BAISAKHI

BAISAKHI : India is a land of festivals. All festivals are in commemoration of certain historical events, change of season, cultural and religious events, traditional based et al. The well-known amongst several ones are Dussehra, Diwali, Eid, Gurpurbh, Lohri, Holi and others having regional leanings. In all these festivals, people of all hues celebrate with gaiety and religious fervour. Baisakhi is generally celebrated in Northern India on 13th April every year. It is also a starting of New Year of Vikrami Samvat Calendar. With this intention in view, I have penned down a poem on Baisakhi. Kindly comment.

Baisakhi

Baisakhi marks ushering in the New Year,

Of Vikrami Samvat Calendar,

A lunar calendar based on ancient Hindu tradition of yore,

Falling, Surprising on 13th April on every year!

When new resolutions are made,

And old ones introspected,

A festival known variously in countless parts of our land.

Whilst the farmers toil in the fields on months on ends,

Tilling lands from morn till fall of night,

Occasionally forgetting even siesta and meals,

Sow seeds and water the crop that grows,

Bestowing care for the crop in the fields,

Observes its growth with keenness,

So that his crop’s yield may surge,

Like he observes the growth of his dear ones at home.

On this auspicious day the farmers,

Having collected all the harvested crops,

Join together in singing, merrymaking with full gusto,

Celebrate Baisakha with Bhangra and gidha at full throttle,

In their colourful mesmeric folk attires,

Distributing sweets and good wishes in delight,

At the holy monuments of ‘pirs’ and ‘fakirs’,

Known for their piousness and ocean of wisdom,

Offer prayers for the prosperity all around,

And also for their crop yield to grow, years after years.

The nature too is at its colorful best,

With flowers emitting fragrance,

The blanket of greenery spreading,

Everywhere your eyes could see,

Making the environs invigorating and heady indeed,

Surprisingly without even intoxicating agent!

This day too has a history of its own,

Guru Gobind Singh established Khalsa Panth,

To bestow security to the hapless,

People too gather in various Gurudwaras,

Shri Golden Temple emits its splendour as ever,

Devout take a dip in the holy tank,

And pray for wellbeing of nears and dears.

Harbans Khajuria

GREED

Greed, jealousy, deceit, conceitedness et al are the enemies of us humans. It is difficult to eradicate these evils from our system so easily. It has been seen that greed has virtually seeped into our system and eating the vitals of our society. We want to have everything so as to raise our status in the society. This may be by taking somebody legitimately earned possessions. We sometimes tend to adopt different stratagems to possess what is not ours. This may be by deceit, by fraudulent means and what not. Even in our families, different methods such as emotional blackmail, treachery etc. is being adopted by different members of the house-hold to lay hand on a share which is legitimately not theirs. This is a real tragedy.

Greed is a handicap in our way for spiritual forward journey and when so called awaked personage does this then God is our savior. With this intention in mind, I have penned down a poem titled: Greed. Please go through and offer your kind comments because I get fillip in my spirits through your comments.

GREED

Whatever is mine remains mine for ever,

Ask questions? Never!

Whatever is yours can certainly turn into mine,

Ask questions and face tune of life time.

Snatching by default or through treachery so hideous,

That the victim remains oblivious,

Of what happened at what time?

Where to and how a person is plundered,

Of his lifetime possessions earned.

Sometimes his bank account is siphoned slowly,

By the persons responsible for its safety,

Other times a relation so dear transfers house property in his name,

Not giving even slight inkling of this action so despicable,

And sometime through emotional blackmail of highest order,

Adopting ways that even a notorious conman may feel ashamed,

Alas! this has become a commonplace incident in almost every household,

Virtually throwing the hapless victim to elements outside,

Leaving him without even a safe shelter against sun and rain,

Greed of some has graduated to such a degree,

That for money’s sake some take others’ life,

As though their heart is bereft of any hurt.

O our Creator so dear to all,

Your succor is immensely needed by one and all,

Fill our people with abundant virtue in abundance,

So that natural tendencies of pity,

And goodwill prevails in all human beings.

And rid them of greed.

