Winter Night Of Year 2020 (Reflections)

 Silent winter night!

Barely a star is visible in the grey sky.

Patches of snow upon grey grass-

Black and white, all rest

In earth’s lap.

Upon the grey branches of a tree

Christmas lights are twinkling 

Like thousands of fireflies

Warming up the cold night.

I make myself a cup of lavender tea

And sit out with a blanket wrapped around.

The air is not yet snow bitten and

Cold breeze doesn’t find its way 

To cut through my blanket.

Distance traffic sounds

Occasionally break the silence

But not the serene calmness of the night.

Just like some dark painful thoughts of suffering 

Cross the mind without overshadowing

The peace of mind.

The year 2020 would be remembered

For the death and anguish caused by Covid 19

Even the ones blessed to escape the virus

Have felt the collective grief in oneway or other.

All the distress and devastation

That nature causes

It still tramples upon its own dark domain

Of pain to heal and to cure

More than anything else.

12.18. 2020

 

Broken Is My Tryst With Words

Some time I read an old poem, 

Brought back to me by some 

Poet friend’s comment,

And wonder, did I write this!!

More than being lost to the outside world,

The poems have departed from my own memory 

Flying high upon a rhythmic swing

Their words are beyond my reach.

In my sleep I sense myself

Searching for some conscious 

Conversation of the day just gone by—

Like a thirsty walker stumbling upon sand

Or a ship being pulled through shallow waters.

The richness of the day

And serenity of the night

Imprisoned in the static silence 

Of a strange world.

Banging on those closed doors of memory 

Neither awake nor asleep

Unable to reclaim what once was mine,

I simply nurse my inertia.

Broken is my tryst with words!

Silvery beams in

scattered hair-

What shines upon me?

The sky is moonless!

Savita Tyagi

9. 20. 2020

Note: The above poem was published in the ' Poets Unite Worldwide' organizations 2020 poetry anthology. Publisher Dr. Fabrizio Frosini.

A Bouquet Of Words

Words are like flowers.

Each one gives its own fragrance,

And imparts its own beauty.

In their depth 

They can be like an ocean 

Or shallow like dry beach sand.

In their intensity 

They could be the color of red

Or the color of white in their purity.

Or contain the rainbow of colors

To invoke our utmost sensual

Pleasure and admiration.

A good linguist knows 

How to tie the words of different 

Color, depth and fragrances

Into a vivid bouquet of language.

One can just admire the bouquet 

Or one can look at each flower 

To know it’s own truth of existence.

To know the grace and fragrance 

It carries to enhance the beauty

And charm of the bouquet.

Savita Tyagi

11. 24. 2020

Note:

One of my friend in our Upanishad study group sent me a quote from George Carlin. It reminded me the verses of Kena Upanishad. Later these ancient and modern quotes below about language became my inspiration for this poem.

‘There sight travels not, nor speech nor the mind.

We know it not nor can distinguish how one should teach it’.

 Kena Upanishad- Shlok 3

That which is unexpressed by the word,

That by which the word is expressed,

Know that to be the Brahman

And not this which men follow after. 

Kena Upanishad- Shlok 4

‘By and large language is a tool for concealing the truth’.

George Carlin

 

Happy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, much of the world including US is carrying a bag of emotions more intense than any other years in my memory. So many families are overloaded with sadness and grief. 

At times like these we come together as a whole with compassion and empathy for all. 

At times like these we realize that no emotion is greater than the emotion of love and gratitude. 

No matter what life flings upon us, it still leaves so much for us to be thankful, to be happy, to be cheerful and to be hopeful for the future. 

With these thoughts of love and gratitude, while keeping a lid upon our collective sadness brought upon us due to unusual Covid circumstances, I wish all my readers and all my family and friends a very happy Thanksgiving. 

November 26. 2020

Restless

“Thy peace, O Lord, a boon within to keep 

Amid the roar and ruin of wild Time

For the magnificent soul of man on earth. 

Thy calm, O Lord, that bears thy hands of joy.

Limitless like ocean round a lonely isle”. ( Sri Aurobindo - Savitri )

Restless

Peace! where have you vanished?

