Woman God and Ishq: a face book dialogue; Unedited

Do not follow Nanak if you do not want to be Nanak. (Zaati naal je zaati rallia, tad baahoo naam sadaaein hoo!) Don't believe in God if you don't want to be God. (Braham Giani Braham te oocha) And if Nanak to you means only a person you have seen on calendars , you can prepare for a lifetime of wasteful waiting.


And as for women-- ah, what a beautiful way of reducing a woman to a mere appendage of Man. My sister, my mother, my daughter, my wife!!! And nothing else.A woman as woman has no existence! Please free woman after all these centuries of her being defined merely as someone to you.Says Nanak"Nanak Bhandde baahihra, eko saacha soyi."



And a woman needs no lessons from you or me how to be a great mother, a great daughter ( by which I do not mean a daughter who cares for her ghar ki izzat but as a perosn who loves her parents) a great sister and everything. So leave her alone to look after these aspects. Just adore her, sing hymns to her beauty and grace and goodness.

And a woman needs no lessons from you or me how to be a great mother, a great daughter ( by which I do not mean a daughter who cares for her ghar ki izzat but as a perosn who loves her parents) a great sister and everything. So leave her alone to look after these aspects. Just adore her, sing hymns to her beauty and grace and goodness. There are only two ways we can be romantic and both are equally divine: be a God intoxicated man or a woman intoxicated man. A Nanak or a Ranjha. Often, one can lead to the other. No coincidence that the greatest poetry in any language pertains to these two themes only.

Do anything you wish with the theme of woman but do not inflict the ultimate insult of quoting guru nanak to defend the mullas, the purohits aand jathedars. My mother is of course someone I am proud of, even of her memory. If there is one thing I will ever ask God (if I meet Him before or after death!!) it would be to place me at the feet of my mother again, and let me live there for eternity. But I love my mother not just as my mother. I worship her first of all as a woman. She was a great person who happened to be "my mother" and not "my mother who happened to be a great woman."



A woman is as beautiful an image of God worthy of unquestioning love as you are.Iif yu are scared of loving her as woman, go join Mullahs, Jathedaars and Purohits. They also can't see a woman for a woman but only as an appendage to man. I celebrate woman as I celebrate God. And love is not for cowards. "Bulla Shah da ishq baghela, rat peenda, goshat charda/ Koi Puccho khaan dilbar ki karda."


As for Bulle Shah and Ranjha and Nanak, well, if you see a difference there, you see more than I can."( Chetak la deewana hoyia/ Laila ban ke Majnu mohia/ Aape roya, aape dhoya/ Kahi keeti rushnaayee je/ Aape hain tu saajan sayyiaan/ Akal daleelan sabh uth gayyaan/ Bull Shan ne khushiaan layyiaan, Hun karda kiyon Judai je"

There are only two ways we can be romantic and both are equally divine: be a God intoxicated man or a woman intoxicated man. A Nanak or a Ranjha. Often, one can lead to the other. No coincidence that the greatest poetry in any language pertains to these two themes only


Aap apni budh hai jeti, varnan bhi bhin kiyo teti, .......And what makes you think that the woman in my poetry refers to ishq mijaazi and the same woman in bulle shah becomes ishq haqiqi ... shocked that i should compare myself with bulla ? First of all, why not? And secondly, I am not doing it. I am only talking of ishq as an experience.

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×Harcharan Bains 4 hours ago
@ Seema: its a big question. and i will try and reply it as well as I can. But for the moment, put briefly, poetry is a fusion of experience, imaganition and a natural vibing of the internal rytham of our being with the external rytham of nature -- and this vibing has to have a vehicle, which is the art and skill of writing both evocatively and … Read Moremusically. But as for experience, yes, it has a place, and a very strong one--- but not in the sense of having to fall actually in love with a concrete living object at the time of writing. There is recall from our experrience in life at any given time, and our observation of experience of others. But quite frankly, no one tell what sugar tastes like without actually tasting it. Experience of course in irreplaceable but not in the flat sense in which some of our reades and other people seem to believe. All poets are lovers but all lovers are not necesarily poets . Poetry is love raised to the level of divinity or a passion. It is a bit complicated Seema, and probably requires a long answer, preferably a longish lecture opr conversation, interaction. I will get back to you on tis when we talk next. But yes, it will be good if we meet sometime.


