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Friday 23 April 2010

Na Saagar hai Na Saaki hai...

न सागर है न साकी है
लब पे तशना अभी बाकी है
[सागर = wine cup; साकी  = lady who serves wine, तशना= thirst]

अजल आये पहले या के तुलू आये
कौन जाने के यह रात अभी बाकी है
[अजल = death; तुलू = dawn ]

बहुत हुई तेरी इल्तफ़ात, जाना
बस इक कज़ा तेरे हाथ से बाकी है
[इल्तफ़ात = benovelance/mercy; जाना = beloved; कज़ा = death]

महशर का क्यूँ है इंतज़ार 'प्रशांत'
तल्खिओं से भरी ये जीस्त अभी बाकी है
[महशर = day of judgement; तल्खिओं = bitterness]

'प्रशांत'

On a lighter and optimistic note:

क्यूँ जाता है इंटरवल में 'प्रशांत' ?
दोस्त मेरे यह पिक्चर अभी बाकी है

Saturday 17 April 2010

The Milesian School

Greek philosophy started in Miletus in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) with Thales. Miletus like other commercial cities of Ionia underwent tumultuous economic and political development in the 6th and 7th century BC. Initially power was in the hands of landowners. They were replaced by plutocracy of merchants who in turn were replaced by the Tyrants who achieved power with the help of democratic parties.



Thales together with Anaximander and Anaximene formed the Milesian school of thought. The Milesian philosophy was scientific and rationalistic.

Thales successfully predicted the solar eclipse which had taken place in 585 BC and that is why historians put him at that time in the chronological map. Thales got the knowledge of Astronomy from Lydia which had cultural contacts with the Babylonians. Babylonian astronomers have discovered that eclipse occurred in a cycle of 19 years. Thales was supposed to have travelled to Egypt and thence got the knowledge of geometry to Greece. Thales believed that the primal substance of this universe is water. Everything is made of water and eventually decomposes in it. He believed that magnets have soul as it attract iron. Today Thales philosophy and science might seem to be crude but it was a big stimulus to thought and observation and was empirical.




 Anaximander the second philosopher from Mellitus who was 64 years of age in 546 BC agreed with Thales that all things originated from single primal substance but that is not water as Thales believed. Anaximander believed that the primary substance is infinite, eternal and ageless. It encompasses the entire world and every thing is derivative of it. He makes an important and remarkable statement:
“Into that from which things take rise they pass away once more, as is ordained, for they make reparation and satisfaction to one another for their injustice according to the ordering of time”
Anaximander reasoned that the primal substance cannot be water or any other element. If that would be the case it would subjugate all other elements (fire, air, earth etc.) and would be the only element left and others would cease to exist. So he concluded that all other elements are modified form of primal substance.
Anaximander, though not as respected in antiquity as the other two philosophers, has earned reverence of modern day philosopher for his prescient thoughts.

Anaximene the third proponent of Milesian school must have lived before 496 BC as that year Miletus was destroyed by the Persian in the course of suppression of Ionian revolt. Anaximene said that the primal substance is air and all other elements are modified from it. Water is condensed air, earth is con densed water, stone is condensed earth and the soul is rarified air.

The Milesian school is very important, not for what they have achieved, but what they have attempted. It was untouched by the religious movement connected with Bacchus and Orpheus. The speculation of Thales, Anaximander & Anaximene are to be regarded as the scientific hypothesis and seldom show any intrusion of anthromorphic desires and moral ideas which prevailed in Greece at that time. 

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Gulon mein rang bhare..

कोई मेरे दिल से पूछे तेरे तीर-ए-नीमकश को
ये खलिश कहाँ से होती जो जिगर के पार होता
[तीर-ए-नीमकश = deep pierced arrow, खलिश = pain]
'ग़ालिब'
----------------

हुआ जो तीर-ए-नज़र नीमकश तो क्या हासिल
मज़ा तो तब है जब सीने के आर पार चले
तालिब 'बागपती'
-------------------

गुलों में रंग भरे, बाद-ए-नौबहार चले
चले भी आओ की गुलशन का कारोबार चले
[बाद-ए-नौबहार = wind of new spring]

क़फ़स उदास है यारों सबा से कुछ तो कहो
कहीं तो बहर-ए-खुदा आज ज़िक्र-ए-यार चले
[क़फ़स = cage; सबा = breeze; बहर = ocean; ]

कभी तो सुब्ह तेरे कुञ्ज-ए-लब से हों आगाज़
कभी तो शब् सर-ए-काकुल से मुश्कबार चले
[कुञ्ज-ए-लब = corner of your lips, आगाज़ = start, शब् = night,
सर-ए-काकुल = curls of hair, मुश्कबार = fragrant]

बड़ा है दिल का रिश्ता, यह दिल गरीब सही
तुम्हारे नाम पे आयेंगे गमगुसार सही
[गमगुसार = sympathisers]

जो हम पे गुज़री है सो गुज़री मगर शब्-ए-हिज्राँ
हमारे अश्क तेरी आकबत संवार चले
[शब्-ए-हिज्राँ = night of seperation, अश्क = tears, आकबत = future]

हुजूर-ए-यार हुई दफ्तर-ए-जुनून की तलब
गिरह में ले के गरेबान का तार तार चले
[तलब = desire,गिरह = measurement of cloth, knot, गरेबान = collor]

मकाम 'फैज़' कोई राह में जचा ही नहीं
जो कू-ए-यार से निकले तो सू-ए-दार चले
[मकाम = destination; कू-ए-यार  = lane of beloved, सू-ए-दार = towards gallow]

फैज़ अहमद 'फैज़'

Putting my own makhta to this beautiful ghazal

संगदिल गुदाज़ न हो गर्मी-ए-अश्क से 'प्रशांत'
दर पे उसके हम रो के जार जार चले
[संगदिल = stone heart; गुदाज़ = melt; गर्मी-ए-अश्क = heat of tears]