We established the Türkmen people’s state by building the throne in the homeland of the Türkmens, who have spread through the world. Our way is the way of ancient Türkmens! Our way is the way of the Oguz Han, his prophet-like way!

(60)

It was my good fortune to involuntarily comprehend that what I write as my understanding, perceptions and feelings in the Ruhnama are in fact what I have been holding as feelings and aspirations in my heart for a long time. These feelings lived in me during my youth when I understood the spirit, mercy and value of the homeland. The reason for the intimate connection between my fate and the fate of my homeland is the similarity between them. When, after leaving my family and brothers, I was left feeling isolated and bereft, the homeland was afflicted in the same way. I was deeply affected and became as homesick as the soldiers and heroes separated from their homeland.

(72-73)

When I walked the route from the village of Gypjak to the city of Aşgabat, between Büzmeýin and Ymam Kasym graveyard, I would sense the loneliness of the homeland, its homelessness and its spiritual desolation.

The bleak steppes, the desolate plains, the shrivelled fountains, the bowed cypresses, the disintegrating buildings, the lonely homeland, in their entirety, all these do not exist only outside me but live too in my internal realm, where they cause my heart to ache.

The homeland reminds me of a woman who has been slapped and abandoned in the street.

The resemblance between my fate and that of my homeland almost pushed me into philosophical inquiries. For the first condition of philosophical inquiry is emotional exploration.

 The human is like an instrument created by Allah to detect the passage of time. The human differs from other living beings in that, as a result of having mind, he possesses the ability to know time.

(73)

The soul of Görogly said:

“The nation that travels a straight road is happy. The happiness of the nation is the basis of the brave preservation of the country and the territory. Today, the happiness of your nation is in your hands. Saparmyrat, show the way of the golden life to the Türkmen nation. This will be your task; this will be your way.”

(148)

When I learnt to read and write, I realized that my homeland was a captive and an orphan like me. I have lived in the bright world of the Creator along with my sorrows stemming from this reality throughout my life. Eventually, I began to search for the souls of my ancestors through the pages of books as a captive searches for the homeland or as an orphan searches for his close relatives.

Thus, when I was just a small child, I learnt who the Türkmen is and what the homeland is. I have consoled myself with the epigram, which is firstly recorded in my heart and then in my diary, “The one who bears the sufferings of the world earlier can understand the realities of the world earlier.” In the course of time, I have realized that those injuries which were done to my heart have been removed.

(154)

I was separated from my homeland, which I love very much, when I began to study in Leningrad. By going to the libraries there, I immersed myself in the depths of history so that I felt as if I was at the heart of my homeland. During my education in Leningrad, I learnt the five thousand year history of my people by reading every single line about it.

When you go for a long journey, your mother prepares your food. I, however, have no mother, so I took the word “Türkmen” in place of food.

When you go for a long journey, your father sends you with his blessings; I, however, have no father, so I have taken the blessings of my homeland on my journey.

(156)

There is nothing more sacred and beloved than the land.

To be Türkmen is nothing other than to love our own land.

We have become the Türkmen nation by loving this land and by uniting on this land.

(166)

Read Oghuznama, Gorkut Ata, or Görogly and you see a harmony with nature; this harmony reminds you of the relations between father and son. Thus Türkmen nation calls this country the “homeland.” This kind of relationship gives the Türkmen spirit naturalness, health, spiritual loftiness, and beauty. In this we can see the affinity between the hero Gorkut Ata and the rivers and the plains, and the respect and attachment of Görogly for the mountains. The fundamental principles of the Türkmen character, naturalness, honesty, and trust stem from this relationship with the environment and the qualities of the Türkmen spirit.

