WHO CAN SURPASS THEE, LORD!

                     

1)  Thou created this universe vast

      With so many planets and twinkling stars

      A magic web beyond our estimate far

      A maze of systems with rhythmic orbits fraught  

      Ever expanding mysterious state

      Thy mighty skills who can surpass, my Master great!

2)  Creator of wonderful innumerable things!

     Undeciphered by our frail mortal eye

     With sense-bound knowledge in vain we try to spy;

      From largest beings to microscopic things

      How life doth move in so many sentient ways

      Even in inert objects seen Thy miraculous sway.

3)   In every tiny atom Thy glory shines

       Nature’s laws reflect Thy wonderful skills

       In colorful flowers, birds, seas and hills

       Thy artistic powers sublime and divine

       In every species as astounding variety

       Coupled with beauty and multiplicity.

4)   Master poet, painter and architect great!

      Who can describe Thy innumerable powers?

       Beyond our count as stars and spring-tide showers;

       Beyond our fancy Thy exalted state

       Both fair and ferocious forms co-exist

       Thy creation, a magnificent unending list.

5)   Lord of Music, Dance and celestial Sounds

      The whole creation from Thee rose;

      Thy heavenly melodies whoever knows?

      Thy force makes spheres revolve within their bounds;

      Like sounds that fit in well with rhythmic strain

      Music, a blessed gift to feel Thy forms divine.

6)    Under Thy control rules almighty Time

       Making planets obey Thy ordained laws;

       In fixed paths revolve without any pause;

       A plan divine with universal vision sublime

       Time’s origin and underlying laws who can trace

       Our lives depend on Thy providence and grace.

7)    Noblest scientist with unparalleled brain

       Thy deepest mysteries we can’t unravel and pry

       How many billions of years mankind may try;

       Our greatest inventions, mere tiny grains;

       Thy splendid acts in this universe vast

       Each being, a world with secrets beyond our thought.

8)    Greatest physician who cures all our woes

        Thy sacred names enough to cure our mortal pains

        Our mental tensions and struggles restrain;

        A bundle of miracles Thy creation shows;

        Death’s healing touch delivers us at last

        To reach Thy feet, our protector Thou art.        

 9)  Thy bounteous grace and blessings transcends our view

       Thou feedest countless beings seen and unseen;

       Filling this earth with fresh vegetation green;

       Slaking this earth with cool showers and dew;

       What gratitude in words can we convey?

       Ere Thy motherly affection except to pray.

10)   Sustainer of all worlds! Thy blessings inspire

         Noble saints to find Thee in loving sacrifice;

        The common lot filled with greed and avarice

         Exploit Thy gifts with insatiable desire;

         Nature’s silent admonitions they never heed

         Rebelling against Thy rules with ignoble deeds.

11)   For which all have to suffer bearing the blame     

        Our mad pursuits, killings, cravings and craze

        Have thrown this world into confusing maze;

        Of mortal agony and spiritual shame;

        One look of Thine enough to smash this sphere;

        A small virus, enough to induce terrorizing fear.

12)   So many prophets beholding the space

         Divinely inspired poured out their hearts

        With grateful tears in hymns with devotion fraught;

         Ev’n scientists struck by wondrous laws and ways

         Felt themselves humbled by Thy transcendent spell

         Thy all-pervading source vibrates in every cell.

13)   Kings and tyrants swollen with power and pride

         Ruling this earth deemed themselves as gods

         Exposed to plots and wretched wars perished in sod

         Their ancient tongues and their cultures too died;

         Their monumental tombs are no more seen;

         Our worldly possessions vanish like dew on the green.

14)   We owe all to Thee, Mercy incarnate!

         Our ignorance makes us forget Thy rewards

         In greedy struggle Thy warnings we discard

         For our wilful blunders we blame our fate

         Thou art our final goal and primeval cause;     

         Thy noblest state and glory who can surpass?

