“One small crack does not mean that you are broken; it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.”
— Linda Poindexter
Kabir – The couplet
जब ही नाम दय धरयो, भयो पाप का नाश ।
मानो चिंगारी अगि की, पिर पुरानी घास ||
Transliterated:
Jab hi naam liya dharyo, bhayo paap ka naash |
Maano chingari agni ki, pari puraani ghaas||
Translation:
When the name of God is remembered, all sins are destroyed |
It is like a spark of fire falling on dry grass ||
My understanding:
Linda Poindexter and Kabir both highlight a basic truth for all living beings – unless we try, we cannot succeed: and every trial has an equal chance of success or failure. Each failure teaches us one more thing we need to do differently.
Thinking differently, every small act of kindness we practice will make the candle of our soul grow brighter, and if we keep at it, it will dispel all darkness within. Note that the opposite is equally true – each dark act we commit will additively darken the soul and, if kept up, will entirely snuff out the inner light.
This is why the sages of all times past have exhorted us to repeatedly meditate on a name that reflects positivity—the doha speaks of the transformative power of chanting a holy name. The chant slowly re-tunes the mind to positivity, and therein lies the beginning of inner transformation.