Monday, August 31, 2020

The Impact of Puritanism on American Society (Part--II)

 

A town in Massachusetts 

                  

Congregational church in Boston


John Winthrop (1588-1649)

   
Cotton Mather (1663-1728)
          
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)

                     


   Roger Williams(1603-1683)                                          Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643)

                     

   Almost a decade after Pilgrims’ arrival, Puritans in large numbers migrated to North America in between 1630 and 1640. The first six Puritan colonies comprised Plymouth (1620), New Hampshire (1623), Massachusetts (1628), Connecticut (1634), Rhode Island (1644) and New Haven (1644) in New England region. between 1630 and 1640 nearly nine thousand people came to settle in this area. This period is called the Great Migration. After obtaining a charter Massachusetts Bay Company, John Winthrop led this migration and established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the region of New England and became the Governor of that colony. He soon established Boston as the capital of Massachusetts Bay Colony which later became the most prosperous colony in the region. He maintained a faithful record of daily events in his journal called “History of New England” between 1630 and 1648. His essay “A Model of Christian Charity’ published in 1630 tries to reconcile the relationship between the welfare of the individual and that of community based on a contractual basis.  “We must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertaine each other in brotherly Affection… The end is to improve our lives to doe more service to the Lord, the comforte and encrease of the body of christe whereof wee are members that ourselves and posterity may be preserved from the Common corrupcions of this evil world to serve the Lord and work out salvacion under the power and purity  of his holy ordinances.. for we must consider that wee shall be as a City upon a hill.” This phrase “City upon a hill” is derived from the Bible’s Sermon on the Mount delivered by Jesus “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

 All men who were church members elected the Governor and representatives for the General Court. They followed the rules of the Old Testament and laid down strict rules for the society. The colony prospered well as the Puritans cultivated crops, cut timber for building ships and bred sheep for making woolen clothes. The Puritan Church or Congregation rejected church hierarchy and veneration of saints and worship of idols or iconography. Their religious rites are also simple and were limited to Baptism and Communion. They gave importance to vernacular Bible--the Geneva Bible which was widely used by the English-speaking people all over Western Europe. They did not encourage the use of musical instruments and choirs in worship. They believed that they were the elect who would obtain grace from God and also by their ideal way of living without pomposity and sensual pleasures. They perceived the fulfillment of the Old Testament in their own lives and looked upon America as “a city on a hill”, a kind if new Eden. They searched and tried to interpret all events and happenings in terms of God’s anger and favor.  The Puritan conception of male supremacy or patriarchal society excluded women from decision making in church and in state affairs. Women had to dress themselves correctly covering their hair and arms. They were not allowed to possess property and conduct any business. Women were not allowed to preach scriptures or interpret them. They had to serve God and the community by being good wives mothers and household managers. People had to conform to rules on the Sabbath such as prohibition from drinking, swearing, playing cards; the persons who violated these rules were made to pay fines and even were whipped. They believed in marriage, disapproved of illicit sexual activities and condemned adultery. They had to do everything in moderation and condemned those who indulged in excess in any activity.

 The Puritan society cherished the ideals of self-government, frugality, industry or hard work, and religious and moral values. Most of the books written during this period are mostly realistic and religious by nature. They gave importance to historical narratives such as personal diaries, sermons, poems and stories written in first person. Most of the Puritan writers preferred plain style without ornate imagery and rhetorical devices since they believed that decorative and ornate words and style was “like painted windows that obscured the clear light of truth.”  Their style was plain, distinct, orderly, and emphatic and proportionate” employing rhetorical devices sanctioned by Biblical use such as parables, analogies, similes, and metaphors, rhythmic and formal syntax. Most of the Puritan writers belonged to official circles such as governors, magistrates (John Smith, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, John Winthrop and Samuel Sewall), and theologians or pastors (John Cotton, Nathaniel Ward, Roger Williams and Edward Taylor). Among them Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor were poets and others wrote about history and exploration of the new colony. 

