Caves of Inner Gloom

             

                                                         Section  --- I

                          In the dark winding caves with narrow ways

                          With scary boulders and rocky columns

                          With scattered bones, ashes and grinning skulls

                          With stone-made axes, spear-tips and tools of flint

                          With odd figures and beasts scratched on dusky walls

                          Like primitive men seeking shelter in caves;

                          Engaged in daily strife with savage beasts and foes

                          In caves of gloom in far away African wilds

                          Or Slovanian snow-ridden icy caverns;

                          Our world survived outer hazards and Nature’s fury;

                          Yet bestial urge and destructive self engulfed

                          Man’s Flickering flame of wisdom around;

                          What light can open when dense darkness rules

                          The gaping mouths of caverns within his mind?

                          His willful closing of his narrow vision?

                                                 (  I  I  )

                          The ice age cometh and stark icicles

                          Icebergs and crags of gigantic shapes

                          And bone-biting chilly air may gnaw our flesh:

                          Yet before, man’s mind hardened with bloodthirsty craze

                          A hollow icy cave with gaping gloom ;

                          Devoid of noble thoughts to light his onward ways :

                          He lost his inborn bright spark of heaven

                          He sank into the depths of lust and endless greed :

                          We shut our feelings in dark night of despair

                          Our so-called knowledge led us into blind alleys

                          And men like their primitive predecessors

                          May smash their skulls and tear each other

                          Eating the flesh of brethren and bleeding hearts :

                          Or worse like a foolish miner petards the entire world

                          With dire atomic weapons with perverted mind

                          To end all lives in disastrous ways to dust.

                          And then we will not spare our bones even

                          Or grinning skulls for future to realize

                          No fossils and no wrecks of steep-sky scrapers

                          To guess our heritage and mad, mad craze.

                               ______________________________

                          

  Albert Einstein :

“The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.” Even a 'limited' nuclear war could trigger cruel nuclear winters and global famine.                                      

   1)     African wilds ---- reference to the Pork-Epic cave in the east of Ethiopia                 where cave paintings are seen done by primitive humans nearly sixty                     thousand years ago.

  2)    Slovanian  snow-ridden icy caves ---- reference to Snezna Jama cave                        which is full of snow and artistic natural ice creations, and stalactites                     (white pillars formed by dripping of mineral salts form the cave roofs.)

  3)    Icy age cometh --- A long-term reduction in temperatures of earth’s                          surface with expansion of continental and polar ice-sheets and Alpine                     glaciers. This occurs due to increase in carbon emissions and greenhouse             gases and also due to explosion of nuclear bombs.

   4)    petard ----- a wooden box filled with explosives  (blast )

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

            14th July, 2018                                                     Somaseshu Gutala

 

INTRUDERS

         
    “ We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”                                                                          – Immanuel Kant

                

                                                          

               

                      1)         We drive them off from their dwelling place

                                  Depriving them of their living ways ;

                                  Deforesting their land to barren tract

                                  To build huge factories with selfish thought.

                      2)         Our fences powered with electric shock

                                  Our boundaries equipped with gates and locks ;

                                  Stronger nets and traps ready we keep

                                  To capture beasts that cross , dig trenches deep.

                      3)         We poison their hungry stomachs to kill

                                   We chase them to death with monstrous thrill ;

                                   Not a single puddle of water we spare

                                   Ev’n if they die with thirst we never care.

                      4)         Our homely fowls and beasts we greedily feed

                                  With harmful chemicals to get more yield ;

                                  To strange diseases they fall a prey

                                   We kill them swift – to hide our faults—an easy way.

  

                       5)        We will not let them live in peace

                                   Indulge in cruel sports with savage ease ;

                                   We shout as they fight to their last breath ;

                                    We bet our treasure as they bleed to death.

                       6)         We mutilate their limbs and breed them rude

                                   To goad their brutal strength in mutual feud ;

                                    Whipping and stabbing with devilish delight

                                    As they rage mad with fury—a pitiable plight.

                       7)         In mad pursuit of power and pelf

                                   We lose our goal and innate self

                                   We kill wild beasts for feathers,nails and skin

                                   Transgressing Nature’s laws--- a grievous sin.

                       8)        Struggling to survive in forests bare

                                   Finding scarce food and water everywhere

                                   When they enter our gardens and rich farms

                                   As suffering victims, we raise alarm.

