Response to Poem Cry in Wilderness

The comments column has limitations in terms of "mumber of Chracters" etc, & so this response from Narasimhan, is posted as a new blog, & with label "poetry" as to give it a continuity.

 When very small babies cry we imagine they are unhappy. They in fact do not know that they are unhappy and that hence they are crying. In the warm embrace of the Source where from they came they are immersed in the bliss of total innocence instinctively doing what they do.   Alas this bliss is very short lived and very soon the nagging voice of "enquiry" rushes in and occupies the child's innocent mind space. 

The child quickly detaches itself from its Source,from its peace within to the turbulence outside, in order to return one day to the bliss it was born into but now with complete knowledge of its eternal blissful nature. This is its life purpose of which it is initially unaware. It starts to search for happiness outside, inspired by its instinctive belief in an "eternal law" that holds a solemn promise of reward for effort put in.

It sets upon realizing this promise starting from as little effort as grabbing a toy from another child who is weaker, to acquiring empires, progressively "taking control" of the means to happiness in this world to which it gets inextricably addicted. For most this hunt for an elusive happiness stretches over entire lives or even several life times, so complete is the addiction.  A few of us evolve to a stage in our life time where we begin to see that giving away to others is more fulfilling than possessing. Moving beyond sharing with the family and friends we realize the joy of sharing with the whole world. We experience the fulfillment only selflessness can bring. 

Yet even at this "elevated" stage of our evolution the philanthropist in us starts to sense a gnawing inadequacy in what external engagement has been able to deliver to us. Fewer still, out of the few that turned away from amassing to dispersing, finally begin to seek. 

These fortunate few seek the spirit that has all along been lying silent within waiting for the search outside to end and the seeking within to begin. Being fully convinced deep within that connecting back to the spirit is the only means to lasting joy the seeker discards as futile even the highest of his achievements and embarks on his spiritual quest. 

He discovers to his dismay however that the familiar "do this and get that" formulae that largely stood by him in good stead in all his worldly pursuits are of little help in this final quest for God or Truth. The wise say that seeking of God is a game of hide and seek between God and the individual soul. It is only after several lives pursuing everything except God that the seeker is ready to even start the game. Leave alone previous lives, since when can we say that we started the game seriously in this present life itself? 

If we started early enough, since when are we playing it abandoning any other thought, to the exclusion of any other activity (Anayaashchintayantyomaam)?Yet we feel justified enough to stridently cry out when the game has just started that "He is playing hard to get, He is no Karunakaran but a Raakshasan, He is abandoning His devotees taking them for granted and then questioning if He was heartless and brainless (Oh my God!!) and if He mattered anymore and should we choose to revolt and become terrorists?" 

Forget blasphemy, such a judgement does not exist in God's Creation, but do we care for dignity in expression or dignified communication too is a vain value in your understanding? Crying out is a natural emotional expression when done without judgement or in protest. The sentiment in that is one of sorrow and bewilderment not indignation which you describe as 'angst'. Am I missing your sorrow or is your strident temper obscuring it?

I cannot join issue with you on most of what you have said. I will not attempt to be God's messenger either, the game He plays is ever so exhausting. But the ferocity of your poem prompts me to share my reflections as I finish reading it yet once again even as I am finishing this long essay. Thoughts tossed over in the mind often and then expressed in words with force get endorsed by the universe and could trigger action one day in a manner and at a time that we cannot link with what and how we said something, sometime.  

We believe spirits floating around us say to what we say forcefully,"So be it". Your thought if you would or should become a terrorist expressed more than once in the recent past may spill out of the screen where you are giving it voice. 

Let us pray to God to give us a level of acceptance from where we see that since everything moves under His command all movements must be perfect and thus may we be at peace with any happening even if our mind refuses to accept it. And to give us the courage and power to act to change a circumstance which does not align with our highest conception of God.  

May God bless us all.

Gulpa

Cry in Wilderness- A poem

I am in a mood for some vichiism & a related poem. This is sadly a lay back to my earlier "whining past", but I like IT. 

First the set of vichiism. 

1. If & when you find a way, Gods seem happy putting hurdles on the path.

2. When you pray for removing hurdles in all your endeavors, does it not imply that you are anticipating them? 

3. And when you start looking "in", he will force you to look "out" with privations, galore.

The above leads me to the poem: CRY IN WlLDERNESS

I see today as an auspicious day to start,
Yet am not sure I will succeed in the end.   

Forced on one not too auspicious to start, 
Very clearly I could not succeed in the end.  

Honestly have no clue whatsoever to decide,
good or bad, as in eternal bondage I reside.     

You Lord, seem to  enjoy this banter with me,
Leaving me clueless & shameless to just "be". 

Taking me abode You will not,
Looking "in" I simply cannot.

Lord, are You then so heartless & brainless, 
that You will ever keep me in this wilderness? 

What do I have to do to make YOU change, 
To try & get myself in your radar's range.

Which will then guide me safely in there,
From where one needs to look no where  

Or You prefer to be in Your bliss abandoning me,
Avoid change anything from Your original scheme. 

How can You be then called Karuna Karan,
when all I can perceive is a Raakshasan? 

It's Kalyug dear, You are inclined to say,
It's absolutely no comfort for me to assay. 

You are Omniscient, Omnipresent, aren't You?
What then is your problem seeing all this thru?

Choose any time to just change script, 
but doing nothing lest You may not exist?  

With skeptics, agnosts, rationalists galore,
Do You really believe You matter any more? 