What chased you away from the mind?

Summer is about to end its course

Falling acorns break the midday silence

Autumn breeze tosses brown leaves into the air 

Scattered on ground wrinkled and curled.

Little squirrels chase each other down from a tree

The one on the lawn chair nibbles on an acorn - carefree

Her cautious eyes looking straight into my eyes

She senses a familiarity in my figure slight

Careful but not fearful is her demeanor.

A monarch came to rest upon a rose bush

Wilted and scorched from Summer's heat

A patch of white cloud floats in the blue sky

Beneath it, a morning dove glides high.

Nature is restive and calm for a downturn

Though restless is mind for no reason

O! Peace! Where have you gone to hide!

Come back and reign this tumultuous tide.

writer’s note: One thing Bhagavad Geeta talks about is Param Shanti ( peace of highest kind ). It is a boon reflected in the above quote of Sri Aurobindo. However in our life often there are moments when even a little peace becomes elusive. My poem above reflects on one such moment of uneasiness. It was written some time back but never posted on the blog. On February 21st our Sri Aurobindo Bhagavad Geeta study group celebrated Mother’s birthday. While reading their spiritual writings above quote was recited and it reminded me of my humble forgotten poem expressing the other side of the coin. Today I post it as a tribute to that great soul whose writings have brought so much peace.    

Morning Hour Meditation

In the hours of early morning

When darkness still prevails

I stay cozily in my bed feeling 

The warmth of an old comforter.

Soon the passionate conversation 

With self start to take over.

The bittersweet memories create a 

High-intensity passionate drama.

The active nerves pressuring upon

Forehead seems ready to burst out.

Oh! How hard I try to stop the chattering

Just a little more peaceful rest I need.

Just a little bit of quiet time to meditate!

If I am lucky a mysterious and enticing 

State takes over my waking consciousness 

A part of me roams around the cosmos 

In a world without words, not even it’s silence 

I am aware of......

The spell is broken in a jiffy

Can’t pinpoint the timespan 

But a bit of light streams through the blinds

And the songbird welcomes me 

To the comforts of the sound world,

To the sensation of being alive!

11. 22. 2020

 

A Tribute To Selma

Today America commemorates  

The historic 50th anniversary of Selma,

A peaceful march for voting rights

Turned bloody with police brutality.

 

An emotion of gratitude and respect

Arises in my heart for all those, 

Who rise with courage against injustice, 

Paving and guiding the way for fairness,

Marching, struggling, and uniting us all

In an innate, common bond for the 

Triumph of the shared human spirit.

Whether it is Selma for voting rights, 

Jalianwalla Bag for national freedom,

Or Sharpeville rising against apartheid laws,

We owe our freedom and liberty

To those fearless souls, who without

Any stick or gun, shield or sword

Stood with determination in their hearts

To bridge the gap between 

Freedom and slavery by 

The sheer strength of their will and

The righteousness of their thoughts.

The power of their soul embedded

In their character, so brave and willing 

To lay down their lives to inspire others,

To rise against injustice and cruel humiliation

Of fellow human beings all around the world.

The face of evil hidden in each and every place 

Crushed each and every time again and again 

By their most humble yet courageous efforts. 

Each of us owes our respect and gratitude

To those who died so we could live, 

Who suffered so we could be relieved of suffering,

Whose vision for us was to have

What they were deprived off,

Who fought so we could taste the fruit

Of liberty so forbidden to them.

Let those, who sacrificed be never forgotten,

Never be away from our thoughts.

Let their vision of the future inspire us all

Let the light of freedom shine upon us all.

 Note: This morning when we watched on the news Channel clips of Selma's 50th anniversary I and my husband talked about how we had come to this country just a few years later. Over time we have created a bond here with history. At the same time, we remember the struggle of our own country that happened not too far back. All my thoughts of gratitude came together inspiring me to write this tribute. 

Savita Tyagi

3.7. 2015

August 15th

Today is August 15th. 

India’s Independence Day 

It is also the birthday of Sri Aurobindo.

A freedom fighter, spiritual yogi

Philosopher and a great poet.

