Ishq

Random thoughts on love that I stumbled across in the last few days.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I came across this in the latest Anoushka Shankar CD that I blogged about earlier.

ISHQ - by Jami (15th century Farsi poet)

Yeh ishq kya hua hua hai

Khud ishq ho gaya hoon

Khud mein hee ram gaya hoon

Khud mein hee kho gaya hoon

Tan saaz ho gaya hoon

Mann raag ho gaya hoon

Kabhu kar ke koi dekhe

Jo ishq ho gaya hoon

I am in love,

I have become love,

I am engrossed in my self,

Oh, I am lost in love.

My body is an instrument,

my heart is a melody.

Those who tread this path

can cherish the touch of purity.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I went to the Iskcon temple the other day. Have you ever been there? It is fascinating!! While I stood there among the crowd of devotees, I couldn't help but smile. And why? Just because I was surrounded by people who were happy. I had nothing to be happy or sad about. But simply looking at the exuberance and the happiness that flowed around me, I repeat, I couldn't help but smile. The positive energy was contagious.

But I just didn't get it. Why were these people, aided by those singing the kirtan on the mike (in the tradition of that great devotee Chaitanya), so joyous for no apparent reason? All they were doing were throwing their hands up in the air, swaying from side to side and loudly chanting 'Hare Ram Hare Krishna'. It was like a rock concert for religious folks!! And to imagine that this happens almost every weekend, not to mention the smaller gatherings everyday.

In the one hour that I spent there, these folks just didn't stop. They continuously danced, jumped and sang to the Lord. Agreed, their tempo changed from time to time but they were having such a great time that most people were not leaving the crowd. Imagine, when a guy like me who was there more because he was interested rather than any particular devotional reason could spend an hour, what the others could do?

Perhaps they had dipped into the so called "ocean of happiness, of peace and serenity" that surrounds us; that same energy that gurus and yogis have told us is waiting for us to smile and experience it. Perhaps....