HARBANS KHAJURIA

COMPARISON

It has been seen that we are in the habit of making irrational and unethical comparisons with others without knowing our own self fully. We compare our material possessions, spiritual awakening, intelligence et al. By doing so, we neither do justice to yourself nor to others – consequently a life full of confusion results. With this intention in view, I have penned down a poem titled, Comparison, please comment because your comments guide me to write more on varied subjects.

Comparison

Likening thy social status,

With the social standings of those,

Who earned it putting their everything at stake,

And resorting to create means,

By embracing ways most demeaning,

To meet the mirage of standards,

Leading to heartburns,

And sac-full of hurts,

To thee and the people most dear.

Comparing thy mental capabilities,

With those with more abilities,

Earned by burning mid night oil,

And losing self to gain infamy fame,

Adoption of shortcuts leading to vicious circle,

Resulting in falling into quagmire of thy own making.

Comparing thy spiritual reach out,

With the Spiritual Gurus of repute,

But themselves doing precious little to know,

Thy own self!

Delve deep into your own self,

And know thyself finally,

Knowing self means knowing everything else.

Thus ending the unending willingness for comparisons.

HARBANS KHAJURIA

GOOD FRIDAY

GOOD FRIDAY

It has been seen that the incarnations of our Creator had to endure trials and tribulations in their lives while living on this earth. They presented a living example for us humans to see how best they withstood onslaughts of those who opposed the very idea of departure from their pseudo and outdated beliefs. These incarnations faced hurdles at every step but with their foresights and fortitude these Apostles of Peace challenged the old and hackneyed mores of behaviour and came out unscathed ultimately.

Lord Jesus Christ is one example amongst others like Lord Krishna, Lord Rama who gave new meaning and content to the philosophy of living. These Messengers of Peace fought for the common people and were able to rid the society of the evil doers and challenged the very philosophies of people at the helm of affairs in periods of time. In that process these Sons of God had to face opposition. But in their death even they gave a new meaning of life to us humans to follow. Their ideals and preachings are held dear by us all and will remain so till eternity.

GOOD FRIDAY

A Friday within Holy Week,
Call it a Good Friday or a Great Friday,
No strings attached whatsoever,
A day long penance and fasting observed without fail,
This Day is commemorated as an anniversary,
Of death of our revered Christ,
But this Day’s purity remains doubtlessly intact.

A Day which we reminiscence,
When our beloved Lord Jesus Christ,
Offered himself on the cross,
Without even a slightest emotional upsurge,
Peaceful in real life
And serene whilst embracing death so certain.

Underwent crucification and ultimate surrender,
To Him on this Day,
Suffering pangs in the process for us.

A holy death,
His supreme sacrifice is an instrument of compensation,
For the sins of every one.

AND followed by a mystical resurrection,
To stun the people at large by His deed.

Methods differ,
To observe the holiness of Good Friday,
Devout kneel with utmost reverence,
Before wooden Cross kept in Churches so holy.

Seven last words of Christ are too repeated,
So that HIS utterances remain carved,
In our memory lane for ever.

A symbolic burial of the Lord too is performed,
Different may be the methods,
Yet inner most welling of touching feeling is unparalleled,
For the Beloved Jesus Christ,
Who for Truth’s sake gave His everything,
So that we may be absolved of our sins.

HARBANS KHAJURIA

HOLI – A RAINBOW OF COLOUR

Holi : HOLI FESTVAL is approaching. There is an air of expectation all round as also a riot of colour everywhere. The Mother Nature too is at its greenest best. There is joy and hope everywhere. We meet our relatives friends and wellwishers and wish that we associate them with our joyful celebrations. I have also penned down one of the the legends attached with HOLI. But all are associated with vitory of good over evil. Evil doer may succceed for sometimes but not every times. Karma always comes in the way of a bad deed. Dood deeds bring us good results and the bad ones have adverse consequences. With this intention in mind, I have written a poem. Kindly go through it and comment because I do get inspiration through your comments.

Holi a festival so holy,

A spirit of Spring Festival springs in all,

Scattering joy and hope,

Nature too is in its finest attire,

When all around greenery flourishes,

There is fragrance of blooming flowers,

With Full Moon as though it too is chipping in,

To share the gaiety and enthusiasm of the people around.

