Columnists
Playfield Of Love
INNI KAUR
Challenging day
Mind on overload
I reach for Rumi
He captures me:
“The grapes of my body can only become wine
After the winemaker tramples me.
I surrender my spirit like grapes to his trampling
So my inmost heart can blaze and dance with joy.
Although the grapes go on weeping blood and sobbing
‘I cannot bear any more anguish, any more cruelty‘ ”
The trampler stuffs cotton in his ears
“I am not working in ignorance
You can deny me if you want, you have every excuse
But it is I who am the Master of this Work
And when through my Passion you reach Perfection
You will never be done praising my name.”
Mind drifts …
I recall my trampling
The dark night of my soul
A painful, violent process totally committed
to challenging and eliminating my every thought.
My world turned upside down -
The agony continued for years
Silently, I bore it
Revealed nothing
For there was nothing to reveal
Then one afternoon, unbeknownst to me,
my consciousness surrendered -
A glorious occurrence
Darkness lifted
Heart blazed and danced with joy
Awareness became alive
Prayer, meditation changed into conversation,
Journey with Shabad began
Glorification arose
You are
The Breath of breath, the Life of life
The Essence within the essence
The Sound within the sound
The Joy within the joy
The Fragrance within the fragrance
The Silence within the silence
Perfection is impossible. For in Sikh thought, Guru is Perfection. And I am a work in progress. The secret of divine knowledge lies within each of us. Each moment is an unfolding invitation to celebrate and contemplate the vast field of love. If you keep your heart in awe, reverence and devotion, you will immersed in divine glory.
I share this with love. For I know there are many out there who are going through this terrifying process. Know that there are no coincidences. It is through pain that we grow the most. Embrace the process of the dark night. Consider it a tremendous blessing.
May the sacred flame of passion ignite within
May the voice of wisdom resound within
* * * * *
Inni Kaur is the CEO of the Sikh Research Institute. She is also the author of 'Journey with the Gurus’ series; ‘Sakhi-Time with Nani ji’; and ‘Thank You, Vahiguru.’
December 28, 2016
Conversation about this article
1: Amardeep (USA), December 29, 2016, 12:58 PM.
Thanks for penning it down for inspiration, for others to follow. I wish to meet you someday.
2: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), December 29, 2016, 3:09 PM.
True divinity in a person is if he or she does not inspire 'fear' in others nor has any 'fear' of others. Fearlessness and steadfastness were ingrained in our Gurus. Divine wisdom flowed from them.