The Cosmic Blessing

THE COSMIC BLESSING
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A Column of fire grew before their eyes,
They watched as it grew and grew to the skies.
Where did it begin? Where does it end?
Luminous rays it seemed to send.
"It is a pillar of light!" they quoth,
A sense of wonder it brought forth.

"I will find where it leads,
To be a swan is all I need.
The 'end', the 'Antha', will be easy to find,
The path looks straight, it does not wind..."
                                    Thus spake Lord Brahma full of pride,
                                    The 'creator' by whose laws we abide.

"The 'source', the 'Aadhi', the 'beginning', you see,
Is far more important, I am sure you  agree.
As a boar, I will tunnel through the ground,
Will not rest till the 'Aadhi' is found..."
                                    Thus spake Lord Vishnu full of pride,
                                    The 'preserver' by whose laws we abide.

With outstretched wings, the swan did soar,
Higher it rose till you could see no more.
The cloud, the sky, the cosmos flew past,
No 'end', no 'Antha' was found alas!!

Deeper and deeper dug the boar,
Right to the centre, to mother earth's core.
Layers unearthed formed a mass,
No 'beginning', no 'Aadhi'  was found alas!!

The two returned tired and forlorn,
Punctured and deflated but not alone!
In deference, they bowed low,
With reverence their hearts overflowed.

"Who ARE you? Who ARE you?" they cried,
As a vision unfolded before their eyes.
A form appeared radiant with beauty,
Lord Shiva in the pillar as 'Lingodbhavamoorthy'!

"I am the formless in form!" said He.
"With you we form the sacred three.
In humility and devotion, we can be seen,
Transcending pride and ego between.
No 'Aadhi', no 'Antha', but infinite power,
'Limitless' blessings on mankind we will shower."

Cosmic Fusion – The Ardhanarishvara

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Cosmic Fusion – The Ardhanarishvara
This poem is based on the androgynous form of Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati  which is depicted as half male and half female.

Shiva stood with majestic splendour,
Mesmerising eyes,full of grandeur;
Matted hair,glinting coils,
‘Ganga’ held captive, full of poise;
Round his neck, spreading his hood,
‘Seshnag’ winding as much as he could;
Rippling muscles, body toned,
Amulets and anklets, he adorned;
Shiva blazed like the ‘sun’, glowing and warm,
Beauty at its best in the masculine form.

Fused to his left was ‘Shakti’ full of grace,
Fish like eyes, moonlike face;
Glittering ornaments, shimmering white,
Earrings and nose rings, glistening bright;
Rounded, curvaceous, beautiful form,
A grand silk saree, she did adorn;
Shakti glowed like the ‘moon’ silvery and warm,
Beauty at its best in the feminine form.

A sight to behold was this union,
The masculine and feminine in perfect fusion;
Giving, protecting, achieving,
Receiving,holding,containing;
Perfect balance, perfect blending,
For all to see the ‘Ardhanarishvara’ emerging;
Twin flames merging together as one,
The God and Goddess glowing together as one.

In essence they are one and the same,
Divine counterparts, divine flames;
You see one with the other, when you lift the veil,
Equal in every way, the male and the female.

The Cosmic Dance - The Dance Of Shiva

The Cosmic Dance - Dance Of Shiva
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Please refer to the footnotes below for an explanation of some of the terms used in this poem.

Nandi, Patanjali and Vyaghrapada watched in awe,
Gasping in disbelief at what they saw.
Not a muscle moved, no one wished to miss,
The divine spectacle in their midst.

Music rose and filled the air,
Divine, melodious, soulful, rare.
With gentle, flowing movements like waves,
Lord Shiva emerged from the darkened caves.
His eyes softened with tender emotion,
Swimming in a sea of melting compassion.
All of creation swayed in a trance,
Blessed were they to witness this dance.

The music soon began to swell,
With the clanging of temple bells.
The bugle, trumpet and conch shells,
The clash of cymbals, the sound of 'Om',
High, medium and bass tones.
Regular, rhythmic 'mridangam' beats,
Moving hands and dancing feet.

The hands formed 'mudras', the fists tightening,
Changing postures, the speed of lightning.
The' wave like' moves surged with power,
Making the mighty quake and cower.
Demon 'Apasmara' shivered beneath,
Watching divine feet moving from underneath.

Eyes flashing, haunting, fiery,
Dizzying movements, full of frenzy,
Flames of fire radiating out,
Boundaries of universe lighting up.
Striking....swift....down came Shiva's foot,
Pounding, crushing 'illusion' underfoot.
The other foot rose high above,
Showing the way to divine love.

For a second everything froze,
Capturing divinity in its abode.
'Creation' revealed gently through 'lasya',
'Destruction' through 'Shiva Tandava'.
Balance within movement,
Constancy within change.
Peaceful, still, impassive face,
Blessings showered with utmost grace.


Reference
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Nandi - name of a bull which serves as the mount of Lord Shiva.
Pathanjali - an avatar of the cosmic serpent upon whom Lord Vishnu rests.
Vyaghrapada - a  mythical rishi of ancient India who had  feet like a tiger.
Apasmara - a dwarf who represented ignorance, illusion.
Lasya - dance movements filled with grace.
Tandava - vigorous dance by Lord Shiva.
Mudra - gestures with hands and fingers.