The Purpose of Baha'u'llah

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Unto the emblems of justice and the exponents of equity it is indubitably clear and evident that this Wronged One, strengthened by the transcendent power of the Kingdom, is seeking to efface from among the peoples and kindreds of the earth every evidence of disorder, discord, dissension, differences or divisions; and it is for no other reason but this great, this momentous object that He hath again and again been cast into prison and many a day and a night hath been subjected to chains and fetters. Blessed are they that judge this impregnable Cause, this glorious Announcement, with fairness and equity.
(Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 260)


O King of Paris! [Napoleon III] Tell the priests to ring the bells no longer. By God, the True One! The Most Mighty Bell hath appeared in the form of Him Who is the Most Great Name, and the fingers of the Will of Thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out in the heaven of Immortality in His name, the All-Glorious. Thus have the mighty verses of Thy Lord been again sent down unto thee, that thou mayest arise to remember God, the Creator of earth and heaven, in these days when all the tribes of the earth have mourned, and the foundations of the cities have trembled, and the dust of irreligion hath enwrapped all men, except such as God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was pleased to spare. Say: He Who is the Unconstrained is come, in the clouds of light, that He may quicken the world with the breezes of His name, the Most Merciful, and unify its peoples, and gather all men around this Table which hath been sent down from heaven.
(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.131 p. 67)


The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind to truthfulness and sincerity, to piety and trustworthiness, to resignation and submissiveness to the Will of God, to forbearance and kindliness, to uprightness and wisdom. His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh CXXXVII, p. 299)The Baha'i Womens Group of Lumumbashi, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1997
Copyright © 2006 Baha'i International Community
Used with permission
This Wronged One, rid of all attachment to the world, hath striven with utmost endeavour to quench the fire of animosity and hatred which burneth fiercely in the hearts of the peoples of the earth.
(Tablet of Tarazat (Ornaments), Tablets of Baha'u'llah p. 44)


Thou didst bring mankind into being to know Thee and to serve Thy Cause, that their station might thereby be elevated upon Thine earth and their souls be uplifted by virtue of the things Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures, Thy Books and Thy Tablets.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablet of Ishraqat, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 111)


That which hath been set forth and will be revealed in the future is but a token of this Servant's ardent desire to dedicate Himself to the service of all the kindreds of the earth.
(Tablet of Maqsud, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 171)

Unto that immeasurably exalted Being Who seeketh naught but to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men, and to revive the world and ennoble its life, they have imputed such charges as the tongue and the pen are ashamed to recount.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablet of Maqsud, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 174)The Tongan Baha'i Lakalala Dance Group at the 2004 jubilee celebrations
Copyright © 2006 Baha'i International Community
Used with permission
The Divine Messengers have been sent down, and their Books were revealed, for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of God, and of furthering unity and fellowship amongst men. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 12)

We, verily, have come to unite and weld together all that dwell on earth. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 24)



Mine aim hath ever been, and still is, to suppress whatever is the cause of contention amidst the peoples of the earth, and of separation amongst the nations, so that all men may be sanctified from every earthly attachment, and be set free to occupy themselves with their own interests.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 33)


. . . it is Our purpose, through the loving providence of God -- exalted be His glory -- and His surpassing mercy, to abolish, through the force of Our utterance, all disputes, war, and bloodshed, from the face of the earth.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 33)


The betterment of the world hath been the sole aim of this Wronged One.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 36)


Addressing Himself unto the kings and rulers of the earth -- may God, exalted be He, assist them -- He imparted unto them that which is the cause of the well-being, the unity, the harmony, and the reconstruction of the world, and of the tranquillity of the nations.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 44)


Confer with them, and show them what hath flowed out of the Pen of Glory, that haply they may be graciously aided to better the condition of the world, and improve the character of peoples of different nations, and may, through the living waters of God's counsels, quench the hatred and the animosity which lie hid and smolder in the hearts of men. We pray God that thou mayest be assisted therein. And this, verily, would not be hard for Him.   
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 59)


. . . that He may quicken the world and unite its peoples
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 63)


This Wronged One, in the daytime and in the night-season, occupied Himself with that which would edify the souls of men, until the light of knowledge prevailed over the darkness of ignorance. 
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 71)


This people need no weapons of destruction, inasmuch as they have girded themselves to reconstruct the world.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 74)


that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be exalted.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 76-77)


Night and day hath this Wronged One been occupied in that which would unite the hearts, and edify the souls of men.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 88)


He hath sent forth His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His creatures the Straight Path.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 98)


...that thine eye might be cheered, and thy soul be well-assured.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 103)


Their concern hath ever been and now is for the betterment of the world. Their purpose is to obliterate differences, and quench the flame of hatred and enmity, so that the whole earth may come to be viewed as one country.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 123)


this Wronged One hath, at all times, been cleaving fast unto whatever would be conducive to the glory of both the government and the people.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 124)


Our purpose is that all men may cleave unto that which will reduce unnecessary labor and exertion, so that their days may be befittingly spent and ended.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 138)


The eyes of this Wronged One are turned towards naught save trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity, and all that profiteth men.   
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 138)

. . . so that He may infuse life eternal into the mortal frames of men, impart to the temples of dust the essence of the Holy Spirit and the heavenly Light, and draw the transient world, through the potency of a single word, unto the Everlasting Kingdom.
(Baha'u'llah, Compilation on Trustworthiness; The Compilation of Compilations Volume II, p. 337, #2050)
Briefly, in every instance He hath stated that which is conducive to the conversion, the advancement, the exaltation, and the guidance of men.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 155)


God is My witness that this Wronged One hath had no purpose except to convey the Word of God.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 161)A Baha'i children's class in Yarmag, Ulaanbatar, Mongolia, 2005
Copyright © 2006 Baha'i International Community
Used with permission
We had no other purpose except to edify the souls of men, and to exalt the blessed Word.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 166)


Say: He Who is the Unconstrained is come, in the clouds of light, that He may quicken the world with the breezes of His name, the Most Merciful, and unify its peoples, and gather all men around this Table which hath been sent down from heaven.
(Bahá'u'lláh addressing Napoleon III, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.131, pp. 67-68)


Consider these days in which He Who is the Ancient Beauty hath come in the Most Great Name, that He may quicken the world and unite its peoples.
(Bahá'u'lláh addressing Queen Victoria, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.177, p. 92)


O ye rulers of the earth! Wherefore have ye clouded the radiance of the Sun, and caused it to cease from shining? Hearken unto the counsel given you by the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor may attain unto tranquillity and peace. We beseech God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on earth. He, verily, doth what He willeth.
(Bahá'u'lláh addressing the rulers of the earth, in the Tablet to Queen Victoria, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 93)


They that surround thee love thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth loveth thee for thine own sake, and hath had no desire except to draw thee nigh unto the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward the right hand of justice.
(Baha'u'llah addressing Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.194, p. 99)


. . . this Servant hath had no end in view but to promote the betterment and well-being of the world.
(Bahá'u'lláh addressing Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.209, p. 108)


This Youth hath come to quicken the world and unite all its peoples. The day is approaching when that which God hath purposed will have prevailed and thou shalt behold the earth transformed into the all-glorious paradise. Thus hath it been inscribed by the Pen of Revelation upon this weighty Tablet.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Súriy-i-Ra’ís, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 2.8, p. 144)