Or knowing it all, You have taken a holiday,
abandoning all those devoted to You mid way,

Assured in the belief that they are Yours anyway,
let the others drown in their illusions all the way. 
    
I am in no position to appreciate Your passive mien,
All I can understand is Your visibly active regimen.

In which the non-devout & skeptics are  punished,
believers rescued from despair, their faith restored.

Otherwise,is there any alternative but to revolt,
take to streets and devote myself as a terrorist?

Oh God are you hearing my cry of angst,
or is this also part of Your original script? 

***************************************************

Love 

Ekalavya alias Vichu

Poem - Freedom

The following poem(?) just flowed in about 5 odd minutes flat to my tremendous surprise. Though it conveyed nothing new, the flow and the fact that it came without a pause, prompted me to share it in blog. Here I go

Quote

"விடுதலை" 

விதியை மதியால் வெல்லலாம் என்கிறது ஒரு வசனம் 

ஆனால் அதுவும் ஒரு விதிதானேடா  என்கிறது என்னுடைய வசனம் 

விதியை பிடித்து தொங்கிக்கொண்டு விதாதாவையே மறந்து விட்டு 

அவனுக்கு பாக்யவிதாதா என்கிற பட்டதையும் குடுத்து விட்டதை என்ன வென்பது ?

பாக்கியம், அபாக்கியம் என்பது கிடையாது என்கிறதை என்று அறிவாயடா மடையா ?

விதி என்கிறது மதியின் படைப்பு, ஒரு அழுக்கு கண்ணாடி போல . 

அழுக்கை துடைத்து என்றைக்கு பார்க்கிறாயோ அன்றைக்கு விடுதலை. 

எப்படி என்று கேட்கிறாயா? கேள், சொல்லுகிறேன். 

மதியில் மறைந்தது விதி , விதியில் மறைந்தது விதாதா ,

அந்த விதாதா நீயேதான் என்று என்னிக்கி அறிவாயோ 

அப்பொழுது அந்த விதிக்கும்   உனக்கும் சம்பந்தம் இல்லை என்கிறது புரியும் 

மதி, விதி, விதாதா எல்லாமே மறைந்து நான்தான் எல்லாவற்றையும் படைத்தேன் என்கிற ஞானம் வரும்.

எந்த விதமான உணர்வுகளும்,  உடலுக்குத்தான் என்று புரிந்து 
மோஹம் விலகி, நான், நீ, அவன், மதி, விதி, விதாதா எல்லாமே மறைந்து 

இரன்டில்லாத ஒன்று என்கிற ப்ரஹ்மமே மிஞ்சும் 
அப்பொழுதுதான் விடுதலை, சுகம், ப்ரஹ்மானந்தம். 

இந்த தேஹத்தில் உள்ள பற்றுதல் நீங்கி மோஹம் விலஹின பரிபக்குவம் என்றைக்கு வரும் என்கிற கதறலான ஏக்கம் தான் 
அந்த பிரம்ம ஐக்ய நிலையை அடைய ஒரே வழி.

இதை மறந்து,விதி, மதி, விதாதா, என்கிற விவாதத்தில் 
சிக்கி , சக்கு மாடு போல் சுத்தி சுத்தி வந்து கொண்டு 
முட்டளைப்போல் ஒரு நோக்கமில்லா வாழ்க்கைதான் 
சுகம், என்று நம்பிநேயானால் விதாதா என்ன பண்ணுவான் ?

எழுந்திரு, ஓடு, ஒரு நிமிடமும் வீணாக்காமல் அவனை நினை. 
அவன் உனக்கு பகுத்தறிவை கொடுக்கும் வரை விடாதே. 

கஷ்டம் தான் ஆனால் முடியாதது அல்ல,
நம்பிக்கை தான் முக்கியம், விடுதலை நிச்சயம் .

*******      
Unquote

Ekalavya alias Vichu

ANGUSH - A POEM

Isn't God's Creation too awesome coo the wise,
Oh really asketh I, to me it seems mostly otherwise. 

No man is perfect is another refrain heard often,
But of course you are says He, you have forgotten. 

How you live is an unfettered free-will says He,
But adds, surrender unto me is my final plea.

For the former apparently it's His Choice for All Grace,
For the latter, it's endless endurance even in disgrace.

You know not what is either  grace or disgrace,
says He, as knowing comes solely from My Grace. 

These are but elaborate sequences of a gigantic Dream,
All in My begining-less-endless Creation of mainstream.  

To awaken & merge unto Me in spiritual Oneness,
is the only path to escape this miserable dual-ness. 

Aha, says i, why then is the one mesmerized in Your Dream,
is loaded repeatedly with all goodies in an endless ream?

Worse, in absolute conviction about being Your Chosen One,
he never ceases to talk with ease about that non-dual One.

And the one who genuinely believes & decides to surrender,
is often left with nothing but to constantly ponder & wonder,

as to whether all  his humble, & consciously unshaken trust,
is merely facing a test by "His Will" for some past mistrust?

Thus choice of total surrender or unfettered free-will,
does look to be shaped pre-determinedly by His Will. 

So to be or not to be, if it is to be decided by Him, 
Why is He not to awakening me from my dream?

Is it because if He does, there is fear i may not be in bliss,
being aware that there are many who are still in distress.

Liberation, Realization, Nirvana, Moksha, or Re-Merger,
All therefore appear like another Dream very much  bigger.  

Is absolute ignorance then the only Blessing?
the very thought though is indeed frightening. 