The Puritans believed that good education would make people give up sins and become good Christians. The first printing press was established in 1636 and in 1640 the first English book "The Bay Psalm Book" was published. Public schools were built in towns from 1635. In some colonies like Connecticut and Plymouth education was made compulsory for all. Financial contribution from church, the wealthy people, philanthropists and taxes from trade helped in developing educational institutions. Harvard College was established in 1636 followed by Yale in Connecticut (1701), New Haven (1716) and Rhode Island (1765). Christian-oriented education along with other subjects like Geography, mathematics, and English Literature ware taught. The first Public Library was established in Boston in 1636.

 Whoever questioned or objected to their views was looked down as a heretic and was severely punished. As per the census reports of the Massachusetts Bay many ladies are named after Christian virtues such as patience, Providence, Silence, Comfort and Hopestill etc. Roger Williams proposed that the colonists should be fair to native Indians and they should not be exploited by using force. He also thought that political leaders should not mix politics and religion. He wanted common people to have more religious freedom and a fair representation of colonists in the general Court. Roger Williams was exiled from the colony for his views. He went to establish a colony at Providence in Rhode Island and founded the Baptist Church. Anne Hutchinson who migrated from Lincolnshire, England, a follower of the Puritan Minister, John Cotton, believed that mercy is preordained by God but damnation is determined by earthly behavior and sin has no vital role to play. At the age of forty three she went to Boston to join Cotton and became a popular preacher. The Puritans held that her ideas were in direct contradiction to their beliefs and she was declared as a heretic and was banished from the colony. She left for the island of Aquidneck in the Rhode Island at the suggestion of Roger Williams where they founded Portsmouth.

 Most of the immigrants that came to this colony were well-educated and came from upper middle class families unlike the Pilgrims who migrated to America on the ship called “The Mayflower” in 1620 seeking religious freedom during the reign of James I in from England. Cotton Mather, grandson of John Cotton, redefined the divine purpose of the community and its mission. He tried to infuse determination and perseverance in the minds of people. Cotton Mather’s magnum opus “Christi Americana” describes the colonial history and glorifies the Puritan faith of his times.  Mather’s verbal skill comparable to that of Washington, Irving and Melville showed the pedantic eloquence of the great American orators. He along with Robert Beverly is considered as the founding fathers of American literary criticism as well. He showed interest in fields of contemporary knowledge such as natural philosophy and medicine. Due to his contribution to science he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1713.  Though he worked as a pastor at Boston’s North Church, he like the other scientists of the day and the later Deists, saw the orderly laws of Nature and wonders of the creation as expressions of the Divine creator.  He saw no conflict between science and religion but rather harmony; science was an incentive to religion that could explain God’s providence and advance divine purposes in the physical universe. In his essay “Christian Philosopher” and “A collection of the best discoveries in nature with religious improvements” Mather attempts to give a rational foundation and explanation to Christianity by trying to reconcile Scripture Revelation with the new sciences, presenting scientific explanations supported by theological justifications.” His writings influenced many eighteenth century writers like Benjamin Franklin and formed a prelude to nineteenth century’s Transcendentalism. Mather published more than 380 works covering various forms; sermons, biography, fables, history, theological and scientific treatises and verse. His writings influenced many eighteenth century writers like Benjamin Franklin and formed a prelude to nineteenth century’s Transcendentalism.

 Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) was one of the Early American poets who expressed her Puritan beliefs and her sufferings in a realistic and charming manner. Her first collection of poems “The Tenth Muse” was published without her knowledge in 1650.The remaining poems were published in 1678 after her death. Her poems deal with transitory nature of life and pleasures and her strong faith in God. John Cotton was a senior respected colonial minister who was famous for his sermons. He insisted on enlightened interpretation of the scripture and refused to separate faith and action entirely from one another. 