                       9)        We pack them tight cramped in gloomy cells

                                   In narrow cages worse than hottest hell ;

                                   Wishing for death they strive and cry in vain ;

                                   Thrown like lifeless garbage with gross disdain.

                      10)       The teeming wealth of forests do we steal

                                   We never care about wild creatures’ weal ;

                                   Where will they run to satisfy their needs /

                                   Precious species became extinct ; who ever heeds?

                      11)       We deck our homes with their skins,horns and quills

                                   We flaunt smooth purses,bags and shoes with thrill ;

                                   Our pates we fill with their blood and tasty meat ;

                                    Have we thought of their dwindling numbers at least ?

                      12)       Let them roam free breathing natural air

                                  Their right to live, don’t seize – not fair ;

                                  They add color and beauty to sylvan charm

                                   Even gods love them--- no destructive arms.

                      13)       Like lifeless tools we torture them to find

                                  New drugs and  cures for diseases of mankind ;

                                   What pain and agony to innocent souls in sooth

                                   An unjust barbarous way to unravel truths.

                      14)       As their species vanish from universe

                                  We face our doom, irretrievable curse ;

                                  We broke the chain in Nature’s domain

                                  Our cruel acts rebound—beware – none can restrain.

                     15)       What rights have we to meddle or intrude?

                                 What laws make us act so devilish and rude?

                                 Let us wake up ere fatal end we meet

                                 With love and mercy our fellow creatures treat

                       

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

              5th July,2018                                                    Somaseshu Gutala

     Note :  In this poem “Intruders” I tried to focus readers’ attention on the impending catastrophe to our existence due to indiscriminate destruction of forests and wild life. Nearly 80% of forests have already been destroyed for various reasons. Nearly 50% of forest species have become extinct and by 2020, nearly 20% of species will become extinct. At present only 21% of forests remain. This spells a huge disaster to animals and plants since 80% of plants and animals live in forest surroundings. Nearly 20,000 types of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction.  We will lose bio-diversity and ecological balance in nature which will have adverse impact on our lives also.

Many beautiful animals like the Tasmanian tiger, the African antelope, the Indian bustard, the west African black Rhino, the Pangolin, the red panda, cheetah and Himalayan quails have been wiped out of existence. Many marine fish and animals are also on the verge of extinction due to indiscriminate fishing in seas and rivers aIn North Pacific Ocean more than half a million whales have been killed. Nearly 80% of marine creatures like sea-lions, harbor seals, fur seals and otters have been destroyed.  A day may come when even common birds like sparrows, crows and swallows may vanish from this world. Let us not be too cruel to make other fellow-creatures extinct just to satisfy our perverted ambitions and greed.

 Out of unrestrained greed and egoistic pleasure man goes on destroying wild life and will not spare even domestic animals and birds. Though we call ourselves civilized, the barbaric treatment of animals still continues. In the name of scientific experiments many innocent animals and birds are subject to indescribable torture and cruel treatment. Still we find immense pleasure in bull-fights and cock-fights. We cudgel them to win the race just to gain our bet. We mutilate their limbs and brand them with hot iron rods and starve them to provoke them to fight. For visual delight we cage them in narrow space and make them slaves snatching away their freedom in the jungle. We kill them to procure their colorful feathers, attractive skins and precious tusks.  We feed them unnatural chemical foods to make them yield more milk and meat to satisfy our sensual desires.

 If any herd of elephants or wild pigs encroach into our fields we feel very much upset and call them intruders. But by what name should we be called who forcefully occupied their habitats and drove them away even depriving them of their food and water sources?  By what name should we be called who take away their freedom and their right to live ?

 Has god created man with reason just to destroy His own creation without any restraint? In destruction of our fellow-creatures we are also heading towards our own doom. Let us strive to be kind and merciful and make ourselves worthy to be called as humans who live in harmony with Nature and protect this God-given creation at least for our own survival.

 Out of unrestrained greed and egoistic pleasure man goes on destroying wild life and will not spare even domestic animals and birds. Though we call ourselves civilized, the barbaric treatment of animals still continues. In the name of scientific experiments many innocent animals and birds are subject to indescribable torture and cruel treatment. Still we find immense pleasure in bull-fights and cock-fights. We cudgel them to win the race just to gain our bet. We mutilate their limbs and brand them with hot iron rods and starve them to provoke them to fight. For visual delight we cage them in narrow space and make them slaves snatching away their freedom in the jungle. We kill them to procure their colorful feathers, attractive skins and precious tusks.  We feed them unnatural chemical foods to make them yield more milk and meat.