****************************************************

Derived Vichiism : 

Experience is the only pain/Hurdle.

Nirvana is transcending/ going beyond "Experience". 

(BTW surprisingly one of my earlier Sutras..... See label Vichu Sutras in blog) 


Love Ekalavya alias Vichu

       

It's annoying how - A poem by Shruti

It's annoying how
Only half of my parents time is mine now
How all my things are hers too now
How at one of those smiles and pouts
We all have to bow

 

Its annoying how
Everything I do, wear, or feel now
Are no longer only mine.
How she has to think along the same line

 

It's annoying how
Despite our avid similarity
There is always some disparity
How we don't seem to agree.
The matter be no matter what
There will always be something on which we've fought

 

Its annoying how
Inspite of all this
I know I will miss
Her with all her tanrums 
How I cannot even think
Of a life so dull.

 

Yes it truly is very annoying
That I can't help but say
Even though I won't admit to her
I truly do love my little sister

On State of Being

The doctor states arthritis has possibly set in,
I know what he doesn't,
My bones have only just begun to catch up,
In maturity with my mind!



 

CAPTURING THE MOOD AND ESSENCE OF THE TOASTMASTERS ANNUAL CONVENTION , AT THE DUKES ENERGY CONVENTION CENTER, CINCINNATI, USA

(21^st august 2013  13 50 hrs) Context: The start of an idea to capture the event in verse

From the womb of tomorrow,

I look out of the window.

Am I destiny’s choice,

Or do I choose my destiny.

(21^st august 2013  13 50 hrs) Context: Essam is a toastmaster  from Saudi

Ere I introspect, Essam reminds me

That our lives are forever intertwined,

So the choices I make affect him

Now, and in the Hereafter.

(21^st august 2013  1400 hrs) Context : A small group chatter during a break

And then they come

Dana and John, Sulaiman and bashar

Stacy, Paddy and all,

With each breath we live out of each other,

With each thought we love.

(21^st august 2013 1401 hrs)  Context: Scene during the break

A cup of diet coke, Half filled from the top,

Looks on with me and seems to say

Will you fill me up or push me back from whence I came?

(21^st august 2013  1405 hrs) Context: Simultaneous happenings

We all laugh together

For we know that

Whether it’s me or a cup of coke,

WE ARE IN GOOD HANDS

(21^st august 2013 1405 hrs) Context : Changing moods in a conversation-I

And now we become more sanguine

Discussing this and that-

Thoughts and feeling intermingled,

Not knowing which came from whom.

(21^st august 2013 1410 hrs ) Context : Changing moods in a conversation-II

In the moments of clarity

As in the sun through the clouds

Out of Dukes’ Convention

Dana makes a point of natural law.

Nature, law two words repeated in the same phrase?

(21^st august 2013 1415 hrs) Context: Back to the campaign action

And comes along Johnina

An angel with a message

Breaks our tangled web of thoughts

And brings us back to life and hope

(21^st august 2013 1425 hrs) Context : General Reflection

It’s easy to pen a line

All one needs is an open heart

Inebriation without substance

And ambivalence for stance

(21^st august 2013 1529 hrs) Context : A passing thought

Imagination is Truth whose Time has not yet arrived!    (Imagination is Truth waiting for Time)

(21^st august 2013 1741 hrs) Context : Just before the Opening Ceremony

The ceremony opens with a sweet kiss,

A Hershey that is more than a touch , from an unknown stranger to welcome smiles.

(21^st august 2013 1745 hrs) Context: Scene at people enter the Hall

A touch, a wink, a handshake and an embrace,

Years of struggle meeting the moment of reckoning

(21^st august 2013 1747 hrs) Context: The President Elect posing with hopefuls

With others wanting to be in the same frame

In the best of attire

The heart senses the closure of it’s

Most cherished DESIRE

(21^st august 2013 1751 hrs) Context: Cut to the background-I

And sashed on the aisles

Smiling as ever stands the volunteer

Knowing all, betraying none

THE SIMPLE TOASTMASTER

(21^st august 2013 1755 hrs) Context: Cut to the background-II

Small conversation, Big talk,

Some encouragement, Lots of patience

The stoic podium awaits, the bang of the eager GAVEL

(21^st august 2013 1758 hrs) Context: The eye-catchers

A beautiful yellow saree, that printed bright skirt

Informals to business suits, the colors splurt, and the festival is on the go!

(21^st august 2013 1759 hrs) Context: A moment before

That pregnant moment, when it’s about to happen

That eager expectation, that undenied HOPE

(21^st august 2013 1815 hrs) Context: The flag march

And then it starts to dawn

Flags of all nations, Flag bearers sans nationality

The world is indeed what we want to make of it!

(21^st august 2013 1815 hrs) Context: The Distinguished Toastmasters parade

To be distinguished is to say, “I am Special in my own way”

And for time to come I will never ever say Nay!

(22^nd august 2013 1015 hrs) Context: The Day of the Speech Competitions

Lazy cars parked outside,

The roof of the Paul Brown Stadium,

Brings in the view from the south of the Dukes’

As all head North in our individual pursuits

(22^nd august 2013 1520 hrs) Context: In tribute to the previous nights’ informal ice-breaker

And this to you my dear Friends at Sing-Along

That you give a patient ear to my unuttered ramblings

The warmth of my wishes and the fruits of my Prayer!

(25 august 2013 0830 hrs) Context : Signing Off

Sly sunshine peering out of reflected windows,

A parting of friends, some cool, some teary,

Any sojourn breaks the heart of continuity.