Mary Rowlandson, later Mary Talcott (1637-1711) in her story  ”The sovereignty and goodness of God: Being a narrative of the captivity and restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” offers a moving account of her captivity by Algonquians and her suffering and how her children and relatives were murdered by the natives. After three months she was freed in return for ransom while she had lost her children sold as property during her captivity. She was the first woman to write a narrative in captivity. She believed in God’s grace and predestination when she wrote: “I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” Rowland’s narrative contains recurrent images of depression and persistent anxiety though she considers such a state of affliction as a punishment from God and she surrenders to the will of God with strong Puritan faith. 

  Edward Taylor(1642-1729) a Puritan poet and minister believed in Calvin’s theories of sinfulness and damnation of all men and in the salvation of a few who are elected by God’s grace. His poems are in the metaphysical tradition of George Herbert and John Donne. His poems are an illustration of “the mystical union with God.” His striking metaphors and sense of mysticism resemble the style of Emily Dickinson’s poetry. As a strict Congregationalist, he opposed the plan of union between Congregational and Presbyterian churches. His theology resembled that of his Boston contemporaries like Michael Wiggleworth, Cotton Mather and his lifelong friend, Samuel Sewall. He spent his life as Minister at Westfield. He was a scholar, master of three languages and an able historian. His poems fall into four groups. The first “God’s determinations touching His Elect” is a long dramatic allegory written before 1690. The second collection of 217 poems “Preparatory meditations before my Approach to the Lord’s Supper” was written between 1682 and 1725. The third group comprises miscellaneous poems in which familiar objects were used to express metaphysical themes. The work is the “Metrical History” an unpublished poem of 430 pages in manuscript which describes the history of the Protestant Church. His verbs are strong, and his imagery is vigorous. His poems glorify the Christian experience like a sermon. Taylor used Biblical references and stories from testament. “Christographia” is a collection of sermons about the human and divine natures of Christ. Taylor left much of his verse unpolished and uncorrected. It seems that he had not intended his poems for the public evaluation. Taylor’s works were bequeathed to Yale University by a descendant in 1883. Only after 1939 a significant selection of his poems were published and edited by Thomas H. Johnson.


Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was one of the great revivalist preachers, philosophers and ministers of the Massachusetts colony and was one of the founders of the a new religious revival movement known as the Great Awakening in during 1730’s. In 18th century America, the population was growing in Massachusetts and Connecticut areas and people got used to more luxuries as there was rapid growth in trade and scientific progress. As a reaction to the age of reason and science and to revive the Puritan faith in God, many ministers gave sermons to inspire people’s faith in religion and moral principles. Jonathan Edward’s sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” given in front of a congregation in Enfield, Connecticut was one of the most famous sermons in American history. He was appalled by the diluted form of Puritanism known as “Halfway Covenant”. He tried to reinstate a severe brand of Puritanism and emphasized that the path to salvation lay in the religious feelings and consciousness of sin and repentance and God’s forgiveness. Though he was interested in science he believed that science reveals the natural wonders created by God. He was the founder of “New England Theology” and a precursor of transcendentalism in his negation of the Hebraic God in favor of an infinite being. The concept of cosmic god and beauty of creation was explained by Edwards in an impressive way. To him, as to Ruskin, nature was another book of the Lord, a vast open Bible revealing divine messages. He delivered more than a thousand sermons. With a style remarkable for precision he became a very influential writer of the colonial period. His ability to combine religious intensity with intellectual rigor and moral earnestness, the cosmic sweep of his theological vision and his emphasis on faith and love and his uncompromising stand against all forms of idolatry made his works very popular and well-known.

 His well-known works are : “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”, “The end for which God created the world”, The life of David Brainerd”, “religious affections”, “The manner of seeking salvation”, “Freedom of will”, and “pressing into the kingdom of God” etc. All works of Edwards including his unpublished works are available on line through the Jonathan Edwards center at Yale University website. The followers of Jonathan Edwards and his disciples are called “New Light Calvinist Ministers” as opposed to the traditional “Old Light Calvinist Ministers.”

 Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705) was a Puritan minister, doctor and poet who emigrated to America and settled in New Haven. He preached at Charlestown and later worked as pastor at Malden till his death. In his long poem “The day of Doom; a poetical description of the great and last Judgment” (1662) written in ballad measure, he described the horrors of the last Judgment.  His other poems are “A short discourse on Eternity” and “Vanities of Vanity”. He tried a variety of styles and modes to express his theological vision and feelings. 

The Puritan views and ideology influenced the American culture and tradition very much. Religious freedom, individual effort, hard work, collective responsibility, emphasis on universal education, simple and austere life without caring for pomposity and sensual pleasures, self-control and preference to moral virtues over elaborate rituals are some of the characteristics inherited from Puritans by the later generations. In literary style they preferred a simple, plain style devoid of ornate imagery with traditional Biblical allusions. They gave importance to keen observation, realistic information and historical precision. Most of them wrote on religious themes filled with devotion and strong faith in divine justice and grace. One cannot receive salvation through good deeds and virtues alone. Their actions should be supported by faith in God. Nature to them is another book of God which reveals God’s mysterious wonders and divine principles.

 They brought about a new religious awakening and tried to link political affairs and with rigid, religious rules which brought about many divisions and dissensions among themselves like Quakers (who opposed wars, rejected rituals and formal creeds and an ordained ministry) and Deists (who rejected religious concept of revelation and believed that reason and observation of natural world help in realization of divine presence). Still most of them have assimilated the Puritan virtues and background with suitable relaxations and exemptions. The Puritan concept of cosmic God and the harmonious relationship between religion and science later influenced many writers like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Hooker, Washington Irving, H.W. Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emerson and Thoreau. Though many persons are critical about Puritan beliefs, the legacy left by this movement continues in American ethos which mainly relies on liberty of conscience, self-reliance, freedom of religion and hard work to achieve economic success with a noble mission and goal.

“You can’t understand America without understanding the Puritans. In many ways, we’re still living out their legacy in ways that are good and bad.” – Pete Buttigieg.

“The Puritan’s sense of priorities in life was one of their greatest strengths. Putting God first and valuing everything else in relation to God was a recurrent Puritan theme.’ – Leland Ryken

“By all means read the Puritans, they are worth more than all the modern stuff put together.’ – Charles Spurgeon

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

           31st August, 2020                       Somaseshu Gutala


Thursday, August 27, 2020

The Impact of Puritanism on American Society (Part--I)

 


Mayflower

William Bradford (1590-1657)


A colony in Plymouth


Congregational Church in Plymouth

   Puritanism is an offshoot of Reformation in 17th and 18th centuries in England. Henry VIII, the King of England, broke away from Catholic Church hierarchy in 1534and established the Church of England (the Anglican Church) in 1534 and declared himself as the head of the church (The Act of Supremacy) to stop the interference of church in political and personal affairs. This paved the way for reforming the church as there was a widespread revolt against the dominance of papacy throughout Europe.  Between 1536 and 1541, the king destroyed many monasteries and acquired their property and wealth. The Puritans voiced their protest against the corruption and moral depravity of the church authorities and against the supremacy of the king in religious affairs. So they wished to purify the Church of England and establish a morally strong institution without separating themselves from it. The teachings of John Calvin, a protestant Theologian, influenced their views. His teachings emphasized the sovereignty of the scriptures and divine predestination- a doctrine which believes that God chooses those who will enter heaven based on His Omnipotence and grace.

The Pilgrims were the first migrants who defied the supremacy of the king and church and they desired a complete separation from both catholic and Anglican church practices (so called Separatists).  First they went to Amsterdam and stayed there for one year. From there they moved to Leiden, Holland and remained there for ten years. Considering their status as non-citizens and afraid of their children losing touch with English language and heritage, some of them they made plans to settle in Northern Virginia.   Under the leadership of William Bradford they set sail to Virginia on a ship called “Mayflower” in 1620. Their ship was caught in a storm. Finally they established their colony in Plymouth on the western side of Cape Cod Bay. 