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

         30th April,2020                             Somaseshu Gutala 

  

   Note : In many ancient religious texts, God's greatness and glory are admired with mystic wonder in poetic lines showing their deep devotion and immense gratitude. In William Blake's lines: " To see world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower/ Hold eternity in the palm of your hand/ And eternity in an hour." In the "Book of psalms" in the Old Testament God's glory and splendid beauty of creation are described in psalms from 146 to 150. All these five psalms begin with the line "Praise the Lord!"  In Rigveda many hymns were composed glorifying the forces of Nature like Indra (Powerful Lord of all gods), Surya (Sun God) Agni( Fire God) and Varuna( Protector and upholder of Cosmic and Moral law). Their divine inspiration made them see the divinities and describe their powers in beautiful mystic language thousands of years ago. Contemplating on God's supreme abilities and His divine plan behind creation and His merciful gifts to all, make us realize His glory at least to some extent and also make us understand our real status in this vast universe. 

               

                                                                                          

              

TEMPTATIONS

 

 

                          

     

 

                                     

                      

So many sages often warn Thee, Oh fool!

Yield not to senses and become their tool

They drag you down like glittering pools

They burden you with woes and make thee a mule;

Like devil’s floating fire they tempt your eye

An unending series of struggles till you die;

Distant pools of nectar in deserts dry;

They make you run and cheat you to cry;

A tempting carnivorous coiled net they spread

And catch you unawares and suck you dead;

Like gigantic waves they lift you high

And dash you down to drown and die;

In dreamy world too, none they spare

Pouncing like hounds your bosom to tear;

Buffeted by winds and rain rocks may break

But not these growing desires, you fool, awake!

They bloat your mind with egoistic pride

Feigning like friends, they promise and misguide;

In their Circean smiles do not fall

They make you a brute, a life-long thrall

And once you are in, no passage out

Into dying dungeon you move, no doubt;

They tickle your mind with rosy lips

They make you do unpardonable slips

And mock at your failures till the end

Of your life with no chance to mend;

They spur your passions, greed and lust

And make you pine and pine till you turn to dust;

A fool presumes himself a mighty man

And wastes in idle pleasures his life span;

                              ( I I )

A false fantasy-heaven they tend to create

Nothing remains at last; to feel despair too late;

Like gods they seem with devilish intent

They drive you mad for vain goals hell-bent; 

They make you forget your value in fact

And drive you crazy to foolishly act;

No distinction of age and creed they find

They worm their way even into a dying mind;

They leave their marks like gashes deep;

Unfulfilled and cheated you have to weep;

They blind your vision with delusions false

They push you down, an irreparable loss;

In saintly garb sometimes they make their way

And break your conscience and lead you astray;

Temptations test even noble souls in vain

And try to damn them with material gain;

Yield not to them and entertain

You will be left with unforgettable pain;

Like weird witches of the blasted heath

Their foul intentions are hidden beneath;

Their provocations seem innocent and pure

They fill your mind with greedy thoughts impure;

Like beggars who ride on wishful horses’ backs

Left at last with irrecoverable shock;

In the false mirror of your ego

Magic notions of yourself they throw

Like a drunkard unconscious of his deeds

They fill your mind with darkest weeds;

What you assume as heavenly bliss

Knocks you down into deepest abyss;

Evaluate yourself and your worth ere you aspire

Like naughty goblins they falsely inspire;

With waxen wings to soar high if you dare

You plunge yourself into darkest despair;

                        ( I I I )

No use of blaming destiny and fate

No use of cursing others about your state;

You fell into the magic trap on your own

False illusions about yourself have sown;

Entangled in your foolish hopes you waste

Your precious time and then repent too late;

Time will mock at your foolish thoughts and acts

And what you did in haste cannot retract;

You ruined yourself with false illusions

You wasted your life with these tempting visions;

What use when you wake up from your drunken sleep?

You can’t undo your acts; their fruits you have to reap; 

So many people depraved, cheated and undone

These temptations one has to resist and shun;

Seek God’s grace and listen your conscience sound

Act not in haste; think cool; be within your bounds;

Be not too proud, think not that ever you are right

Be sympathetic to others and feel their plight;

Think of your worth ere you desire in proper ways

Nothing drops from above and nothing stays.