Harcharan Bains about an hour ago
A woman is as beautiful an image of God worthy of unquestioning love as you are.Iif yu are scared of loving her as woman, go join Mullahs, Jathedaars and Purohits. They also can't see a woman for a woman but only as an appendage to man. I celebrate woman as I celebrate God. And love is not for cowards. "Bulla Shah da ishq baghela, rat peenda, goshat charda/ Koi Puccho khaan dilbar ki karda."

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×Pb To 51 minutes ago
Who is scared of loving a woman........its just diff of perceptions .......when was the last time that Mullahs, Jathedars and Purohits said that dont celebrate woman..they just say dont forget that woman is not there just for your celebration...Nature has not blessd them with the beauty only ....Says Nanak"Nanak Bhandde baahihra, eko saacha soyi."


Saada kamm hai ishq, koi hor naahi,
Saanu ishq da he buss chaa charhiaa, /
Je na ishq vichon he rab labbha,
Vich Mandiraan masjidaan ki dharia./
Ik pal beh saade kol arhia


My truths laugh loudly .. and I laugh freely and joyfully with them . Truth does not have a long face, and you can recognise truth on the street by the sparkle in its eye. "

Bandiya sach albelrha, tak akh vich paa ke akh,/
Mijaazi kar mohabbataan, vich nam khumaari rakh"


×Harcharan Bains 38 minutes ago
@ iqbal Singh ji, Seema, Neena ji -- Thanks a lot. I am truly touched, and frankly, I needed your kind words.

×Swaran Singh 8 minutes ago
Love is not for the cowards, agreed. Love is for those who can truly lose themselves to someone (or something) other than themselves - an attribute of the really brave

×Pb To 3 hours ago
U R abso rite.......Aap apni budh hai........but prob is that I have never commented on ur poetry or ishq mazazi or ishz hakiki....pls have a look again....my comment was on mr baljit balli's comment about kudrat kepping 50% of beauty with itself after bestowing 50% on woman...



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×Harcharan Bains 6 hours ago

You, Neena Uppal and Seema Grewal like this.
Neena Uppal and Seema Grewal like this.
×Seema Grewal 8 minutes ago
wow......
Thats why i hate...using the word...MRS ..so and so....
And changing the surname after marriage.....why not a woman be recognized by her name,her existence....her Surname...which she has lived since her birth....can anybody change the blood and genes ...which are circulating in her blood....after her marriage.....?

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My love is my poem

EXTRACT FROM MY EARLIER REFLECTIONS:-
"My love is my poem .. my heart is my song... my soul is a lyric .. i am an ode to love...you are the voice this ode sings in ...you always were.. down the ages... from Eve to Heer and now .. the archetyopal female .. the life force that kept and keeps the earth in its orbit ..you were there then, are there now, will always be...Aad sach ton antt tak ... but discovered and rediscovered with every fresh dawn .. with every moment .

Sing along with me

Sing on, sing along with me/
Our song heaven's sole melody/
The hum of earth, the music of spheres/
Your face reflected in my sparkling tears/
And your heart's soft strain/
Echoes my joys and my pain.

Sing along with me

Sing on, sing along with me/
Our song heaven's sole melody/
The hum of earth, the music of spheres/
Your face reflected in my sparkling tears/
And your heart's soft strain/
Echoes my joys and my pain.

A life fully enjoyed

(I would like to disown this. I think there is some bitterness in it which does not sit well on my face. Any sugestions on retaining it as a temporary mood or disowning it completely!")

Fortunately, nature gave me a life which has kept me too busy enjoying the love and kindness showered on me to be able to do anything about the bitterness and malignant unhappiness which afflicts the sleep of those who find my face unlikeable and who spend their waking hours trying to convince the world that this planet has never produced anything more evil and less deserving than me.

HOVE JIGAR VICH JAAN TAAN ISHQ KARIYE

Hove jigar vich jaan taan ishq kariye/
Eh na kamm kaminiyaan murdiaan da./
Hove maut da khauf taan ghar-e bahiye,/
Eh taan shauk angiaar te turdian da./

Taoon taoon banere na beth kariye/
Tak tali te sees ihna sooriyaan de/
Sadaa piyaasarhe maran ge sabh kaayar/
Piyaala peen ge honth mansooriyaan de/

Har ik shehar ch hijrhe hazaar phirde/
Mard-e-momin taan kotan main koi hai jee /
Karde chugliaan lakh crore ijjarh,
Buq da singh jo hunda taan soyee hai jee.