Different people celebrate Holi with different style,

But the common strand of celebration by all remains alike,

People prepare special sweets to welcome their folks so dear,

Shopkeepers & women folks are busiest lots,

Bestowing magnetism to their abodes,

Bonhomie pervades wheresoever’s your eyes survey,

Abuzz with activity mixed with rainbow of colour riot,

At the market places is indeed mesmeric.

Legends have it that a mighty and conceited,

Demon King Hiranyakashyap prided his prowess the most,

He wanted his subjects to worship him in place of God above,

Virtuous Prahlad, his own son agreed not,

Being a staunch devotee of Lord of Creation – Lord Vishnu,

The King wanted his son to be put to sword,

For not obeying his dictates,

Different methods were adopted to kill but failed,

Hiranyakashyap had a sister named Holika,

Blessed with a boon of not being affected by blazing fire,

Both were made to enter a bonfire at full fury,

Thinking fire will harm her not due to boon,

But just opposite ensued,

Prahlad came unscathed with Lord Vishnu grace,

Whilst Holika met her end most tragic.

Legend too has it that Lord Krishana played holi with his beloved Gopies,

To shower love and affection with the shower of colours,

Holi celebrated at Mathura, Vrindavan and Bursana is so matchless even today,

Thread of that time remains in fact intact,

People light a bonfire on the night before D-date,

With devout heart brimming with bliss,

Celebrate triumph of good over evil,

And also remember how devotion to our Lord gets rewarded still.

People play with varied colours,

Intoxicated with joy of the day,

Pour coloured water to each other,

Songs, dance and beats on the drums abound everywhere,

People exchange greetings and pray to God for His bounties.

HARBANS KHAJURIA

RELATIONSHIP

RELATIONSHIP

Relationship plays an important role in our life. It means we are connected with one another for getting our things done. It is because one cannot do everything on his / her own. Connection is of paramount importance for us all. This relationship is with our Creator, with our parents, with our peer group / friends circle, with our close relations- wife / husband, brothers / sisters. with others who though are not related with us but play a role in our life in one way or another. This goes to show that to be successful and to do our do duties variously, we require the assistance of our different people at different times. Relationship is based on give-and-take. It is not in fact a single way traffic. Both parties have to show accommodation and compatibility in order that the relationship ticks. Only our relationship with GOD is one way traffic. You love Him or not still he loves us.

RELATIONSHIP

Our connection with our Creative Lord,

Indeed defies logic,

He showers His love,

Whether thee reciprocate it or not,

Makes difference naught,

Provides with His bounties to one and all,

And if thou reciprocate His love with prayer and good deeds,

He cleanses thy misdeeds (nishkarma),

And gives a permanent abode,

In His warmest Heart for all times to come (Moksha).

Relationship that we enjoy with our parents,

Too is too close to make mention in words,

Due to them we open our eyes & see this enchanting world,

Due to them we enjoy the bounties of Mother Nature.

Mother tends us in her womb till birth,

Suffering pangs without even a demur,

And after birth that you become worth,

She gives her everything she held dear,

So that you earn name and fame in future.

Relationship of husband and wife ought to be on rock solid base,

Bumps on the road in life are to be jumped over with ease,

Lest these bumps take a tardy turn for the worst,

A relation based on concrete connectivity has concrete life span,

And can hold-up any blitz from enemy within between the two,

Creeping differences ought to be nipped in the bud with mutual agreement.

With equal respect to each at stake,

Sliding other can slide the train of relationship,

And not kept simmering till becoming uncontrollable,

Attend the hair-line-crack from becoming a hole gaping,

A soft but firm hug can debug bugging relation,

And make serviceable the bad connection.

Then bad-mouthing by the duo,

And standing on formal ceremony by the two,

Can have an unkind end result,

And put a final peg on the casket,

Of relationship that exists.

Consider, nobody has ever won argument,

For a win-win situation keep your head clear,

And sometimes agree to disagree in a soft manner,

To iron out differences if those bedevil ever,

Here ‘Time’ will certainly be thy rescuer.

Forget not winking each other to make the life bit a silky route,

But not hoodwinking and make it a slippery road to nowhere.

Self conscious but not unconscious of the emotions of other,

Creeping problems not to be slept over,

Lest these spin out of control,

And embitter the sweet relation.

