Adulthood

 When one is challenged to be 

One’s own guide,

And stirrer of his own destiny,

That is a mark of adulthood.

When one enters the world

Beyond the protection of parents,

And the guidance of teachers,

That is when adulthood starts.

When friends and siblings move

With their own commitments, 

And you are to find your own path

That is when adulthood starts.

When one is responsible for

Fruits and thorns of one’s decisions,

looks at that grey vacant sky

And screams in pain for why me!

That is when adulthood starts.

When you walk those busy streets

And find not a friendly glance,

Drink your coffee standing alone 

And world feels a stranger to you,

And you come to realize that you 

Are your best friend and best guide

That is when adulthood starts. 

When you have been beaten and

Hammered every step of the way,

Have buried all your frustrations,

Persevered in all your failures and

Still get up boldly to start over,

Not only you have accepted the

Challenges of being an adult but

You have learned the adulthood’s

Finest lessons that life has to offer.

6. 28. 2017

A Dream Experience And It’s Impressions II

 A child rides his three-wheeler.

A big truck follows, 

Wraps the child

And his three-wheeler 

In the front left wheel of the truck.

From the back of the car window

I watch, helpless...not knowing

If the child survived or not.

 The last thing I remember is his 

Smiling face 

experiencing the thrill ride

On his three-wheeler.

The dream breaks—-

The fear, the anxiety

The sadness persists.

Being helpless is the worst thing in life.

Back in past my little kids 

Have taken many a thrill rides

On their three-wheeler, 

And I ran with them

Or after them in the middle of the street

To make sure the oncoming 

Traffic saw us.

Fear never kept us away from 

Enjoying little things, 

And I never felt helpless.

Though it was all God's grace

That had let us live our lives 

Safe and secure.

Now I sense an aura of fear

All around, dealing with news

Of young children, or of grown-ups

Being shot by others

At the slightest of provocation, 

Some time even without provocation, 

Be it by the hands of police, gang members,

Mentally sick or avengers.

What troubles me most is the thought

That the shooters too have lost

Their sense of security.

They have a weapon, yet the fear of having

The other person a weapon makes

Them shoot an unarmed person.

In fear of death, one must put

His own survival first-

There is no denial of the fact, 

But can anybody perform

The duty of protecting others

With so much fear for their own life.

And how can a citizen live his life

Not knowing which of his action

Would result in an altercation with authority

Or other community members, 

How can one live with so much fear? 

How long can we ignore the demand

That, give a gun in each hand 

Or take the guns away from all.

How long can we ignore the distrust

That nobody is protecting here anybody

But their own selves.

That jungle law still prevails in civil society.

How long can we run away from our selves? 

When we have everything to fear

And nothing to assure us.

Savita Tyagi

Written on August 27th 2015

A Dream Experience And It’s Impressions I

 Last night's dream was awfully unusual, 

Something I rarely have experienced.

Death and destruction not of Nature's 

But the casualties caused by humans.

Heartless, robot-like cruel humans, 

Striking adults with black cannons, 

Smashing babies like clay figures.

Body parts scattered everywhere.

Amid all that chaos stood my 

Frozen, cold face, stone-like figure, 

Devoid of any grief or sadness, 

Or the slightest frantic awareness. 

 

Though in all honesty, I should have been

Trembling and moaning with eyes closed

Unable to wake up from that horrible dream

But nothing like that of sort happened.

Waking consciousness took over eventually.

Reconstructing the dream I became fearful.

Recollecting my frozen icy expression, 

How should I think of that mental regression? 

Does it resemble our mostly quiet lifestyle

Partly brought upon with advancing years, 

When deprived of new life adventures, 

Calm mind descends into eon collections? 

Free and unhindered it plays in its own scenarios, 

Or is it that I have become immune to suffering, 

Of death, destruction, gunshots and bomb blasts

All kinds of horror act known for happenings? 

It causes no emotional disturbance or

Personal impact when seen from a distance

Is it emotional maturity or lack of empathy? 