After the death of the settlement’s first Governor, John Carver, William Bradford (1590-1657) was elected as Governor who was later reelected nearly thirty times and worked as Governor till 1656 and got a charter from the Virginia Company called “Mayflower Compact” to set up their own government. Bradford organized the colony’s democratic institutions and traditions of self-government. Though he was a Congregationalist, he welcomed all separatist groups to New England region. In his two-volume book ‘History of Plymouth Plantation”, 1620-1647, he described vividly the sea voyage and the challenges faced by the settlers. In his poems and other articles he described the virtues of Puritanism and the sacrifices made by the founders of Plymouth Colony. In collaboration with Edward Winslow he wrote a journal called “Mourt’s Relation.” William Brewster(1566-1644) served as the Church Elder of the Plymouth colony and also as an advisor to Governor Bradford. He continued his role as the religious leader till a pastor, Ralph Smith arrived in 1629.

 The pilgrims laid foundation to religious freedom, democratic spirit, American folklore and tradition. They devised methods for running basic economy, political, social and educational life of the American society. They tried to maintain good relations with Native Americans and set a model “for interracial diplomacy that was followed with varying success by later Puritan colonies.” They celebrated a three-day celebration called “Thanksgiving” in Nov.1621 to thank god for the rich harvest and also to express gratitude to native Indians who taught them survival skills. Even now Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November to commemorate this historic event. According to New England colonial historian Alden Vaughn “Justice, tolerance, decisiveness and amity became the keystones of Plymouth’s Indian policy.” Unlike later Puritans the Pilgrims did not engage in witch hunts and persecute dissenters. The Plymouth colony’s principles of industry, faith in providential guidance of God, respect for conscience and democratic governance later became the defining values of the United States.

 Most of the pilgrims were not well-educated and came from poorer sections of the society. They worked hard by building houses, planting fields, working in the gardens and hunting animals. Their food was also simple like a thick porridge or bread made from Indian corn and with some kind of meat, fowl or fish. Due to shortage of ministers and increased intolerance and poverty and failure of getting a new charter for exclusive government from the crown, the Plymouth Colony had been finally incorporated into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1689.

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

   28th August, 2020                                           Somaseshu Gutala

 

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

No Man’s Land

 





       

 1) The land where one gets after strenuous ups and downs

     The land which seems so silent , lonely  ,bare and inane

     The land where light darkens with pallid shades and slowly wanes

      The land of memories where one finally drowns

      The land which none can conquer and claim as own

      The land which everyone has to enter all alone.

 

 2)   Here one meets none but faces of faded past

       Here one plans no future but tends to review and brood;

       No hurried pace, no hasty tussles and feuds

        A somber sky with dense, dusky clouds overcast

        No beckoning smiles, no avenues new  

        Here one tries to look for known faces few.       

 

3)   Huge broken busts and unfinished, deserted deeds

      Shattered bits of unfulfilled foolish desires

      Suppressed ambitions like smoldering fires         

      Here the turbulent tempestuous gales slowly recede

       No strength now to chase wild geese but stay content

       One feels quite tired, lazy, exhausted and spent.

 

4)     No new ventures, no new hazards to attend

         Into the dark depths of past one’s mind descends

         A hiatus wide divides it from the modern trends

         No rush of competing schedules and twisting bends;

          A time to pause and ruminate our faults and flaws

          A time for restraint and understand Nature’s laws.

 

5)       No fruits of promising spring, no new affections bind

           A dragging pace weighed down by nostalgic load of thoughts

           In vortex of past pricking blunders one is caught

           A long line of memories hounding behind;

           Our innate foibles take on us a heavy toll

           As growing age controls and plays a dominant role.

 

6)       In our life’s crumpled dog-eared pages brown

          No thrilling surprises or adventures to find  

          Each one seems busy with one’s own duties assigned

          As years slip by unaware through ups and downs

          One can’t delve deep within one’s own self in fact

          Too obscure to see the hand of destiny behind our acts.

