TheActors (292K)
The Actors on the World Stage

"Look Inside The Clay Balls


A man was exploring caves by the seashore.
In one of the caves he found a canvas bag
with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It
was like someone had rolled clay balls
and left them out in the sun to bake.

They didn't look like much, but they
intrigued the man, so he took the bag out
of the cave with him.

As he strolled along
the beach, he would throw the clay balls,
one at a time, out into the ocean as far
as he could.

He thought little about it, until he
dropped one of the clay balls and it
cracked open on a rock. Inside was a
beautiful, precious stone!

Excited, the man started breaking open
the remaining clay balls. Each contained
a similar treasure. He found thousands
of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so
clay balls he had left.

Then it struck him. He had been on the
beach a long time. He had thrown maybe
50 or 60 of the clay balls with their
hidden treasure into the ocean waves.

Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure,
he could have taken home tens of thousands,
but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at
someone, maybe even ourselves, and
we see the external clay vessel. It
doesn't look like much from the outside.

It isn't always beautiful or sparkling,
so we discount it. We see that person
as less important than someone more
beautiful or stylish or well known or
wealthy.

But we have not taken the time to find
the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each one of us.

If we take the time to get to know that
person, then the clay begins to peel
away and the brilliant gem begins to
shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives
and find out that we have thrown away
a fortune in friendships because the gems
were hidden in bits of clay.

I am so blessed by the gems of friendship
I have with each of you. Thank you for
looking beyond my clay vessel.


bar (7K)



ਇਕਨੈ ਭਾਂਡੇ ਸਾਜਿਐ ਇਕੁ ਚਾਨਣੁ ਤਿਹੁ ਲੋਇ ॥
eikanai bhaanddae saajiai eik chaanan thihu loe ||
The One Lord has fashioned the vessels, and His One Light pervades the three worlds.

ਏਕੋ ਪਵਣੁ ਮਾਟੀ ਸਭ ਏਕਾ ਸਭ ਏਕਾ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਬਾਈਆ ॥
eaeko pavan maattee sabh eaekaa sabh eaekaa joth sabaaeeaa ||
There is only one breath; all are made of the same clay; the light within all is the same.

ਸਭ ਭਾਂਡੇ ਤੁਧੈ ਸਾਜਿਆ ਵਿਚਿ ਵਸਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਥਾਰਾ ॥
sabh bhaanddae thudhhai saajiaa vich vasath har thhaaraa ||
You fashioned all vessels, O Lord, and that which dwells within is also Yours.

ਕੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰੈ ਏਕ ਜੁ ਮਾਟੀ ਗੂੰਧੀ ਬਹੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਬਾਨੀ ਲਾਈ ॥
kumhaarai eaek j maattee goondhhee bahu bidhh baanee laaee ||
The potter works the same clay, and colors the pots in different ways.

ਮਾਟੀ ਏਕ ਭੇਖ ਧਰਿ ਨਾਨਾ ਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥
maattee eaek bhaekh dhhar naanaa thaa mehi breham pashhaanaa ||
The clay is one, but it has taken many forms; I recognize the One Lord within them all.

ਘੜਿ ਭਾਡੇ ਜਿਨਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
gharr bhaaddae jin anmrith paaeiaa ||
He fashioned the body-vessels, and infused the Ambrosial Nectar into them;

ਮਾਟੀ ਤੇ ਜਿਨਿ ਸਾਜਿਆ ਕਰਿ ਦੁਰਲਭ ਦੇਹ ॥
maattee thae jin saajiaa kar dhuralabh dhaeh ||
He fashioned you from clay, and made your priceless body.

ਲਾਲੁ ਜਵੇਹਰ ਨਾਮੁ ਪ੍ਰਗਾਸਿਆ ਭਾਂਡੈ ਭਾਉ ਪਵੈ ਤਿਤੁ ਅਈਆ ॥੨॥
laal javaehar naam pragaasiaa bhaanddai bhaao pavai thith aeeaa ||2||
The priceless jewel of the Naam becomes manifest, and it pours into their vessels of love. ||2||

ਪਾਂਚ ਨਾਰਦ ਕੇ ਮਿਟਵੇ ਫੂਟੇ ॥
paanch naaradh kae mittavae foottae ||
When the clay pot of these five passions bursts,

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਗੁਰ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਛੂਟੇ ॥੫॥੫॥੮॥
kahu kabeer gur kirapaa shhoottae ||5||5||8||
then, says Kabeer, by Guru's Mercy, one is released. ||5||5||8||

ਕਾਚੇ ਭਾਡੇ ਸਾਜਿ ਨਿਵਾਜੇ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਮਾਈ ॥
kaachae bhaaddae saaj nivaajae anthar joth samaaee ||
He creates and adorns the earthen vessels; He infuses His Light within them.