A horrible state of mind to be in certainly.

To lose compassion for pain and suffering! 

To become a neutral witness of dying babies! 

Oh! Lord! Please never, never let me become 

Such a person not even in my dreams.

Let me remain a human with a grieving heart, 

Extending a helping hand whenever I could. 

Let me not be without the love and empathy

That connects us all from farthest of distance.

Let this dream not be the indication of what 

Lies there, beyond the time, called golden years 

When life transforms me into a heartless

Stone cold figure in a fragile cage of bones.

Savita Tyagi

Written on August 27th 2015

A prayer For Guidance

 

Lord! Show me the way and I can walk on it.

Sting of thorny bushes will not swear me.

Lonely silence will not scare me.

.

Send me a guiding light and I will follow it.

Let the darkness dissolve in me like night dissolves under the sun.

Let me float among clouds to seek thy rainbow,

For I know not to pick the colors of life,

With my heart’s desire lost in blue sky.

Lord! I wait for your whisper to take over my cries.

Savita Tyagi

Shraddha Days

 

Cloudy skies welcome the fall

In my dreams I visit abode of death.

A loving hand, a healing touch 

Extends to wipe the sufferings.

The beloved departed souls

Bless us from a distance.

The ever present emotional connection

Blooms in various hues on Shradha days.

Savita Tyagi

09. 21. 2019

Shraddha days or Pitar paksh days is the time of remembrance designated, when as per Indian custom people pay homage to their ancestors through prayers and rituals. Doing charity work, specially distributing food  is a common practice at this time.

My Esoteric Half

A life time of happening

My little heart is flooded with.

Filled to the rim experiences pour

Like waters in deep ocean,

Sweet, sultry, multi odoriferous.

Away from worldly struggle

When darkness deepens 

Behind  closed eyelids,

The inner chambers light up 

With occult lights.

Body and senses laid to rest

Mind cajoles for life's forgotten sap.

Unique images like glow worms

Crawl from mind's crusty fissures 

To create strange concoctions.

Upon steep planes of subconscious 

Truth and illusion merged at once

crossing over three dimensions.

One who enjoys unperturbed

Vision and fantasy undisturbed 

Itself camera, light and action 

For dreams of sugar plum and evenings of fun;

My esoteric half extremely intelligent one

Lighting up the dim corners

Venturing through deep tunnels

Sustaining mental  tribulations 

Always alert and awake

Commands then all movements

And pleasures partake.

11.4.2013

Note:

Inspiration for this poem came while reading Bhagavad Geeta Ch.ll sholk 59.

Give Peace A Chance

 For peace one must

Give up his ego and

Pride of being strongest.

A leader must respect 

His supporters as well

As his adversaries.

Nothing is superior than

Wisdom and will of a leader

Seeking peace.

Skill resides in how long

One can live in peace

with out burning his nest.

Give peace a chance.

Note: Written in reaction to the news of Nuclear agreement between Iran, U.S. And other countries.

4. 3. 2015

The Freedom Fighters

 Amid the heavy burden of the days of slavery,

Confronted by the tyranny of Imperial law,

Lives a comrade and a freedom fighter,

With a faith in dream that is not but must be-

The dream of freedom for the colonized Mother India.

We salute the immortality of those heroes.

Their courage and strength death can not touch.

Their songs of freedom time can not erase.

We the children of Mother India 

Will always be indebted to them.

VANDEMATARAM!

The most of the wordings for this short note have been taken from Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri to shape it as a tribute to freedom fighters. Sri Aurobindo himself was one of them.

Savita Tyagdi

8.15. 2021

Below is the most beautiful August 15th wishes I received from Manju Bhatia of India. Just wanted to attach it with my tribute. 

Freedom is in our minds and faith is in our hearts....Pride is in our soul and love for the nation in our blood....                                               Warm wishes on Independence Day...           

Let's make it a cheerful day!!! 

