any reason they say, faith can move mountains)

This deep should not be mistaken to be taken literally.You've got to look at it in a broader aspect.I dont wanna start a controversy here, but in the Genesis its clearly written, now literally, that God created man in the image of himself .These lines say it all.In each and every one of us, there lies a spark. Its just residing somewhere, beneath all that stored and hidden guilt, anger etc. All that it need is a tiny ignition to go BOOM!!! Its just that we cripple ourselves and surrender to all our insecurities very soon( comme moi!! :p)
          ALL WE NEED IS FAITH.

Lemme ask this question to all the atheists out there. I know the Bible doesn't lie, I mean how can it.This was practically written. What do you think about the fact that when people went to Jesus and asked him to heal someone they loved and he just asked them to get up and go, your loved has been healed. What do you make of it?Its not miracle. C'mon!
Its faith that the people have, in him, in his words, in his deeds, in their deeds, in their selves, their loved ones, whatever!
Its that tiny 5 letter word.

Coming back to Genesis, God created man in the image of himself.Its not a difficult metaphor.Its the same thing that every religion on this planet preaches.All is one, but the ways are different.

Now, I'm not ranting over here.This what truly has happened to me.Its definitely not easy, no I haven't waled on water! but I've really experienced something inexplicable and I'd like to keep it as my personal treasure (sorry for being so, given that some people relle get all judgmental and stuff).Its not some hocus pocus kinda thing.
Its just a feeling, a strong feeling that resides in each of our hearts.

We are full of courage, again, its only the ignition that's required.It doesnt matter if it comes out early, or late or even some where in the middle, but it comes, at the proper time.Only we've got to keep our eyes and ears wide open.

This is through my personal experience, my dad's patients regard him as their god, their idol, their saviour.I mean this is beautiful, the way mankind can LOVE, have FAITH in something as critical as a doctor who is always under constant pressure as someone's life is literally in his hands!

I always yell this out loud, idol worship isn't having faith.Its just.........well just idol worship!You're really doing things for the sake of it.Dont you go to temples and pray, but lemme tell u even if i pray lying in my bed, I think I'll be more complacent or satisfied than those who go to temples etc.Why you ask?B'coz I pray from my heart.My heart speaks out and that too casually!It reminds of one of Rabindranath Tagore's sayin :
God asks for his temple of love to be built, and man brings stone. This goal of temple of love yet remain man's greatest unfulfilled task!

Mind you, praying is no offence.Its just like singing a song that you keep humming in your minds.You pray to whatever, not necessarily whomever you want. Trust me, it really helps.But just be truthful or else you'd be kidding yourself.
Re-quoting  Steve Jobs: People who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do!
What else, my answer to that is  faith!

Tribute to starry dreamers like me

Looking at my seniors from the corner of the corridors makes me envious of their lives. I see spark in them. If we are earth, they are sky. It gives me a different feeling to think what they all would be doing in a few months down the line.Now i know that I dont have a well versed relationship with them, but someday we too would be walking that path(hopefully).In a short time,to my real surprise, I did make some great friends, people whom I've added as precious gems to my little treasure chest!These friends helped me be brave through my tough times and I couldn't thank them enough for eternity.

It really amazes me to see these people so cool in the head or perhaps that's my perception of them because i myself have a hot head!!
You suddenly realize the different kinds of relationships you've made all along, with or without intention. We may be holding grudges against some of them but in the end they do hold an eminent part in our lives.Just having a walk down the street is made difficult by the circumstances that we are surrounded with, and at times it makes me think whether I should yell out to the whole wide world what we really wanna do!!


Run,run and run, sweat out the last drop in you, jump,jump and jump, till your fingers brush the skies!
Leap and bound till your hearts content and yell loud till your throats dry! And of course have a starry sleep!

Perhaps even God did not imagine the day Adam and Eve took a bite from that apple, that some day these same people would be speculating on finding "Higgs Boson".

Maybe fear drives us onto the right path, fear brings in us the courage to fight, fear is what maybe making us do what we really are doing.
A really great friend of mine told me when i asked him, isnt everything pre-destined?
His awesome reply: if it weren't, you wouldn't be doing what you are doing now!
So true......and there lies the beauty..in those simple words but those sky rocketing thoughts!
Yes the beauty does lie in not knowing a particular thing and being hands after on it..to perhaps know what treasure awaits our patient hearts!!
Every relationship comes bearing gifts with it and this relationship of Friendship is unique in its own way, alas I am still a learner,beginner,amateur and perhaps would like to stay so for a while.....

To all my seniors..........