THE HOME OF SHEIKH SAADI GREAT POET

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My Father HH Shri Bhola Nathji (1902-1992) a Great Spirtual Luminary of his time who gave peace and beatitude to countless people relieving them of their ills and sorrows, and who called himself "Ghulam Rue Zameen-- The Servant of the Earth" often used to narrate this story about Sheikh Saadi.

Sheikh Saadi was a great philosopher and mystical poet of his time who lived in Ancient Persia (1210-1291) AD and who was renowned for his poetry, and patronised by kings and sheikhs. A man of his stature was often thought of as a very rich poet.

As legend goes, a man from a distant town came to the town of Sheikh Saadi just to get an audience with the great man. The stranger who came to the town asked for directions and was shown the way by the people of the town. He was expecting to see a huge palace or a mansion for a man of this fame and stature.

However, when he reached the home of Sheikh Saadi, he was astonished to find that it was just a small hut of grass and straw.

In sheer amazement he called out to the poet from outside the door in Persian:

"Khaanaye Saadi choon deedam ba yak mushte khar o khas ast"

"I saw the house of Saadi and it was but a handful of grass and straw!"

Sheikh Saadi was sitting inside his hut at the time and replied in a loud tone which was audible to the stranger outside:

"Kaarvaane raihravaan raa een qadar manzil bas ast"

"For the Caravan of Life that moves on, this much of a resting place is enough!"

The two lines when put together formed the famous Verse:

"Khaanaye Saadi choon deedam ba yak mushte khar o khas ast"

"Kaarvaane raihravaan raa een qadar manzil bas ast"

in Engish:

""I saw the house of Saadi and it was but a handful of grass and straw!"

"For the Caravan of Life that moves on, this much of a resting place is enough!"

What Shekh Saadi meant was that this life is a temporary journey , like a caravan passing by, and whatever time man had to live out his life could be spent with contentment in any way--even in a straw hut.

Earthquakes apart, this was a great lesson to the world of materialism, to people who devote their lives in pursuit of wealth and become drunk with it that real happiness lies not in wealth but in contentment