            *Happy*                    *Independence Day* From Manju Bhatia

The Formation Of A Mantra

ए॒ष व॒: स्तोमो॑ मरुतो॒ नम॑स्वान्हृ॒दा त॒ष्टो मन॑सा धायि देवाः। उपे॒मा या॑त॒ मन॑सा जुषा॒णा यू॒यं हि ष्ठा नम॑स॒ इद्वृ॒धास॑: ॥Rig Veda. 1.171. 2

English Transliteration

eṣa vaḥ stomo maruto namasvān hṛdā taṣṭo manasā dhāyi devāḥ | upem ā yāta manasā juṣāṇā yūyaṁ hi ṣṭhā namasa id vṛdhāsaḥ ||

ए॒षः। वः॒। स्तोमः॑। म॒रु॒तः॒। नम॑स्वान्। हृ॒दा। त॒ष्टः। मन॑सा। धा॒यि॒। दे॒वाः॒। उप॑। ई॒म्। आ। या॒त॒। मन॑सा। जु॒षा॒णाः। यू॒यम्। हि। स्थ। नम॑सः। इत्। वृ॒धासः॑ ॥ १.१७१.२

Translation By Sri Aurobindo

Lo, the hymn of your Affirmation, O Maruts; it is fraught (filled) with my obeisance, it was framed by the heart, it was established by the mind, O ye gods. Approach these my words and embrace them with the mind; for of submission are you the increaser.

Process Of The Mantra Formation as pointed in the above verse.

In the system of Mystics, that the Vedas represent, the Word is a power. It has power to create. For all creation is an expression. Sound, the foundation of the Word, as first etheric vibration precedes any other formation. 

 

Based on that principle our speech is also creative. It creates forms of emotions, mental images, and impulses of action. The ancient Vedic theory and practice extended this creative action of speech by the use of the Mantra. The Vedic use of Mantra is a conscious utilization of the secret power of the word.

By the word or mantra we create something in our consciousness. What we create becomes part of ourselves. It can not only effect and bring transformation  in our inner life but has the power to effect the outer physical world, ours as well as of others around us.

By the expression of a word we form certain ideas and by affirming and holding on to that idea we support our convictions and create a course of action. As a power pf expression the word is termed vak or vachas and as power of affirmation it is called Stoma.

In the spiritual sense the mantra has deeper aspects. Though it expresses a thought in mind, it is not in its essential part a creation of the intellect. A Mental vibration implies thought and perception, but a Supramental vibration implies a supreme vision and discernment.  To be the sacred and effective word, it must have come as an inspiration from the supra-mental plane, termed in Veda, Ritam, the Truth. It is received in our consciousness through the heart or by the luminous intelligence, called Manisha. It is the Kavi- Manishi of Esha Upanishad receiving that Mantra filled with Supreme instinct discernment of truth and creative power. 

The heart in Vedic psychology is not just a seat of emotions but a larger tract nearer to our subconscious, out of which arise all the the sensations, emotions, inspirations and intuitions. It is by the power of this luminous heart that a Mantra is formed. हृ॒दा। त॒ष्टः Later it is brooded, accepted and confirmed by the intelligence in the mind of an individual receiving the Mantra. मन॑सा। धा॒यि॒

 

Yet another step is needed for Mantra to be fully effective and it is the cooperation of Cosmic energies. Though formed and accepted by individual heart and mind, the influencing powers of Cosmos must also accept the Mantra for its energy to proceed. Once accepted by them, these universal powers unite themselves behind to support it with their energies and to make it fully effective. 

So this is the depth and process of mantra, described in the above short verse pregnant with its rich suggestions. It is a hymn of formation, and of submission of mantra along with the conditions of its effectivity.

The Rishi says it is fashioned by the heart, it has received its just place in his mentality through affirmation by the mind.

He further prays to divine, cosmic energies that become functional in our mind as mental energies to enhance the power of the word. The Maruts are the representatives of these energies. Rishi prays to them not only to accept his submissions, but to become the increaser and grantor of their grace for the illuminative words.

Note:

This article is based mostly on  Sri Aurobindo’s writings.