Say: Even should ye tear our bodies asunder, ye could not banish from our hearts the love of God. We were of a truth created for sacrifice, and in this do we take pride before all creation.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Súriy-i-Ra’ís, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 2.27, p. 151)


I confess that Thou hast no desire except the regeneration of the whole world, and the establishment of the unity of its peoples, and the salvation of all them that dwell therein.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah CXV, p. 243)


If any man were to meditate on that which the Scriptures, sent down from the heaven of God's holy Will, have revealed, he would readily recognize that their purpose is that all men shall be regarded as one soul, so that the seal bearing the words "The Kingdom shall be God's" may be stamped on every heart, and the light of Divine bounty, of grace, and mercy may envelop all mankind. The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath wished nothing for Himself. The allegiance of mankind profiteth Him not, neither doth its perversity harm Him. The Bird of the Realm of Utterance voiceth continually this call: "All things have I willed for thee, and thee, too, for thine own sake." If the learned and worldly-wise men of this age were to allow mankind to inhale the fragrance of fellowship and love, every understanding heart would apprehend the meaning of true liberty, and discover the secret of undisturbed peace and absolute composure. Were the earth to attain this station and be illumined with its light it could then be truly said of it: "Thou shall see in it no hollows or rising hills."
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah CXXII, p. 260)


The Day Star of Truth that shineth in its meridian splendor beareth Us witness! They who are the people of God have no ambition except to revive the world, to ennoble its life, and regenerate its peoples.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah CXXVI, pp. 270-271)

O thou that hast fled thy home and sought the presence of God! Proclaim unto men the Message of thy Lord, that it may haply deter them from following the promptings of their evil and corrupt desires, and bring them to the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah CXXVIII, p. 276)


My object is none other than the betterment of the world and the tranquillity of its peoples.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah CXXXI, p. 286)
A study group at the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India
Copyright © 2006 Baha'i International Community
Used with permission
The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh CXXXII, p. 287)


Say: We have accepted to be tried by ills and troubles, that ye may sanctify yourselves from all earthly defilements. Why, then, refuse ye to ponder Our purpose in your hearts? By the righteousness of God! Whoso will reflect upon the tribulations We have suffered, his soul will assuredly melt away with sorrow. Thy Lord Himself beareth witness to the truth of My words. We have sustained the weight of all calamities to sanctify you from all earthly corruption, and ye are yet indifferent.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh CXLI, p. 306)


He Who is the Eternal Truth hath, from the Day Spring of Glory, directed His eyes towards the people of Baha, and is addressing them in these words: "Address yourselves to the promotion of the well-being and tranquillity of the children of men. Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City.”
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh CLVI, p. 333-334)


O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Tabernacle of Unity, paragraph 2.34, p. 38)


In this way the primary purpose in revealing the Divine Law -- which is to bring about happiness in the after life and civilization and the refinement of character in this -- will be realized.
(Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 46)


Say: Take heed lest your devotions withhold you from Him Who is the object of all devotion, or your worship debar you from Him Who is the object of all worship. Rend asunder the veils of your idle fancies! This is your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, Who hath come to quicken the world and unite all who dwell on earth.
(Baha'u'llah addressing the Christian clergy, Tablet to Pope Pius IX, The Surih of the Temple, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.109, p. 58)


We, too, have revealed the Cause of God in His cities and raised aloft His remembrance amidst them that truly believe in Him. Say: This Youth hath come to quicken the world and unite all its peoples.
(Baha'u'llah, Súriy-i-Ra’ís, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 2.8, p. 144)


We have accepted to be tried by ills and troubles, that ye may sanctify yourselves from all earthly defilements. Why, then, refuse ye to ponder Our purpose in your hearts? By the righteousness of God! Whoso will reflect upon the tribulations We have suffered, his soul will assuredly melt away with sorrow. Thy Lord Himself beareth witness to the truth of My words. We have sustained the weight of all calamities to sanctify you from all earthly corruption
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, Section CXLI, p. 307)


We had no other purpose except to edify the souls of men, and to exalt the blessed Word.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 166)


Thou didst bring mankind into being to know Thee and to serve Thy Cause, that their station might thereby be elevated upon Thine earth and their souls be uplifted by virtue of the things Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures, Thy Books and Thy Tablets.
(Tablet of Splendours, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 111)


. . . so that the souls of Thy creatures may be drawn towards Thee, that they may forsake themselves and turn unto Thee, and may flee from their misery and seek the tabernacle of Thy riches, and may haste away from their wretchedness into the court of Thy majesty and glory.
(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah XCI, p. 153)

A group of women who have been studying together
Copyright © 2006 Baha'i International Community
Used with permission

The aim of this Wronged One in sustaining woes and tribulations, in revealing the Holy Verses and in demonstrating proofs hath been naught but to quench the flame of hate and enmity, that the horizon of the hearts of men may be illumined with the light of concord and attain real peace and tranquillity.(The Book of the Covenant, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 219)

An Encouraging Letter from Shoghi Effendi to the Baha'is of California

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When the Baha'is went on Pilgrimage to the Holy Land they often brought gifts with them for the family of Abdu'l-Baha.  Abdu'l-Baha did not permit the family to keep most of these gifts-- sometimes clothing, jewels, home furnishings.  One gift He did accept was brought by William Randall -- the gift of a portable typewriter.  And with this typewriter, Shoghi Effendi typed out his translations of the correspondence addressed by the Master to the Baha'is of the West. Here is a photograph of Shoghi Effendi which I believe was taken during the last years of Abdu'l-Baha's life, probably just prior to Shoghi Effendi attending graduate school at Balliol College in England, perhaps around 1919:
Shoghi Effendi at his portable typewriterCopyright © 2010 Baha'i National Archives, WilmetteUsed with permission - Please click for larger image
Here is a close-up of Shoghi Effendi, probably taken around the same time, in the years immediately before he became Guardian of the Baha'i Faith