Ishq akhda main haan, rab hai ni/
Hond rab di da eh elaan bhi hai/
Jithe ishq hai ni utthe rab kithon?/
ishq rab da jism te jaan bhi hai.

The Eternal Lover

Aad sach ton sach de antt teekar,
Shah ton chor te chor ton sant teekar/
Havva ton Heer teekar, zarre ton beant teekar/
Siraf Ik he joo-e-jazbaat hoyia/
Te ik he ashiq-e-hayaat hoiya/
Kadde Krishan hai see, kade mansoor si main/
Kadi Ranjha kade Majnu manzoor si main/
Kadi Budh te Nanak bann geet gaaye/
Kade Seeta da bann ke meet aaye/
Kade Heer see jigar te jaan meri/
Kade Laila v see mehrbaan meri/
Kade Takhat Hazaarion chall ayaa/
Mahiwal bann kade tere vall ayaa/
Kade ishq mera parvaan chariya/
Kade tatti tavi te aan chariya/
Sees chak huzoor de ghar aaya./
Kar kilay ishq sabh de sir ayaa/
Kade Ishq mera vehngi chak turia/
Te piyaarian di ban akkh turia/
Makke ja ke rab zahoor keeta/
Par tenu na dilon mein door keeta/
Kade peete piale zehar de main/
Huss huss jhalle dukh kehar de main/
Ajj nazar assaan nu jo tu aayee/
Chaare yugaan chon ghum meri (INCOMPLETE)

Those who perish by love are the only ones who shall llive by it

UPDATED ON MARCH 14, 2010

Paradox number umpteen: Those who die by love are the only ones who live by it; death is the first step towards love. "Pehle maran kabool kar/ Jeevan ki chhad aas."

It is impossible to keep "not loving" and yet hope to experience the full, uplifiting glow of love. The sacrifice that love demands -- the sacrifice of 'self'-- is at once the easiest and the toughest path to choose. And yet everyone who loves finds no difficulty in choosing it.
But my dearest, do remember that desire and love are not the same, though both demand sacrifice on different paths. But the sacrifice that love begs of you is the sacrifice of that which is the source of all that is not love.
I am love, and the only language God knows is me -- "Bhakhiya bhav apaar" (Limitless love is His language- Japuji Sahib.) When you talk to me, the whole universe listens. When I speak to you, the heart of this universe beats a little faster and louder as it surges forth to express God. If you do not see God in me, you will never see Him anywhere. Sare-pa ishq hoon, kaayenaat ki zubaan hoon,; baansuri ke honth par hoon ik soz, ik sangeet, bansuri ke dil main hoon main dil-e-yazdaan tamaam.. jo sun rahi thi aaj tak tu, woh koi tha taraana-e- bood-o-hast, woh main hi tha, bus main he hoon ... to ab utth chall ho le mere naal ni ..discover life again, discover the joys of living again, discover love again . In simple words, re-discover yourself. Again. And again. Though there is nothing to discover, there is a whole lot of experience to find and live the newness of the news . And what I said about "be-hijaabi before God" is indeed the experience of revelation that overwhelms. I am overwhelmed even as I overwhelm. And you are doing the same too. We are on the way, and trust that the goal is as much within you and me and us, as it is within others who seek it no one knows where. Turn the face of the mirror. That will help, but you will need to keep your eyes focused there, not looking away if you see some ugliness. Look closely; ugliness is the nature's refusal to confom to our limited ways of exeriencing the joys of beauty.Once there, you and I and us will find no such thing as ugliness. Only our failure -- or our reluctance- to experience the full and awesome impact of love will block our vision of beauty. Wake up, love is abroad.
In the mind of every lover rings an echo the moment he/she experiences the first flames of love in their hearts. And he echo sings a song that was first heard by the Indian mystics in the vast plains that stretch between the mighty river and the endless forests. The echo sang: I am the only saint-soldier of love ever born... I am the Prophet who bespeaks the soul of love from the Cross, I am the only way God ever invented to get himself expressed fully in human truth and that wasy is the language of God-intoxicated and love-intoxicated ( which is the same) I am the only Prophet of Love, so are you. So is everyone who lives by love.