My Will Or His Way - A poem

It has been quite a while since I blogged last. This is just to get back to some thought sharing process once again. This is poem which just came on the spur after Naresh came visiting and promised to blog his poems while in USA. Hope you will read this..... 

There is this man desolate and poor,
Crying for succor in a deafening roar.

And the other looking for enlightenment,
Unable to relate to any of His creation.

The former is cursing Him for his fate
Latter just bewildered at His apostate.

Blessed are the poor says the Lord,
No, it’s one who’s unable to relate says I.

At the threshold of losing all their will,
They have only Him to show the way.

Both are so pathetically distressed,
That they miss His hands stretched.

Inviting them both to say as it were,
That deliverance is only that much near. 

Alas not many are there, so blessed,
In false belief they remain possessed.

Calling themselves secular or spiritual,
“Be positive” is mantra for both essential. 

Attachment is the fatal lure of His creation,
With myriads of religion & polarized sentiment. 

This game being His sole entertainment,
It’s churlish to dismiss it as entrapment. 

Secular-spiritual polarization is a myth in duality,
Only negation of duality is liberation in Reality.

The mantra for merger & final beatitude,
Is to go from detachment to un-attachment.

Yet enjoying every moment of His creation,
Sans attachment, knowing I am but Him. 

Alas vain & steeped in ignorance,
Will I ever receive deliverance? 


O’Lord is my SOS roar so very low 
Or is my detachment so shallow,

That you pretend not to hear or deliver,
But instead choose to let me just “be”?       


Ekalvya alias Vichu

Reality or Nightmare - Poem

Hi folks

This poem just flowed and I couldn't resist posting without too much of a thought about the need to reflect and too much of corrections. I hope it is ok enough for posting. Here I go :  

While I was down & immersed in thought
God came & asked why am I looking lost?

Surprised, I asked Him if he can help,
He said yes but asked me to be brief.

I said I wanted Peace, harmony & liberation
He replied saying my sequence in iteration
Was in the reverse order of evolution
Peace & harmony came after liberation.

I then asked as to why I can’t be liberated?  
He said no problem son if you are interested.
But it must be now giving up in total surrender
Without the need for some “want” to remember.

Well I said I have unfinished tasks for my family
And he asked why I should be so presumptuous
To imagine it’s my role & not His responsibility    
As going by my seeking help, I have none is obvious.

He then said ask something else for ease of tension,
And I sought a showering of riches in pension, 
So that when I feel relieved of burden of duty
I can seek that liberation in perfect capacity.

Well He said my bank balance is wafer thin
So He can only make limited “in time” offering,
To keep head above water for me & my kin
But I still could have another wish for asking.

I said then at least give me some recognition,
Ha! He said for that I must lose inner satisfaction
As the more I look within & get that comfort
The less will I get that support from without. 

Do you want recognition or inner satisfaction?
You cannot aspire for both & yet be liberated
So think & ask what you want & will Grant
He said and continued He can’t forever wait.

Being a mortal ere I could recover & ask Him
I woke up to face His absence in earthly reality.


It’s said distance between a dream & reality is action
But what can I do as my reality is but pure nightmare.

Neither can I assume responsibility which is suspect,
Nor do I have the wherewithal to live with respect,
Peace & harmony will not come till I get liberation
He will come, but go with only promises of salvation.   
     

Love 

Vichu 

God's Apparent Bias - Poem

Hi folks, after a few days of strategic time-out, here is a poem titled "Gods Apparent bias". 

The Universal ONE decided to be many,
As to why, alas is known hardly to any.

Some say IT decided to split into two, 
To experience & be the Experiencer too.

Then emerged men in three distinct categories
Namely the Bhakthi, Gyana, & Karma yogis.

The first even as he knew his true identity,
Preferred to be the experience of that Experiencer.

The second likewise knew who he was,
And meditated in “I am Him” consciousness.

The third accepted the dual identity,
Sans do-er-ship enjoyed doing his duty. 
Worshipping Him in various names and forms,
In trust that deliverance will come in some form.

Leaving the choice to that Experiencer,
The merger with Him seems so much easier.
It ideally suits both the first & third category 
Just being content, happy and care free.   

For the Gyana Yogi with that “I am Him” rigor,
Surrendering however appears that much tougher.

He is me kind of trust is complete surrender,
I am Him kind of conviction is a point to ponder.

There are very few who reach that Oneness stage,
With the former path appearing easier for entourage,
But in this S&T age, it’s the latter which is appealing
The imminent danger of “I” taking over, notwithstanding.

God seems to agree, eternally testing the former,
Showering Grace both temporal & spiritual to the latter. 

Will S&T finally take us to that Oneness stage?
Or is it just another dimension of His great Visage?

The ones who are truly evolved,
Aren’t always the ones who inspire.
And ones who are truly inspiring
Aren’t necessarily those evolved.  

Why then does He show such apparent bias?
In perpetuating this never ending hiatus. 

Between His desire for endless entertainment
And our constant struggle for enlightenment.

***************************************************

Love Vichu

      




  

God's Ego? - A poem

After the heavy 6 piece "Vakyam" series, a loosening up of sorts was the felt need. What better way than "skepticism" about His creation? So here is poem. Try & enjoy folks.

The Poem - God's Ego?

God in His wisdom created the Uni-verse
But soon enough this had its own dynamics
And before He realized, it became too di-verse,
Evolution taking it further to be mutually adverse

In this process me & you, forgot we were One with Him, 
Separated, only for Him to experience His munificence. 

