Joy...

I don't know about happiness but the moment I stopped looking for permanence in this temporary world, I found joy... Unchained, Unlocked...

दवा बंनने से पहले लाज़िम है दर्द का तूफान होना

नसीब-ए-जन्नत के लिए ज़रूरी है फ़ना होना,
दवा बंनने से पहले लाज़िम है दर्द का तूफान होना

[naseeb-e-jannat ke liye zaroori hai fanaa hona,
dawaa bann ne se pehle laazim hai dard ka toofan hona]

The heartache of love must breach the threshold of pain before it can become the path to salvation.

The Wise Woman's Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food.

The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

~The Wise Woman's Stone - Author Unknown~

I am doing what I want...

A turtle was crossing a swamp, covered in mud, when it passed a temple.

There it saw the shell of another turtle – all adorned with gold and precious stones.

"I don't envy you, ancient friend," thought the turtle.

"You're covered in jewels, but I’m doing what I want."

If you make yourself into a doormat...

If you make yourself into a doormat, people will wipe their feet on you. 

~American Proverb~

If you make yourself into a doormat, people will wipe their feet on you.

~American Proverb~

गोलमाल है, सब गोलमाल है

बच्चों के बढ़ते होमवर्क
माँ-बाप का जंजाल है
सभी स्कूलों का यही हाल है
गोलमाल है, सब गोलमाल है

फोटो शेयर करते ही
१००० लाइक्स का सवाल है
फेसबुक पर होता बवाल है
गोलमाल है, सब गोलमाल है

ऑनलाइन मंगाई थी चादर
डब्बे में निकला रुमाल है
आजकल यही धमाल है
गोलमाल है, सब गोलमाल है

महंगाई आसमां छू रही
रूपये का भी बुरा हाल है
यह अच्छे दिनों का कमाल है
गोलमाल है, सब गोलमाल है

It is all about you...

Reach out your hands 
Let a joy keep you
Say goodbye to sorrows
Bid them farewell adieu

Get out of the shell
Stay willing to start anew
Be joyful, Be strong
Let the happiness find you

Walk beyond the gloom
Let the sun rays pass thru
The darkness is now history
Each moment bright and new

Believe and live your life
A dream, a passion you pursue
Don't worry about the pitfalls
Courage will help you pull through

The best way to please the Lord...

A novice went to Abbot Macarius seeking advice about the best way to please the Lord.
- Go to the cemetery and insult the dead – said Macarius.
The brother did as he was told. The following day, he returned to Macarius.

- Did they respond? – asked the abbot.
The novice said no, they didn’t.
- Then go to them and praise them.
The novice obeyed. That same afternoon, he returned to the abbot, who again wished to know whether the dead had responded.
- No – said the novice.
- In order to please the Lord, behave as they do – said Macarius.
“Pay no heed to the insults of men, nor to their praise; in this way, you shall forge your own path.”

my address forever...

I thrive, and I perish, but I never say never
I dream 'n hope, that's my address forever...

ग़म में मुस्कुराता हूँ और मसर्रत में आह निकलती है

बिखरा इक शाम तो फिर ज़र्रों को इस तरह बेहिस मिलाया मैंने
अब ग़म में मुस्कुराता हूँ और मसर्रत में आह निकलती है

bikhra ek shaam toh phir zarron ko iss tarah behis milaya maine
ab gham mein muskurata hoon aur masarrat mein aah nikalti hai

कभी मैंने भी...

लबालब भर जाने के बाद
जाम से छलकी शराब
तो आया मुझे याद
कभी मैंने भी इक अजनबी पर
उसकी इंतेहा से ज़्यादा ऐतबार था किया
labalab bhar jaane ke baad
jaam se chalki sharaab
toh aaya mujhe yaad
kabhi main bhi ek ajnabi par
uski intehaa se zyada aitbaar tha kiiya

The Musk Deer

The musk deer story is an invaluable lesson that can set each one of us free.

Once upon a time there lived a magnificent musk deer who was intrigued by a powerful fragrance emitting from somewhere nearby. This scent stirred the inner depths of its soul so profoundly that he was determined to find its source. And his resolute was so intense that the deer carried on this search by day as well as by night, notwithstanding the severity of cold or the intensity of blazing heat. This continued until one day the deer finally lost his foothold and fell from on a cliff resulting in a fatal injury. While breathing its last, the deer found out that the fragrance was coming from a gland that was hidden within his lower abdomen.

