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Originating from the whole of the universe Eternal as they are, the Himalayas As if to let the known secret open Ever resonating the sacred sound OUM Bringing sublime piety and blessed quiet For those who cared and never felt Weird to chant nor bored to repeat Small droplets rolling down the giant slopes Turning into mighty rivers gushing to the oceans Gentle trickling mystical sounds, Intensifying into thunderous roars onward to plains The Indus, Ganges and the Brahmaputra Let loose bountiful life forms, and resources aplenty In peace, health and wealth for life to thrive in glory Man pleased, wondered and overwhelmed At the grace through nature that showered Inspired to know the source of this blessing Who himself is, that is receiving and enquiring. All that is visible, sensible in the world, he analyzed Looked toward Heavens having dissatisfied. The moon, sun, the stars, and the planets Gave no clue of the source of benevolence The one causing the sense of being Showering loving grace for earthly living That man was committed to fully knowing Certain that none outside had the answer valid Discarded all that mind displayed and selfishness hid Looked inward himself, opening the ego’s lid Searched for the all causing entity In adoration, reverence, and devotion With humility, dedication, and determination. In time, empowered with wisdom and intuition Mind and heart molded by revelation Declared, “Tat Twam Asi”, “Aham Brahmasmi” You are That, I am that “I AM” Thou art eternal, the universal and the universe The created, creator and the creation And thou are in all and all that there is, the only one The known, knower and the knowledge The light of awareness, is the cause of all The source and sustenance in all “being” The awareness reflected in each moment, always. Pure awareness, the invisible and un-describable The causeless cause of the world, the visible And this world sensible and comprehendible Both true, holy, complete and inseparable The visible relatively and the invisible absolutely, real As many worlds as there are minds Seen integrally but aspects of same one world-mind, Consciousness, being and existence Plurality is but a myth, no substance Having experienced that knowledge in practice In absolute bliss wished, “all worlds be in peace” “Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi” Began the Vedic culture and tradition Millennia ago bringing Vedas into our midst Following the Indus civilization In the valleys of Harappa and Mohenjedaro Over the centuries that followed Flourished in abundance Literature, arts, crafts and sciences Of wealth, health, religion, ethics and politics Marvels of talent, technique and genius A religious philosophy and a way of life Integrating the aspirations and compulsions of life earthly With inspiring influence of Spirit heavenly. Scores of cultures, languages And religious leanings Branching off the Vedic culture and language, Sanskrit Co-existing, complementing and sharing A thousand year rule by Moguls Transformed into a tolerant, enriching, Lasting living experience Of mutual trust and nobility Marked by emperors like the Ashoka and the Akbar Came into this milieu, the British A new language and a host of new traditions A whole new way of looking and valuing life Emphasizing the material and the human Over the spiritual and the divine Its might and genius of political acumen Well applied in the multi-lingual and cultural canvas Brought to fore the forces of division and diversity Thousands of kingdoms fell making the British The supreme power and ruler of the land. Came together the people of the subcontinent Displeasure and discontent raising their intent To fight for freedom and self rule United in thought but not yet in action Before the rule crossed hundred years. Threatened, challenged and ignored, A way was found through a great soul discovered Stood by his means and behind him rallied. The powers of austere and simple living Non-violence and quiet non-cooperation In face of injustice, brutality Deprivation and humiliation Through Gandhi won independence. Painful was the division and separation Between the two peoples, like brothers till then The sub-continent divided into two nations Pakistan and India remained in discord since Complementing each other replaced by competition Political compulsions giving rise to suspicion Distrust and unavoidable wars Causing hardship and misery in both countries. Another instance of struggle for material supremacy Undermining the relevance of spiritual reality. A vibrant Democracy and a developing economy A nation turbulent but tolerant in ideology Over a billion, a sea of humanity Common roots in ways of life and philosophy Firm belief in one God, world, and destiny Wishing peace and rightful place in harmony For all humans, animals and plants alike The land of the Vedas and Vyasa Of Buddha and the Mahatma Of Mahaveer and Chaitanya Of Harsha, Akbar and Ashoka Of Guru Nanak, Kabir and Sankara Of Meerabhai and Tyagaraja Of Ramana Maharshi and Ramakrishna Of Ravi Shankar and Allha Rakha Of Nehru, Bhabha, Kalaam ,Tata and Birla To name but a few great men and women Among hundreds in various fields Who designed the canvas of today’s India A complex, fascinating compound entity in world community Of traditional, cultural, social, political and spiritual values Giving immense capacity to adapt to changing realities of the world The land Of wealth and poverty unlimited Of knowledge and innocence unsurpassed Of spirit of freedom and merit of tolerance Of courage and humility in equal measure Of opposites thriving in unity Where religion, arts, science and technology play their roles Lending a balanced field for pursuit of individual’s goals And wear-out their karmic costumes In the shadow of spiritual umbrella held firm and lit with wisdom Of unknown sources and unrecorded ages Where the pain in pleasure, and Pleasure in enduring pain Well understood, and accepted as a fact of life. |