The feature photo at the main page portrays MHI as gardening as a child. It is linked at:
http://www.ismaili.net/amyn/0016amyn.jpg
Description of the photo: 1940, December 15: Prince Amyn and Prince Karim, the two sons of H.S.H. Prince Aly Khan, are not too young to be initiated to the art of gardening. They are seen in the picture wielding the garden hose with expert hands, watering the lawn of their palatial residence in Cairo.
I could not help reflecting upon the Ginan 'Saami Tamaari Vaaddee Ma(n)he..":
ejee swaamee tamaaree vaaddee maa(n)he gur bhirmaa si(n)channhaar
nave kha(n)ddme(n) see(n)chyaa ropyaa
saamee see(n)che ana(n)t apaar...............................1
O Lord, in Your garden, the Guide, the Creator (Prophetic Light),
is the Waterer (Gardner). He has planted and watered in the nine continents (or heavens). The Lord waters (showers His mercy) in a limitless manner.
MHI The Gardener
MHI The Gardener
Last edited by kmaherali on Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Just thought of other verses from the Ginan 'Hojire Maaraa Hansaa":
hojire maaraa hansaa,
isre vele indraa fal laagaa,
te to jem re vadhe tem kaddvaa ji..............................8
O my soul! This creeper bears a fruit (indraafal). The bigger it grows the bitter it gets.
[The product of lust and greed for the material possessions becomes very burdensome and bitter, eventually destroying the soul.]
hojire maaraa hansaa,
teddaavo gunn vanta maaline,
te to jadmudd thi kaadhi naakhe ji.............................9
O my soul! Call for an expert (gunnvant) Gardner who will pull it (the creeper) out of it's very root.[Here the Gardner is the Perfect Guide - Murshid-e-kaamil who will remove all the lust and greed if followed devotedly and replace them with a higher life.]
hojire maaraa hansaa,
isre vele indraa fal laagaa,
te to jem re vadhe tem kaddvaa ji..............................8
O my soul! This creeper bears a fruit (indraafal). The bigger it grows the bitter it gets.
[The product of lust and greed for the material possessions becomes very burdensome and bitter, eventually destroying the soul.]
hojire maaraa hansaa,
teddaavo gunn vanta maaline,
te to jadmudd thi kaadhi naakhe ji.............................9
O my soul! Call for an expert (gunnvant) Gardner who will pull it (the creeper) out of it's very root.[Here the Gardner is the Perfect Guide - Murshid-e-kaamil who will remove all the lust and greed if followed devotedly and replace them with a higher life.]
These are verses from the Ginan “Seheje piroddhaa sehestra varannaa”
Eji Sinche sinche sinchaaddaa hari aalaa re,
saami maaro aap fare rakhavaalo ... ...
aap fare rakhvaalo saami,
aape vaaddi jogve;
ful pankhaddi fare bijoraa,
saami aape paramal bhogave,
maalann man maanhe santokhi 2
O brother! My Lord continuously waters and makes verdant (the plants and the meadows). My Lord himself safeguards it. Lord himself safeguards, himself protects the fields. He moves over flowers, petals and fruits, the Lord delights himself with their fragrance, the lady gardener is happy in her heart.
Eji Paanch kali pachaase fuli,
fuldde fuli fulvaaddi;
jaare pavan nit noor-j varse,
Kaayam raaje ropi chhe bhali vaaddi re,
saami taare veladdie vadhaari,
cheto maaraa munivar bhaai 3
O brother! Five buds are manifest (or have burst forth) amongst twenty five flowers, the flowers have formed a small garden. The wind blows and the ‘Nur’ always pours, the Lord of Resurrection has prepared (or grown) a lovely garden. Our Lord has increased the (number of) creepers. O my believers! Become cautious.
Eji Sinche sinche sinchaaddaa hari aalaa re,
saami maaro aap fare rakhavaalo ... ...
aap fare rakhvaalo saami,
aape vaaddi jogve;
ful pankhaddi fare bijoraa,
saami aape paramal bhogave,
maalann man maanhe santokhi 2
O brother! My Lord continuously waters and makes verdant (the plants and the meadows). My Lord himself safeguards it. Lord himself safeguards, himself protects the fields. He moves over flowers, petals and fruits, the Lord delights himself with their fragrance, the lady gardener is happy in her heart.
Eji Paanch kali pachaase fuli,
fuldde fuli fulvaaddi;
jaare pavan nit noor-j varse,
Kaayam raaje ropi chhe bhali vaaddi re,
saami taare veladdie vadhaari,
cheto maaraa munivar bhaai 3
O brother! Five buds are manifest (or have burst forth) amongst twenty five flowers, the flowers have formed a small garden. The wind blows and the ‘Nur’ always pours, the Lord of Resurrection has prepared (or grown) a lovely garden. Our Lord has increased the (number of) creepers. O my believers! Become cautious.
In conformity to the plurality of spiritual wisdom, the following poem uses the imagery of the bower (of flowers) to convey a sense of ever freshness upon spiritual enlightenment. A garden is a place of wonders and beauty where plants are ever refreshed through the care of a gardener.
Loving Vow
By Rasakhan
(1534 - 1619)
English version by Shyamdas
I know all about the Enchanter’s heart.
His glance has merged my heart with Him.
Ever since the day
I saw the captivating and beautiful,
moon-like face of that eminent Shyam
in the love-bower,
my eyes have abandoned all caution
and family concerns.
