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Discipline and Letting Go

At Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, photographing a man absorbed in Namaz (muslim prayer), my thoughts meandered to the complementary practice of “discipline” and “letting go”, as taught by Baba Sheikh Farid of Shakarganj.

 

Sheikh Farid (1175 – 1265) was a Sufi saint born at Kothiwal in Multan (Pakistan). He became a disciple of Khwaja Kutubdin Bakhtiar Kaki of Multan. Later in his life, he shifted to Pak Pattan (Shakarganj) in West Punjab (Pakistan). Baba Farid’s sayings are so full of love that 116 of his hymns were reflected in Adi Granth, spiritual scripture of Sikhs, by Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru.

 

“Discipline” and “letting go”: In hymn 119 on page 1384 of Adi Granth, Baba Farid reflects on importance of discipline. Though essence of the hymn is for a spiritual seeker but I also read the message as importance of incorporating discipline in any aspect of life. Studies, career, passion, spirituality. The first step is always – discipline.

 Were my feet become tired, I will walk on my head, if I can meet my Beloved. ||119||

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Interestingly in the following hymn 120, he stresses on the importance of letting go. Once any aspect of life is mastered, there is no need for discipline to be maintained as the nectar has to be allowed to flow from within. Practically, I have seen the amount of effort it takes me to develop any aspect of my life but then reaching the zenith, I find the practice of letting go becomes the essence of my creativity. This too is the essence in spirituality.

 What harm have your head and feet done to you? See your Beloved within yourself. ||120||

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Comments(17)

  1. Reply
    Dhruv says:

    Dear Amardeep,
    Beautiful, and great understanding. Shows how all religions preach the same words, but the technique of achieving the final goal has been misappropriated for gain. Another thing that one really must renounce. Beautiful buddy. I’ll teach you the original technique taught by the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, when we meet. Then the circle will be complete. Be Happy.

    Sarva Mangalam,

    Dhruv

  2. Reply
    Gill says:

    Very nice interpretation!

  3. Reply
    Hemani says:

    Beautiful interpretation Amardeep, and so appropriate for all aspects of life. I have been following up your Blog even more afer coming to India and find them so relevant and inspiring.

  4. Reply
    Karamjeet Singh says:

    Baba Farid’s Hymns touches your heart-they are questions,acceptances and breaking away from the ritual-His ultimate objective is purification of soul through devotion.All seers follow a disciplined life but few revolt against rituals and fruitless pursuits they themselves indulged in.This is where ‘letting go’ occurs and they soar to higher realms of spirituality and leave set norms to follow.Good post!!!

  5. Reply
    Sonia Dhillon-Marty says:

    Great philosophy, so beautifully explained. You are making a great contribution in helping us all attain a better understanding of our heritage.

  6. Reply
    Baba ji says:

    Very nice ji bohat accha laga touhady wichar jan k ji

  7. Reply
    Baba ji says:

    Grate work you are doing
    http://www.facebook.com/savehistoricaleplacesofpaksiatan

  8. Reply
    Baba ji says:

    https://www.facebook.com/savehistoricalplacesofpakistan?ref=hl
    large details of Toms.Forts,Mandirs,Gurdwaras.Old places of pakistan

  9. Reply
    kawal nain singh says:

    You r doing great. Taking a simple every day actions and comparing with bani

  10. Reply
    Ratinder Aujla says:

    Amazing!

  11. Reply
    Geetali says:

    Beautiful image, accompanied by wonderful thoughts.

  12. Reply
    Ravinderpal Kaur says:

    As usual your photography is awesome.

  13. Reply
    Karamjeet Singh says:

    In essence discipline comes through fine tuning norms one practices everyday and Baba Farid has a word on letting them go if those are distractions to the true meaning of life.Nice post by Amardeep Singh.

  14. Reply
    Capt Suresh Sharma says:

    Brilliant capture…

  15. Reply
    Surupa Chatterjee says:

    Beautifully and deeply expressed and yes discipline and letting go applies to all aspects of life….

  16. Reply
    Muktinder Singh says:

    Actually to achieve stability in letting go one must pass through strict discipline first. Letting go without immersing deep into things can be disastrous too as it can lead to Laziness. Which has actually became a big cause of non progressiveness especially in religios people.

  17. Reply
    kishore kumar biswas says:

    A saint saw light within him centuries ago , that became a inextinguishable flame . It still shows us the right path .
    Everything in the creation carries a ‘ divine ‘ rule of discipline. This truth we know through science. Out mortal life is a ‘ part’ of the ‘ disciplined ‘ creation. If we want to be in harmony with that we must also be ” disciplined ” .The natural world does not show any effort to remain ” disciplined ” . Once discipline turns to be ‘ habit’ or ‘ nature’ then it flows with ease and naturally.
    Amardeep here presented a picture of human soul offering prayer to the Divine that speaks of ‘ discipline ‘ and the devotee does the prayer with flowing ease as discipline became his second nature at that moment. Amardeep’s note and snap bring us an illuminating message from our heritage.

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