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Rumi

Poetry

Purpose

by COLEMAN BARKS

 

There is one thing in this world you must never forget to do.

If you forget everything else and not this, there's nothing to worry about, but if you remember everything else and forget this, then you will have done nothing in your life.

It's as if a king has sent you to some country to do a task, and you perform a hundred other services, but not the one he sent you to do.

So, human beings come to this world to do particular work. If you don't do it, it's as though a priceless Indian sword were used to slice rotten meat. It's a golden bowl being used to cook turnips, when one filing from the bowl could buy a hundred suitable pots. It's like a knife of the finest tempering, nailed into a wall to hang things on.

You say, "But look, I'm using it. It's not lying idle".

Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?

For a penny, an iron nail could be bought.

You say, "But I spend my energies on lofty projects. I study philosophy and jurisprudence, logic, astronomy and medicine".

But consider why you do those things. They are all branches of yourself and your impressiveness. Remember the deep root of your being, the presence of your Lord.

Give yourself to the One who already owns your breath and your moments.

If you don't, you'll be like the man who takes a ceremonial dagger and hammers it into a post for a peg to hold his dipper gourd. You'll be wasting valuable keenness and forgetting your dignity and purpose.

[From "Commentary" by Coleman Barks,  in Rumi, The Book of Love. Suggested by Jagjit Kaur, Malaysia.]

Conversation about this article

1: Meeta Kaur (Oakland, California, U.S.A.), October 05, 2007, 6:44 PM.

What timing! I am a believer in doing what we have been placed on earth to do, but what about practical living and earning one's keep?

2: D.J.Singh (U.S.A.), October 06, 2007, 2:56 AM.

If God dwells in each one of us, then why do some individuals hurt others? If God is deeply rooted in our being, then why must we constantly remember Him or Her?

3: Tejwant (U.S.A.), October 06, 2007, 11:35 AM.

We are mere channels through which the energy passes through. With a lead pencil, we can kill someone or draw like Leonardo da Vinci ... it all depends on how we channelize the very same energy. Gurbani acts like a catalyst. And this catalyst is Ik Ong Kaar - The Creative Energy, that resides in all, with no exception. Let's all strive to become Leonardos ... or better: Nanaks!

4: D.J.Singh (U.S.A.), October 06, 2007, 2:58 PM.

If even a leaf cannot flutter without the will of God, then why do calamities happen? If God is so deeply rooted in our being, then why do we crave to outdo the accomplishments of our spouses, friends or colleagues? Why is remembering God the sole purpose of our existence?

5: Patricia (U.S.A.), October 24, 2007, 10:33 PM.

Keep reading Rumi. Spin in circles. Stay dizzy and forget. Get REALLY dizzy and ask God to know God. When you know - the value of remembering is self-evident. It is for MY sake that I keep my agreement with Him. HOW COULD I EVER FORGET YOU? Being with Him FEELS good. :) Wakes me from the dreary dream of life on planet earth.

6: Manorita singh (Gurgaon, India), March 27, 2008, 3:13 AM.

Why does it take a lifetime to discover one's purpose in life? We are here for a reason, no doubt, but I'm still searching for it ...

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