                  

7)       A time to contemplate with conscience cool

          Our past beyond our grip, no use to repent

          Treat them as lessons or opportunities god-sent

           No use of sulking or complaining like a fool

           Re-set your mind-set with a chastened attitude

           Treat this long journey as brief interlude.

 

 8)      Within this short duration remaining still

           A budding hope awaits to better thy attitude

           Absorb each moment with love and gratitude

           Follow the righteous path as best as you will

           Where this no man’s land will lead to no one can tell

           Thank God for everything and think all will be well. 

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

            11th August, 2020                            Somaseshu Gutala

 

No Man’s Land – a phase in man’s life with no definite goal or destination. This phrase is used in the sense that one can’t understand the future before as old age is the last stage and what lies after is a closed mystery to our mortal eyes. It is a phase where one tries to recall and look back on his performance and acts. The blunders and faults one committed before loom large in one’s mind and one feels a sense of  guilt and solitude as no one can share one’s whole experiences with others since one can’t delve deep into one’s conscience so easily. One’s past habits and life style will have its repercussions at this stage. But one can’t change one’s past. A new future lies after this stage but it is beyond one’s understanding. This is the time for one to re-adjust one’s vision and behave with faith and maintain a sense of equilibrium and have trust in God’s merciful support and guidance.                                                 

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Monday, July 27, 2020

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!



                                     


 
1.   “A very happy birthday, Mom!”  I Said.
        Recalling her memories far from days past
        Days flew by unknown so swift and fast
        A flash of memory within me spread
        Our rush through routine make us forget
        Even our promises and persons we met.

2.     Time has erased so many sweet events bygone
        A dim shadow of what we went through remained
        Of those halcyon days and what we have gained;
        Like glittering strips of fairy’s rings on dew-filled lawn
        Once more of what I said echoed within my heart
        Silence mocked at my queries, no answer I got.

3.     Her memories at once engulfed my mind
        Her jovial nature with spontaneous wit
        Her hasty temper with genial mirth and grit
        Her liberal ways with sociable nature kind
        Her special affection for bonny children male
        Her gift of music and her skill of narrating tales.

4.     So many years did lapse since she had gone
        How can I view her state with my mortal sight?
        And yet in a dreamy vision saw her phantom bright  
        She seemed quite young and fresh like blooming dawn
        Free from earthly burdens—no wrinkled face
        No shriveling tensions in her I trace.

5.     Her golden complexion beamed with red-lotus glow
        With puzzled looks I stood with confounded thoughts
        Her silent looks conveyed more than what I caught
        Like whispering waves that ebb with retreating glow
        She seemed angelic with philosophic ease
        No tantalizing tensions her bosom tease.

6.    Her looks jeered at my wishful greetings
       Like elders laughing at children’s innocent acts
       Can one measure immortal soul’s age in fact
       Free from world’s illusions and changing things?
       She seemed herself in true spiritual form
       Far above our worldly restraints, unruffled and calm.

7.   “You, silly old fellow!” she seemed to say
        Far away from our passion- stricken mortal days
        Delinked from our self-bound tottering ways
        Untouched by dualities and emotions’ sway;
        A new awakening into a new realm, 
        My birthday wishes to whom shall I convey?

8.    Death is nothing but a brief spell of sleep
       A rejuvenation of soul from stress and strain
       A liberation from earthly pulls and pain;
       A new onward journey, a joyous leap
       Into mysterious worlds of spiritual peace
       To review our acts and move onward with ease.

9.    So many births and deaths we had beyond our count
       In so many different bodies and climes
       To face so many tests and trials in different times
       To purge our innate weaknesses and surmount
       In spite of our detours and digressions vain
       To set right our path to God-a gradual gain.

10.  In spite of our blunders, God is helpful and kind
       To guide us on righteous path with generous mind
       A purpose behind our births and deaths God-ordained
       Yet still we curse our fate too blind to find.”
       She seemed to say as she vanished from my sight
       Amazed my heart fluttered like a bat in the dead of night.