We believed it was not for long,
Before He would deliver us along. 

But faithful like me now are skeptical,
Whether His memory loss is also real. 

With every one of us so adversarial,
How will this process come about in natural? 

Only a psunami or an eatrthquake or a meteor hit
Can bring the memory back to that stage of “one” bit.

Neither yesterday nor today will exist tomorrow
Nor tomorrow will exist the day after.

So time as we see it, is nothing but an illusion
With neither a beginning nor an end to creation

How can there be any bliss in this realization?
Save an absence of surprise re price of creation. 

Today the reality of creation is too scary,
As becoming a terrorist or one raving madly
In this uncontrolled evolution of greed theory  
Is a real possibility that can confront us squarely. 

Has God then forgotten or has He gone to sleep?
As He allows this process for all of us to reap?  

My fear is that He may realize a shade too late,
Even as many faithful repose in Him their fate.

That sans a clue as to where & how far this can go 
It has already become a challenge for His Ego?  

The unity in diversity slogan is fine for the secular
No diversity is the root mantra of the spiritual.

With even God falling for this pseudo slogan,
Where is the hope for this once great nation?

More poignant is the fate of the faithful
It’s a thriving uni-verse for the Infidel!!!!  

Love

Vichu


         **************************************************************   

     

Poem On kaashi

Here is a poem which is in Tamil written immediately after the kaashi visit. I have also attempted a barely ok translation. 


"காசி" 

இந்த உடம்பு பூராவும் அழுக்கு என்கிறது உபநிஷத்து,  

மலம், மூத்ரம், பித்தம், சளி, பிசுக்கு, எல்லாம் உடையது. 

இதற்கு எல்லாம் நடுவில் ருத்ரநாக பரமாத்மா 

ஸாக்ஷி ரூபமாய் இருந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறான் .


அதே போல் காசியிலும் எங்கும் அழுக்கு, 

மாடுகள், பிண்டம், குப்பை, தவிர பிசுக்கு. 

இதற்கு நடுவில் வீற்றி இருக்கிறான் விஸ்வநாதன் 

சாட்சியாய் நம்முடைய பாப விமோசனத்திருக்கு .


நாம் சாப்பிடுகிற அன்னம் ருத்ரனுக்கு ஆஹுதி 

காசியில் போடுகிற பிண்டம் விஸ்வநாதனுக்கு ஆஹுதி .


இந்த இரண்டிலேயும் "தனக்கு" என்கிற தன்மை இல்லை .


அந்தோ, இதை மறந்து, சகல விதமான சுய நலத்தை வேண்டி 

சங்கல்பத்தில் சிக்கிக்கொண்டு, மறுபடியும் அதே 

ஜன்ம மரண சம்சார சக்கரத்திலேயே திரும்ப விரும்பும், 

உத்தேசங்களை மனதில் கொள்வதை என்ன என்பது ?


இந்த அன்னம், பிண்டம், ஆஹுதி, ருத்ரன், விஸ்வநாதன் 

நான், நீ, அவன், பித்ருக்கள், எல்லாமே அந்த பரப்ப்ரமத்தினுடைய 

அம்சம் தான், என்று எப்பொழுதுடா உணர்வாய் அறிவீலனே ?


சங்கல்பத்தை எல்லாம் விட்டு யோகத்திலே திளைந்து 

அந்த பரம் பொருளுடன் ஐக்யமாகி அந்த நிலையில் 

நிரந்தரமாக இறுக்க விரும்பிகிற நோக்கம் தானடா ஜன்ம லட்சியம். 


காசிக்கு போய் அந்த அழுக்கில் கிலேசம் அடைந்து, 

பிண்டத்தை போட்ட உடனேயே இந்த சம்சார ஜே ஜே விட்டலில் 

ஈடுபடுகிறது இல்லையடா மட முட்டாளே 


அவனை தேடி சரணம் அடைந்து ஒன்று கலந்து, 

இரண்டற்ற ஒரே நிலையை அடைவதிற்கு 

காசியோ ராமேஸ்வரமோ போக  வேண்டாமடா மனிதா 


அது எல்லாம் ஒரு கர்த்தவ்யம், ஒரு ஹேதுவே  

கடைசியாக போய் சேர வேண்டிய இடமோ, நிலையோ இல்லை.


அவனை வேறு எங்கேயும் வெளியில்  தேட வேண்டாம் 

உன் உள்ளேயே இருக்கிகிறான் என்று அறிந்து  

ஒரே நோக்கத்துடன் தேடு, கண்டு விடுவாய். 

நீ தான் அவன் என்றும் அறிந்து விடுவாய்.


Translation:

The Upanishads proclaim that our body with all its bones, blood, urine stool etc is just unclean

in the midst of these sits Lord Rudra as a mute witness to every action of ours.

Kaashi is similarly full of dirt, cows, rubbish, and is also unclean,

and amidst these sits the Lord Viswanatha as witness and helping us rid of our sins.

(The word aahuthi is an offering to the Lords)

The food we take is an Aahuthi to Lord Rudra,

similarly the "pindam" we offer is an Aahuthi to Lord Viswanatha

In both these offerings there is this complete absence of the feeling of anything "mine".

Yet, alas, forgetting this excellent sentiment, what could one say to our getting caught in "sankalpams" (which are kind of statements of intent desiring almost everything for oneself) and thus seeking to get back to the same birth-death-re-birth cycle?   

Oh, the Brainless one (ME), when will you realize that the food we take, the pindams we offer, the aahuthis, Rudra, Viswanaatha, me, you, him, pitrus, every one of these is just a manifestation of that universal soul?