Shoghi Effendi as a young manCopyright © 2010 Baha'i National Archives, WilmetteUsed with permission
It was on this typewriter that Shoghi Effendi wrote all of his letters to the Baha'is of the West.  All of the lengthy letters in "Baha'i Administration" and "Citadel of Faith," all of the manuscripts of his translations of the writings of Baha'u'llah -- the Gleanings, the Book of Certitude, Prayers and Meditations, as well as his manuscripts of "The Dawn-Breakers" and "God Passes By" -- all were produced on this typewriter.  When he sent the manuscript of Baha'u'llah's Book of Certitude to the United States, he wrote:
Unable to find a good typist, I have had to do the work myself, and I trust that the proofreaders will find it easy to go over and will not mind the type errors which I have tried to correct. I would especially urge you to adhere to the transliteration which I have adopted. The correct title is, I feel, 'The Kitab-i-Iqan' the sub-title 'The Book of Certitude.' May it help the friends to approach a step further, and obtain a clearer idea of the fundamental teachings set forth by Baha'u'llah.(Shoghi Effendi, postscript to a letter published in Baha'i News #46, November 1930, p. 2)
Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, his wife, writes, 
"He typed, on a very small portable machine, by the two-finger method, all his own manuscripts..." (The Priceless Pearl, p. 201)How many hundreds of hours Shoghi Effendi spent on reading his sources and compiling his notes, how many days and months in painstakingly writing out in long hand - and often rewriting - the majestic procession of his chapters, how many more wearisome days he sat at his small portable typewriter, hammering away with a few fingers, sometimes ten hours on end, as he typed the final copy of his work! And how many more hours we spent late into the night, when the daily typing was over, seated side by side at his big table in his bedroom, each with three copies of the typescript before us, proof-reading, making corrections, putting in by hand the thousands of accents on transliterated words which Shoghi Effendi would read aloud, until his eyes were bloodshot and blurred, his back and arms stiff with exhaustion, as we worked on to finish the entire chapter or part of a chapter he had typed that day. It had to be done. There was no possibility of working at a slower pace. he was racing against time to present the Bahá'ís of the West with this inimitable gift on the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the inception of their Faith.  (The Priceless Pearl, p. 223)
"God Passes By" is really the only book Shoghi Effendi wrote; everything else was in the form of letters. Anyone who reads this magnificent book Shoghi Effendi labored so hard to give to us, will become much more aware of the grandeur of the Baha'i Faith, and more deeply familiar with its teachings.
Several times, Shoghi Effendi needed to retire to Switzerland, where he fought his spiritual battles, and prepared himself for his unimaginably demanding labors as Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.  Following his return in November, 1923 he wrote to the Baha'is:  
Upon my return, after a forced and prolonged absence, to the Holy Land, it is my first and most ardent wish to renew and strengthen those ties of brotherly love and fellowship that bind our hearts together in our common servitude to His sacred Threshold.
A few weeks later he wrote the following beautiful letter to the Baha'is in California, which he prepared on this same typewriter.  It is a model of encouragement and leadership.  In 1997 a copy of this letter was sent to all of the Baha'is in California, on the occasion of the establishment of the Regional Baha'i Council of the Western States. It is well worth reading and re-reading for the guidance and encouragement it provides.

Titles of the Baha'i Revelation

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"This Cause" -- Titles of the Baha'i Revelation, from the Baha'i Writings




1. this Revelation from the Most High

2. this most mighty Revelation.
 
3. this mighty, this glorious Revelation

4. this mighty, this transcendent Revelation

5. this sublime, this beauteous Revelation

6. this sublime and momentous Revelation

7. this sublime, this unique and wondrous Revelation

8. this mighty, this sublime, and most holy Revelation
  
9. this most sublime and momentous Revelation

10. this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation

11. this most manifest, this lofty, this shining and glorious Revelation

12. this most manifest and all‑glorious Revelation

13. this wondrous Revelation

14. this most exalted, this most holy, this mighty, and wondrous Revelation

15. a Revelation direct from God

16. this God‑given, and ever‑enduring Revelation
  
17. this most potent Revelation

18. this Supreme Revelation

19.this Revelation whose influence hath pervaded all created things

20. this most effulgent, this most holy, and manifest Revelation of His Beauty



21. this holy, this glorious, and exalted Revelation

22. this new and wondrous Revelation

23. this wondrous and transcendent Revelation

24. This most wondrous and sublime Revelation

25. this mysterious and transcendent Revelation

26. this pre-eminent and glorious Revelation

27. this glorious, this august Revelation

28. this Most Great Revelation

29. so mighty a Revelation

30. so stupendous a Revelation

31. so transcendent a Revelation

32. so preeminent a Revelation

33. so tremendous a Revelation

34. so colossal a Revelation

35. so wondrous a Revelation

36. so sublime a revelation

37. so impetuous a Revelation

38. so overpowering a Revelation

39. so transcendent a Revelation

40. so stunning a revelation

41. so dazzling a Revelation

42. God's Revelation



43. apprehend the greatness of this Revelation, and perceive its stupendous glory

44. a momentous Revelation

45. a Revelation so incomparably great, so infinitely precious, so mightily potent, so manifestly innocent

47. a Divine Revelation

48. a Revelation of loving-kindness

49. this wondrous Revelation, this transcendent and divine Faith

50. this sacred, this mighty, and most exalted Faith

51. the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future

52. this, Thine inviolable Faith

53. His resistless, His irrefutable and most exalted Faith

54. the true Faith of God

55. this upright Faith

56. an immortal and infinitely precious Faith

57. this all‑compelling Cause

58. this pre-eminent Cause

59. this momentous Cause

60. this impregnable Cause, this glorious Announcement

61. this inviolable, this mighty and enlightened Cause

62. this wondrous and most exalted Cause



63. this wondrous Cause of God

64. this most wondrous Cause

65. this all-compelling Cause

66. this glorious Cause

67. My mighty and unassailable Cause

68. God's holy Cause

69. His great and mighty Cause

69a His glorious and resplendent Cause

69b His irresistible, His mighty and wondrous ause

70. this Most Great Cause  

71. His shining and glorious Cause

72. Thine irresistible Cause

73. a heavenly Cause

74. this most great and lofty Cause

75. this new and living Cause

76. this most great and lofty Cause

77. this great and glorious Cause

78. this wonderful Cause

79. this new Cause

80. this great and most holy Cause

81. this sacred Cause

82. this steadily-growing Cause

83. this glorious Cause

84. this Holy Cause

85. this Divine Cause

86. this most precious Cause



87. such a Holy Cause

88. such a great Cause

89. so challenging a Cause

90. so unique, so enduring, so precious a Cause

91. so noble a Cause

92. so transcendent and priceless a Cause

93. so mighty a Cause

94. so pre-eminent and meritorious a Cause

95. so glorious and mighty a Cause

96. this all-embracing and all-compelling Cause

97. This most mighty Sovereignty

98. this Scene of transcendent glory

99. this Seat of stainless sanctity

100. this divine and glorious Vision

101. This most resplendent Dispensation

102. This glorious Dispensation

103. This wondrous Dispensation

104. This wondrous and exalted Dispensation

105. This most mighty Dispensation

106. This new and wondrous dispensation

107. This sacred Dispensation

108. This great dispensation

109. This divine dispensation

110. This universal dispensation

111. This Most Great Dispensation

112. This shining and luminous Beauty

113.  My marvelous Revelation

114 a mysterious Faith 

115 This greatest of all Dispensations

 

(First five photographs copyright © 2006 Baha'i International Community used with permission; final photograph copyright © 2006 Michael Bernhard, used with permission)

REFERENCES
1. �qán p. 77 paragraph 84

2. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 190
 
3. The Most Holy Tablet, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 12

4. Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 240

5. The Most Holy Book, p. 61, paragraph 116

6. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14

7. The Most Holy Book, p. 71-72, paragraph 143

8. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 10
  
9. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 288

10. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 183

11. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 105

12. Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 276

13. Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, p. 34

14. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 117

15. The Most Holy Book, p. 32, Paragraph #37.

16. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 82

17. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 95

18. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 97

19. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 273

20. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 294

21. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 330

22. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 324

23. Book of Certitude, p. 112

24. Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 67, Paragaraph 1.130

25. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 325

26. Book of Certitude, p. 227

27. Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 247

28. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 79

29. The Promised Day is Come, p. 118

30. Messages to America, p. 52

31. The Promised Day is Come, p. 13

32. The Promised Day is Come, p. 48

33. The Promised Day is Come, p. 78

34. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 24

35. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 62

36. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 100

37. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 103

38. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 112

39. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 123

40. God Passes By, p. 53

41. God Passes By, p. 103

42. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 271

43. The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 236

44. God Passes By, p. 7

45. The Promised Day is Come, pp. 15-16

47. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 124

48. The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 124

49. Book of Certitude, p. 252-253

50. The Most Holy Book, p. 36, paragraph 45

51. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 136

52. Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 193.

53. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 105

54. the Qayyumu'l-Asma, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 41

55. the Qayyumu'l-Asma, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 63

56. Messages to the Baha'i World, p. 101

57. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 57-58

58. Tablet of Tarazat (Ornaments), Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 44

59. Tablet of Tarazat (Ornaments), Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 44

60. Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 260

61. Tablet to Siyyid Mihdiy-i-Dahaji, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 201

62. Book of Certitude, p. 65

63. Book of Certitude, p. 77

64. Book of Certitude, p. 88

65. Tablet of Ishraqat (Splendours), Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 132

66. Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 235

67. The Most Holy Book, p. 62, Paragraph #117

68. Book of Certitude, p. 83

69. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 83

69a Paragraph 154, The Most Holy Book

69b Paragraph 167, The Most Holy Book

70. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 162

71. The Most Holy Book, p. 60, paragraph 113

72. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf p. 104

73. `Abdu’l-Baha, Japan Will Turn Ablaze! p. 6

74. `Abdu’l-Baha, The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 38

75. Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Baha, p. 62

76. The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 66

77. Paris Talks, p. 167

78. Tablets of `Abdu’l-Baha Abbas, Vol. I, p. 73

79. Tablets of `Abdu’l-Baha Abbas, Vol. I, p. 142

80. Tablets of `Abdu’l-Baha Abbas, Vol. II, p. 474

81. Baha’i Administration, p. 66

82. Baha’i Administration, p. 125

83. Citadel of Faith, p. 141

84. Unfolding Destiny, p. 170

85. Unfolding Destiny, p. 446

86. Dawn of a New Day, p. 134

87. Unfolding Destiny, p. 455

88. Baha’i Administration, p. 68

89. The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 3

90. Baha’i Administration, p. 61

91. Citadel of Faith, p. 93

92. Messages to America, p. 104

93. God Passes By, p. 409

94. Unfolding Destiny, p. 320

95. Letters to Australia and New Zealand 1923-1957, p. 11

96. The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.98

97. Gleanings 180

98. The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.97

99. The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.97

100. The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, paragraph 1.98

101. �qán 222

102. Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá p. 30

103. �qán p. 173

104. �qán p. 105

105. Most Holy Book p. 109

106. Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá p. 112

107. Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá p. 13

108. Tablets of `Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas Vol. II, p. 449

109. Tablets of `Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas Vol. III, p. 647

110. Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá p. 145

111. Bahá'í Prayers 65

112. The Summons of the Lord of Hosts 29

113.  Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 325 

114. This Decisive Hour; Messages from the Guardian to America 1932-1946, paragraph 85.5 
 
115. This Decisive Hour; Messages from the Guardian to America 1932-1946, paragraph 85.8


 

Abdu'l-Baha, and Saffa and Vafa Kinney

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Saffa and Vafa Kinney were pillars of the Faith, immensely blessed by the Master.  Edward was his birth name, but everyone knew him by the name the Master gave him, Saffa -- Serenity; and they called Carrie by the name the Master gave her, Vafa -- Certitude.

When Abdu'l-Baha's ship arrived in New York Harbor, and a multitude was awaiting Him on the dock, He asked Mr. Kinney to come on board, and He spoke with him.  Then He directed everyone to go to the Kinneys' home, and wait for Him there.  His first address on American soil was in the Kinney home:

How are you? Welcome! Welcome!
    After arriving today, although weary with travel, I had the utmost longing and yearning to see you and could not resist this meeting. Now that I have met you, all my weariness has vanished, for your meeting is the cause of spiritual happiness.
    I was in Egypt and was not feeling well, but I wished to come to you in America. My friends said, "This is a long journey; the sea is wide; you should remain here." But the more they advised and insisted, the greater became my longing to take this trip, and now I have come to America to meet the friends of God. This long voyage will prove how great is my love for you. There were many troubles and vicissitudes, but, in the thought of meeting you, all these things vanished and were forgotten.
    I am greatly pleased with the city of New York. Its harbor entrance, its piers, buildings and broad avenues are magnificent and beautiful. Truly, it is a wonderful city. As New York has made such progress in material civilization, I hope that it may also advance spiritually in the Kingdom and Covenant of God so that the friends here may become the cause of the illumination of America, that this city may become the city of love and that the fragrances of God may be spread from this place to all parts of the world. I have come for this. I pray that you may be manifestations of the love of Bahá'u'lláh, that each one of you may become like a clear lamp of crystal from which the rays of the bounties of the Blessed Perfection may shine forth to all nations and peoples. This is my highest aspiration.
    It was a long, long trip. The more we traveled, the greater seemed the expanse of the sea. The weather was brilliant and fine throughout; there was no storm and no end to the sea.
    I am very happy to meet you all here today. Praise be to God that your faces are shining with the love of Bahá'u'lláh. To behold them is the cause of great spiritual happiness. We have arranged to meet you every day at the homes of the friends.
    In the East people were asking me, "Why do you undertake this long voyage? Your body cannot endure such hardships of travel." When it is necessary, my body can endure everything. It has withstood forty years of imprisonment and can still undergo the utmost trials.
    I will see you again. Now I will greet each one of you personally. It is my hope that you will all be happy and that we may meet again and again.

Several important talks in the City of the Covenant recorded in The Promulgation of Universal Peace were in the Kinneys' home.

When the Master fell asleep on John Bosch's shoulder during an automobile drive in New York, that drive ended at the Kinneys' home.

When the Master told Howard MacNutt, who had followed Khayrullah and then came back to the Covenant, and for a bountiful reward was directed to compile all of the Master's addresses into The Promulgation of Universal Peace -- when the Master told Mr. MacNutt to go and tell the people, "I was like Saul, now I am Paul" -- that was at the Kinneys' house, as recounted here.

In the movie of Abdu'l-Baha at the MacNutt home in Brooklyn, Mr. Kinney and Mr. Getsinger at the beginning of the movie are together walking up the sidewalk after the Master does.

This experience of Howard Colby Ives was in the Kinneys' home:

Not long after that great first experience with 'Abdu'l-Bahá I was again talking with Him. It was in the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Kinney, a family of the friends who seemed to feel that the gift of all which they possessed was too little to express their adoring love. Entering their home the roar of the city, the elegance and luxury of Riverside Drive, the poverty and wealth of our modern civilization all seemed to merge into a unity of nothingness and one entered an atmosphere of Reality. Those heavenly souls who thus demonstrated beyond any words their self-dedication had a direct influence upon my hesitating feet of which they could have had no suspicion. My heart throughout all worlds shall be filled with thankfulness to them.
    In this home I had become a constant habitue. I could not keep away. One day 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the interpreter and I were alone in one of the smaller reception rooms on the ground floor. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had been speaking of some Christian doctrine and His interpretation of the words of Christ was so different from the accepted one that I could not restrain an expression of remonstrance. I remember speaking with some heat:  "How is it possible to be so sure?" I asked. "No one can say with certainty what Jesus meant after all these centuries of misinterpretation and strife." He intimated that it was quite possible. It is indicative of my spiritual turmoil and my blindness to His station, that instead of His serenity and tone of authority impressing me as warranted it drove me to actual impatience. "That I cannot believe." I exclaimed. I shall never forget the glance of outraged dignity the interpreter cast upon me. It was as though he would say: "Who are you to contradict or even to question 'Abdu'l-Bahá!" But not so did 'Abdu'l-Bahá look at me. How I thank God that it was not! He looked at me a long moment before He spoke. His calm, beautiful eyes searched my soul with such love and understanding that all my momentary heat evaporated. He smiled as winningly as a lover smiles upon his beloved, and the arms of His spirit seemed to embrace me as He said softly that I should try my way and He would try His.
    It was as though a cool hand had been laid upon a fevered brow; as though a cup of nectar had been held to parched lips; as though a key had unlocked my hard-bolted, crusted and rusted heart. The tears started and my voice trembled, "I'm sorry," I murmured.
    Often since that day have I pondered on the tragic possibilities of the effect of an expression of the face. I have even thought I should like to write a book on The Glance that Saved the World, taking as a theme the way Jesus must have looked upon Peter after the three-fold denial. What could that glance have carried to the fear-stricken, doubting, angry Peter? Surely not the self-righteous, dignified look in the eyes of the interpreter for 'Abdu'l-Bahá. As surely it must have been something in the nature of the expression of all-embracing love, forgiveness and understanding with which 'Abdu'l-Bahá calmed and soothed and assured my heart.  ("Portals to Freedom," pp. 36 ff.)

Juliet Thompson records in her diary that during her Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1906, at which the Kinney family were fellow-pilgrims, these events occurred:

First, with a father's tender care, He came to the carriage with us and watched us start. At the house in Bahji He joined us in a cool, whitewashed room, its door and window-trimmings painted blue, the usual linen-covered divan lining its walls, under three wide windows. Outside stood wonderful trees, like still sentinels guarding the Tomb. Sanctity hung in the air, a brooding spirit. Nowhere else in the world is the beauty of nature so impregnated with the soul of Beauty, a reflection from another world. In the air of 'Akká and Carmel is -- Life.
    On a table was a single photograph, Lua's. Our Lord called me to sit by His side, then, pointing to the photograph, said: "Your friend!"
    I got it and placed it on a little table close to His elbow, between the couch where He sat and my own chair. As I did this His face lit up with a smile of heaven.
    Tea was brought in -- in the little clear glasses always used in 'Akká -- and He served us with His own hands. Then, seating Himself again on the divan, He called the four children who were with us: two of his own little grandsons (Shoghi Effendi and Ruhi) and the two Kinney boys, and with a lavish tenderness, a superabundance of overflowing love, such as could only have come from the very Centre and Source of Love, He drew all four to His knees, clasped them in His arms, which enclosed them all, gathered and pressed and crushed them to His Heart of hearts. Then He set them down on the floor and, rising, Himself brought their tea to them.
`Words absolutely fail me when I try to express the divine picture I saw then. With the Christ-love radiating from Him with the intensest sweetness I have yet witnessed, He stooped to the floor Himself to serve the little children, the children of the East and the children of the West. He sat on the floor in their midst, He put sugar into their tea, stirred it and fed it to them, all the while smiling celestially, an infinite tenderness playing on the great Immortal Face like white light. I cannot express it! In a corner sat an old Persian believer, in a state of complete effacement before his Lord, his head bowed, his eyelids lowered, his hands crossed on his breast. Tears were pouring down his cheeks.

Abdu'l-Baha and the Kinney family
Copyright © 2010 Baha'i National Archives, WilmetteUsed With Permission
During a meal during that Pilgrimage, Juliet writes:

He called Mr. Kinney's attention to the rice. "Rice. Rice," He said in English, "very good." Then looking at me and laughing: "She is smiling at My English!" "I smile because Your voice makes me happier than anything in the world."
    Soon, sensing my wish to speak to Him, only for the sake of speaking to Him: "Speak. Speak."
    But I had really nothing to say! I brought forth this: "Even this physical food is the best in the world."
"That is because of your intense love. A poison given by a friend is like honey. A Persian poet says: 'The poison which comes from  Thee to me is my antidote. A wound from Thee is remedy.' Certainly these physical dishes are tasteful to you because you have the greatest love."
    I supplicated that He might give me poison and wound me in His Cause, that I might be found worthy of this. "I will. When afflictions and bitter conditions taste sweet to man, this shows that he is favoured in the sight of God." Mr Kinney said: "I am not eating now, but my Master is feeding me." Our Lord: "I, Myself, am the Food." As He spoke His head was bowed, His hands upturned, like cups, in His lap. He sat, the embodiment of Divine humility. A great Mystery flooded the room, and a tremendous Power. "How like Jesus that sounds!" whispered Mr Kinney. "Jesus," said our Lord, His head still bowed, "was the Bread that came down from Heaven, but I am the Food prepared by the Blessed Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh."

Mr. Kinney recounted that the New York Spiritual Assembly met in the Kinney home: Mr Kinney: "The Board of Council has met for three years past in my studio and I am very proud of it."
Our Lord: "It is indeed worthy to be proud of. I hope your home may always be the place of the gatherings; that the beloved of God may always come together there, be engaged in commemoration of God, have heavenly talks and speak through the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Your home will be one of the heavenly constellations, Insha'llah, and the stars will gather there."
Mr Kinney: "What could I ask for more?"
Our Lord: "There is nothing superior to this."

The Master permitted the Kinneys to remain as pilgrims in the Holy Land for eight months during 1906.  They asked Him for the privilege of returning the favor, imploring Him to visit America, and when He did, to stay as a guest in their home.  He did, and while in their home in New York He told Mrs. Kinney, "I am returning your visit, but while I am in your home I will be the host and you will be the guests."
SAFFA KINNEYCopyright © 2010 Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette
Used With Permission
On the occasion of Saffa Kinney's passing, Shoghi Effendi cabled to the Baha'i world:

GRIEVE PASSING DEARLY LOVED, HIGHLY ADMIRED, GREATLY TRUSTED, STAUNCH, INDEFATIGABLE, SELF-SACRIFICING TEACHER, PILLAR FAITH, SAFFA KINNEY. HIS LEONINE SPIRIT, EXEMPLARY STEADFASTNESS, NOTABLE RECORD SERVICES ENRICHED ANNALS CLOSING PERIOD HEROIC AGE OPENING PHASE FORMATIVE AGE BAHA'I DISPENSATION. BOUNTIFUL REWARD ASSURED ABHA KINGDOM BENEATH SHADOW MASTER HE LOVED SO DEARLY, SERVED SO NOBLY, DEFENDED SO HEROICALLY UNTIL LAST BREATH.  SHOGHI

"Saffa was so human." (Statement by one of Saffa Kinney's friends after his passing.)

That beautiful scene recounted in Portals to Freedom (pp. 50 ff.), when Howard Colby Ives followed the Master up the stairs when the Master was so tired, and asked Him about Renunciation, was in the Kinneys' home.

One day the Master asked Saffa Kinney to walk with Him on Riverside Drive.  He stopped and looking deep in to Saffa's eyes asked in heart-piercing tones,
"Do you love Me?  Do you love Me?  Do you love Me?"

