The Celestial Sky

 The Sun:

“Brighter than fire,

With glow that’s kind,

With warmth and no ire,

And souls arise.

 

I am man’s main hope,

A focus of elation,

I have seen all that arise,

And all that have fallen,

And will see again,

Till times own culmination.

 

For it is my job,

Nay, it is my joy,

To be the center of all life,

I am the Sun, to humans:

The most benevolent. ”

 

The Moon:

“Fickle is my Nature,

Yet periodic I am.

The life of the night sky,

Joyful I am.

 

I wax in my Glory,

I wane in my sorrow,

Alas, sometimes, I am

Completely shadowed,

Yet I rise, wax again,

For I believe in ecstasy is not mine to keep.

 

I am the lord,

The king of the night.

I represent man’s fortune:

I wax and wane,

Yet am remembered for the best”

 

 

The stars:

“Millions We are,

Nay, it is zillions,

We bedeck the heavens,

Like a zillion pearls.

 

We shine, We sparkle,

 We adorn the skies,

Like innumerable joys

Twinkling in the dark,

Giving hope,

Whenever one is lost.

 

We stand not alone,

But with plethora of brethren,

Our existence not our own,

But to complement our brethren,

And so We reflect, the most important aspect,

Of human society: Brotherhood.”

 

The Earth:

“Mother I am called,

By my innumerable children,

I care for all,

With equal affection.

 

Without bias or favor,

With love and regard,

I care for all,

Irrespective of their deeds,

Their character or behavior,

I nourish them.

 

For I believe,

That virtue is one’s own,

Not one is the same to other,

But all unique glittering gems,

I show the humans, hoping the understand

All are created for life’s own purpose.”

~Shashank  G

Possibility

 

Through the bliss of day

The beauty of night

The endless cycle

Of Sorrow and Delight

 

Through the tide of time

The vastness of space

The metaphysical world of possibilities

And the material world of realities

 

A man absorbed in his own thought

Flying ahead from one world to another

Imagining the unimaginable wonders

Moving the unmovable time

 

In his solitude he creates

Masterpieces so perfect

Unflawed and alluring

Almost like the celestial sky

 

But alas, it is the work of fate

That man himself he chains

For he lets not his world of thought reign

Instead suppressing it with reins

 

He gives not himself solitude

Lets not his thought run

And instead lives

The banal existence

 

This though he has the capacity

To alter time

For he has god gifted power

To mix the physical and metaphysical

To mix the reality and imagination

And change the cosmos to will

~Shashank  G

Mother and Son

 

There once lived a boy,

Young yet wise, he sought to learn,

The knowledge that gave life and grew the world.

For this he needed his mother’s permit,

But she wouldn’t give for her heart yearned,

To stay with her son till the end of her time.

 

Yet fate had its way,

For on one fine day,

When the scholar bathed in the river,

A crocodile gigantic and menacing,

Took hold of the boy’s legs by jaws.

‘Twas then that the boy cried to his mother-

“Give me permit to seek my heart’s desire,

To seek knowledge that gives life and lights the fire,

Give me permit to follow my destiny,

Far, far away from the expectations of the world,

And far, far away from the world of expectation.”

 

Reluctant was the mother,

For the love for her child was unbound and evergreen,

Yet she fretted about his safety.

‘Twas then the child uttered-

“Give me leave, for it is what fate desires,

And in doing so, thou shalt free me from the crocodile,

For the Lord of Fate hath decreed,

I shall spread light thither,

Or die alone hither.”

 

Then the mother had decided-

“I give thee leave my child,

Go forth, be free.

For my affection to thee is unbound,

And shall be evergreen till my last breath,

But Oh, my child! Thy life is dearer,

Go forth, and pursue what thou cherish.”

 

“My heart shall grieve,

My soul shall ache,

But it is divine destiny,

And I can’t contest the will of the Gods.

Go forth, my child, light the path,

Countless shall benefit,

From the mandate of the Lord.”

 

“Seek knowledge, my son,

And illuminate thyself like the sun.

Guide the world’s path,

And spread knowledge along.

May the gods favor thou, my son,

As they have favored me with thee.”

 

The crocodile immediately disappeared,

And the scholar freed now appeared,

He spoke with a voice divine and young,

And addressed his mother-

“I thank thee, Mother,

For today thou hath truly proved,

The affection of a mother to her child is unbound,

In leaving me thou hast given up thy light,

For the greater good of others.