 Has god created man with reason just to destroy His own creation without any restraint? In destruction of our fellow-creatures we are also heading towards our own doom. Let us strive to be kind and merciful and make ourselves worthy to be called humans who live in harmony with nature and protect this God-given creation at least for our own survival.

  “ If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence         is from injury to animals.”

   “ Until we stop harming all other living things, we are still savages.”--       -- Thomas A. Edison.

                       ++++++++++++++++++++++++

On my visit to Nanganallur Anjaneya Swami temple, Chennai

 

Way to temple entrance

The central hall 

    

Main idol in the sanctum

Main idol decorated with vadamala

    Sri Viswaroopa Adhivyadhihara Bhaktanjaneya (One who removes mental and

    physical diseases) Swami temple is a well-known place in Nanganallur which has

    the privilege of having many holy temples like Sri Lakshmi Narasimha 

    Navaneetha Krishnan temple, Sri Hayavadana Perumal temple, Sri Siddhi

    Vinayakar temple, Ardhanareeswara temple, Sri Sarvamangala Rajarajeswari

    temple, Guruvayurappan temple and Sri Raghavendra Mutt. Sri Anjaneya temple is            located at 8^th street, Ist main Road, Ramnagar. You have to get down at Palavathangal      or at Mambalam railway station to reach this temple.

 The idol of Anjaneya is thirty-two feet tall carved from a single granite stone and is the second tallest one after the statue of Hanuman in Panchavatee at Puducherry.
Sri Maruthi Bhaktasamajam Trust with the blessings of Sri Raghavendraswami and Kanchi Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswati succeeded in establishing this temple in 1989. The temple was consecrated with Kumbhabhishekam in 1995 after constructing a lofty 90-foot tall Rajagopuram.In 2008 this temple was taken over by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Govt. of Tamilnadu. As soon as one enters one can see the gigantic statue of Lord Hanuman in standing posture with folded hands. The tall statue decorated with flower garlands and golden crown looks quite majestic and evokes a sense of devotion. There is a pathway on four sides of the temple. The mandapam or the central hall is very spacious and devotees have to move in a queue. Three ghee lamps burn continuously in front of the sanctum. The temple is well-maintained and many senior citizens act as volunteers in doing temple work.Various type of Prasadams such as Pongal,Puliyogara and Milagu Vada are freely distributed here to all devotees.Many devotees perform Vadamala seva here when the tall idol of Lord Hanuman is garlanded with vadas from top to bottom.

 The temple is facing west and there is a second entrance from the southern side. On northwestern side there is the shrine of Lord Srirama with Sita,Lakshmana and Hanuman. In southwestern corner there is a shrine for Lord Sri Krishna along with his consorts, Rukmini and Satyabhama. This is quite unusual since in many Hanuman temples one does not see a separate shrine for lord Krishna.  In the Northeastern corner there is a platform with lord Ganesh and there is an idol of Naga (serpent) on the left side of Ganesh. On the northwestern side of the temple there is a cowshed with many cows whose milk is used for temple sevas. To the eastern side of the temple one finds the kitchen and the administrative building. Many sevas are done in this temple. Sri Rama Kalyanam is performed every day. Special poojas and ceremonies are performed during festive days like Hanumath Jayanti, Golulasthami,Sri rama navami and Navarathri.Special archanas are done on Saturdays and abhishekams on Ekadashi nand Amaavasi days.The temple is open from 5.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon and from 4.00 to 9.00 p.m. in the evening. On Tuesdays and Saturdays one finds a huge crowd here.  The nearby temples are Sri Raghavendraswami temple and Guruvayur temple.If you visit Chennai do visit Naganallur area where you can see many temples with unique features and significance.

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

17th June, 2018

Somaseshu Gutala

On my visit to Sri Rajarajeswari Temple, Nanganallur, Chennai

 

                         

               

    In Nanganallur area, there are many old famous temples to see. Sri Rajarajeswari temple is one of the oldest temples and the area is named after the name of this Goddess as Nanga Nallai (place of good-natured women) which is now called Nanganallur. This is a private temple also named as Sri Rajarajeswari ashram. This temple having two floors is located at 16^th street at ThillaigangaNagar.