HINDUTAVA OR HINDUSTAANIYAT : THAT IS THE QUESTION

(EXTRACTS FROM A FACEBOOK INTERACTION WITH ADITYA CHAUDHARy ON A REPORT ABOUT A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD HINDU GIRL HIGHLIGHTING THE DANGERS TO OUR COUNTRY AT A MEETING OF THE VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD)


"Communalists can not be your co-religionists or mine. They have a separate religion. The Vishaw Hindu Parishad and the Indian Mujahedeen belong to the same religion of hate. They thrive on each other's success. They can not survive without each other. And they will not hesitate to kill members of their own community if anyone dared oppose this complicity of the killers, or questioned their view of what constitutes loyalty to faith! Scratch a fanatic from any community, and you will find the same skin. They have a genetic inseparability."

Aditya, to get thirteen year old innocent children and poison their minds against their fellow countrymen under the garb of dangers to the country from abroad is a trick not unknown in any religion. All of us – Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs etc --have been doing it under different garbs. It is a pity that we give more importance to the ignorant blubbering of an innocent child than to the sober and well considered concerns and opinions of those who are deeply disturbed over dangers of communalism coming from every community.Talibanisation has no religion. There are Taliban among the Hindus, the Sikhs, the Christian as much as among Muslims. And lets not use our love for our great country as a shield to cover our communal prejudices.

There is no dearth of people in any community doing just that . My own community also has its share of them. And in a country which is and will always be ruled by the Hindus ( if we start identifying our rulers by the religion or community they belong to ) because of their numerical majority, it looks odd to see some of them complaining of discrimination even as no other community as community has ever got -- or is ever likely to get -- anywhere near ruling this country. But that's the whole point: why must we insist that that should be so when we have enough reasonable people in all communities to rise above their petty communalism and rule or serve this country as Indians. I have my differences with the Congress over their Punjab policy but I would never want to see it replaced by either the Lashakar-e-Ta'aiba or Vishwa Hindu Parishad or Khalistan Tiger Force. If it has to be replaced , it must be replaced by people who love this country more and are more competent to deliver on the mandate they receive from the people. As for he Hindus are concerned, who numerically speaking will always be in a majority naturally, most of them know how to take criticism with grace -- after all, they have all the advantages of numbers, and in a democracy, numbers alone matter, as you will agree. Sadly, though, there are voices -- mostly on the fringe -- who would rather that any voice of dissent is dubbed and condemned as communal and anti-national. I am as much against Hindu Vishwa Pariushad as against any other rabidly communal outfit, but should I be treated as anti-national only when I criticize the VHP, and a nationalist when I criticize similar outfits in other communities?

But you and I must think beyond Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. Each one of us must be proud to belong to the culture and religious heritage of our communities but this must never be allowed to come in conflict with our equally sacred pride in being Indians. At the height of terrorism in Punjab, I wrote a piece in the Tribune titled "PROUD TO BE INDIAN;PROUD TO BE SIKH." It naturally came in for bitter and even venomous criticism from the fanatical fringe among both the Hindus and the Sikhs, each one thinking that my pride in anything other than their source of vanity was a sign of "traitor mentality". The Sikh fanatics declared me "Panth da Gaddaar' and the their Hindu counterparts promptly dubbed me "a Khalistani ideologue in the clever garb of a liberal." Thanks to my grounding in my mother's limitlessly liberal legacy, I withstood both -- and even managed to survive long enough to write this today.

Frankly, we can not claim we love our country if we love it less than any other corporate and communal identity. In fact, my mother taught me that it is because of our religion that we love this country more than we love our lives. (And I am not a Hindu, though there is a lot in this religion that I proudly call my own, just as there is in other religions too.)
So cool it, Aditya. Get out of this mindset of Hindus or Sikhs or Muslims being mistreated. Communalists can not be your co-religionists or mine. They have a separate religion. The Vishaw Hindu Parishad and the Indian Mujahedeen belong to the same religion of hate. They thrive on each other's success. They can not survive without each other. And they will not hesitate to kill members of their own community if anyone dared oppose this complicity of the killers, or questioned their view of what constitutes loyalty to faith! Scratch a fanatic from any community, and you will find the same skin. They have a genetic inseparability.

Well, why get upset with the Hindus who do not like communalism in their own community! Then how can we expect secular souls in other communities to oppose fanatics among their ranks !! Sorry but because you are such a decent person, and I really love you for what you are, I must beseech you not to allow this poison to enter your soul.)

A beginner's instruction manual

From a beginner's instruction manual . The first law of totaldisaster2010: " Things will go wrong if they have any chance of going right. And dreams are nature's baits to keep you from attaining peace by getting real. And people will never be so utterly bad as to help you get rid of your illusions. And you will never be so good as to accept what comes and be happy it is no worse."