Harry Terhanian.com

yeteh heemahr pahnehr tzahngahs, tuhzpahght veejahgee metch geenahs
(If you desire foolish things, you’ll end up in a difficult situation)

There was a man who decided to see the world. He traveled far and wide seeking to acquire wealth and comfort. He entered a desert-like plain that was very hot. The hot sun bore down on him so much that he became thirsty and exhausted. He came upon a small oasis of palm trees. This secluded place was a magical place. Whoever stayed there could wish for anything and it came true.

The traveler rested under a tree. He mused to himself, “How nice it would be if I could have a bed to sleep on under this cool shade.” Immediately a comfortable bed appeared. Shocked to his wits, he gazed at the bed and slowly touched it to make sure he was not hallucinating. Reassuring himself that the bed was real, he jumped on it and felt its soft, clean sheets and perfumed pillow. Again he mused, “Oh, how pleasant it would be if there was a pretty woman to massage my feet and legs until I fall asleep.” Miraculously, a young woman appeared and began to massage his feet.

He felt somewhat confident that he was not dreaming. This was all real and wonderful. He thought, “How nice it would be to have a table of delicious food and cool wine to entertain this beautiful woman.” His wish materialized. The beautiful woman joined him at the table. She poured wine and held the glass to his lips as he drank his fill. Soon he was very intoxicated. Still not satisfied, he yell out, “There is not enough wine to satisfy my thirst. Let there be an ocean of wine!”

Quickly his joy turned to horror as a gigantic ocean of wine appeared into which he drowned helplessly.

In the quiet depths, unassuming, the fish eat their fill
Deer graze in peace on the grassy green hill
Virtuous men live happily sharing their good will
Yet, the angler, hunter and the wicked use their skill
To hook, to stalk, to shoot, to torture, to kill

A drop of water on a waxy lotus petal is unsteady
Life in this uncertain world is like a whirling eddy
A swirling pool of lusty, angry and greedy humanity
Who drown in the vortex of suffering and envy

The vast ocean can be crossed by a ship
The darkness of night can be lighted by a lamp
The sweltering heat can be relieved by a fan
The huge elephant can be controlled by a short goad
With the passage of time, the worst problem can be solved
But the wicked mind of evil men cannot be changed by God

You can convince the ignorant man easily
The learned man can be convinced even more readily
But the man who knows little but thinks he knows everything
Even God cannot convince such a boorish person

A water drop falling on a red hot rock vanishes without leaving a trace
The same drop falling on a lotus leaf glistens like a crystal diamond
If it falls on an oyster shell in the sea, it becomes a pearl of lasting beauty
So by associating with the inferior, the normal and the superior, men reach different ends

The man of good qualities can honorably live
The doer of virtuous deeds will always thrive
But one who has neither can barely survive
In the end he drops to hell in a free-fall dive

Some may study the holy scripture and codes of ethics
But knowledge of right and wrong is not merely academics
The student requires training by an expert teacher
Whose life and example empowers him as the best preacher
He can give insights, wisdom and correct the student’s faults
Impress by practical applications with the power of thunderbolts
Without such expert guidance, the student remains like the ladle
Though stirring good food, but for the taste is incapable

The blind man does not see external faults in others
The man seized by lust is also blind
So is the man who is full of arrogance
Likewise the greedy knave whose only thought is money

The hawk’s visual acuity can espy a carrion from afar
But it’s powers of sight are used only for survival as a predator
Man’s vision is much less developed than the hawk
Yet man can understand that spiritual salvation is greater than mere survival
He can use all his faculties for the higher quest
Failing to do this, he is no better than a bird of prey

By nature and frame, all men are not the same
There are differences, though they have a common name
The cow and the serpent are both from high heaven
One eats grass to give milk, one licks milk and spits venom

There are three gates to hell - lust, anger and greed
Every sane man should give up their lead
They make one ungrateful, without compassion, unsteady
Degrading the soul, to go to hell, they ready

When advising others, every one expounds wisdom as if a master
When putting the advise into practice, most pretenders are a disaster

There are five ways to know a fool,
First, he is stubborn as a mule
He is reluctant to follow any rule
He uses foul language like filthy stool
His pride flames like fire fed by gas fuel
He considers good advice like drool
Above all, his conversation is very uncool
What he didn’t learn at home, he’ll never learn at school
The best advice is to avoid such a fool

Ants work long hours to collect grain
The miser amasses wealth with much pain
Honey is collected by bees for the hive to sustain
But all will be lost and their efforts will be in vain

The bee keeper will steal the honey
Thieves or relatives will squander the miser’s money
The ant’s grain will end up in others’ tummy
One’s loss is gain for another. Is the worker a dummy?