 The temple is facing east, but has entrance from the north. At the entrance Prakara,the idols of Astadikpalakas are seen. After the entrance there are two shrines—one for Lord Dattatreya and another for Lord Bhairava. On the ground floor the temple for Sri Lakshmisametha Satyanarayana  Swamy is seen. Here the image of Lakshmi is seen on the chest of Perumal. Many devotees perform Satyanarayana Vratham here.  Unlike in other Vishnu temples here the idols of Navagrahas are seen on the wall in a straight line.The devotees should go round the temple in anti-clockwise direction. First they should have the darshan of Vinayaka and Durga. Later they should see the main presiding Goddess who is seen on the second floor. The statues of Shankanidhi and Padmanidhi are seen at the entrance of the steps.

 One has to climb 16 steps to enter the sanctum and climb down sixteen steps from the other side to leave the place. While coming down one can see the fifteen stucco idols of Thithi Devatas (representing fifteen lunar phases and fifteen letters of Mahashodasi mantra) on the wall with Agasthya Muni’s hymn engraved below each idol. The main idol of Rajarajeswari is seen in sitting posture on Meru Yantra wielding a discus,a conche,  a sugarcane bow and flower-arrows in her four arms. Decked in costly jewels and ornaments she looks very beautiful in the glow of oil-lit lamps. She is flanked by Lakshmi and Saraswati on one side and by Ganesh and Murugan on the other side. Subshrines of Matangi and Vaarahi are seen on either side of the sanctum. Fifty-one Shakti Yantras are installed in this temple which makes this place equal to fifty one Shakti Pithams seen in India.

 The main idol is self-manifested from the sacrificial altar in the form of glittering stones when Sri Rajagopal Swamigal was performing Homam at his house in Georgetown on Navarathri Friday in 1957. As per the advice of Kanchi Paramacharya, Sri Chandrasekhara  Saraswati, he installed them in the present place after getting them carved into idols. Here poojas are done according to Srividya tradition. So only persons specially trained under Swamy are allowed to act as priests. Here many devotees perform Kumkuma Pooja. They have to buy Kumkum (vermilion) sold by temple people.  Kumkum from outside is not allowed. The kumkum packet should be dropped into a box after mentioning one’s name, birth star, janma thithi and one’s wish before ascending the steps.

 There is Varuna Dhanvantari theertham in the form a well within temple premises. The water from this well is said to have  powers of to cure health problems. It is believed that Rajarajeswari in this shrine was worshipped by Sage Agasthya and Thirumoolar. The rays from the sun touch the holy feet of the Goddess for six days in the early morning time during the month of Masi or Magha . Special poojas are done during this time. The temple timings are from 6.00 a.m to 12.00 noon and 5.30 to 8.45 in the evening. You will experience the benign presence of Mother everywhere in the temple. To reach this temple one has to get down at Palavanthagal railway station.

                          +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

11th June, 2018                                                     Somaseshu Gutala

      

Penelope (Blank Verse)

Penelope

Ulysses killing his foes with his mighty bow

                        “ Son of Leartes ! Star of Ithaca ! days

                            Singe my patience and my steadfast faith in thee ;

                            Twenty years passed and Telemachus thy son

                            No more a toddler ; Even gods are perplexed    

                            By this perpetual war for one queen’s sake           

                           So many mighty kings of Argive, Lycia and Thrace

                           Fell down and blood flows like turbulent Xanthus ;

                           Memnon slain, Troilus died and strong Sarpedon fell

                           Still Paris braves in vain against Grecian armies ;

                           Durst I spend my youth wearing thus alone

                           While lusty bees buzz their amorous whispers

                           And try to tempt  a languishing lily like me ;

                           Like an old Sibyl in her holy pantheon

                           I wait and pining to see thy radiant mien.

                          These neighboring kings like hungry wolves

                          Feast on idle pleasures wasting thy treasure;

                          How long can I govern this rugged kingdom

                          With tactful means in thy long absence ?  

                          Some Achaean kings returned with Trojan spoils

                          Presaging thy victory and yet not heard of thee ;

                          By Apollo’s grace, Hellas must win and set her banner

                         On topless towers of Illium ever I pray ;

                         With thousand eyes of Argus, with fluttering soul

                         I hope to see  thy stalwart figure armed like Mars

                         Return with victorious spoils and cheer thy son ;

                         Let not the mighty trident of Poseidon

                         Obstruct thy mighty ship with stormy blasts ;

                         May great Athena’s spear guard thee from dangers

                         And make thee happy  to see the Ionian shore.

