The Sunday Guardian

Desire is a never ending thirst

- By Davinder P.S. Sandhu

Modern lifestyle is made up of daily doses of jealousy, envy, and coveting. Infected with the double virus of being unhappy with what is available and always wanting more, modern man is beset with hypertensi­on, cardiac problems, and much worse. Desire and anger is indeed a poisonous amalgam:

Just like soft borax dissolves a hard and shining element like gold,

Unfulfille­d desire and unresolved anger waste the body away.

Surely, we cannot expect that a farmer will harvest the happiness of corn, by planting thorny seeds of jealousy. Further, if the wrong seeds are irrigated with the salt water of anger, the result will be a body, as barren as the hot desert. The law of nature is clear – that man can only get in return, what he chooses to give away in the first place. And as he gave only jealousy and anger to others, the same unwanted gifts go around, causing further sadness.

Whoever practices greed, possessive­ness and falsehood, shall receive them in return as the fruits of his own labour.

Doing away with ill-feeling towards others is therefore the sure path on which to build a healthy life.

Do not harbor evil intentions against others in your mind, and you shall not be troubled, O Siblings of Destiny, O my friends.

Sheikh Fareed of Pak Pattan, in modern day Pakistan, was a disciple of the Sufi Qutbuddinb­akhtiyar Kaki.

Sheik Fareed is one of the largest contributo­rs to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, His advice is simple.

Fareed, for those who wish you ill, do not fill your mind with anger.

Pray instead that good may happen to them.

Your body shall thereafter not suffer from any disease,

And you shall understand and achieve the true purpose of life.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India