A king is ever a king, be he crowned with a jeweled crown or clad in beggars garb. Bowl of Saki, January 19, by Hazrat Inayat Khan Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan: Those crowned with beauty are always kings, even if they are in rags or sold as slaves. A true king is always a king, with or without a throne. from wahiduddin.net/mv2/V/V_21.htm I arrived at a cemetery where a group of dervishes sat on the green grass, chattering together. They were all poorly clad, some without shoes and others without coats; one had a shirt with only one sleeve and another lacked them both. One wore a robe with a thousand patches and the next a hat without a crown. This strange group attracted my attention and I sat there for some time, noticing all that was going on yet feigning to be utterly indifferent. ... When the Murshid arrived at the assembly of his disciples each one greeted the other, saying, Ishq Allah, Mabud Allah! - God is love and God is the beloved! ... The solemnity of the sacred words they uttered found their echo in my soul, thereupon I watched their ceremonial with still greater attention... The queer patches on their garments reminded me of the words of Hafiz, Do not befool thyself by short sleeves full of patches, for most powerful arms are hidden under them. The dervishes first sat lost in contemplation, reciting charms one after the other, and then they began their music. I forgot all my science and technique while listening to their simple melodies, as they sang to the accompaniment of sitar and dholok the deathless words of the Sufi Masters such as Rumi, Jami, Hafiz, and Shams-i Tabriz. ... the most amazing part of the proceedings came when the assembly was about to disperse. For one of the dervishes arose and, while announcing Bhandara or dinner, addressed them in the following terms, O Kings of Kings! O Emperors of Emperors! This amused me greatly at the time, while I regarded their outward appearance. My first thought made them merely kings of imagination, without throne or crown, treasury, courtiers, or dominions - those natural possessions and temporal powers of kingship. But the more I brooded upon the matter, the more I questioned whether environment or imagination made a king. The answer came at last: the king is never conscious of his kingship and all its attributes of luxury and might unless his imagination is reflected in them and thus proves his true sovereignty. ... And it also reveals how fleeting time and the changes of matter make all the kings of the earth but transitory kings, ruling over transitory kingdoms; this is because of their dependence upon their environment instead of their imagination. But the kingship of the dervish, independent of all external influences, based purely on his mental perception and strengthened by the forces of his will, is much truer and at once unlimited and everlasting. Yet in the materialistic view his kingdom would appear as nothing, while in the spiritual conception it is an immortal and exquisite realm of joy. Verily, they are the possessors of the kingdom of God and all His seen and unseen treasure is in their own possession, since they have lost themselves in Allah. ... Thus I compared our deluded life with the real, and our artificial with their natural being, as one might compare the false dawn with the true. I realized our folly in attaching undue weight to matters wholly unimportant... I felt that we were losing the most precious moments and opportunities of life for transitory dross and tinsel, at the sacrifice of all that is enduring and eternal. from wahiduddin.net/mv2/XII/XII_II_4.htm ~~~ A king is ever a king, be he crowned with a jeweled crown or clad in beggars garb. The Spiritual Message of Inayat Khan: books, articles, photos glossary search whats new Subscription ( sent to [email protected] ): new change address options unsubscribe
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 15:36:51 +0000