Tuhi Tu

Tuhi Tu by Abinow Bhat

Dadu Dyal was a cotton spinner/ Carder (called Pinjara or Dhunnia in Hindi) by profession. One day, during spinning, when he lent his ears, while passing the shuttle, back and forth over the strings of his instrument/ card ( called Pinjan in Hindi ) , heard the sound / hymn of "Tat Sat, Tuhi Tuhi" ( It is stark truth that You are the Only One ) emanating from the strings. This repeated sound touched his heart and mind and he started worshiping Almighty God after hearing this melodious tone, earned Lord's merits and, ultimately, became His true devotee. In the same way, once you start treading the path of spirituality, have craving, devotion and dedication you will see Lord's presence everywhere and interpret/ infer/ imply every sound as of His own due to the change in the angle of your vision.

Were the gopis and cows of Vrindavan not attracted towards the melodious and reverberating divine tunes of the Flute Player, Lord Krishna, and heard the same in rapt silence and attention? Even the sound of a chugging train will be pronounced by you as of the Lord Supreme pleasing to your ears and giving some worthy message. Remember what Sai Baba of Shirdi used to utter very often, "Sab ke Malik ek hein"(God is the only Ruler of us all) . You can also produce any desired sound with any meaning praising the Creator of this world even from a reed/ shehnai/ lute or harmonium etc. Such should be the impact of Lord's presence everywhere in your mind. It is your love, sweet words, language and faith which matter for attraction and bond and not the particular way and language of your expression.

It is not out of place to mention here that Saint Ravi Das ( Guru of Mira Bai ) was a cobbler, Saint Kabira was a Muslim weaver of Kashi, Dev Rishi Narad Muni was the son of a maid-servant and Brahma Rishi Valmiki was a robber. They reached the zenith of spirituality after coming into contact and influence of the divine souls. History is replete with such personalities.

One requires a true preceptor to guide us, shake us and put us on the right path in helping control of our senses which behave like an unbridled horse running amok hither and thither. For this purpose the incarnation of divine souls have taken place in the past and shall continue to do so, from time to time, otherwise we will remain in pitch darkness of ignorance and falsehood. Also we will never learn the art of living with purpose or bonding to Perfection being trail blazers of non-believers.

Ponder a while, look around and you will surely find marvels and bounties of Lord Absolute everywhere and in every speck. Lift your eyes towards the sky to find fluffy clouds wandering here and there, pealing sound of convective clouds on a rainy day and birds soaring in typical formations. Think and observe the bird Cataka wandering and chirping 'Piyu- Piyu' in search of precious first drop of cloud-burst. We can learn from it about the extant and suffering for love, longing and restraint.

Turn your attention to the heave and swell of ocean waters and its dancing and colliding waves producing soothing melodious songs. Sometimes the moon is in contortion/ crescent form and its cooling light is strewn wonderfully in corona radiating all round when in full bloom. Think, whether there will be any life on earth without Sun shine! In lush green gardens the twinkling of glowing worms and zillion butterflies gives hilarious and enchanting sight. The different shapes and bursting flaming colours of plants and flowers with multiple fragrances exhibit splendour and wonders of the Benign Lord. The soothing and gentle breeze is panacea for all our troubles and helps in releasing tension of our nervous system and detoxifying our bodies due to which we find ourselves completely in calm, spectacular and tranquil atmosphere. If this is not a paradise here itself then what else is this! All this provides peace to our weary eyes and mind. It looks as if the excellent abode of God has descended on earth to give us complete solace, peace and bliss. It is left to our wisdom to seize the opportunity, enthral , rejoice and celebrate in the glory of the Ruler of Creation, the Heavenly Father.

Let us revert to the qualities of our true guides who help us in reaching and aligning with our Gracious Father by narrowing down the gap between us both. Such divine souls do not differentiate between religions but stress upon virtues and humanity. Their body, mind and intellect are in unison. They act like touch-stones for resurrecting and transforming the lives of others and inject wonderful colours of humanity. The fully transformed persons will start admiring all pervading Lord and act according to His commandments as they, now, possess discerning vision. Even a glimmer of Lord is full of hope and sets life aglow.

Allow the Supreme Lord a permanent seat in your body to help and guide you throughout life. Once the seed of spirituality starts germinating in our heart it will definitely grow, mature and bear fruit provided we moist it with faith to the core. We should always be intoxicated with His divine nectar. We should bow, kneel and prostrate before Him for blessing us beautiful, wonderful and precious life. Chanting His holy name results like a bath of purification of our mind. We should be immersed in Him in such a way that our every heart-beat, cell, tissue and hair filament should produce the sound of "Tuhi Tu". Remember the words of the Sikh community who chant Lord's name through their slogan: "Jo bole so nihal, Sat Sri Akaal" (whosoever chants His name will be redeemed, Truth is infinite and everlasting). The famous saint Kabira also said in one of his couplets: "Har ghatt mein mera sayan, khali ghatt na koe" (my Lord pervades everywhere, there is no place without Him) .

When our defiled mind and vision become crystal clear and we are completely drenched in His hue we enjoy the bliss of our Holy Father , Lord of Mercy and gain internal strength. Our all desires will be satiated. He can be found everywhere, in office, factory, field or farm as King Janaka found Sita, through Lord's blessings, while tilling the land. Sita proved herself as an impeccable and faithful consort of Lord Rama. We should not forget as to how Lord Shiva saved the life of Markandey (who chanted Maha Mrityunjay Mantra) from the clutches of Yama, Lord of Death.

We conclude from above that the Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth and Guardian of our life is manifested in everything and everywhere and if we are deprived of His mercy, bounties and endowments what will happen! Those who bond with the Real Gem and Truth dispense with their own identity even. We should not encircle and entangle ourselves with the worldly web but seek complete freedom by walking on the path leading to His abode. We should dedicate our lives in His service. We should anoint, adorn and allow Him to dwell in our hearts and illuminate our inner self with His presence. We must always say / mumble, "You are both my father and mother, my trusted 'Sakha' (colleague), Refuge and Redeemer". Have we not observed that even the gods (including Mahadeva, Lord Shiva) in deep concentration / communion and praying someone more powerful to them! It clearly shows that there is some omnipotent Supreme Lord running the whole world so efficiently and without any let-up. He is no other than Lord Nirankar , or give Him any other name. When a person reaches such an exalted state he / she dances and sings in Lord's glory and is on the right path of achieving salvation.