During the time when India was

Struggling for its freedom 

His writings inspired millions.

He fought not only for Independence,

But also for the spiritual freedom of India.

In the advancement of Indian spirituality

His works leave a lasting legacy.

May we always be under the grace of 

Mother India and Sri Aurobindo

May the chains of slavery

Never clank around our feet.

May we always be blessed with

Freedom of mind, body, and spirit.

Written on August 15th, 2020

Savita Tyagi

 

Life Today

Life today

Made for TV. drama

Of rich and famous

A canvass

Painted with 

Wide strokes 

Shadowing

The nuances of individual

Pain and pleasure.

Than again 

Was it ever any different

For the commoner?

 

No Place Like Home

Summer evening,

Hot and humid,

Half-moon lights up the sky

White jasmine mellows

The warm air with fragrance.

I take a deep breath.

Evenings such as these 

Create a sacred sanctuary 

From a world in turmoil.

An invisible virus

Unleashes the tsunami

Of illness.

Fear and uncertainty 

Crumbles the familiar 

Way of life.

No place to hide......

White petals of Jasmine

And half-moon in the sky

Calm as ever.

A silent message 

Runs through my veins.

No place like home!

Few Lines From Savitri ( An Epic Poem By Sri Aurobindo)

 

The lines below are taken from Sri Aurobindo's epic poem Savitri- book I Canto Four- The  Secret Knowledge.

Savitri is an epic spiritual poem written in Blank verse. It is based on a legend from Mahabharat an epic book of sanskrit translated in various languages. In 'Savitri', through Sri Aurobindo's vision it becomes a symbol of the human soul's spiritual destiny. 

I am posting them here for their poetic beauty and the hope and aspirations that these lines provide to the future of humanity.

August 15th is Sri Aurobindo's birthday. Today is also India’s Independence Day. May we always be under the grace of Mother India and Sri Aurobindo.

 

A title and subtitle are provided only for the sake of the title.

Savita Tyagi

Our Challenges And Divine Grace

Even when we fail to look into our souls

Or lie embedded in earthly consciousness, 

Still, we have parts that grow towards the light

Yet there are luminous tracts and heavens serene

And Eldorados of splendor and ecstasy

And Temples to the godhead none can see.

A Shapeless memory lingers in us still

And sometimes when our sight is turned within, 

Earth's ignorant veil is lifted from our eyes; 

There is a short miraculous escape.

This narrow fringe of clamped experience

We leave behind matted ti us as life, 

Our little walks, our insufficient reach.

Our soul can visit in great lonely hours

Still regions of imperishable light, 

All-seeing eagle-peaks of silent Power

And moon-flamed oceans of swift fathomless Bliss 

And calm immensities of spirit space.

In the unfolding process of the self

Some times the inexpressible Mystery

Elects a human vessel of descent.

A breath comes down from a supernal air, 

A Presence is born, a guiding Light awakes, 

A stillness falls upon the instruments: 

Fixed motionless like a marble monument, 

Stone-calm the body is a pedestal

supporting a figure of eternal Peace.

 

Or a revealing Force sweeps blazing in; 

Out of some vast superior continent.

Knowledge breaks through trailing its radiant seas, 

And Nature trembles with the power, the flame.

A greater personality sometimes

Possesses us which yet we know is ours: 

Or we adore the Master of our souls.

Then the small bodily ego thins and falls: 

No more insisting on its separate self, 

Losing the punctilio of its separate birth, 

It leaves us one with Nature and with God.

Our Hopes For Today

Life is a bucket with a hole at the bottom.
It always looks so full as we deposit
Our share of little drops of love and hope,
Frustrating as we add to it our share of
Despair and suffering common to us all.

Though it all may seep out from the life-bucket,
Still a small droplet of hope clings at the bottom,
Stubbornly refusing to be washed out.

Hope for a little more understanding among
All who have come to inhabit this planet.
Innumerable souls housed in the bodies of many
Color and forms sharing one goal of a peaceful life.

Our wishes float like the luminous drops of water
Reflected with moonbeams by a muddy pond
Igniting calls for the aesthetic beauty of life
To be shared by all.