HARBANS KHAJURIA

LORD SHIVA

It has been observed that this earth and what it contains, universe and all that it possesses (the sun, the mooth, countless stars, etc) are the wonders which have been created by our Creator. These are created only by some SUPREME BEING to whom we can feel if we have right attitude and all the other finetuned attributes like love, trust, etc. He has fathered us for a purpose and it is our duty to fulfil the assigned tasks in whatever way we can – by helping those who are not able to help themselves, doing good to others, forgiving others’ follies etc.

I consider religion as a pathway to reach to our Creator, it may be any religion to that matter. One thing that binds us together is that our requirement(s) are the same. He has given His precious bounties like air, water and other the gifts of nature without any bias. Let us thank Him in our own way suiting us. I have written a poem “Lord Shiva”. Kindly go through it and comment.

LORD SHIVA

The Godhead amongst the Trinity,

Lord Brahma – the Creator,

Remains absorbed in His domain of Creation,

Lord Vishnu – the Preserver,

Keeps His Lotus hand on preservation.

The Lord of all Lords,

The most powerful & benevolent of all,

Enjoys special place in His realm,

Of death and destruction,

Dissolving in the process of fresh creation,

Since death is a means for rebirth.

Known variously by 1000 names like;

Mahadeva, Maheshwara, Ardnarishwara,

Nine Avtaras, Natraja et al.

During churning of ocean by Gods & demons accompanying,

He drank whole pot of poison which came out from churning,

To save the living beings from poisonous effect,

And kept it in his throat (kantha),

And thus is called Neelkantha,

Known for providing soothing balm to troubled souls.

The Lord is too found in Phallic Symbol of Linga.

He is the Centrifugal Force of the Universe,

And is mix of the the most simplest & complex amongst all deities.

Pile of curly hair, crescent tucked into it,

The Mighty Ganges flowing out from His piled hair.

With trident representing true virtues,

Coiled serpent signifying Kundalini,

The spiritual energy within,

Two sided drum (Damroo) drumming rhythmically,

The the hum of AUM – the core & initiaton of all Mantras.

Simplest in His appearance,

But complex in understanding,

With ash smeared all over the body,

Wearing Ruthraksha beads round his neck and arms,

Immersed in His Yogic mystic meditation.

He is the Lord who could be appeased very easily,

And bestows boons to sages and demons alike whenever invoked,

With love and piety,

The Omniscient Yogi’s abode is Mount Kailasha,

Where He dwells with our Divine Mother Parvati,

And sons Ganesha & Kartikeya – the Greatest in their own right,

Lord Ganesha for His troube shooting,

And Lord Kartikeya for demon conquering,

His Cosmic Dance is second to none,

By this Cosmic Dance all the Gods & Demi-Gods get enthralled.

When immensely provoked by inhuman acts,

Opens His Third Eye,

And annihilates the evil doers / the ferocious demons.

MAHA SHIVRATRI is the day of prayer,

When we all pray the BHOLE SHANKAR,

AUM NAMAON SHIVAYE,

May His Blessings remain on us all forever,

And may He fulfil all right desires of every being.

HARBANS KHAJURIA

THANK YOU FOR

Our Creator is gracious enough to grace us with numerous gifts which help us meet our day to day requirements. Starting with giving us our own body, air, water, scenic beauties, mountains, rivulets, rivers, oceans sunshine, moonshine, our kiths and kins who assist you whenever there is a need, our friends circles,our society, and what not. It should never be forgotten that everything that we acquired through our work or from any other source is acquired after our birth. We come to this earth without bringing anything along and should never forget that when we finally depart we shall not be taking anything along with us although we must have ammased wealth. It goes to show that God has provisioned us with everything and we have to THANK HIM FOR all these. Should’t we? The poem, “Thank You For” is in this direction only. Kindly go through and offer your comments.

Thank You For

Giving us the gracious gifts of sweet water and air so refreshing.

To recharge our body and mind with sunshine,

Soothing ourselves with placid moonshine,

Distributed without bias – an amazing wonder,

Mesmerizing stars’ twinkling yonder,

Dotting the heavens akin to priceless pearls.