The next-to-last talk of the Master on America's shores was at the Kinneys' home:

I am greatly pleased with you all and rejoice that you have shown me the utmost kindness and affection. It is my desire that Bahá'u'lláh shall be pleased with you, that you may follow His precepts and become worthy of His confirmations. The requirements are that your minds must be illumined, your souls must be rejoiced with the glad tidings of God, you must become imbued with spiritual moralities, your daily life must evidence faith and assurance, your hearts must be sanctified and pure, reflecting a high degree of love and attraction toward the Kingdom of Abha. You must become the lamps of Bahá'u'lláh so that you may shine with eternal light and be the proofs and evidences of His truth. Then will such signs of purity and chastity be witnessed in your deeds and actions that men will behold the heavenly radiance of your lives and say, "Verily, ye are the proofs of Bahá'u'lláh. Verily, Bahá'u'lláh is the True One, for He has trained such souls as these, each one of which is a proof in himself." They will say to others, "Come and witness the conduct of these souls; come and listen to their words, behold the illumination of their hearts, see the evidences of the love of God in them, consider their praiseworthy morals, and discover the foundations of the oneness of humanity firmly implanted within them. What greater proof can there be than these people that the message of Bahá'u'lláh is truth and reality?" It is my hope that each one of you shall be a herald of God, proclaiming the evidences of His appearance, in words, deeds and thoughts. Let your actions and utterances be a witness that you are of the Kingdom of Bahá'u'lláh. These are the duties enjoined upon you by Bahá'u'lláh.
    Bahá'u'lláh endured the greatest hardships. He found neither rest by night nor peace by day. He was constantly under the stress of great calamity -- now in prison, now in chains, now threatened by the sword -- until finally He broke the cage of captivity, left this mortal world and ascended to the heaven of God. He endured all these tribulations for our sakes and suffered these deprivations that we might attain the bestowals of divine bounty. Therefore, we must be faithful to Him and turn away from our own selfish desires and fancies in order that we may accomplish that which is required of us by our Lord.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá seated in the Kinneys Home, New York City, 1912Copyright © 2010 Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette Used With Permission

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Farewell at New York Harbor, December 5, 1912
Copyright © 2010 Baha'i National Archives, Wilmette Used With Permission

The House of 'Abdu'llah Pasha

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THE HOUSE OF 'ABDU'LLAH PASHA
The house in 'Akká that 'Abdu'l-Bahá rented in 1896 and that served as His residence until He moved to Haifa in 1910. Historical photograph from media.bahai.org

"Some of the most poignant, dramatic and historically significant events of the Heroic Age of our Faith are associated with this house, which derives its name from the Governor of 'Akká who built it and used it as his official residence during his term of Office, from 1820 to 1832.... It was in this house that ['Abdu'l-Baha's] celebrated table talks were given and compiled, to be published later under the title "Some Answered Questions." In this house and in the darkest hours of a period which the beloved Guardian describes as 'the most dramatic period of His ministry,' 'in the heyday of His life and in the full tide of His power' He penned the first part of His Will and Testament.... In this house was born the child ordained to hold the destiny of the Faith in his hands for thirty-six years and to become its 'beloved Guardian,' the child named 'Shoghi' by his Grandfather, who grew up under His loving and solicitous care ...."
[As Thornton Chase, the First American Baha'i, wrote of his Pilgrimage, when he visited Abdu'l-Baha in this house:] 

'We did not know we had reached our destination until we saw a Persian gentleman, and then another and another, step out at the entrance and smile at us. We alighted and they conducted us through the arched, red brick entrance to an open court, across it to a long flight of stone steps, broken and ancient, leading to the highest story and into a small walled court open to the sky, where was the upper chamber assigned to us, which adjoined the room of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The buildings are all of stone, whitewashed and plastered, and it bears the aspect of a prison.'

"As we contemplate the extraordinary focusing of powerful forces and events upon this house, we eagerly anticipate the day when it will be restored and made ready for pilgrims, who may inhale from its atmosphere, its grounds and sacred walls, the fragrances of a glorious past."(The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, Message 157)

"Freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition. I was thankful for the prison, and the lack of liberty was very pleasing to me, for those days were passed in the path of service, under the utmost difficulties and trials, bearing fruits and results. Unless one accepts dire vicissitudes, he will not attain. To me prison is freedom, troubles rest me, death is life, and to be despised is honour. Therefore, I was happy all that time in prison."(`Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 120)

~ ~ ~
O House! Who climbed your stairway? When the Master was a prisoner our spiritual forbears came to you in the night, hearts pounding, souls reaching and hoping: Lua and Sarah, and Phoebe and Robert, and Louis, and Laura, and Thornton -- the first in the West to hear the voice of their Shepherd, Christ, in His "New Name."
We hear their footsteps now, the dust crackling beneath their feet. We hear their spirits, crushing doubt, opening the doors of their hearts to the Light of the New Jerusalem.
A child was born here, too --one promised by Isaiah. He ran up and down your stairs, his praises of God filling the courtyard.
- The courtyard? His voice filled the earth, and fills it still, and will for ages to come!
O Palm Tree, witness of servitude and grandeur, bearer of beauty and joy! How sweet your form, how dear your shadow, caressing the room of the Beloved! We, too, would press our cheek against that wall, feel its coolness against our face, inhale its fragrance, and seek to hear the soul-uplifting Voice within, charting destinies, answering questions, granting certitude.

Theme 148 - Touch

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From @flirtingshadows: He was wary of her touch. Her voice was a caress, her breath, a relief. But her touch was altogether a different matter. It made him flinch and squirm and recoil. Her aged, gnarly fingers, which had kneaded a dough too many, had lost their maternal touch. She ached to reach out. He, to escape.

From @Chocophiliac:

She was sitting on the bean bag, enjoying her daily routine of late night TV shows. I went and sat next to her, kept my chin over her shoulder and wrapped her in my arms. My breath was starting to break. Unexpectedly she turned around and kissed me.

Touch? She touched my soul that night.

From @dopeywriter: Akash was the breadwinner of his family. Death of his father had turned him into a man overnight. He had conviction in his mind yet naive at heart. The day he professed his love for Radha was the day he was into pieces. There's a price one has to pay for loving village khap's daughter.

From @MsTitli: I couldn't hold back my tears when I saw her. She looked like an angel, her  little lips, cute eyes, pink face and her aroma made me kept her adoring. I took her in my arms and touched her gentle hand. She immediately responded by holding my finger. Here I felt my world complete.

From @tweettabulous:

It’s considered taboo to date your lecturer. Ours was such a “hottie” and I secretly lusted after him.
College trip to Goa and he was our guardian. While partying on the cruise, totally drunk I decided to tell him how I felt.

I looked at him sexily and uttered, “zara zara touch me touch me…”

From @absoluteme: You choose "it" yet scream and run away. You hide, breathless and anxious. You poke and make noises. You giggle so hard you feel the insides of your tummy. You run so hard your legs feel like spaghetti. Your hair is all sticky yet you celebrate. And then it touches you and you become "it".

From @JaaTeri:

"Something was different," he thought. "It was not like other times. She held my hand. She hugged me. She touched me! This feels special. Has she fallen for me finally?"
After a while he blurted out, "I must stop thinking too much."
He hurried out of the room as people turned to look at him.

From @CruciFire:

The intentional brushing of her arm on the stairs.
The playful tap at the back of her head during lunch.
The frisky twisting of her ear on the way to the washroom.
The quick peck on her cheek while leaving the conference room.
The delicate pinching of her waist when no one's watching.
Our foreplay.