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

      27th July, 2020                            Somaseshu Gutala


  "There is a purpose in each stumble and fall."-- Sri Aurobindo
      
  " Surrender to the divine is the best emotional protection." -- Mother

             
 


Tuesday, July 14, 2020

A Hermit’s Prayer








                    


1)   Though multiple times I turn my rosary  round
      Thy presence divine I have not found
      What use my extensive learning profound
      Without a focused conscience clear and sound?
      Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
      Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

2)   What use this ochre-colored robes and dress!
       What use vain thoughts and philosophic guess!
       I can’t worldly grievances solve and redress
       The weight of temptations vex me and press;
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

3)   What use to grow matted locks and beard grey
       If I do not discover Thy mysterious way?
       Like melting cubes of ice dissolve our days
       Our worldly possessions won’t ever stay.
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

4)   And yet we cling to our tempting desires
       Like foolish moths that rush towards the blazing fire
       When can we get out of this fathomless mire?
       Subdue our passions and egos entire.
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

5)    What use to fast and pray for hours and hours?
        In silence under the darkest forest bowers
        If we can’t realize Thee and Thy godly powers
        And feel the bliss of ambrosial showers?
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

6)     In worldly affairs our bodies wear and tear
        Entrapped in crushing troublesome cares
        This Maya’s all-pervading veil when can we tear?
        Without Thy divine Grace and help none can dare.
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

7)    Great sages yielded to delusions’ hold
       Who did penance intense in fire and cold;
       My weaker instincts how can I mold
       Without Thy boundless grace and support bold?
       Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
       Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

8)    Even the lowest creatures broke off the worldly ties
       Though not well-versed, intelligent and wise
       Thy holy touch for us, a brilliant sunrise
       Thy mercy when we receive, we can’t surmise.
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

9)     Not due to our merits we claim Thy mercy sweet
        Like humble beggars, Thy grace we entreat
        Thy blessed touch of sin-emancipating feet
        Without Thy help our inner foes who can defeat?
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

10)   All our depth of knowledge, mere show—no gain
        All our rites and rituals reduce not our pain
        All these outer trappings will not restrain
        The powerful grip of six enemies main.
        Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
        Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

11)   Without devotion and patience, nothing
        Can we achieve; what use to chant and sing
        Thy thousand names and ostentatiously ring
         Bells and flaunt oneself with no sincere feelings.
         Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
         Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

12)    Let me lose my ego and sense of pride
         Let me in Thy presence ever abide
         Let me be free from these turbulent tides
         Of worldly woes,Oh God! Be Thou my Lord and Guide.
         Help me, Oh Lord! Shower Thy mercy I pray
         Lift me from ignorance and show true salvation’s way.

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

         15th July, 2020                              Somaseshu Gutala


Note : Maya’s hold --- According to Indian philosophy the whole world is an illusion created out of Maya ( God’s power of creation). All living creatures under the spell of Maya think this world as real and think themselves as doers. But actually the three qualities of Prakriti----Dynamic aspect of God’s creative Power--(Sattwa—positive and balanced attitude, Rajas-passion and activity and Tamas—destruction and laziness)) drive them to act according to their tendencies or karmas. Only pious people who serve God with humility and devotion will overcome this power of delusion and realize that they are not doers but silent witnesses to the apparent phenomena of this world. They will control their six inner enemies(Desire, anger, lust, pride, greed and jealousy) and with balanced mind will approach God without any desires as everything in this world is transient and subject to change. Our rituals and religious karmas only serve to some extent to cultivate a proper mindset and induce a sense of discipline to approach God with a pious mind. Mere learning of religious texts will not transform our lives unless we practise what we study. Sometimes acquisition of knowledge will produce a sense of pride and lead us astray. So one has to overcome one’s egoistic nature (Ahamkara) caused by power, wealth, beauty, knowledge and other worldly possessions and think that everything happens only due to will and power of God. Our existence is nothing without his presence and motivation. But the freedom given to us by Him should not be misused and wasted. Yet to reach such noble level is not so easy and requires repeated attempts and practice and one should not feel depressed but pursue one's path without expecting quick results.