Ridding of all sankalpams, getting into a state of yoga in meditation, merging with that Universal soul, and desire to be in that state forever 
is the only purpose of life.

Getting into Kaashi, feeling disturbed by the dirt around, and the moment you offer pindam seeking to get back to the same "Jay Jay Vittal" of regular humdrum life cycle in perfect joy of having done what is ordained.....is not the goal  you (me) Moron.  

To seek, surrender, merge unto HIM in that non-dual "ONENESS" you don't need to go to either Kaashi or Rameswaram,

They are nether the destination nor the state of reaching/being in that oneness stage. They are just part of our duties and means to Get there.   

There is no need to search for Him anywhere outside. Understand that He is within,and  with that single-minded focus seek Him, and you will realize that He is none other; YOU Are HIM.     


Love

Vichu

Why & How are you? -A Poem

One day the boss asked me “why are you?
taken aback, meekly I replied Sir to serve you.

Seething in anger and frustration,
Sat I on reflective contemplation.

In our consuming fascination for “how am I”,
Alas the natural corollary is but “why are you”.

If only all of us learn to ask “why am I” instead,
Even the “how are you” poser would be un-needed.   

Sadly though being the creator of my present “how”
He also frustrates me by asking the same “why are you”  

That it is to make me realize he, you, and I are but one, 
Sounds hollow sans His grace and is understood by no one.

A feeling of helplessness envelops my cognition, 
In a kind of shoonya which by its very definition, 
Remains unaffected in addition, & in subtraction,
Nay will not ever change by even multiplication.    
   
The same shoonya is actually divided by Him to become infinity, 
Which does nothing to relieve me from my void in perpetuity.          

As this division brings about infinitesimal variables,
Sans a constant, like a math problem stays un-solvable.    

Will God ever feel condescending enough to bless,
Or being in eternal bliss, leave me in perfect mess? 

In that merged stage I hear there are no why and how,
All questions such as these cease to exist somehow. 

Unexplainable, inexperience-able, is that stage of oneness
Known as the Tao or supreme spirit, or non-dual Brahmn.

This brahmn is that which manifests itself by itself from itself,
(Shoonya dividing itself by shoonya as it were)
In the process creates me, you, and countless individual self.

In that well and self -made process of a spontaneous play,
It is for me to understand, revel, and get back in ecstasy.

The question “How are you” therefore addresses the body,
While the “why are you” reminds me to think of the soul.   

My contemplation is now broken and even as I awaken 
I begin and try to come to terms with that only reality. 

That while “how are you” keeps me enjoying in bondage,
The “why are you” is a call for liberation in freedom.   

How and why kind of debate will lose all its meaning 
Even as He decides and I ripen in understanding.  

Ekalavya alias Vichu

Richness _ A poem

When as a pampered kid in a rich household,
I had every kind of toys eyes could behold,
Richness meant having all toys money could afford. 

As I grew up to be one of the school-going boys, 
Devouring every bit of info from available technical toys,
Richness meant more info as these passed for knowledge.  

As a teen I fell in love with every girl known in town,
Wanted to make love to all as if they were all my own,
Soon I prided myself that I was rich in love and passion. 

Then came the realization that I will need more and more,
Of not just honey, but plenty of money to pour & pour,
So as to be secure, and safe, with richness in wealth score.

I slogged 24X7 to get more and more of this wealth,
Till one day the doctor suggested an attention to my health,
And I went crazy to the path of richness in terms of health.  

Along with wealth and health, I also wanted to leave a legacy,
The strict regimen giving me repeated successes in ecstasy, 
I started looking for richness in marriage and good progeny.

When everything seemed to be perfect in richness,
Came the sudden news of arrival of some sickness,
And the first signs of stirring of mind in keenness. 

As I sought for meanings of terms like sadness and happiness,
I realized that both are but by-products of my pursuit to richness.  

These meanderings reminded me of my life-long continuous chasing,
Akin to that “Top” going round and round to remain steady by terrific spinning.
While I lost balance with illness, the spinning “Top” did with loss- in- speed.    

What then is the purpose of this endless pursuit of richness?
When apparently the end product desired is happiness? 

Sadness can result while chasing for more in attachment, 
Happiness is the result when desiring less in contentment.

Desire for richness in materials is the path for the secular,
Comfort with richness in contentment is the path of the spiritual. 
The path one chooses to follow however depends on God’s Grace. 

Ekalavya alias Vichu  

Grace - A Poem

Raju the poor aam aadmi had only recently retired,
With meager savings trying to sustain and be satisfied.

Out of the blue came a request from his friends, 
To spend a few days driving him to his wits ends.

By sheer chance he found a re1000 on the road Grand 
Taking this as His blessing picked it up happily by hand.

The guests came and went blissfully satisfied,
Leaving Raju and his wife emotionally drained.

When there is need His help is there indeed,
Was the thought which crossed both their mind.

On a reflection Raju wondered if in all this there was a message,
To find that if indeed there was, his FB had million such message. 

Obviously there is something of larger and profound importance, 
Which his mind presently attributed to a kind of Divine Experience.   

Perhaps, he mused, that there is a stage beyond time and experience,
Before He separated “me” from “Him” to experience His own munificence.

Life’s mission therefore must be to get back to that ultimate Gruham, (Home beyond)
But alas, till the dichotomy lasts, he needs His help indeed, in “Anugraham” .(Grace).

