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Daily Dose is a section of this blog which is designed to give you a piece of sacred literature to ponder over and reflect upon. This Daily Dose will contain Baha’u’llah’s poetic, and thought provoking revelation of the Hidden Words which contains 71 Arabic, and 82 Persian pieces of divine paean designed for humanity’s coming of age!

Arabic 1

“O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.” -Arabic 1, Baha’u’llah

Commentary

In this sublime opening to not only the Hidden Words, but also the Baha’i revelation as a whole, Baha’u’llah extols humanity to live by the supreme virtue of loving-kindness. This goes hand in hand with the first verse of the Kitab-i-Aqdas which requires of believers to not only believe in Baha’u’llah but to follow His law. These three commandments form a triune foundation which unites humanity into one. Indeed the twin duties prescribed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas funnel down into one true action from which all good is derived.

Indeed the twin duties of recognising the Manifestation of God for this age, and His commandments leads to the acceptance of the supreme virtue of loving-kindness. It is through loving-kindness that a pure heart is garnered and from which, as Baha’u’llah states, man’s sovereignty is derived. For it is without these heavenly virtues which have been bestowed upon man by God that the loss of freedom is found. Surely, those who do not live by these righteous characters would find themselves listed amongst the leaders of the world which Baha’u’llah warns in His famous verses of the Aqdas.

In the final words of this verse, Baha’u’llah warns us subtly that if one does not strive to live by these virtues then surely sovereignty is transient. It is of course, as Baha’u’llah tells us time and time again, that the material world is but a momentary glimpse of our eternal being, and is designed not for us to indulge solely in pleasure, but to help ourselves and others to tread the same path.

This verse holds the reverberations of all past revelation as well. It upholds the Buddhist supreme virtue of metta or loving-kindness as well as the ideal of reaching the transcendent state of nirvana or close to (the Bodhisattva ideal), to then help others along the way. Likewise it calls upon us to hold Christ dear to our hearts and walk the world as he did, taking in everyone under his cloak, regardless of social status, or sin. Indeed, it tells us that those stuck in the loop of ego, that is to say, those who have a heart only for themselves, need first to open their heart to the world, before any good might arise therefrom.

-G.L.

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