The Canticle of the Sun

[Guest guest]

The Canticle of the Sun

by Francis of Assisi

 

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

 

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

 

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

 

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance.

 

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

 

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

 

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

 

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

 

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them.

 

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve him with great humility.

[Guest guest]

The Prayer of Saint Francis

 

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is discord, harmony;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light, and

Where there is sorrow, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not

so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand; to be loved

as to love; for it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

[theist]

Prabhupäda: Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus Christ, is... He is son of God, the best son of God, so we have all respect for him. Yes. Anyone who is teaching people about God consciousness, he is respectful to us. It does not matter in which country, in which atmosphere, he was preaching. It doesn’t matter.

 

Madhudviña: (repeating question) St. Francis, the founder of this particular order which we have been invited to speak to, found God in the material world. And he used to address the aspects of the material world as “brother” and “sister.” “Brother tree,” “sister water,” like that. What is your view upon this?

 

Prabhupäda: This is real God consciousness. This is real God consciousness, yes, not that “I am God conscious, and I kill the animals.” That is not God conscious. To accept the trees, plants, lower animals, insignificant ants even, as brothers... Samaù sarveñu bhüteñu. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä.

brahma-bhütaù prasannätmä

na çocati na käìkñati

samaù sarveñu bhüteñu

[bg. 18.54]

Samaù. Samaù means equal to all living entities, to see the spirit soul, anyone... It doesn’t matter whether he is man or cat or dog or tree or ant or insect or big man. They are all parts and parcel of God. They are simply dressed differently. One has got the dress of tree; one has got the dress of king; one has got the, insect. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gétä. Paëòitäù sama-darçinaù: [bg. 5.18] “One who is paëòita, learned, his vision is equal.” So if St. Francis was thinking like that, that is highest standard of spiritual understanding. Similar expression is there in the Caitanya-caritämåta, that sthävara-jaìgama dekhe nä dekhe tära mürti. A spiritually advanced devotee of the Lord, he sees the trees or the animals or the stone or the anything he sees—he sees that it is the energy of God. Nä dekhe tära mürti. Just like your mürti or my mürti—mürti means form—may be little different, but we are made of the same ingredients. If your body surgically operated, the same blood, stone, or bone, or flesh, everything is there the same because same ingredients. Similarly, our outward covering is covered by these material elements, but inside, within this, there is the spirit soul. Therefore one who is advanced, he does not see that “This is cat, this is dog, this is man, this is elephant, and this is brähmaëa, this is this...” No. He sees the soul, that “Here is the soul, part and parcel of God.” That is his vision. Paëòitäù sama-darçinaù [bg. 5.18]. So that is God realization. God is spirit, Supreme Spirit, and he is part and parcel, the living entities. That is real vision. Paëòitäù. Paëòitäù means learned.