‘The Secrets Of The Vedas’ pages 268- 275. Chapter ‘Indra and the Thought Forces’.

The Kena Upanishad: Chapter 5- The Supreme Word.

Sanskrit Verse Rig Veda 1.171.2 as translated by Sri Aurobindo

English Transliteration and Sanskrit word by word break down of the verse : veda.Com

Savita Tyagi

6.12. 2021

 

For My Mother

 For My Mother

When ever I think of writing 

Anything about my mother

I find the task overwhelming. 

Some emotions are beyond expression. 

How distant her memory feels.

Yet as fresh as petals of a rose,

Washed in spring rain.

Soft are her footsteps,

As she enters my heart,

Leaves a tender faint touch

And disappears,

As unceremoniously 

As it first appeared. 

Alone I am left to recall her again

Or let it recede in the ocean of thoughts.

It is the color of her love

That never fades.

It is that miracle of love

That I pass on to my children.

Mother

So much of her life revolves

Around nurturing her children.

She is the gardener, watering sprouts

Delicate, with her flesh and blood.

Like a lioness protecting them from

The evil and ruthless claws of the foe.

She is the axis silent, watching over

Her stars gravitate in the spin of life.

No one knows the weight of her own

Existence she bears, to hold balance.

Our world would fall in disarray if

Her stable foundation isn't there.

Motherhood is soul's tender expression

'Cause her love is ordained by Nature.

Words I do not have O! beloved mother

To express my love and gratitude for you.

Savita Tyagi

Written on June.15th 2015

  

Migrating Birds

Hundreds of birds 

Crowded the sky with their chatter.

Taking a break from their flight 

All perched on bare trees, and bushes.

Few minutes rest, and as if a magician 

Had moved them with their wand,

All flew away leaving the trees bare

And the blue sky void, as if

Nothing had happened.

But it transforms the memory

Of an ordinary day into a beauteous one.

3. 31. 2021

Newbie

 “ Don’t limit a child to your own learning,

For he was born in another time”.

Rabindrnath Tagore

Newbie

World belongs to youth

Ticking of clock 

confirms change

New energy

New ideas

New problems 

New solutions

What worked yesterday

Becomes obsolete today

Let support of seniors 

Be like a strong tarmac

For new wings to fly

Let past enter gracefully

Like beach sand moving into ocean

Let us not become sand bags

For the roaring waves of tomorrow.

Savita tyagi

7.21.2014

Time a continuous dream-

 Time a continuous dream-

Watch its workings in every being.

Eons back 

Like a dream I left my mother-father

For a new life beyond imagination farther.

Next time I went to visit my home

A big smile on mother’s face was donned.

The joy vibrated from every vein 

Of her plump body while 

Her open arms gathered me.

Oh! That soft tenderness exited

Like a dream before my next visit.

Disseverance of life force from 

Her bodily frame shook me to my core.

My first deep experience 

Of life as being a dream.

Since then many a moments 

Have brought new presence

And many have disappear in oblivion.

I look at the dawns and I watch sunset.

I watch the snow- covered mountains

And I hear the icebergs breaking from glacier 

Forever is an illusion.....

Yet I delight in spring flowers

And fruitfulness of summer

The seasons create a permanence

Around life built upon impermanence.

Here the Infinity is in the prison of finite.

Maya, dream, illusion....

The magic of Zoe is greater than any word!

Savita Tyagi

3.02.2021

A New Day

Wading through dark waters

Arrives a day of hope and resilience!

Optimism responses to the screams

Reaching out from the tomb of desperate

You shall be revived 

Is the promise of this new day.

US Election

Jan. 20, 2021

Possessing Love

When hunger for love becomes same

As never ending love for possession 

It chokes the giver and taker both.

Away from obsession

True love is free in its exchange. 

Heaven Descends Upon Earth!

 Evening after the snow fall

Upon millions of icicles 

Fall the rays of burning sun

The sky lights up with ambers

Wrapped around tree limbs.

The splendid gold none can hoard

But to feel blessedly on board.