From @ponderpuffman:

She was someone else’s. He was no one’s.

They lazed on a terrace where fireflies bloomed.
As stars gazed at them, with crickets they whistled a tune.
They weaved stories with weed. They sipped each other souls.
As it rained, lips glued.

They drifted, but with a touch that was held on for a lifetime.

From @numbyaar: The peon stood there shaken as he was being scolded for placing a tea cup touching the mouse pad. Ankur had become highly irritable off late. He would lose his temper on the most trivial of reasons. All he needed was her touch again. But he couldn’t let anyone know, he was a man.

From @looonytoon: A tiny head was hanging out frm 'gateway-to-world'. "kheechna mat, tear baithega". Perspirated n exhausted she tried her best push but as tummy gets toneless n it was her 4th. "chal abhi idhar aa, support dat tummy with a fist". Stuck shoulder slipped. She said "pls let me touch the baby!!"

From @Whiteness: Orangey bulb in the room made her skin look luminous. “I have come here to feel the human touch” he said, caressing her legs. “Everyone says that I’ve got smooth legs, It’s a god’s gift... can you please massage my back? I’m tired.” She said with a sigh. He was reminiscing while in noisy train.

From @whackydjavi: She read to him every night. Her voice soft as only a mother’s can be.His head resting in her lap. Her book cradled on her knees.The lights turned off so he could sleep.Her fingers did the reading for her. Her eyes could never see.Thank you God for the gift of Touch.

Theme 149 - Bite

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From @aaroo4: Her hands stirred the pasta while her mind was blank. She panicked. In the pan, tomatoes & garlic were bubbling away. Was it ready? Blank. Did she add salt? Blank. What did the chef say in class? Blank. She tested the pasta, it still had a bite. Al Dente. She smiled. Everything came flooding in.

From @shakwrites: It was her favorite time of the day. The wedding sounds echoed everywhere. She could hear drums, pipes and chatter. She also smelt delicacies. Soon the large crumpled green leaves full of leftovers would appear. She knew she had to be quick. Else she would miss out on getting her one bite for the day.

From @kaulguddinesh: Mukund sat cross legged waiting for Mita to serve him food. But was she the one for him? She looked ok except for the birth mark on her cheek. Mita served the food. Mukund picked up the Gulab jamum and took a bite. It melted in his mouth leaving a sweet syrupy taste. Yes. 

From @tweettabulous:

I was ecstatic. She had given me the "sign”.  I waited for all to leave so that I could meet her alone. The desire to make animalistic love to her was driving me insane.Picked up wine and whipped cream."Baby, I'm all yours.”

She slapped my face hard. But, but, the seductive lip bite…

From @Chocophiliac:

"Tear, Munch, Cut, Part, Piece, Part, Share, Slice, Clamp, Crush, Eat, Gnaw, Masticate, Nibble, Pierce, Ruminate, Chomp, Chunk, Sever, Teeth, Corrode, Consume, Decay, Decompose, Deteriorate, Dissolve, Engrave, Erode, Etch, Rot, Rust, Slash, Tingle, Rust, Sear, Injure, Chaw, Chew, Chump, Gob, Itch, Lacerate, Nip, Pain, Pinch, Prick, Sting, Hickie, Wound, Burn, Edge, Spice, Zip, Zap, Bite."

From @whiteness: Once upon a time there lived a happy couple, but their only biggest worry was that her husband had strange habit of biting sari every night, she tried hard to stop this but it was out of her control. One day clergyman suggested them to use toothpaste with salt and they lived happily ever afterwards.

Theme 150 - Freedom

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From @DayaDarwazaTodo: They clicked instantly. She talked, he listened. She expressed, he took it all in. She – the kid, he – the grown adult. She made mistakes, he forgave. Time after time, day after day. Then things changed. Now, her freedom still lies in him. His is her absence.

From @krishna_marathe: She spoke loudest of Freedom when she knew he was listening. He loved her; he set her free.  She misses the vast cage of his heart.

From @Chocophiliac: From one ruler to another, from stranger to her own, from woman to men and woman again, from clamorous through the silent, from corrupt to the anti-corrupt, from crooked to someone worse; she has been used as a slave since her birth. What she wanted was mere freedom. What she always got was thralldom. Outrage!

From @wistyloony: The match had already begun & here he was, stuck in a meeting, unable to see it despite the many hardships he had gone through to get ONE ticket. Who decides what will make us happy? Why couldn't Nature grant us magical powers? Or, atleast the freedom to live as we wanted to?

From @aaroo4: He barked; his paws went at the door scratch scratch. She opened half an eye, shushed him and went back to sleep. He continued, jumping on the bed every now and then, whining & barking. “Stop it; Misty” she mumbled dragging herself off the bed to open the door. He bolted inside, came out happy.

From @dineshkaulgud:

“He sat under the tree. The sun shone. A gentle breeze weaved through the forest. Thoughts assailed him – Is there an end? What is Life? Will I find the truth?

He shook his head, he needed to focus. Breath in, out; in, out. He suddenly realised that nothing is permanent. He was free. Enlightened.”

From @flirtingshadows: To color his hair blue and tie a ribbon around it. To paint her nails silver and purple and scarlet. To let go of all what they held dear. To give up in a heartbeat all what they had worked towards and start afresh. They dreamt of all that and more. They dreamt of freedom. 

From @swordfish19:

The convict was taken to the center of the maze by the warden of the penal colony.

“If you can get out of this maze within three days, we will release you. If not, we will still release you, but by hanging you. Your freedom is guaranteed. Here’s a canteen and some food….”

From @TheFraudMallu: He confessed to her about the other woman in his life.  Hurt, she gave him the freedom to be with the one he wanted to be with, wishing she was the one. He chose his freedom and walked out of her life. Pain held back and life shattered, she lost her freedom to his memories.

From @nabilazaidi:

Chained by your memories.
Fire in the games we play.
You left. Came back.
Came back to leave and not be back again.
I stood there, waiting.
But someone took me away.
Away to a place called green grey and gay.
But I walked back.
Searching for you in the dark.
Only to be chained again.

From @_Nehu: She was brought up as princess. She travelled world, shop without worrying princess. She was living in golden cage, not allowed to wander on street, hanging out with friends. She is forced to marry someone with more restrictions. She envied us. Freedom was all she wanted, but didn’t have courage to fight back

From @IndianIdle: Some 60 years ago they fought for us to free us from the clenches of the British. They never knew that after these many years people will be under the wrath of their own people. One of them  said,” we gave freedom to the country, but these politcians are making it freedumb”

From @vchatting:

At 23, she was the Rockstar , the world aspired to be.
But in the long lonely nights, when her work did not claim her, she yearned for love,  a lover maybe, some carefree moments of just nothingness, the ordinariness of a commoner. She missed the anonymity and freedom, all  others seemed to own ...

From @Greylllusionist:

We were adults. We could have done whatever we felt like. Walked around naked. Invent new words. Make love on top of an airplane. Wear each other’s sweat. Wander on an island gifting each other to the sea and expect it to gift back.

Then came a word, hypothesis and that’s not how it is…

From @Crucifire:

I gave them good grades. I gave them my first salary.
For them, I gave my dedication. I gave them my nights. And weekends.
I gave her undying love. I gave her a ring.
I gave them a grandson.

