गोप्याददे त्वयि कृतागसि दाम तावद्
या ते दशाश्रुकलिलाञ्जनसम्भ्रमाक्षम् ।
वक्त्रं निनीय भवभावनया स्थिततस्य
सा माम् विमोहयति भीरपि यद्बिभेति ॥1.8.31
गोपी — the cowherd lady (Yasoda)
आददे — took up
दाम — rope
त्वयि — on You
कृतागसि — creating disturbances (by breaking the butter pot)
तावत् — at that time
ते — Your
या दशा — that situation
अक्षम् — eye
अञ्जन — ointment (disturbed)
अश्रुकलिल — being flooded with tears
सम्भ्रम — perturbed
वक्त्रम् — face
निनीय — downwards
भयभावनया — by pretentions of fear
स्थितस्य — standing
भीः अपि — (and ) even ‘fear’ personified
बिभेति — is afraid.
यत् — of whom
सा— that (plight of yours)
विमोहयति — bewilders
माम् — me
Krishna pretends to be afraid when his mother threatens with punishment after upsetting all the butter pots. In this aspect of being afraid, He can only pretend to be overcome with fear since He knows not what fear may actually feel like… Isn’t he the Lord who grants ‘अभयम्’ to all those surrender unto Him? Kunti is very amused by Krishna’s display of fear, all the more, because even fear personified is afraid of Him and his devotees.

कुन्तीस्तुतिः - श्रीमद्भागवतम्

Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas was one of Krishna’s aunts.Needless to say she loved Krishna, as Devaki or Yashoda might love Him. Apart from her मातृभावः, she had, early on in her life, begun to look up to Sri Krishna as the savior of her sons, Pandavas and Draupadi and their progeny. The Lord was with them, at all major instances, as the story unfolded. Here it was, after the war when Yudhishtira was proclaimed king. Just as the Lord was preparing to leave for Dwaraka after the Mahabharata war, He yet again, saved the unborn son of Uttarakumari, daughter-in-law of Arjuna, on whom the powerful brahmamissile was released by Ashwattama. Kunti , overcome by emotion on hearing that their savior Sri Krishna had saved the unborn offspring of the Kuru dynasty, praises him with words of gratitude.

विपदः सन्तु ताः शश्वत्तत्र तत्र जगद्गुरो ।

भवतो दर्शनम् यत्स्यादपुनर्भवदर्शनम् ॥ 1.8.25

जगद्गुरो O lord of the Universe

सन्तु let there be

विपदः calamities

शश्वत् again and again

तत्र तत्र here and there

भवतः your

दर्शनम् meeting

यत् that

स्यात् which is

अपुनः not again

भवदर्शनम् seeing the repetition of birth and death

In this verse, which is a part of Kunti’s stuti of Sri Krishna in Canto 1, Chapter 8 of श्रीमद्भागवतम्, she asks the Lord for more calamities in her life, since calamities give her the opportunity to see the Lord more often.

It may seem a contradiction that Kunti asks for more calamities in her life, since every being wishes for happiness in his/her life, but in Kunti’s case, she who has tasted the bliss of the Lord’s presence through each and every calamity, the word calamity loses its bitterness and implies that SriKrishna’s sweet presence would instead take its place.

जन्मैश्वर्यश्रुतश्रीभिर्एधमानमदः पुमान् ।

नैवार्हत्यभिधातुं वै त्वामकिञ्चनगोचरम् ॥1.8.26

पुमान् the person

जन्म-ऎश्वर्य-श्रुत-श्रीभिः (who) by the possession of birth, opulence, education and beauty

एधमानः (and) progressively increasing

मदः intoxication

वै certainly

न एव never

अर्हति deserves

अभिधातुं to address

त्वां You

अकिञ्चनगोचरम् who is easily approachable for the materialistically famished

Says Kunti, It is not possible for the self-important person, who is materially satiated, to remember the lord with as feeling and sincerity as the impoverished and suffering. Hence Kunti prays for calamities to beset her so that she may always remember the lord with total sincerity and a feeling of helplessness.

