Tag Archives: Shiraz Pradhan

Supreme Knowledge: A Sublime Gift of Ismaili Ginans – A Commentary on Pir Sadardin’s Ginan Karshanaji Bhanare Arjun Sambharo by Shiraz Pradhan

21 October 2016

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PIR SADARDIN SAYS:
The True Guide is the Sustainer of the Universe
Channel your devotion to this (True) Guide
And you shall attain to the Eternal Station….translation, verse 8

PLEASE CLICK: Supreme Knowledge: A Sublime Gift of Ismaili Ginans

Gujarati text of ginan Karsanaji Bhanare Arjun Sambharo composed by Pir Sadardin. Photo: Ginan Central, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Gujarati text of ginan Karsanaji Bhanare Arjun Sambharo composed by Pir Sadardin. Image: Ginan Central, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Please click on image for commentary and link to recitation.

Date posted: Friday, October 21, 2016.

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Forthcoming: Silk Road Travelogue by Ali Karim

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Ali (right) and Dilshad at a Pakistani restaurant in Kashgar, Xinjiang, China. Ali’s travelogue on the couple’s trip to China and Northern Pakistan will be seriaized in Simergphotos commencing week of October 24, 2016. Photo: Ali Karim. Copyright.

My wife Dilshad and I had been dreaming about travelling along the Silk Road in China and Pakistan for years, and so when we had an Expo we needed to attend in Shanghai, and since the season was right, we decided to make this trip happen in May/June this year. Since Western China and Northern Pakistan are remote and non-touristy places, we had to spend several months researching and planning the trip; what to see and what to do.

The trip was absolutely worth it and we highly recommend that everyone do this trip if they can. I hope you enjoy my trip blog and pictures which will be serialized in http://www.simergphotos.com commencing week of October 24, 2016.

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Syad Imam Shah’s Ginan Naklanki Geeta, the Hadron Collider and Modern Scientific Ideas by Shiraz Pradhan

20 November 2015

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In this in-depth study of  Syad Imam Shah’s ancient ginan, Naklanki Geeta (generally referred to as granth because of its voluminous size), Shiraz Pradhan explores its much advanced scientific ideas compared to the contemporary knowledge of the era. Pradhan seeks to explain how the composition’s numerous verses might relate to cutting-edge scientific developments taking place today. Pradhan further explores the concept of Nur (Light), and  proposes bold and possible scientific explanations for this mystical concept….Click to read complete article

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and most powerful particle collider, the largest, most complex experimental facility ever built, and the largest single machine in the world. Published on the NASA website on February 25, 2008 as its image of the day. Image Credit & Copyright: Maximilien Brice, CERN

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider, the largest, most complex experimental facility ever built, and the largest single machine in the world. Published on the NASA website on February 25, 2008 as its image of the day. Image Credit & Copyright: Maximilien Brice, CERN. Please click on image to read Pradhan’s in-depth study.

 

Ideas of One Humanity in World Religions: Comparative Study of Ginan “Hum dil Khalak Allah Sohi Vase” by Shiraz Pradhan, With a Recitation

14 June 2014

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“Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul….” – Holy Qur’an, 4:1

“Instability is infectious, but so is hope. And that it is why it is so important for us to carry the torch of hope as we seek to share the gift of pluralism….Profound expressions about our common humanity are embedded in the world’s great religious traditions, including my own…” — His Highness the Aga Khan, Lisbon, June 12, 2014.

Credit: Istockphoto.com. Please click on image for "One Humanity"

Image Credit: Istockphoto.com. Copyright. Please click on image for “One Humanity”

PLEASE CLICK: Ideas of One Humanity, Love and Peace in World Religions: Comparative Study of Ginan “Hum dil Khalak Allah Sohi Vase” with a Hindu Bhajan

Modern Cosmology and Astrophysics in Ismaili Ginans by Shiraz Pradhan

20 April 2014

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“Our story begins as all stories do: In the beginning there was nothing, no universe, no galaxies, no sun, no moon, no stars. Then all of a sudden there was a titanic explosion from nothingness — BIG BANG….In this essay I propose to first present a brief scientific description of the Big Bang origin of the universe from a gigantic explosion, its growth in various phases right up to our present time, and then cite Ismaili Ginans that have striking parallels of modern Cosmology and Astrophysics in them” — Shiraz Pradhan

PLEASE CLICK: Concepts of Modern Cosmology and Astrophysics in Two Ismaili Ginans, Choghadia and Mul Gayatri

An annotated version of a meteor's streak and the arc of the Milky Way hanging over the imposing mountain fortress of Alamut in this starry scene. Highlights in this photo include bright white stars Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega, and Altair, nebulae near the Galactic Center, and the dark obscuring dust clouds of the Milky Way also known as the Great Rift. Photo: Babak Tafreshi. Copyright.