I promise thee mother,

When thy need is greatest,

I shall arrive again to serve thy cause,

If it be God’s will.”

 

Saying so, the boy left seeking his pursuit,

Leaving his Mother for the greater good.

It was then that she thought-

“My dear boy, Oh my dear boy!

Thou shalt burn bright and shine light,

But alas, the brightest lamps are the shortest lived,

And if it be God’s mandate that thee must knowledge give,

Go forth, my boy, thee hath my blessing,

Please leave me not in pain.”

~Shashank  G

Journeys

 

From the nothingness we come

To the nothingness we go

In this journey what we become

Is all we have to show.    

 

We weave a tapestry

Intricate, beautiful and unique

Filled with every joy and tragedy

And through this we speak.

 

The past we look at

The future we look to

But the present gives us a pat

Yet in it we rue.

 

This is all it is,

For life is life itself.

~Shashank  G

Of Light and Darkness

 Once there lived a little boy,

The son of a noble envoy,

He asked his father a question-

“Why is there day and night?

And not always light?

For without darkness, he rules unquestioned.”

 

The father smiled at the inquiry,

For the question was indeed fiery,

Thinking a moment he said-

“Listen well my son,

Now I shall tell you of the Sun,

Who answered this question using his head.”

 

“Once the Great Sun held a feast,

For that they had slayed a mighty beast.

The gods enjoyed the splendor,

The shining pillars, the ivory thrones,

The dazzling pillars and fountains shone

And so to the golden hall they surrender.

 

They relished the banquet

And joyed for they were unvanquished,

And as they dined, an old man came,

The gods saw the wisdom in his eyes,

They welcomed and offered him rice.

‘Twas then the old man offered eternal fame.”

 

The boy listened now with rapt attention

For the story began making an impression.

The father saw the fire,

He smiled at his child,

For though he was mild,

It was knowledge and fame he most desired.

 

The story he continued-

“The gods then moved,

And the old man walked to the Lord of Day,

And to him he posed a question,

Which was most vexin’

For in philosophy its answer lay

 

 ‘Why is it that day gives way to night?

Why can’t there be eternal light?

Why let the cold darkness linger,

While all can be at the mercy of day?

I ask this question to all I may,

Oh Kingly Light-Bringer!’

 

The gods marveled at this inquest,

And all wanted to be crowned the best.

Yet to no mind the answer came.

They all sat thinking and discussing,

Yet no response was forthcoming.

And all egos it did maim.

 

 

It was then that the Sun remembered,

Wisdom he heard about the ember.

The silenced the golden hall,

‘Without darkness what is light,

How will they know day’s might?

For only when darkness falls…

 

Does one appreciate the power the morrow,

For not all that is in shadow a sorrow.

Everything in world plays a purpose-

For without death, life is meaningless,

And without balance the world is a mess.

And such a world would be horrendous.

 

The darkness plays a part in this play of Life,

As there is no peace without strife.

There is no good without evil,

And no happiness without sorrow.

There is no rise without falling low,

No moderate without lethal.

 

It is the nature of the universe,

To add the contradictory verse,

For without one what is the other?

As a journey is naught without choice,

And there is then no use of a voice,

For it matters not thither of hither.’

 

 

 

The court marveled at this truth,

For they learnt nature’s very roots,

The is no destruction without creation,

And contradictions give contrast,

To give the ship of life a mast,

For there is also no meaning to creation without destruction.

 

The old man smiled and transformed,

And around him words swarmed,

The gods bowed before the Embodiment of All Knowledges,

The Dispeller of Ignorance and Lord of Truth.

He spoke – ‘Oh Wise Wing, Sweet-Mouthed,

Your wisdom exceeds most sages.

 

 Oh Fair One, Beloved of the World,

Accept this which was the gift told.

I name you The Lord of Knowledge,

The seer of Truth, the Dispeller of Ignorance.

Accept this crown enhanced,

For you are the greatest of this age.’

 

And thus concludes the tale, my child.”

He said this and smiled.

For he knew his boy began on his path,

And knowledge was his torch,

And lies shall not scorch.

And his father knew in glory he shall bath.

~Shashank.G