गजेन्द्रस्तुतिः - श्रीमद्भागवतम्

Gajendra, the king of elephants lived in the mountain Trikuta. He wandered its peaks along with his herd. There was a lake and one day, he entered its cool fragrant waters to quench his thirst when he was caught by a crocodile. Gajendra’s herd tried to help him out but were unable to, and they walked away leaving him to face death alone. After a long time, being thus caught, even though being stout, he weakened in strength. However the crocodile being aquatic was going on strong. Gajendra pondered a while over his situation and decided to surrender to the Supreme soul whose devotees do not have any peril from Death.

He thought of the Supreme Godhead, about whom he had learnt in his previous birth. “I surrender unto You, O lord, who is all-pervading, who protects this Universe taking many avatars. Let that lord, who resides within all beings, protect me. I offer my respectful obeisance unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whose illusory energy the jiva, who is part and parcel of God, forgets his real identity. I take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose glories are difficult to understand.”

Says Gajendra:

न यस्य देवा ऋषयः पदं विदुर्जन्तुः पुनः कोऽर्हति गन्तुमीरितुम् |
यथा नटस्याकृतिभिर्विचेष्टतो दुरत्ययानुक्रमणः स मावतु ||

na yasya devā åñayaù padam vidurjantuù punaù ko.arhati gantuméritum

yathä naöasyäkåtibhirviceñöato duratyayäkramaṇaù sa mävatu

यस्य — of whom
न — neither
देवाः — the demigods
ऋषयः — great sages
विदुः — can understand
पदं — position
जन्तुः — (unintelligent) living beings like animals
पुनः — again
कः — who
अर्हति — is able
गन्तुं — to enter (into the knowledge)
ईरितुं — or to express by words
यथा — just as
आकृतिभिः — by bodily features
नटस्य — of the artist
विचेष्टतः — dancing in different ways
दुरत्यय — very difficult
अनुक्रमणः — His movements
सः— may that Supreme Personality of Godhead
अवतु — may give His protection.
मा — unto me

The actions and movements of the Supreme God cannot be understood even by demigods and sages. What to say of mere animals like me!

मादृक्प्रपन्नपशुपाशविमोक्षणाय मुक्ताय भूरिकरुणाय नमोsलयाय |
स्वांशेन सर्वतनुभृन्मनसि प्रतीत प्रत्यक्दृशे भगवते बृहते नमस्ते |
मादृक् — like me
प्रपन्न — surrendered
पशु — an animal
पाश — from entanglement
विमोक्षणाय — unto He who releases
मुक्ताय — unto the Supreme, who is untouched by the contamination of material nature
भूरिकरुणाय — who is unlimitedly merciful
नमः — I offer my respectful obeisance
अलयाय — who is never inattentive or idle (for the purpose of my deliverance)
स्वांशेन — by Paramatma
सर्व — of all
तनुभृत् — the living entities embodied in material nature
मनसि — in the mind
प्रतीत — who are acknowledged
प्रत्यक्दृशे — as the direct observer (of all activities)
भगवते — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
बृहते — who is unlimited
नमः — I offer my respectful obeisance
ते — unto You.


Gajendra appeals to His mercy in relieving his (and of others similar to him) bondage in this mundane world. He reiterates that the Lord resides in all beings (including himself and the crocodile) and who is witness to all that happens. Most importantly, only he who is free from bondage himself can offer that to his others. Only the Lord can be called as a mukta. Luckily for Gajendra, (and for all of us) He is verily the ocean of mercy.

सोऽन्तःसरस्युरुबलेन गृहीत आर्तो
दृष्ट्वा गरुत्मति हरिं ख उपात्तचक्रम् ।
उत्क्षिप्य साम्बुजकरं गिरमाह कृच्छ्रान्
नारायणाखिलगुरो भगवन्नमस्ते ॥
सः – He (Gajendra)
अन्तःसरसि – in the water
उरुबलेन – with great force
गृहीतः – who was captured (by the crocodile)
आर्तः - severely suffering
दृष्ट्वा - on seeing
हरिं – Lord Vishnu
गरुत्मति – on the back of Garuda
उपात्तचक्रम् – with his discus ready
उत्क्षिप्य - raising
साम्बुजकरम् – his trunk along with a lotus flower
गिरमाह – uttered the words
कृच्छ्रात् – with great difficulty
नारायण – O Lord Narayana
अखिलगुरो – O Universal Lord
भगवन् – O Supreme person
नमस्ते – salutations to you