Our hope is for a just society and our demand
Is for sincere and compassionate leaders,
Not for the ones who think and behave
As if the life is created for the partnership
Of dominant and dominated.

Savita Tyagi

6. 2. 2020

Change Must Happen

Too long- far too long-
The wind has been blowing
Complacent to old patterns.

Now it changes the direction!
Ignites the passion in countless hearts.

We must stand in solidarity to find
New solutions for old problems.
To keep the fire in the heart burning!

Change must happen!

The passions of rebellious hearts prevail
For the ones who kneel in silence,
United for their cause.
This cruelty!
This heartlessness of humans
Against fellow humans,

Puts human ideals on shame everyday
This selfishness must not
Defeat altruism.

Let the fire in your heart
Light up the path of your life.

6. 8. 2020

The Mystic Poet Of Esha Upanishad

In our Bhagavad Geeta and Upanishad study group we have been reading Esha Upanishad. As I read and reread Shlok 8 I couldn’t decide if the shlock was pointing to the attributes of Supreme consciousness or to the realized individual soul or to both. Our scriptures consider both essentially the one in essence, yet working on different levels. 

While Shloka 4 and 5 clearly point to the supreme Brahman, shloka 6 and 7 points to the individual soul that has realized the unity with the Cosmic Brahman.

With this reference in mind first I wanted to understand it as written for an individual realized soul. But the words like -  ‘the self- existent has ordered objects perfectly according to their nature from years sempiternal’, were pointing to the cosmic Supreme being…

The words ‘It is He that has gone abroad… too were taking different meaning in my mind.

If used for Brahaman it would simply point to the Supreme being extending itself in the manifested world.

Used for an individual it would mean the soul that has the power to extend itself in the oneness of the world beyond the limitations of its mind and body.

At least this is my understanding and both these understandings seemed justified to me, but still I was not satisfied. Why the poet has grouped them together in one shloka while keeping them apart at previous shloka. What were we to understand or to take from his linguistic notion?

We talked more of the shloka in the light of Sri Aurobindo’s commentary, but the question still persisted in my mind. 

During our discussion one of the members mentioned something written in Bhagavad Geeta and all of a sudden I remembered, Lord Krishna too in Bhagavad Geeta while addressing himself seems to interchange the epithet for the Supreme soul and Individual soul from shloka to shloka and it often sounded so mystical. As we studied more of Bhagavad Geeta we realized Krishna was a supreme Yogi and dwelling in Supreme or worldly consciousness simultaneously and talking from that level was within the yogic power of his realized soul.

Sri Aurobindo too was a Yogi and it was not hard for him to write about the shloka in context with the supreme being and the soul without having any conflict.

The answer to my puzzled mind suddenly became clear. The shlokas of Esha Upanishad also are the utterance of an ancient supreme yogi, a poet-seer, the one who could come in and out of Supreme consciousness and describe that experience with somewhat mystical wordings, placing it all together in just a few words of a Shloka. We can never understand them intellectually unless we have faith in the process of consciousness higher than the mind or willing to believe in it or have experienced it. It is talked about again and again by mystic saints from years sempiternal. It is us who just don’t get it!

Savita Tyagi
5.23.2020

Our Search For The Unknown (Excerpts from Sri Aurobindo's Savitri)

In our Friday Upanishad study class, a participant asked a question. It was something like, ‘ Why do we search for Brahman when it is unknown and beyond our reach’? This question has been asked and answered in many different ways. Not only religion but science, philosophy, literature, and other life sciences do their search and give their own answers. My answer to the participant's question based on my understanding of our religion was that the curiosity for it is something built in us from time eternal. However, how far we go in finding answers is different for all. Sometimes our search provides some answers that we are looking for, and some time we are completely dissatisfied. Our Vedic religion tells us that though God is unknown, still it can be reached and felt in our innermost being. Since our Atman is essentially That.

Yesterday I picked up Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri. As I read the Canto four of book ll ‘The Kingdom of the little life’, I was pleasantly surprised to read Sri Aurobindo’s thoughts and poetic elaboration of this very ancient and ever new question in that canto. What I gathered from it is, that it is a question not only for the world but also an important one in the evolution of life. I copied a few sentences related to this topic. I enjoyed reading them anyway and decided to share it with you all. You are welcome to express your thoughts on it if you wish.