                         Let these lecherous beasts face thy dreadful darts

                         And pay with  their blood for betraying thee; 

                         Meanwhile to keep these haughty hounds at bay

                         I’ll feign to weave a votive fabric

                         And unweave in stealth for chaste Artemis

                         To score time and slip from these thankless flock ;

                         With thy mighty bow slay these lewd, rampant beasts

                         Who tried to ravish thy kingdom and thy spouse ;

                         With thirsty supplicating looks I wait for thee

                        Come soon, and end this ever burning Etna’s fire within.”

                        She spoke in doleful voice with tear-drenched face

                        Like a snow-white dove pursued by swift-winged   ravens

                        In her chamber decked with Persian shawls and costumes

                        With crystal vases foaming with Cyprian wine

                        And silver dishes filled with fruits and steaming dainties ;

                        Yet none she touched but yearned for her dearest Ulysses.

                       =================================================


              Notes :

     Notes : Penelope, daughter of the Spartan king Icarius and  nymph Periboea  was the wife of Odysseyus or Ulysses who ruled Ithaca, one of the islands in Greece. He was well known for his intelligence, bravery and wisdom. He participated along with other Grecian kings in Trojan War to bring back Helen who was abducted by Paris, a Trojan Prince. Many Greek heroes sacrificed their lives in this war which went on for ten years. Ulysses using his clever strategy under the pretext of leaving  a wooden horse  as a religious gift managed to score victory over Trojans. Ulysses during his return journey faced many hazards as he was cursed by Poseidon, sea-god, for blinding his son,Polyphemus, a huge monster ruling the island of Cyclops. So it took ten more years for him to return home. During his absence Penelope had to rule the kingdom and look after her son, Telemachus. The other neighboring kings gathered round her asking her to marry one of them as they thought Ulysess might have died when his ship was wrecked in the storm. Penelope asked them to wait till she wove a garment and dedicate it to Goddess, Artemis. Every night she used to unweave the garment in stealth to gain more time. After twenty years Ulysses, knowing that he was surrounded by rival kings, arrived in the guise of a beggar. Penelope laid the condition that whoever was able to string the mighty bow of Ulysses would be eligible to win her hand. None was able to string the bow. Ulysses disguised as a beggar came and  strung the bow. He slayed the rival kings with arrows assisted by his young son and servants. Penelope recognized her husband and felt happy to know that her husband had returned alive after a long gap of twenty years. In Greek mythology, Penelope was recognized for her chastity and steadfast devotion to her beloved husband.

   References : 1.    Ulysses – also called Odysseyus was the son of laertes and Anticlea.

                        2.     Singe ---- burn or scorch                        

                        3.   Xanthus --- a river in Lycia      

                        4. Argives, Thrace, Lycia ---- small kingdoms in Greece

                        5. Memnon  ------  An Ethiopian king who fought on the side of Trojan kings

                        6.  Troilus ---- A young Trojan prince killed by Achilles

                        7.  Sarpedon ----   A Lycian Trojan ally king killed by Achilles.

                       8.  Paris ---- Son of Priam and Hecuba and a Trojan prince who abducted the                                              the Greek queen, Helen

                                                  

                       9. Sibyl ---- a Greek priestess who foretells future events

                      10. Pantheon ---  a temple dedicated to all gods

                      11.  Achaean kings --- Grecian kings

                      12.  Apollo ------- Sun God                         

                      13.   Hellas ---------------   Greece

                      14.   Topless towers of Illium --- towers of Troy whose tops are too tall to see.

.

                           “Was this the face that launched a thousand ships

                          And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? “– Faustus by Christopher Marlowe.

                      15.    Argus ----   a hundred-eyed giant in Greek mythology.

                      16.    Mars ---- Greek God of War

                      17.   Poseidon ---- Sea-God (Neptune) shown with a huge trident in his hand.

                      18.   Athena --- Goddess of wisdom, arts and war shown as holding a spear

                                               in her hand   

                      19.   Votive fabric --- garment offered in fulfillment of a vow.

                      20.   Artemis ----      Goddess of chastity dwelling in moon.

                      21.   Etna   -------      Mt. Etna, a volcanic mountain on the east coast of Sicily.

                      22.  Ravish ----          seize by force

                      23.  doleful ----           filled with grief

                      24.   Cyprian ---- belonging to Cyprus which is famous for quality wines.

                   

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

                    7th June, 2018                                         Somaseshu Gutala

                     

                                   

                  

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