Gajendra, even though being an animal cried out to the Supreme Lord when he was mortally captured by the crocodile in the lake. His plea was to relieve him from his current pain and all future bondages. His stuti in the 8^th canto 3^rd chapter of Srimadbhagavatam, brims with Advaita philosophy. What also strikes the reader is his lack of anger towards his visible mortal enemy, the crocodile. Instead he directs his thoughts to relieving himself from bondage of births and deaths and surrenders to the Supreme Being, the Lord of the Universe, who treats all alike, who alone is capable of granting his wishes. This being said, Gajendra, even in his pain, offers a lotus flower to the Lord who has appeared to save him. Perhaps nothing more is reachable to him, it is truly moving that he thought of offering something very simple yet demonstrating his trust and affection to the Lord. Likewise, we are all small in stature, but no offering of love of ours to the Supreme being is too small. Guess that proves Its magnanimity all over again.

Hi smiling grass,

I see you smiling always

whether you look up at the setting sun

or are drenched by rain

the day goes by so fast

it seems as if just a moment

between sunrise

and sunset

are you the same blade

who was there when we just came here?

or did that unthinking moron

mow you down for that so called landscape?

I know not the difference

coz you're always smiling

and gently dancing in the breeze

even if it is a gust.

my mood instantly lightens up

when i see you dancing and smiling

and I also wonder at how tiny

yet how great you are

I try to be more like you

to smile no matter what

but in my small world

things are not that simple

something comes up to bother me

unfinished errands

or someone who quite willingly

would like to upset me

and pondering, I look out at you

and then it dawns on me

that nothing else matters

that I am here today and alive

sane and safe under the wide wide sky

and on the reassuring ground

in that both of us are similar

but the difference is our outlook

hence dear grass,

I have made up my mind

to be like you, with a smile like yours

that brightens the wide blue sky.

Another one bites the dust...

Another one bites the dust,
as I am told, and my mind starts
wondering and wandering

Men are from Mars
and Women from Venus
this may be true

but on Earth both are equal
and tread on the same earth
without exception

At some time all ‘bite the dust’
out of compulsion or like
and some may choose otherwise

but dust tastes the same to all
whether man or woman
‘from dust to dust’ is for all...

Give it a chance!

O ye student!
Full of life and zest
Seems like you have come here
To mingle with the likes of you .

You remain engrossed
In catching up with the things passed
You hardly notice me there
And I say ‘Give it a break!’

You remain silent and
Put on a plastic face
For you know what will happen
If you don’t heed me.

I breathe a sigh of temporary relief
But I wonder how long can this go on
Why won’t he listen to me
Why won’t he give me a chance?

I have had many likes of you
Hooked by my very look
So now whats different?
O Why would he want to be so indifferent!

Surely he needs me
Or someone like me, right?
For that’s why he’s here isn’t it?
So why not give me a chance?

I could blame his youth and ‘devil may care’ attitude
Or his parents’ riches But deep down I know
He is blameless and a child at heart
So he deserves to be given a chance.

He will probably continue playing these double games
Viewing my tribe as his inherent enemy
But the time will come for Truth
to gatecrash without waiting for its chance!

And then he will realize my real motive
Or perhaps that realization won’t dawn
But it would not matter; for by then
the need for any chance would have long gone!!

Freeform

The fragrance of soap..
Mysore sandal or Margo?

I take a deep breath
to catch the waft of soapy aroma
As she rushes towards me
to quickly clarify her childish doubt!

Where have I smelt it before?

Of baby baths and talcum powder,
baby breath and choco chips
Of paints and brushes
of color papers and pampering

Of pinafores and pigtails
ribbons of blue or white
Of sharpeners and pencils
and the joy of discovery each and every day

Where the world was
of mother and father and sister
And the universe was
the street and the roadside dog

Of unconditional love and security
no worry about the morrow
That anyone could be hated,
or simply not wanted

My vision blurred with tears
as all those quickly flashed past,
My mental eye, never to repeat
at least in this birth.

And the tears welled, when
childhood seemed like an era gone by.

My eye becomes dry as quickly
when I realise where I am,
That its in my power, to recreate dreams
and relive Childhood

In its spirit, even though not for myself
It can be more worthwhile this time
By letting the generation next feel
Unique, secure, wanted and loved