To search for joy is an accepted tendency for us all but this chase is certain to become maddening if we constantly look outside, and never within.

The Five Steps of a Breast Self-Exam

It is estimated that 1 in 22 women is prone to develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

Here's how to examine yourself [Breast Self-Exam] in 5 steps...

Trees and towns... ~Paulo Coelho~

In the Mojave desert, one often comes across those famous ghost towns that were built around the gold mines. They were abandoned when all the gold had been mined out. They had served their purpose and there was no reason for anyone to go on living there.

When we walk through a forest, we see trees which, once they have served their purpose, have fallen. However, unlike ghost towns, their fall has opened up space for light to penetrate, they have enriched the soil and their trunks are covered in new vegetation.

Our old age will depend on the way we have lived. We can either end up like a ghost town or like a generous tree, which continues to be important even after its fall.

~Paulo Coelho~

Never cut what you can untie.

Never cut what you can untie.

~Joseph Joubert~
[French Author 1754-1824]

Never cut what you can untie.

'Success' By Bessie Anderson Stanley [1905]

He has achieved success
who has lived well,
laughed often, and loved much;
who has gained the respect of intelligent men and
the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty
or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others and
given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.

~'Success' By Bessie Anderson Stanley [1905]~

For a seed to achieve its greatest expression...

For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.
~Cynthia Occelli~

हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती... ~हरिवंश राय बच्चन~

लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

नन्ही चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढ़ती दीवारों पर सौ बार फिसलती है,
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना न अखरता है,
आखिर उसकी मेहनत बेकार नहीं होती ,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

डुबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा-जाकर खाली हाथ लौट आता है,
मिलते न सहेज के मोती पानी में,
बहता दूना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में,
मुठ्ठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती,
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

असफलता एक चुनौती है स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गयी, देखो और सुधार करो,
जब तक न सफल हो नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम,
संघर्षों का मैदान छोड़ मत भागो तुम,
कुछ किये बिना ही जय-जयकार नहीं होती,
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

~हरिवंश राय बच्चन~

महफूज़ हर कदम करना ऐ ख़ुदा, ऐ ख़ुदा

आनी जानी है कहानी
बुलबुले सी ज़िंदगानी
बनती कभी बिगड़ती
तेज़ हवा से लड़ती, भिड़ती

हा रहम, हा रहम, फ़रमाए ख़ुदा
हा रहम, हा रहम, फ़रमाए ख़ुदा
महफूज़ हर कदम करना ऐ ख़ुदा, ऐ ख़ुदा
महफूज़ हर कदम करना ऐ ख़ुदा, ऐ ख़ुदा

साँसों की सूती डोर अनूठी
जल जाएगी, जल जाएगी
बंद जो लाए थे हाथ की मुट्ठी
खुल जाएगी, खुल जाएगी

क्या गुमान करे काया ये उजली
मिट्टी में मिल जाएगी
चाहे जितनी शमाएँ रोशन कर ले
धूप तो ढल जाएगी, जाएगी

सोने चमक में, सिक्कों खनक में
मिलता नहीं, मिलता नहीं
धूल के ज़र्रों में ढूंढे कोई तू
मिलता वहीँ, मिलता वहीँ

क्या मजाल तेरी मर्ज़ी के आगे
बन्दों की चल जाएगी
थामे ऊँगली जो तू, कठपुतली भी
चाल बदल जाएगी, जाएगी


फिल्म : आमिर
गायक : मुर्तज़ा कादिर, अमिताभ और अमित त्रिवेदी
संगीतकार : अमित त्रिवेदी
गीतकार : अमिताभ भट्टाचार्य

The Star Thrower Story; Loren Eiseley

A man was walking on the beach one day and noticed a boy who was reaching down, picking up a starfish and throwing it in the ocean.

As he approached, he called out, “Hello! What are you doing?”

The boy looked up and said, “I’m throwing starfish into the ocean”.

“Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the man.

“The tide stranded them. If I don’t throw them in the water before the sun comes up, they’ll die” came the answer.

“Surely you realize that there are miles of beach, and thousands of starfish. You’ll never throw them all back, there are too many. You can’t possibly make a difference.”

The boy listened politely, then picked up another starfish. As he threw it back into the sea, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”

~The Star Thrower Story; Loren Eiseley~