ਮਾਟੀ ਕਾ ਲੇ ਦੇਹੁਰਾ ਕਰਿਆ ॥
maattee kaa lae dhaehuraa kariaa ||
From clay, He fashioned your body.

ਭਾਣੈ ਮਿਟੀ ਸਾਜਿ ਕੈ ਭਾਣੈ ਜੋਤਿ ਧਰੇਇ ॥
bhaanai mittee saaj kai bhaanai joth dhharaee ||
In the Lord's Will, clay is fashioned into form; in the Lord's Will, His Light is infused into it.

ਏਕਲ ਮਾਟੀ ਕੁੰਜਰ ਚੀਟੀ ਭਾਜਨ ਹੈਂ ਬਹੁ ਨਾਨਾ ਰੇ ॥
eaekal maattee kunjar cheettee bhaajan hain bahu naanaa rae ||
Out of the same clay, the elephant, the ant, and the many sorts of species are formed.

ਮਾਟੀ ਏਕ ਸਗਲ ਸੰਸਾਰਾ ॥
maattee eaek sagal sansaaraa ||
The entire universe is made of the same clay.

ਬਹੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਭਾਂਡੇ ਘੜੈ ਕੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰਾ ॥੩॥
bahu bidhh bhaanddae gharrai kumhaaraa ||3||
The Potter has shaped it into all sorts of vessels. ||3||

ਹਮ ਢੀਂਢੇ ਢੀਮ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਅਤਿ ਭਾਰੀ ਹਰਿ ਧਾਰਿ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਮਿਲਛੇ ॥
ham dteenadtae dteem bahuth ath bhaaree har dhhaar kirapaa prabh milashhae ||
I am so low, I am an utterly heavy lump of clay. Please shower Your Mercy on me, Lord, and unite me with Yourself.

ਜੋਤਿ ਪ੍ਰਗਾਸ ਭਈ ਮਾਟੀ ਸੰਗਿ ਦੁਲਭ ਦੇਹ ਬਖਾਨਿਓ ॥੧॥
joth pragaas bhee maattee sang dhulabh dhaeh bakhaaniou ||1||
When God infuses His Light into clay, the human body is judged to be precious. ||1||

ਮਾਸਹੁ ਨਿੰਮੇ ਮਾਸਹੁ ਜੰਮੇ ਹਮ ਮਾਸੈ ਕੇ ਭਾਂਡੇ ॥
maasahu ninmae maasahu janmae ham maasai kae bhaanddae ||
In the flesh we are conceived, and in the flesh we are born; we are vessels of flesh.

ਮਾਟੀ ਕੀ ਇਹ ਪੁਤਰੀ ਜੋਰੀ ਕਿਆ ਏਹ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਸਿ ॥
maattee kee eih putharee joree kiaa eaeh karam kamaas ||
This body-puppet is made of clay - what can it do by itself?

ਮਾਟੀ ਏਕ ਅਨੇਕ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਸਾਜੀ ਸਾਜਨਹਾਰੈ ॥
maattee eaek anaek bhaanth kar saajee saajanehaarai ||
The clay is the same, but the Fashioner has fashioned it in various ways.

ਨਾ ਕਛੁ ਪੋਚ ਮਾਟੀ ਕੇ ਭਾਂਡੇ ਨਾ ਕਛੁ ਪੋਚ ਕੁੰਭਾਰੈ ॥੨॥
naa kashh poch maattee kae bhaanddae naa kashh poch kunbhaarai ||2||
There is nothing wrong with the pot of clay - there is nothing wrong with the Potter. ||2||

ਪਕਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਆਨਿਆ ਦੇਹ ਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਮਾਟੀ ਕਉ ਬਿਸਮਿਲਿ ਕੀਆ ॥
pakar jeeo aaniaa dhaeh binaasee maattee ko bisamil keeaa ||
You seize a living creature, and then bring it home and kill its body; you have killed only the clay.

ਕਬੀਰ ਮਾਟੀ ਕੇ ਹਮ ਪੂਤਰੇ ਮਾਨਸੁ ਰਾਖਿਓ‍ੁ ਨਾਉ ॥
kabeer maattee kae ham pootharae maanas raakhio naao ||
Kabeer, we are puppets of clay, but we take the name of mankind.

ਇਸ ਮਾਟੀ ਮਹਿ ਪਵਨੁ ਸਮਾਇਆ ॥
eis maattee mehi pavan samaaeiaa ||
Into this clay, the breath is infused.

 

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