Living by Faith
Every object (alive or otherwise) in this Universe germinates when it’s time comes. A life form takes birth and dies, a mountain forms through ages of tectonic activity and disintegrates in time. A star is formed and dies. A sprout germinates and years later, the tree withers. Ever wondered what bolsters this very phenomenon of fleeting existence?
It is FAITH, in whatever form one can comprehend, that does this miracle! The faith in permanence helps the impermanence find it’s source. This is why it is very essential for us, as human beings, to have faith in the Good. Faith is not religious, it is not the creation of human thought. Faith is, simply put, the act of surrender that actually makes one infallible.
If a man (man — I am using it in a gender-neutral context here) bows to difficulties, that is faith. If a man lets go off his ego for petty resolves, that is faith. If a man does a good that is the right thing, no matter what others say, that is faith.
I’d like to share a poem on “Faith” by the great Kabir Das today. This poem is often sung as a melody. I did not find an image of the complete poem in Devanagari script — only a part of it, but I have translated the poem in English for my readers, in the figure below (on the right side in blue).
Kabir was a 15th-century Indian saint and mystic poet from the famous city of Varanasi, whose poetry in the form of “Doha” (poem in 2 lines) have influenced many generations of youth.
His Doha poems are full of meaning and teachings. Legend has it that he was a Muslim by birth and was profoundly influenced by the tenets of Hinduism. When he lived, his ideas or thoughts had threatened Hindus and Muslims alike, but when he died, both Hindus and Muslims claimed him as theirs. His legacy lives through Kabir Pant, a community that recognizes him as a Sant Mat founder. Although there were criticisms that Kabir faced, much of his thoughts were ahead of time and were perhaps misinterpreted grossly.