I gave up my dreams.

Free will was a farce. Freedom was never mine.

From @absoluteme: She will tell you that it tastes like monsoon breeze, candy floss and lemon drops. That she no more tries to tame the twirls in her frizzy hair or control the words tumbling out of her mouth. And all this while she'll be laughing hysterically through her salty tears. She has relieved herself of judgments.

From @bright_eclipse: Today, while complaining about my cold Vada-pav, I saw him digging the garbage. Shabby clothes, rough entangled hair and bruised skin adorned him. He picked up some rubbish and took a bite. He relished his snack. I didn’t. I thought of offering him some food. But I couldn’t. He was free. I wasn’t.

Theme 151 - Brazen

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From @aaliznat:

"I've been stuck for 2 days now thinking of an adjective that would be perfect for her open, fierce, I don't care what you think I will do my own thing personality."

"Brazen."

"What?"

"Use brazen."

"Its an anagram for a zebra with an n."

"So, the stripes have changed, that's all."

From @MsTitli: They were caught by a cop near the highway in a car. They were scared and the cop was shouting from the top. Out of anger and fear, he acted brazenly and roared, go find out your son and daughter first then search for others, and drove away!

From @roshd:

All the cute guys were self obsessed and the plain guys were well... boring. So unlike her jijaji. She was getting tired of decking up to meet prospective grooms coming home to 'interview' her.

"Maasi wants to know what she should reply to that engineer-boy's folks". Her mom called out, "Tell them to f**k off"

From @kunalbaidmehta: Having always been a topper Derek didn't want to miss it this time either. But this time it was different. He was caught cheating. Instead of being brazen about it, he broke down. The death of his mother a month back didn't allow him to prepare and his first attempt at cheating had fallen flat.

From @aaroo4: “Look at her, man- standing tall, defending herself against those hooligans. She is my kinda girl” Max beamed. “Gah, she is just being stupid, going to get hurt or scared & come back with her tail tucked between her legs” Carl smirked. “Take that, they retreated. She truly is awesome, my brazen gal” purred Max. 

From @minolajekar:  She walked tall and proud and looked into their eyes. It was like she was peering into their soul. They were the criminals here, making her parade nude, for what a biological accident of inferior birth. She could hear cries of brazen whore, but she walked taller and prouder.

From @mitchellez: She laughed at his face. He was not man enough to take her on. He drank, lost his control and bruised her with words or whatever he got his hands on. “What do you know about love, you prostitute?” He’d ask. She had had enough but decided to brazen it out, “It hurts,” she said

From @Crucifire:

2 years of their relationship and all he could muster was a 1st base, once. He was desperate. And restless.  Tonight was his birthday.

She came over, sat on his lap and let her shawl fall to the floor.

Red lingerie held up her soft, supple breasts.

He was at peace.

BraZen moment it was!

From @bright_eclipse:

He sat. She swung.
He cleared his throat. She pointed at the glass of water.
He drank. She burped.
He spat on her. She guffawed.
He offered her his kerchief shyly.
She removed her t-shirt and winked at him seductively.
6months later, the Shy Pervert and the Brazen Bitch tied the knot.

Theme 158 - Illusion

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From @gauravjagwani: She saw them all rise and applaud. She joined. To her surprise, she easily got to the backstage. On meeting the man, she said, 'That was some magic.'They are all mere illusions', said he. 'Does it matter? You got a standing ovation!' 'Exactly! Mere illusions. You are the only one backstage, no?' She was.

From @vivekisms: "We live with our illusions. Don't we?", he asked him. Waiting for a response. Something to hang on to. Goodbyes need something to hold on to. "Yes we do", he responded, smiling, knowing what his answer meant.

From @maruwahna:

Now why did the local area network stop working? Bah , battery backup issues , they claim. Hogwash !
I start fiddling around with the wifi settings.
OMG YAAY OPEN NETWORK! CONNECT CONNECT !
Connected and google chrome opened.
*Please enter your credit card details to start using the internet.*
ydjid!#948#!

From @brownicetea: Been ugly for so long that when called pretty she feels uncomfortable. From that tiny cocoon to the caterpillar it was a tough journey to be a butterfly. She is used to the fact of being ugly. Now that colours have been splashed on her, she is scared a bit. All of this seems like a lie, just an illusion. Everyone is going to end up Ugly.

From @kunalbaidmehta:

Samir woke up with a startle.
Was this a nightmare? Or was this real?
Was he really lying on the hospital bed? Or was that also part of a dream that he was still having?
What was reality and what was an illusion was something he had to decipher.
The hash brownies had played their trick.

From @quratzafar: She contemplated the syringe infront of her. The drug would get her high and grant oblivion. She knew it wouldn't be enough though: that man had made her feel loved and protected and no illusion felt better than that.

From @viveklectic:

The chimera of money was more attractive than the living world around him.

Running after his dreams like mirages he lost his first love, then friends, family was the last to go.

Sitting all alone at the mahogany table of success the old man reflected at the illusion of life.

From @nefritri: Simon was the world’s greatest illusionist. He could walk on water, be invisible. One day he saw her standing across the road, he rushed to meet her & was hit by a car. Before dying, he saw that it was just a life size poster of her.  The illusionist was killed by an illusion.

From @tweettabulous:

His charm captivated me. He stirred emotions that were long gone, made me believe in love again. Those endless conversations, the passionate love making and blissful moments spent together.
I caught him with another woman.
Mind fucked.
Psyche shattered.
All a facade.
Realized, I was just his muse and he played the perfect “Grey Illusionist.”

From @lucidillusions_ :

She closed her eyes, she knew they were deceiving her. She could still hear him, commanding her. She opened her eyes and he looked at her angrily. She could never realize how her hallucinations could be so lucid.

Never once did she thought that she herself was an illusion, and he the reality, the creator.

From @Greyllusionist: You exist. Right behind my ears, whispering amidst the noise. Hiding behind the clouds, keeping the silver line lit for me. In the ripples of my bed, infusing dreams in my sleep. They’ve garlanded a frame of yours but they aren't aware you come alive for a red rose and that fav chocolate of yours…

From @divyasangwan:

Meher & Sameer had dreams of seeing their only daughter, Syra,a pretty girl,getting married to a guy of their choice.

One fine morning, Syra was missing from her bedroom. she was searched everywhere, only to be found later that she had eloped with her boyfriend.

Alas! Her parents were living in an illusion.

Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

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It is part of our monastery devotions to recite one of our Lady's dolours everyday after the afternoon recreation. The image above was put together by one of the brothers.
St Alphonsus in the glories of Mary says that it was revealed to St. Elizabeth, that at the request of Our Lady, Our Lord promised four principal graces to those devoted to Her Sorrows:1. That those who before death invoke the divine Mother in the name of Her Sorrows will obtain true repentance of all their sins;2. That He will protect all who have this devotion in their tribulations, and will protect them especially at the hour of death;3. That He will impress on their minds the remembrance of His Passion;4. That He will place such devout servants in Mother Mary’s hands to do with them as She wishes and to obtain for them all the graces She desires.
In addition to these four graces there are also seven promises (revealed to St. Bridget) attached to the practice of daily praying seven Hail Mary’s while meditating on Our Lady’s Tears and Sorrows:I will grant peace to their families.They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.I have obtained (This Grace) from my Divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and sorrows, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.