O Majhi re

“The soul is indestructible and eternal, while the body is ephemeral and perishable. The soul neither slays nor can it be slain, it is never, born and it never dies. After coming into existence, it never ceases to be. It is always there. At the time of death, it does not die, but leaves the body and enters a new one.“ – BhagwadGita

O majhi re,

Apna kinara, nadiya ki dhara hai…

Every journey has a destination, every action has a goal. A journey without destination is just like wandering and any work without a goal is meaningless. Every moment, life moves forward with a new goal & a new destination.

Life has two aspects: body and soul, and it advances through cultivating both in physical and spiritual dimensions.

The goals and achievements of the body are apparent in the physical world. But what about the soul?

The body-soul relationship ends with the body; then, how is the soul’s purpose determined?

Is it true, that the objective of the body is also the goal of the soul?

Does the soul have the same accomplishments as the body?

No.

Because, the soul never dies. It keeps flowing down the river of time, moving from one body to another. In this never-ending cycle of life and death, birth and rebirth, creation and destruction, every end is a beginning and, every beginning is an end.

The soul has no goal or achievement. It exits one body & reincarnates into another in a process that transcends time. This never-ending flow has existed long before the birth of humanity and will continue to flow till eternity. There is no endpoint for this flow. The sole objective of the soul is to follow this stream and, nothing else.

In this voyage across time, the journey itself becomes the destination.

Apna kinara, nadiya kii dhara hai

This contemplative song about a soul’s journey was written by Gulzar for a film, but it stands out on its own without any context.

This makes it a timeless song; beautifully balancing on Spiritual as well as physical aspects of life.

The flow of the river denotes the eternal journey of the spiritual realm, whereas the ‘kinara‘ represents materialistic achievement.

Another distinguishing feature of this song is that each phrase expresses a distinct truth, although being linked by the same concept.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

When the journey is eternal and cyclic, there can be nothing permanent. In a broader sense, everything that appears to be a destination is actually a stopover. One can cling to a desire, mood, emotion, or accomplishment, for as long as they wish, but they must finally, return to the flow.

When everything around is so delicate and momentary, to desire security is very natural but impossible to achieve.

In this unpredictable world, why hold on to anything?

Why cling to the shore when it is a mere stopover, the flow being the real destination.

Sahilon pe behnewale,

kabhi suna toh hoga kahin

“If you play it safe in life, you’ve decided that you don’t want to grow anymore” – Shirley Hufstedler

It’s paradoxical that in a world where everything is transient, whether sentiments, people, events, or surroundings, anyone would consider something/someone to be a safe refuge and become attached to it.

An attachment to anything is similar to clutching the shore which is of no help as the water keeps flowing.

The attachment is momentary. Nothing is permanent here.

It is just like a paper boat with no destination which is bound to sink with the passage of time.

kagazon ki kashtiyon ka

kahin kinara hota nahin

Paper boats are often used to represent life, because both are delicate and will not survive forever.

Those who believe that they can stay longer by adhering to the safest options, eventually discover that there is nothing like, ‘being on the safeside’.

They just keep floating closer to the bank, like a paper boat.

But, can a paper boat ever get anywhere?

Isn’t it true that we all are like paper boats?

The river of life is flowing between the two banks, of suffering and joy. Non-acceptance of this fact complicates things, and one ends up being stranded on the shore, perpetually in a quandary.

Generally, one keeps on swinging back and forth between these two shores. The ideal situation would be to find a balance between the two. Expecting to achieve both is a non-existing possibility.

Just the way, the banks of a river never come together. The flow of the river will come to a halt if that happens.

Will that ever be possible?

Koyi kinara jo kinare se mile woh,

apna kinara hai

Nothing in this world lasts forever.

The growth in the material world frequently gives the feeling of being above others. This becomes the source of one’s ego. Then one clings to the ego, assuming it will last forever.

At that moment, each desire and emotion appears to be the most essential, and one clings to them for support. Many people get the impression that they are supreme, invincible, and eternal.

Everything that appears to be ashore is just an illusion of the sight.

Even the individuals who are regarded to be big, strong, and capable are bound to be swept away in this river. The flow doesn’t leave anyone or anything.

Nothing is permanent.

Paniyo me bah rahe hain

kayi kinare tute huye o…..

“The logs of wood that move down the river together Are driven apart by every wave. Such inevitable parting Should not be the cause of misery.” – Nagarjuna

In this stream of time, we are all floating like logs of wood. Some logs congregate for a while before floating away, only to re-congregate somewhere else down the river of time.

There’s no distinction.

Many times one just gets to meet an old friend who they have not seen in a long time.

It will be somewhere and some time, that everyone will meet again in this flow of time because we are all in this flow together.

Everyone has to keep flowing.

Raston mein mil gaye hain

sabhi sahare chhute huye

In this flow, one may have company but it is a personal journey for everyone.

Here, one is just as alone as with anyone else.

One can not be sure how long a relationship would last. No one can provide support to anyone forever.

In a deeper context, those supports, relations are just an illusion in the spiritual world

Then what about those relations we live through in the physical world, which appear to be real and close?

Gulzar defines them also.

In real life, only a true friend will stand by you in your darkest hour. The true supporter is the one who helps in times of need. Rest is merely a figment of one’s imagination when it comes to relationships.

A friend in distress is a true friend.

koi sahara majhdhare mein miley toh,

apna sahara hai…

There is no other purpose to life than to live.

Apna kinara, nadiya ki dhara hai…

“If life’s journey is endless, where is its goal? The answer is, it is everywhere. We are in a palace which has no end, but which we have reached. By exploring it and extending our relationship with it, we are making it more and more our own.”

– Rabindranath Tagore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHGHzYFzr-E