Giving us the gift of five senses,

With which we can joyfully or otherwise experience life,

Providing meaning to every activity that comes.

Giving us a body with mind and heart,

Which can sense others’ feeling when hurt,

And come to the succor.

Giving us daylight for earning our living,

With night’s serenity for restful resting,

In the process mitigating fatigue,

And providing synergy to face,

The next day’s onslaughts with renewed vigor.

Giving us the Natural bounties on the earth’s crust,

Like scenic beauties, lofty and majestic snowy mountains,

Ravines, rivers, brooks, dales, vales, expanse of deserts, et all,

With our wide awake eyes to feast these on.

Giving us the ability to differentiate between good and bad,

So that we could maintain a safe distance from bad,

And befriend the goodness for our own good.

Giving us our dear ones so dearest,

Who care for us more than,

They care for themselves even,

On whom we can lean on,

Whence we are down and out with age and have eternal sleep,

And who would carry our lifeless weight for a final journey.

O Lord, Thou hath given us everything,

For, we fathom, none brings anything,

When one takes birth,

Yet continue misusing Your Bounties,

For personal gains and in the process,

Bring imbalance in His Beautiful Settings.

Harbans Khajuria

TIME

Time
Axiomatically, it has been seen that ‘time’ plays a pre-dominant role in our life. It is the time which heals our wounds, it is the time, by passing of which we forget our deblitating incidents, it is by the passage of time that we think of starting of life afresh, it is through passage of time that everything including humans ages and dies its natural death barring some who meet their ends pre-maturally and time is a witness to all these. After the death also, time helps to resurect those who are eligible by dint of their past karmic deeds. In this world and beyond, time plays a crucial part. Animates and inanimates cannot escape its good or bad affects. I have made an attempt to write something about time and its affects, kindly go through it and comments. I love comments because these spur me to write on.

TIME

A charming index whence seed of an event was sown,

With its ageing, from one stage to a new one,

Enduring without demure,

Onslaughts of all seasons,

As time passes on,

A stage dawns when,

The small one becomes a full-sized tree yielding fruits by the tones,

Afterwards time tells upon it extensively,

The sturdy one becomes,

Fragile, its branches drooping,

And meets its poignant doom,

Time leaves an indelible imprint at every stage turning over.

Time is its own master,

It obeys none whosoever,

Surges ahead without punctuation,

Tolerates nothing in its functions,

Breaking all barriers on its path without caution,

No cage is made to preserve it.

With its passage many seeping wounds get healed too,

Just as enemies turn into chums so bosom,

With the soothing balm of time,

Water & air can be stocked for future use,

Time makes histories of eventful events for posterity,

What happened at what time period?

But time itself is neither an event nor an event of any kind,

In itself it can neither be measured nor travelled,

But still Time is unparalleled.

Harbans Khajuria

JUST FORGET IT!

There are things in life which need not be kept alive in your memory – be it be your own ones to whom you held dear and ditched you. Even the friends, your own possessions, your own body, et al. If anybody or anything you hold to be indispensable part, just does not come to your assistance, you should not lament – just forget it all and start the life afresh. It is because our Creator is always there to provide and meet our demands if we want Him in our life. Yes he is more near to us than we are near to our own body. Just seek His help and it will be proved straightaway.

JUST FORGET IT!
Who told forgetting is NOT BAD?

Forgetting the loved ones,
Ye tendered with utmost care once,
Sheltering him while withstanding more,
The sun’s glare of the summer noon without demure.

A friend who banked on you,
In thick and thin every now and then,
Thee met his needs when called for,
Whence ye need him the most,
He shows ye his back,
Just forget it.

A weapon which you oiled much,
For your safety from agents inimical,
Out of the blue it failed,
When ye needed it the most,
Just forget it.

Your earnings in the bank,
Bankrolled in the account book,
But when needed in crisis,
Failed thy want test.
Just forget it.

Thy own bodily reflexes,
On cues of which you prided the most,
Fail you,
When situation demanded the most,
Just forget it.

A bad dream coming true,
Badly impacts thy day’s routine,
Just forget it.

A stranger who shows ye,
The way amidst thy bad patch,
Just embrace him,
With all his baggage.
Do not forget it.

HARANS KHAJURIA