(180)

The commanders and soldiers who took part in the Gökdepe War unanimously say in their writings that they never even encountered a traitor, let alone received any help from a traitor. They point out the Türkmens’ indifference to money, gold and other such things when patriotism, independence or some other invaluable principle is concerned. Our nation knows that a noble Türkmen would never commit high treason. Of course, it is not right to say that no one has ever committed such a crime out of greed and weakness of character. In fact, there were a few such traitors in the Gökdepe War. They were flattered or bribed with favours by the Russian Tsar and in exchange sold their motherland to the Tsar. Those traitors were punished in their destiny. Every fact should be evaluated by our nation, as should any good or evil in our history.

(188)

Our ancestors left us examples of the love and respect that must be shown to the fatherland.

Here is an example of the Türkmen’s love for his fatherland.

At the period when Oguz Han’s state was not yet very powerful, taking advantage of this situation, a powerful state tried to capture Oguz land by war. The enemy sent a messenger and demanded the best horse in the Oguz country.

Oguz Han’s commanders put forward their ideas:

“The enemy is ill-meaning. Let us make war, but let us not give the pedigree horse.”

Oguz Han said to them:

“It is wrong to prefer the worst, when what is only worse is still possible. One never knows, we may lose all our horses if we are defeated. Give him the horse and let him go!”

The messenger that took the pedigree horse came back with more depressing news. This time the demand of the enemy was the most beautiful girl in the country. The commanders said:

“We can’t accept this shameful demand. This time they want us to surrender our honour. There is no way out except war.”

However, the prudent and far-sighted Oguz Han said:

“In case of a war, many a brave man may die. One never knows what may happen! If the enemy defeats us all at once, all our sisters, daughters, brides and wives may become slaves. It is frivolous to prefer the worst, when what is worse is still possible.”

The messenger took the most beautiful girl and came back with a more oppressive proposal, demanding land this time. Oguz Han who had realized war was approaching and had prepared his army cried:

“We shall give our heads, but we will not give land,” and immediately he declared war.

He taught the enemy a lesson.

(246-247)

O, my dear countryman!

Look around you at once at the beauties around you, the manifestations of the compassion and mercy of Allah. Conceive that you yourself are the creature of Allah’s compassion and try to merit that love!

(249)

When I talk of the spiritual world of the Türkmen, I speak of his morally high mode, his awareness of the fact that mankind always lives on hope, his confidence in his country, nation and justice, and of his certainty that his needs and desires will be met.

When man loses hope, his spirit is drowned and he becomes disappointed. A man should have feelings of mercy, honesty, justice, spiritual loftiness, an ideal to maintain integrity, a love of his nation, neighbours, fellow citizens and his country in his heart.

(287-288)

A man grows all the more enthusiastic spiritually when he feels the same as his fellow countrymen do. The union of hearts is the love that does not separate you from your fellow people and country. The life and the heart of a man with spiritual eminence is his homeland. The concept of homeland is a comprehensive one and it has many connotations. One’s spouse, children, brothers, relatives, state, friends, place of birth, colleagues, history and today are all contained in reference to the concept of homeland.

(309)

Life is led in three castles. One castle lasts for a lifetime, and the other two follow the footsteps of time.

The lifelong castle is your homeland. You are in it from your birth till your last day in the world.

(315)

The word orphan has connotations of material insufficiency or having material needs. But the word captive refers to spiritual lack, insufficiency of spiritual patronage, and lack of spiritual ground. Being a captive means falling away from one’s homeland and suffering from all kinds of difficulties. The captive suffers not from the lack of material support from his friends, but from the lack of spiritual aid and from their insensitivity.

(320)

My dear child!

Continue serving your parents even after they pass away. The services you render to the homeland will be of use after death, as well. Don’t forget about your homeland. The homeland can continue to exist only because it is always remembered.

It is a very sacred duty upon you to love and protect the father’s and the mother’s homeland and your independence in the way you would protect your most precious belongings.

(337)

For the sake of our ancestors who founded great states and led prosperous lives, for the sake of brave men and heroes who died for this country, let us make independent and impartial Türkmenistan a great and powerful state. For the sake of those who have miraculous powers, sacred people, men of wisdom, let us establish, produce, have access to information, for proper knowledge should be the foundation of our country!

(403-404)