A rather different breed

raj87verma88

Saw a lot of posts in the books section. Heartening to see that in this technical world people are still found of reading.
I am a voracious reader. A book addict. If there is a book in front of me, i have to read it, no matter what it contains. But the books which i prefer and love most are Classical Novels. Charles Dickens, HG Wells, Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Hardy, Alexandre Dumas, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Walter Scott,.....and many more.
I would like people who share my interest of these classics to come forward and pen down feelings in the thread that i have started.

gohm

Some of my favorite authors are: Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Tom Robbins, Tulsi Das, Shakespeare among others. I still prefer print media over electronic

raj87verma88

Tulsi Das??? Did i read correct??? So you understand Sanskrit or hindi or both???

gohm · 04:13 AM

I know a lot of Sanskrit, only a little Hindi/Bengali. I'm a Vaisnava/bhakti yoga so that is how I come to know Sanskrit through texts, bhajans and mantras. My wife has taught me a little Hindi/Bengali and of course there are the films!

raj87verma88

What does Vaisnava/bhakti yoga mean?? I thaught you said your family name is John. How do you know these Indian languages??? Its strange, I live in India and don't know so many Indian languages.

raj87verma88

There is a famous Urdu/Punjabi poem "Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna". Posting it's translation in English
"Desire To Sacrifice"
The desire for sacrifice is now in our hearts
Let us see what strength there is in the arms of our executioner

Why do you remain silent thus?
Whoever I see, is gathered quiet so...
O martyr of country, of nation, I submit myself to thee
For yet even the enemy speaks of thy courage
The desire for struggle is in our hearts...

When the time comes, we shall show thee, O heaven
For why should we tell thee now, what lurks in our hearts?
We have been dragged to service, by the hope of blood, of vengeance
Yea, by our love for nation divine, we go to the streets of the enemy
The desire for struggle is in our hearts...

Armed does the enemy sit, ready to open fire
Ready too are we, our bosoms thrust out to him
With blood we shall play Holi, if our nation need us
The desire for struggle is in our hearts...

No sword can sever hands that have the heat of battle within,
No threat can bow heads that have risen so...
Yea, for in our insides has risen a flame,
and the desire for struggle is in our hearts...

Set we out from our homes, our heads shrouded with cloth,
Taking our lives in our hands, do we march so...
In our assembly of death, life is now but a guest
The desire for struggle is in our hearts...
Stands the enemy in the gallows thus, asking,
Does anyone wish to bear testimony?...
With a host of storms in our heart, and with revolution in our breath,
We shall knock the enemy cold, and no one shall stop us...

What is that body that does not have hot blood in it,
How can a person conquer a Typhoon while sitting in a boat near the shore.
The desire for struggle is in our hearts,
We shall now see what strength there is in the boughs of the enemy.

raj87verma88

Sarfaroshi literally means: Cutting ones own head in sacrifice to someone. In the poems context that someone is the Nation. The meaning of the title therefore is that you desire to cut your head and place it on the feet of the nation in sacrifice. This poem was written during India's struggle for independence against thee British rule.

gohm

Patty,

A Vaisnava is a follower of Sri Krsna. Bhakti yoga is the form of practice vaisnavas use that believes in having a close, loving & personal relationship with God. I study the Gita & Ramayana, chant & sing bhajans in addition to performing arti & puja. I also like to recite the Hanuman chaleesa daily. I mostly practice at home but do occassionally visit a temple. Yes, my first name is John and my family is of german decent here in the US.

Lol, I have been fascinated with the culture for a long time. Increased when I became a vegetarian & started following Krishna. I got a lot of double-takes when I was in India wearing a kurta & dhoti, laugh! I was center-stage of the village I was in, it was a lot of fun. My wife is from Mumbai.

That is a great poem! I love poetry as well, I used to write a lot and even had some published in a small book as well as magazines once in awhile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj87verma88

What does Vaisnava/bhakti yoga mean?? I thaught you said your family name is John. How do you know these Indian languages??? Its strange, I live in India and don't know so many Indian languages.