The King of Life
The thread of life is in His hands;
My heart beats low and fast as He moves the thread.
He is in the inmost chambers of my soul, and yet I find Him not.
Oh! to be close to Him!
I rend my clothes when life moves not, I grow insane and
sane by turns, but it avails not;
When the King of Life comes I forget all complaints
The blossomed fields of the Punjab
The chaste abandon of the blossomed sarson*
has lit the land with the joy of gold,
Standing on high roofs of the cities of old the
yellow-turbaned boys are flying kites
And their kites flop their yellow wings as the
flying birds of gold.
The girls of Punjab wear yellow pallas
And the pallas flutter like the canary-wings of the
butterflies that hover over the honeyed sarson.
There is a strange quickening of the life-throb
in the Punjab.
A maiden yonder on the roof has caught the falling kite
cut in mid-air, and now the kite flutters to
fall into her arms like a wounded bird shot down
from high.
All things have grown so dangerously alive.
*sarson are yellow flowers which grow in the Punjab during the winter
The poor people and God
HIS love feeds all; He provides for the smallest bud
that blows.
He goes even to the little lonely creeper hanging athwart a
heap of dried thorns, tells it to grow and it grows.
Its every shoot clings to His arm, and its every tendril
entwines round a thorn and feels that it is
God’s own Arm.
Hanging on thorns, the creeper puts forth its youth of buds, emits the perfume of joy, and knows not it is growing on thorns.
Prof. Puran Singh
In this poem Prof. Puran Singh has compared how God looks after all people with a creeper plant growing up a thorny bush. God provides all for the plant to grow, even when it is in a difficult situation. And the plant is happy growing on the thorns, because God has provided all for it to flourish.
The Vow
I have taken the vow of life to live for Him,
I have taken the vow of death for Him,
But all my vows are the rambling notes
of the songs of His pleasure,
that know not their own aims, nor their fulfillment.
I do what He does when He comes into me
to posses me when His call comes,
I wash my hands,
snapping all ties with the sudden stroke of the stroke of
the Sword of Death.
I have taken the vow of Love
and I wait for the roadside for Him,
with tears in my eyes
I break all my vows when He comes to me,
for the joy of meeting Him takes me out of myself!
Prof. Puran Singh
Lessons of the ages
I’ve learned that you can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
Age 6
I’ve learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9
I’ve learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up.
Age 12
I’ve learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
Age 13
I’ve learned that although it’s hard to admit it, I’m secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 15
I’ve learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
Age 24
I’ve learned that brushing a child’s hair is one of life’s great pleasures.
Age 25
I’ve learned…that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Age 39
I’ve learned that you can make someone’s day by simply sending them a little card.
Age 44
I’ve learned that the greater a person’s sense of guilt, the greater his need to cast blame on others.
Age 45
I’ve learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 46
I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
Age 58
I’ve learned that if you want to do something positive for your children,try to improve your marriage.
Age 61
I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
Age 62
I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
Age 64
I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
Age 65
I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
Age 66
I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
Age 85
I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.
Age 92
Reflections and Offerings by Professor Puran Singh