To give much credence in interim to messages, experiences, and mysteries,
Is very much akin to getting lost in wood’s quality by mistaking it for trees.  

And till one is denied this distilled wisdom and His abundant Grace,
There is only going round and round merrily and eternally as if in Space,
With false knowledge, undue pride, thrill & fear and in perfect entertainment maze.

(Alas Oh Lord why hast thou forsaken me? cried out our poor Raju) 

Ekalvya alias Vichu


  

Positive Vibes - A poem

Arun, a three year old child prodigy,
Is singing a tune in ecstasy and pure joy.

But the moment the child sees that it is noticed,
It stops immediately as if thoroughly embarrassed.

It is then a thought suddenly gets triggered in my mind,
That in no time this talent will be for all to find.

But alas may descend from its sublimely spiritual splendor 
And get lost in the ridiculously mundane secular grandeur.

Is there then a connect between being unknown,
And God’s chosen design to take you and me as His own?   

A Kunti or a Sudama surrendering all their will truthfully,
Would surely epitomize and love this sentiment beautifully.

And by the way what is God doing at these moments of “now”?
Omnipresent, yet preferring to be unseen by anyone & anyhow.

As that child it is likely that He also may feel acutely embarrassed,
If someone were to perceive His munificence albeit with His Grace

Like countless wise sages preferring to dwell in places unknown
Possible that He is with them undisturbed in that perfect environ.

Losing all our identity therefore would appear as a sine-qua-non,
For you and I to ever qualify for being chosen to be His- own men.

And then be tested, guided, counseled, and finally blessed,
All as a prelude to ultimately reach His abode cherished.

Even as I mull these over, a parallel from mythology takes me over 
To deliver a perfect googly as it were, with which to bowl me over.   

Was it not twelve long years that Pandavs remained in obscurity,
And yet they stayed unknown for another year sans all their identity?

Was not the results of Kurukshetra war a foregone conclusion, 
And Pandavs reclaiming their lost kingdom scripted in inclusion?

These appeal to me as His preferred route for their deliverance,
Confirmation provided as they get to this later with kingdom renounced. 

It gives me therefore a faint hope and sense of minimal comfort to think,
That chasing recognition or fame is perhaps only an interim kind of blink. 

In that chosen path of His, scripted solely for me, I need to remain in obscurity,
Absolutely positive, that I am in His hands, to steer me to my ultimate destiny.  

One day from out of a many in the realm of secular world unknown,
He will take me to that spiritual space of a few but all very well-known.   

Having come this far, it is illogical for me to ask any questions stupid,
And continue to harbor doubts like how, where, and when kinds indeed.

What then is the need? It is pure trust, more trust and nothing but trust,
That only He knows when to shower that Grace and give me that rest.

All I can legitimately seek now is that resilience to bear hardships,
As today, even to sustain I need a booster dose of goodwill sponsorship. 

Ekalavya alias Vichu    

Poem - "Predicament"

I was an inanimate and ugly piece of a moron,
Called and universally known as black Carbon.

One day someone to satisfy his desire for sure,
Just put me thru an ordeal by fire and torture.

Justifying these as necessary process for evolution,
Turned me to a sparkling diamond, in a revolution. 

Pity, all these were merely to satisfy his curiosity,
And in furtherance to his own quest for technology,
To make life for his tribe more and more enjoyable, 
Sans any care as to who becomes expandable. 

Not all carbon pieces can turn into sparkling diamonds,
All diamonds however are but made up of only carbons.  

Both are inanimate and belong to the same pedigree
But yet one is ugly and the other in apparent glee.  

Change from comfortable obscurity to instant recognition,
Alas had relevance only in the domain of man’s cognition.

When either as moronic Carbon or as sparkling Diamond,
I was inanimate & beyond experience kind of blissful stage. 
Where was this tearing need for Providence to make me animate,
To savor all polarized sentiment of torture, love, care and hate.

Separating me from Him in that moment of His unnecessary whim, 
Apparently in endless amusement, in His own enormous scheme,
Being aware that re-union with Him is an improbable assignment,  
Yet sans His Grace He indulges me only for His entertainment.

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Note: The word for an inanimate object is a “jadam” in Tamil. It also means a “moron”. There is also this saying in Tamil

“Oodhada sangai oodhi keduthhanaam” Which roughly translates to “ creating chaos by blowing an unused trumpet”  

Thanks to His momentary Whim God Created the Universe and it’s we who are in endless turmoil. The poem tries to capture this mood of mine. 

May God excuse me for this liberty….. 

Ekalvya alias Vichu


   

Blasphemy -Poetry

Vichu Neethi & a Poem 

Bhartruhari a famous poet is well known for his work dealing with man’s moral conduct, and this goes by the popular name : “Neethi Shatakam”. One of these100 verses deals with virtues of charity. I have lifted a part of this to suit my own obsession with the subject of “prarabdam” and the following is the result of my efforts in Samskrit. 

“Agyaana doshena Bhaveth Prarabda bandanam;
Prarabda Doshena karothi vyavahaaram;
Vyavahaara Doshena avashyam punarjanmam prayaati,
Punar prarabdah punareva vyavahaari.”

Translation: 
(Due to ignorance one is bound by cause-effect paradigm of birth/experiences.     
This paradigm of cause-effect, determines all individual activities/affairs.
Such indulgences then make re-births absolute certainties.  
Only to be bound again to this repeated birth-experience-death-rebirth cycle as a perennial participator.)    