An annotated version of a meteor’s streak and the arc of the Milky Way hanging over the imposing mountain fortress of Alamut in this starry scene. The Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our solar system, is some 100,000 – 120,000 light years in diameter and contains 100-400 billion stars.  Like the Milky Way, there are some 100 – 200 billion other galaxies in our universe! Highlights in this photo include bright white stars Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega, and Altair, nebulae near the Galactic Center, and the dark obscuring dust clouds of the Milky Way also known as the Great Rift. Photo: Babak Tafreshi. Copyright. Please click on image to read article Modern Cosmology and Astrophysics in Ismaili Ginans.

 

(I) Joy and Blessings of Ginans and (II) Recitation and Explanation of Kesri Sinha Sarup Bhulayo

19 April 2014

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I. JOY AND BLESSINGS OF GINANS

Joy and Blessings of GinansBy Jalal Jaffer

When the heart is yearning
For peace, quiet, solace
When the mind is questioning
The whys, the whats, and the hows of life
When the soul is feeling trapped
Wanting to escape and soar out and beyond
It is the lilting melodies, heart-wrenching and soothing
It is the words and phrases, simple and serene
It is the pictures and landscapes, divine and mysterious
That crash through inner barriers and screens
Exposing….guiding…leading…
The yearning heart, the questioning mind, the trapped soul
To beauty, knowledge, wisdom, understanding
And find one’s own truth and meaning.
YES, that’s the joy and blessing of Ginans.

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II. KESRI SINHA SARUP BHULAYO

"Kesri Sinha Sarup Bhulayo" by Pir Shams, Author Shiraz PradhanA Recitation by Shermina Sayani

About the reciter: Shermina Sayani is a paediatric doctor from London, UK. She enjoys reciting and performing Ginans and Qasidas within the Jamat.  Shermina also has a great passion for writing and directing plays. Shermina has produced a number of plays for the UK Ismaili community on secular, ethical and spiritual issues.

With an Explanation by Shiraz Pradhan

Please  click An Explanation of the Ismaili Ginan “Kesri Sinha Sarup Bhulayo”

The Parable of the Lion (and the Sheep) in the Ismaili Ginan “Kesri Sinha Sarup Bhulayo”, Composed by Pir Shams

15 January 2014

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Following his highly acclaimed piece Ismaili Spirituality in Pir Shams Shabzwari’s Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai”, writer Shiraz Pradhan continues his exploration of the spiritual dimensions of Ismailism with yet another ginan composed by Pir Shams, namely “Kesri Sinha”.

Please click: An Explanation of the Ismaili Ginan
“Kesri Sinha Sarup Bhulayo”

Please click on image for article. Photo: Istockphoto.com. Copyright.

Please click on image for article. Photo: Istockphoto.com. Copyright.

Through the parable in the ginan about a lion cub who grows up in a flock of sheep and starts to behave like a sheep, the Pir seeks to encourage us to correct our own errors and recognize our true nature. Pradhan’s essay cross references other writings and ginans with a similar theme, and finally concludes with a translation of  the five verses of “Kesri Sinha” for the benefit of the readers.

Ismaili Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai”, an explanation by Shiraz Pradhan, with recitation

10 September 2013

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The Ginan Ek Shabda Suno Mere Bhai by Pir Shams is a summary of the initial step of Ismaili Spirituality. An MP3 of the Ginan rendered by Mohammad (Mac) Virjee of Vancouver accompanies a short commentary and translation by Shiraz Pradhan.

Please click: Ismaili Spirituality in Pir Shams Shabzwari’s Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai”, accompanied with recitation

Gujarati transliteration of the Ginan "Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai" attributed to Pir Shams. Please click on image for article.

Gujarati transliteration of the Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai” attributed to Pir Shams. Please click on image for article.

Journey Towards the Nur (Light) – An Ismaili Reflection on the Prophetic Tradition “Die Before You Die”

3 April 2013

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PLEASE CLICK: “Die Before You Die” – Journey Towards the Nur by Shiraz Pradhan

Please click for article "Journey Towards the Nur". Photo: Muslim Harji, Montreal, Copyright.

Please click for article “Journey Towards the Nur”. Photo: Muslim Harji, Montreal, Copyright.

Amidst all this greatness,
this splendour
this glory of Your Majesty
I feel like a poor peasant
as I follow my inadequacy!
I see these Times
and Your Magnanimity
 and look at my humble affordings —
In this phase
and to this Light
all the World’s treasures
 would be a trifling

(From a poem by Laila Lokhandwalla)