The company of a truthful, wise man should be sought
Beware of the crafty, wise one who can guile you to naught
The honest fool may be treated with compassion
While the deceitful fool, one must abandon

The flames of the fire attract the moth who flies into them not knowing they burn
The hungry fish bites the tasty bait not seeing that there is a hook so hard and stern
Although men know the risks of sensual pleasures, they yearn them incessantly to return
The workings of the mind heated by passion reasons ill and good advice spurns

The unstoppable thrust of old age threatens us like a fierce tiger
Ravaged by disease and pain we are beset with continual danger
Life slips away like water in a broken pot, youth is a stranger
Loose teeth, cataracts, sore joints, wrinkles, ready for the grave digger

Man is not known for what he saved
He is praised for the charity he gave

Our parents are gone long ago
Our youthful friends are deep below
We too are near the end of the show
Memories jostle our mind to and fro

Pleasures I had, I have no more
Those to come seem like distant lore
They may be mine if I don’t die before
They last a short time, not anymore
What then is the meaning of it all

There are many setbacks for the evil doer
Full of failures on the path to false grandeur
Sorrow, misfortune and loss of wealth
Separation of loved ones, ill health
Betrayed by trusted friends in his stealth
At last in prison, alone, defeated, forlorn
Why was he ever born to live in such scorn

Lust deprives one of shame and makes one uncouth
Old age ravages the lustrous beauty of youth
A mean nature spoils virtuous and honorable acts
Anger can push one to lose memory and overreact
Greed may force us to have more than we need
Depriving others, ruining their chance to succeed
By service for evil people, good qualities are destroyed
But false pride will ruin everything and leaves no joy

One’s speech should never be too harsh or severe,
Impress with pleasant words, truthful and sincere
One’s dearest friends, parents, wife or son
Hurt by invective, your company will shun

Never be puffed up with pride by acquiring knowledge
Wealth, power, fame or by good birth. Let God be the judge.
Conceited by these one may reject good advice
Of well-wishers, by mouthing a reasoned device

Speaking harshly kindles people’s ire
Emblazons anger, puts their minds on fire
Arguing incessantly disturbs those that hear
Troubles the mind, and wearies the ear

Contempt is bred by stinginess and greed
Fanatic beliefs are a ribbed, false creed
Madness and rage are not a social grace
Sinful life will lead to failure and disgrace

Spending for gambling is a total waste
What is squandered for lust is bad taste
Angry words leave one rash and red faced
Good deeds come not of ill-thought haste

We act with the body but live in the mind
Daily we think, feel and will for joy to find
Confronted always by much opposition
We struggle hard to better our condition

Through endless strife we strive to control the mind
So unsteady, restless, oft mean and unkind
Such bitter struggle for life of short duration
Baffled, we question why be in the creation

The body is like a cart, intelligence the driver
Mind the reins, senses the incautious horses
The self is the rider, who suffers or enjoys
Driven to a frenzy by the mind’s restless ploys

The intelligence should direct the mind
Often though, it is incapable and blind
Powerless to distinguish good from bad
It is helpless to control the mind gone mad

One cannot catch the raging wind
Nor the mind that has often sinned
One may restrain the senses by force
But mind unbridled will bring remorse

Man conceited by wealth no matter how astute
Exploits others and denies his disrepute
Like the goat that smears himself with its piss
Though amiss, thinks he enjoys heavenly bliss

Money should never be an object of worship
Judiciously used, it is an aid to servitorship
One should spend it for charity that makes us wiser
The world is sustained by the giving man, not the miser.

Mind can be a friend or enemy as well
Slave to the senses, the mind is like hell
“I want to control, I want to enjoy”
Such thoughts are the mind’s cleaver decoy
Luring us in a trap of hard work and no joy

There may be short-lived joy, but it is a pittance
We are left frustrated, sore that it lacks endurance
Our hopes, desires and dreams never grow old
But the body will dwindle to be wrinkled and cold

By not controlling the mind, one’s life is spoiled
Control of lust, anger, greed, will be foiled
Is one safe living with a poisonous snake?
Also meet the whims of the mind is a mistake.

The enlightened strive ever for perfection
Of charity, sacrifice, love, and compassion
They attempt to nurture these to fruition
Death will test if they are real or deception