Having understood the inevitable “pull” of prarabda can I now be stopped from venturing into my pet territory of derived experiences during this current life? Here is a poem titled 

“Blasphemy”

“I wrote a poem which appeared quite wise,
Reading it, my boy said Hmmm nice

A similar theme when espoused by a friend,
became from being nice to quite good indeed.

This is blogged by another pal on a social site,
It is so cute that it is shared, & liked by many a mite.  

A well-known guy then dovetails this in a passage 
To be included & delivered as a part of a hero’s message.

This now becomes viral & universally instant sensation,
quoted by millions, repeatedly in awesome adoration.

The world has no apparent care about the original author,
Nor an empathetic appreciation for his genuine labor.

Alas it’s not the merit which maketh one great,
It’s the great who are naturals to hog all the merit. 

Yet rejoicing in this sham is a trait all too prevalent,
Sophistry then aids in rubbishing others as irrelevant. 

If this is part of God’s creation one is given to understand,
Blasphemically, it is only akin to a garland in a monkey’s hand.”      

Ekalavya alias Vichu
    

      

          

Fate and Free-will -Poetry

This is the month of Tamil "aippasi" when the luminary "Sun" transits libra in debilation. This makes for my sombre mood in penning a few lines which I call a poem. I wish, the blog is seen. Here is my poem "Fate and Free will"

"After a disturbed sleep, I am awakened in the morning,
by the milkman with his rude call bell's "tring tring"
and finding a packet of milk from the three, missing,
the day alas starts with an involuntary cursing.

Soon there is the arrival of this regular, paperwallah,
thrilled to throw my chosen paper over the verandah.
This to my wife's dismay, almost always lands beautifully,
over and completely ruining her painstakingly done "rangoli".

I look to go over to my ablutions, amidst this calamity,
only to find that my part of the city is without electricity.
So in the midst of her ritual of daily morning chores,
hot water is destined to come from the same gas.

I just manage to reach the auto stand in nick of time,
with the fare around twenty, I expect the fellow to ask forty.
He still manages to shock me with a decent offer of sixty,
settling for a fifty, I revel in this bargain, in his auto rickety.

In the office, I settle to this ritualistically monotonous routine,
of chasing a payment, procure an order, or attend a meeting.
And just when I feel happy that I have done a good rendition,
comes the great news that I am overlooked for recognition.

I come back home, hoping to catch my favourite TV-show,
only to find that with no power, there is indeed no-show.
And as luck would have it, the menu for dinner is a no-go,
the disbelief is just overwhelmingly complete for all to know.

Is this all His dispensation for past karma, we call as fate,
or they are just a result of my own past actions in free-will.
Pray, where then is a frame of mind to act with free-will now,
when all that one perceives is his/her absence from His show.

Worship Ganesha says one, Shiva and Ambal says another,
countless other deties are named by every one or other,
till one realises for him/herself that summoning up of a will
is possible only when He decides to show the correct way.

Total saranagathy says one, Just do it says another,
there is neither a teacher nor a cue from Him or any other,
in one's struggle to find a niche for oneself in His Will,
I realise, that I am no wiser, in this debate of Fate Vs Free will."

Folks, I am dying to hear your response, and not like to relate it to fate, when I fail to get it!!!!!!!!


Love

Vichu

Happiness and Fear - Poetry

Some time back when I was talking to Gulpa, describing in a word, his/our state of mind these days, he called it profoundly "disbelief". Stretching this further, I began to feel that it was the fear of "unknown" which was a major contributor to even this disbelief, and coming in the way of experiencing "happiness". Remove "fear" from your psyche, and lo behold, you can have only "bliss", was the chain of my thoughts. This thought process, brought me then to my oft repeated theme; one should have "grace", and fear would melt away, and there will be only happiness. To my mind therefore there are these 3 steps to get there.

1. You run after happiness and the more you seek it, the more it eludes you.

2. You seek unhappiness a la "kunti" of mahabharatha style, so that you think of Him all the time and feel that you are happy.

3. You surrender to Him, and with His Grace on you, rid of fear, there is this realisation, that the so called unhappiness is also another form of happiness. In other words there is no such thing as "unhappiness", There is only all pervasive "anandam".

It was this mood, which prompted a poetry titled "happiness and fear". This goes like this :-

" Are you Zukhov asks the midnight knocking cop,
No, he is the man next door says this sleeping chap,
and goes back to sleep in that dead of night,
with absolute peace and happiness in sight.

Not having done the homework of his teacher,
unable faking, to miss the bus, and full of fear,
finding the teacher having taken a day's leave,
the boy suddenly finds bliss, in a perfect heave.

With inadequate preparations for the annual test,
and hopeless of doing anything close to the best,
but finding just the questions that were prepared,
one is in an ecstacy of getting finally delivered.

On a more rational introspection,
on what is happiness kinda reflection,
one sees, that disapperance of fear and anxiety,
is the only eternal truth of happiness and ecstacy.

What then is this fear, being the inevitable question,
I ask, is it a mere expectation of unpleasant emotion?
No, methinks, it's just an impediment to one's realisation,
supremely willed by Him, in His scheme of dispensation.

Why then do I hanker for this ephemeral happiness,
and instead seek His Grace for "no fear" kinda wisdom,
to be in readiness always, to enter His great kingdom,
where there is only eternal peace love and bliss.

With this earnest longing, will He now start listening,
and spare me His oft repeated moods of testing,
Pause and stop to enjoy every bit of my failure,
and with His Grace rid me of my dread of future?"


Hope you like it folks.

Love

Vichu