Now I wander His forest glade.
What can I do?
He has captured me.
I am stuck to that mine of nectar.
My loving vow is to His advantage.
- from "Treasury of Love: The Poems of Rasakhan" translated by Shyamdas. (Available from http://www.shyamdas.com/books.htm)
Pir Hasan Kabirdin in his Ginan “Abdu Man Jite Man Ichha fal Upaje’ says:
abdhu ghatt maa(n)he reedh seedh hay, ane ghatt maa(n)he anhad chaalaa;
ghatt maa(n)he bhaag lagaayaa baabu, ghattmaa(n)he see(n)chann
haaraa abdhu......................................................................19
O slave! Real prosperity and success is in the heart, and there are unlimited plays in the heart. In the heart is the garden of fortune, brother, and in the heart is the waterer(of mercy).
abdhu ghattmaa(n)he navkha(n)d peerodhamee, ane ghattmaa(n)he hay kevalaasaa;
ghattmaa(n)he saat samuddhra kaa vaasaa, gur beenaa jaay peeyaasaa abdhu.........................20
kevalaas - one of the peaks of the Himalayas
O slave! In the heart is the expanse of the earth with nine continents, and in the heart is one of the peaks of the Himalays(the entire creation encompassing the horizontal and vertical limits is in the heart). The heart is the place of the seven seas (of mercy), but without the Guide one goes thirsty(the Guide opens the doors to the seven oceans(heavens)).
Loving Vow
By Rasakhan
(1534 - 1619)
English version by Shyamdas
I know all about the Enchanter’s heart.
His glance has merged my heart with Him.
Ever since the day
I saw the captivating and beautiful,
moon-like face of that eminent Shyam
in the love-bower,
my eyes have abandoned all caution
and family concerns.
Now I wander His forest glade.
What can I do?
He has captured me.
I am stuck to that mine of nectar.
My loving vow is to His advantage.
- from "Treasury of Love: The Poems of Rasakhan" translated by Shyamdas. (Available from http://www.shyamdas.com/books.htm)
Pir Hasan Kabirdin in his Ginan “Abdu Man Jite Man Ichha fal Upaje’ says:
abdhu ghatt maa(n)he reedh seedh hay, ane ghatt maa(n)he anhad chaalaa;
ghatt maa(n)he bhaag lagaayaa baabu, ghattmaa(n)he see(n)chann
haaraa abdhu......................................................................19
O slave! Real prosperity and success is in the heart, and there are unlimited plays in the heart. In the heart is the garden of fortune, brother, and in the heart is the waterer(of mercy).
abdhu ghattmaa(n)he navkha(n)d peerodhamee, ane ghattmaa(n)he hay kevalaasaa;
ghattmaa(n)he saat samuddhra kaa vaasaa, gur beenaa jaay peeyaasaa abdhu.........................20
kevalaas - one of the peaks of the Himalayas
O slave! In the heart is the expanse of the earth with nine continents, and in the heart is one of the peaks of the Himalays(the entire creation encompassing the horizontal and vertical limits is in the heart). The heart is the place of the seven seas (of mercy), but without the Guide one goes thirsty(the Guide opens the doors to the seven oceans(heavens)).
The usage of the garden as a symbol of paradise can be found in the Quran-e-Sheriff as well. The following is an interpretation and meditation of the Quranic Ayats 47:14-15 given by Lex Hixon in his "Heart of the Koran".
"Those immersed in authentic awe of Allah Most Sublime live on the level of Paradise, the fragrant gardens of pure consciousness where four rivers eternally flow. Divine Clarity is the river of transparent water, free from the slightest impurity, that refreshes the soul and slakes its thirst. Divine Knowledge is the river of sweet milk that nourishes the soul perfectly and never turns sour. Divine Bliss is the river of delicate wine that inebriates the soul who ascends in ecstasy. Divine Love is the river of clarified honey, the golden essence of mystical union. On the level of awareness called Paradise grow incomparable fruits, the countless Attributes of Allah Most High. There the soul is cleansed completely by the Divine Forgiveness that flows from the Source of Love. But on the level of awareness called Hell, the intense Splendor of Allah is falsely perceived as unbearable fire, and souls experience the terrors that they dream through their own chronic state of negation as boiling water which scalds their very being as they try to drink. My beloved, how can these two levels be compared?"
"Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine Kind words and kind deeds”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree."
Vietnamese Proverb
"Those immersed in authentic awe of Allah Most Sublime live on the level of Paradise, the fragrant gardens of pure consciousness where four rivers eternally flow. Divine Clarity is the river of transparent water, free from the slightest impurity, that refreshes the soul and slakes its thirst. Divine Knowledge is the river of sweet milk that nourishes the soul perfectly and never turns sour. Divine Bliss is the river of delicate wine that inebriates the soul who ascends in ecstasy. Divine Love is the river of clarified honey, the golden essence of mystical union. On the level of awareness called Paradise grow incomparable fruits, the countless Attributes of Allah Most High. There the soul is cleansed completely by the Divine Forgiveness that flows from the Source of Love. But on the level of awareness called Hell, the intense Splendor of Allah is falsely perceived as unbearable fire, and souls experience the terrors that they dream through their own chronic state of negation as boiling water which scalds their very being as they try to drink. My beloved, how can these two levels be compared?"
"Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine Kind words and kind deeds”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree."
Vietnamese Proverb