I have added the lines from book ll canto lll 

The Glory and fall of Life. 

These opening lines of Canto lll on page 116 seem to create a background for this search...

Our Search For the Unknown

 ( The topic added by me just for the post)

Savita Tyagi

Excerpts From Sri Aurobindo's Book Savitri 

An uneven broad ascent now lured his feet.

Answering a greater Nature’s troubled call

He crossed the limits of embodied Mind

And entered wide obscure disputed fields

Where all was doubt and change and nothing sure,

A world of search and toil without repose.

As one who meets the face of the Unknown,

A questioner with none to give reply,

Attracted to a problem never solved,

Always uncertain of the ground he trod,

Always drawn on to an inconstant goal

He travelled through a land peopled by doubts

In shifting confines on a quaking base.

In front he saw a boundary ever unreached 

And thought himself at each step nearer now,-

A far retreating horizon of mirage.

   

Book ll Canto lll page 116 

The Glory and fall of Life.

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

There was a writhing of half-conscious force

Hardly awakened from the Inconscient’s sleep,

Tied to an instinct-driven Ignorance,

To find itself and find its hold on things.

………

Between earth-pain and the bliss from which life fell

A world that ever seeks for something missed,

Hunts for the joy that earth has failed to keep.

………..

An Influence entered mortal night and day,

A shadow overcast the time-born race;

…………..

Dividing matter’s sleep from conscious mind,

There strayed a call that knew not why it came.

A power beyond earth’s scope has touched the earth;

The repose that might have been can be no more;

A formless yearning passions in man’s heart,

A cry is in his blood for happier things:

……………

Man’s natural joy of life is overcast

And sorrow is his nurse of destiny.

…………….

He has risen to greatness and to discontent,

He is awake to the Invisible.

Insatiate seeker, he has all to learn:

He has exhausted now life’s surface acts,

His being’s hidden realms remain to explore.

He becomes a mind, he becomes a spirit and self; 

In his fragile tenement he grows Nature’s lord.

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

In the heart she kindled a fire of passion and need,

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

A groping consciousness in a voiceless world,

A guide-less sense was given her for her road;

Thought was withheld and nothing now she knew,

But all the unknown was hers to feel and clasp.

Book ll canto four page 132-33

The Kingdom’s of the Little life

The Great Peace

The Great Peace

I am not sick-

Just feel like a siphon-

The sap of life drains out 

From every pore of my skin.

The soul is said to be the size of a thumb.

What is the size of this Life force?

Without it, the blood is blackened

Yet the bodyweight is stupendous!

Desires still burn at my heart

Like a small flame burns

At the bottom of a smoldering log.

Oh! How I wish to muster enough strength

To walk and walk and walk and walk.....

And drop dead somewhere under the stars.

But fear stops me...... 

In this crazy world

Some vigilante will call the police 

And instead of reaching heavens 

I will end up in a hospital - a place just 

Next to hell!

I love outdoors for what it offers

To my bruised mind and tired soul.

The azure sky and the floating clouds,

The chirping of birds and the kid’s laughter

Bring life back to my weak limbs.

A stray dog keeps my senses alert,

At the first look of those vicious eyes 

I change the route with eagle’s speed!

I am not a dog or cat lover! 

But love people with all my heart!

I live in plains but to visit occasionally 

Snow-covered mountains and tranquil lakes,

Take short hikes and watch the valley beneath,

It is indeed as marvelous as viewing heavens on earth.

So if I fall dead somewhere on a snowy road

That would be just as beautiful as the final abode!

Before I die, maybe, just maybe .....

I will visit again the Pacific shore.

Take a walk by the beach or drive on highway 101

Who knows; the vast turquoise sea

Of limitless depth and restless waves

May invite me to rest in its cold

And comforting lap.

Transcend me to that auburn horizon 

Where the sun sets peacefully on life-

On Pacific - the Namesake of Great Peace!

1. 6. 2020. 3. 30 AM