Cosmic Shower - KANAKADHARA
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This poem is based on an incident which took place early in the life of Adi Shankara, an Indian philosopher who established the 'Advaita' or the 'Non-dual consciousness' philosophy.
"Kanakadhara" refers to the shower of gold.
Adi Shankara with extended palms,
From door to door went begging for alms.
By a thatched hut, he came to stand,
Holding a bowl in his cupped hands.
'Bhiksham Dehi!' he cried out aloud,
The voice drifted in like a wisp of cloud...
The poor lady looked frantically around,
Not a drop of water nor a morsel was found.
She searched and searched every corner in vain,
Wearily she sat, her eyes filled with pain.
Something caught her eye, something that gleamed,
A figment of imagination? A wistful dream?
A shining gooseberry, round and green,
An answer to her prayers, it did seem...
With utter devotion, she served gently,
With folded hands she stood reverentially.
Wishing she could offer something more,
Deep shame filled her heart, her core...
Compassion from Shankara poured forth,
"Mother! Bless this lady!" he quoth.
"Divine mother on a lotus seat,
With lotus hands and lotus feet,
Ruler of the three worlds spread far,
The three divine 'Shaktis' you are...
From the milky ocean of kindness you rise,
In the heart of Lord Vishnu, you reside.
Can you not forgive her past deeds, her' karma '?
Do you not melt by her devotion, her act of 'Dharma'?"
Goddess Mahalakshmi peered from her 'yantra',
Her ears echoed Shankara's 'mantras'.
Her heart filled with love extreme,
Her voice joined the sounds with 'SHRIM'...
Golden berries began to rain,
Hundreds fell again and again.
'Kanakadhara' set the sky ablaze,
In wonder one could gaze and gaze.
In one selfless act of kindness you find,
A hundred fold blessings divine...
Footnotes
-----------
'Bhiksham dehi' - Give me alms.
Karma - Action, deed.
Dharma - Virtue, duty.
Yantra - A symbol signifying the abode of the goddess.
Mantras - Syllables which invoke the divine by sound vibrations.
Shrim - Root of the mantra of goddess Mahalakshmi (bija mantra).
------------------ ---------------------
This poem is based on an incident which took place early in the life of Adi Shankara, an Indian philosopher who established the 'Advaita' or the 'Non-dual consciousness' philosophy.
"Kanakadhara" refers to the shower of gold.
Adi Shankara with extended palms,
From door to door went begging for alms.
By a thatched hut, he came to stand,
Holding a bowl in his cupped hands.
'Bhiksham Dehi!' he cried out aloud,
The voice drifted in like a wisp of cloud...
The poor lady looked frantically around,
Not a drop of water nor a morsel was found.
She searched and searched every corner in vain,
Wearily she sat, her eyes filled with pain.
Something caught her eye, something that gleamed,
A figment of imagination? A wistful dream?
A shining gooseberry, round and green,
An answer to her prayers, it did seem...
With utter devotion, she served gently,
With folded hands she stood reverentially.
Wishing she could offer something more,
Deep shame filled her heart, her core...
Compassion from Shankara poured forth,
"Mother! Bless this lady!" he quoth.
"Divine mother on a lotus seat,
With lotus hands and lotus feet,
Ruler of the three worlds spread far,
The three divine 'Shaktis' you are...
From the milky ocean of kindness you rise,
In the heart of Lord Vishnu, you reside.
Can you not forgive her past deeds, her' karma '?
Do you not melt by her devotion, her act of 'Dharma'?"
Goddess Mahalakshmi peered from her 'yantra',
Her ears echoed Shankara's 'mantras'.
Her heart filled with love extreme,
Her voice joined the sounds with 'SHRIM'...
Golden berries began to rain,
Hundreds fell again and again.
'Kanakadhara' set the sky ablaze,
In wonder one could gaze and gaze.
In one selfless act of kindness you find,
A hundred fold blessings divine...
Footnotes
-----------
'Bhiksham dehi' - Give me alms.
Karma - Action, deed.
Dharma - Virtue, duty.
Yantra - A symbol signifying the abode of the goddess.
Mantras - Syllables which invoke the divine by sound vibrations.
Shrim - Root of the mantra of goddess Mahalakshmi (bija mantra).
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