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Monday, July 6, 2020

TECHNOCRATS













                                                      
1)    Like restless running machines they execute
          Their time-bound projects within dead line;
          A collective teamwork with no sense of mine
          Their persistent thinking sharpens them cute;
          Like soulless tools, they have been fashioned that way
          Their sense of time differs entirely from our day.

     2)     Caught in the vortex of busy office schedule
           Their feelings shrink to mechanical routine;
           Like birds with clipt wings in steel cages seen
           In slavish work they search for joy like mules;
           Only pubs and restaurants their oft frequented spots
           In malls and resorts only did they splurge a lot.
  
     3)   Their only goal to work; to work with devilish speed
           Lest they forfeit their high five-figure gain;
           The risk of pink slip spurs them to stress and strain;
           No time to pause and think, before they proceed;
           The hollow dreams they chase at once break down
           Their nerves shattered—their ambitions let down.

     4)   Inured to deadly routine they search for surprise
           To jolt them out of their tedious grind;
           In trivial acts, surprises they try to find;
           The gifts of God they miss and fail to realize
           The joy of cool composure they hardly trace
           In their fast goal-oriented frantic pace.

     5)    No time to chat with others with open mind
           No time to meet others and their feelings share
           No time to read and write, no thought to spare
           No time to live in Nature’s bosom kind
           Enslaved to tools, they wish to converse in signs
           No time to improve their style with heart-throbbing lines.

     6)    In virtual world they ever like to stay
           From their prime roots cut off in alien lands;
           They stay away from home like vagrant bands
           Estranged from tradition and righteous ways;
           About their heritage past they lost their hold
           Long lost, who cares for outdated maxims old ?

     7)      In changing world they quickly interact
           With common sentiments and feelings they view
           To mix with different races and manners new
           To grasp new techniques, tidbits and facts
           Makes them less rigid and play their role with grace;
           Though they rush like robots with hurried pace.

    8)    A global outlook with new flexible norms
           A tech-savvy outlook with practical tools
           Far from bounds of caste, sect and religious rules;
           Far from myths and ritualistic forms
           Far from fairy world of tales and festive cheer
           Suffused with morals they no longer hear.

    9)        Our homely truths still within ring like bells
           Far from home in search of work they went
           In modern ways a lot of time they spent;
           Inured to modern changes, a heavenly hell--
           With humane touch let us fill this world with peace
           Without technical help we can’t live with ease.

   10)   This world needs your fast-paced smart skills indeed.
       To unravel Nature’s mysteries within
       Knowledge with helpful goals is not a sin;
       But be not too much mechanized; we need
       New ways to peace and progress you can blaze
       Blending human values free from greedy craze.

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

     7th June, 2020                                   Somaseshu Gutala



Note: A technocrat by definition is a person well-equipped with technological skills and swiftness of execution with goal-oriented tasks. Generally they have a lot of influence in Government or in corporate field. In this poem the above term is used in a wider sense covering all persons who work in industries, and big companies. The purpose is to reveal the work pressure and tensions of their lives who have to rush with no time to think and ponder over other deeper dimensions of life. This is not to criticize or comment on their abilities and talents. Especially in this modern age we cannot live without technology and all of us are using it for our daily needs. In one sense we are all technocrats getting used to machines and gadgets. The influence of machines on our lives is immense. So many people are getting addicted to indiscriminate use of machines and electronic devices. But let us not become machines enslaving our inner personality to futile goals.

Technocrats can play a vital and useful role if they blend their skills with noble goals and do not get detached from their native roots which taught them so much and shaped their lives. Knowledge combined with wisdom and noble thoughts will make them free from their mad pursuit materialistic prosperity. So let us express our due gratitude to technocrats for their valuable contribution and sincere hard work and ask them to enlarge their visions and aspirations. As Einstein said; “Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”


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