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

   14th April, 2020                               Somaseshu Gutala

 Note :

   1)   Circean smiles -- Circe, a sea-nymph in Greek mythology. She with her knowledge of herbs and potions, used to tempt sailors and transform them into animals. here it means " dangerously attractive and misleading smiles." 

    2)   Devil's floating fire -- Will-O'-the-wisp is flame like vapor formed by gases in marshy places. People used to believe it was a spirit. Foolish travellers tried to follow the light which led them astray. In Latin it is called "ignis fatuus" which means "foolish fire." Here it means any "foolish impractical goal."

   3) Distant pools of nectar -- Mirage-- an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions in a desert.

   4) Temptations test even noble souls -- refers to temptation of Christ by Satan in the desert.

   5) Like weird witches of the blasted heath -- reference to Shakespeare's play "Macbeth". Macbeth, a Scottish General,  meets three witches in a barren land while he was going to Forres where King Duncan's castle is located. They deceive Macbeth by prophesying that he was going to become the king of Scotland. 

  6)  Like beggars who ride on wishful horses' backs -- reference to a Scottish nursery rhyme"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride" which means that if wishing could make things happen, then most destitute people would have everything they wanted.

               _______________________________________

THE TALE OF RANGI, THE SERVANT MAID

    Right from her childhood she spent her days

      In backyards scrubbing and rinsing utensils

      Sweeping dusty rooms and washing clothes

      Listening to reprimands and curses crude;

      Not used to childhood pleasures and pastimes

      Not used to playing with dolls and with mates

      Not used to going to school and learning skills

     A stranger she is to letters and figures

     All her years spent in midst of dirt and grime;

     Tears welled up in her eyes when she beheld 

     Kids of her age fluttering like butterflies

     In trim, neat uniform going to school

    With shouts of mirth greeting each other;

    Her world—hard toil spent in filthy surroundings

    Her tender palms roughened with household chores

    Accustomed to daily taunts and drudgery;

    In course of time she got used to her state

    Mere complaining she thought a useless task

    She accepted her lot with a hardened heart

    She tried to find pleasure in her routine

    Though others spurned her as a servant maid

    Her drunkard father with foul threats and brutal blows

    Snatched her earnings though she protested in vain;

                                  ( I I )

   None christened her name; neighbors called her "Rangi"

   Named after the pretty goddess of wealth;

   A common background in them she found

   All poor, unlettered, migrant struggling slaves

   Compelled to forego their childhood golden years

   Compelled to drudge to help their starving families;

   Compelled to bear the burden of bludgeoning debts.

                                     ( I I I )

  Two decades went by in monotonous way

  Starting early to work and returning late;

  Though time went on with no perceptible change

  Age blossomed in her form with passing years

  Her blooming youth made her agile and   strong

  Like a wild flower with natural charm;

  Her graceful gait and her sweet rustic voice

  Her dark long hair and her dark shiny skin

  Lent her a pretty, attractive glow;

  Her earnest work and her submissive nature

  Endeared her to all as a lovable, gentle maid;

  In every wedding function and festive event

  An active role she played helping others unsought;

  She never worried about her future

  Too bleak and uncertain with no ray of hope;

  For her to get a square meal every day

  Seemed a blessing and never did she think

  About her wedding and happy settled life—

  Too far for her struggling, humble state.

  She brushed aside with empty smiles and feigned to blush

  If anyone joked about her wedding affair.

  She bid adieu to her future hopes and dreams

  Too distant and unreachable like stars;

  Behind her smiles and cheerful looks

  There lurks a passive surrender and silent gloom;

  To hide her woes she laughed and chatted in a merry vein;

  She felt happy in seeing others’ happy state;

  A gloomy future waits for her—she knows

  To stay as a maid lifelong or be a drunkard’s wife

  And slog through life bearing insults and blows;

  Like a sad refrain of an old tragic song.

  If destiny wills and smiles on her innocent face

  A simple rustic with a sympathetic heart

  May come and like her tender and gentle heart

  Untarnished by guiles and double dealing tricks;

  And feel blessed to wed her with no greedy demands

  To make his hut happy with her lovely presence;

  Let us wish her all joy and future bright

  A due reward to recompense her burdensome past.

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

       3rd April, 2020                                  Somaseshu Gutala