you held me all night, my Lord
unseen to the eye,
your grace, a lover's touch, wrapped my skin
unheard to the ears,
your name, my japa, vibrated through my braincells
Monsoon One, do you long for me as fully as i long for you?
do you call on me as ardently as i call on you?
you do, don't you, my Lord?
i am not alone in this quest
for every step i take towards you,
you take two towards me
for every tear i spill in yearning for you,
you ignite vīrya in my skin tissue
for every test of yours that i fail,
you yank me freer of delusion
i see it now, Hari.
you have been pulling me
by my hair and hands to you.
it was all you. it was always all you.
if i run to you as fast as my legs can take me,
will you meet me halfway?
you will, won't you, my Lord?
🦚 Happy Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī! 🙏 poem from my upcoming collection "the Monsoon One and the pilgrim". 💛
“Your strong desire to serve me is very beautiful; your serving me means serving Krishna. I am also your servant so I cannot accept your service from you, or from any of my disciples. I accept service from my disciples on behalf of Krishna. Just like a tax collector must collect for the treasury, not for himself. If he himself touches so much as a farthing it would be unlawful.
“So I have no…
"Oh, the lure of Maya, the great illusion, It beckons us forward, with no conclusion, A mirage of promise, a tantalizing dream, We follow the path, or so it seems.
In the search for that which drives us on, We chase illusions like a mirage, long gone. Compelled by a potency so strong, We strive to catch the elusive song.
The moment of ecstasy, the thrill of the chase, Leaves us wanting more, but it's just a race, A race with no end, a journey of pain, We keep running, but there's nothing to gain.
But every glimpse reveals a void, An emptiness that can't be toyed. The object of desire that once shone, Now seems dull and illusory, alone.
We grasp at the air, seeking to hold, The object of desire, so precious, so bold, But as we get closer, it fades away, And we're left with nothing, a sense of dismay.
The orgasmic bliss fades away, Leaving us in desolation to stay. For what we craved was never real, Just a mirage, a trick, an ideal.
Oh, Maya, your power is immense, You lead us astray, with no defense, Our minds are trapped, our hearts in a bind, We search for truth, but truth is hard to find.
Maya's potency, unconquerable and sly, Compels us to do, but leaves us to sigh. And we're left to question and wonder, What's beyond the spell we're under?
Oh, Maya, you taunt us with your spell, Your illusion is grand, but it's just a shell, We search for meaning, for something that's real, But it's hard to find, in this world of ideals.
But in this search, we must not forget, The truth that lies beyond this net. For what compels us is not the object, But the spirit, the force, the subject."
nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ
“ ‘I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.’ ”
Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati reveals the secret of Navadvipa-dhama in his Navadvipa Satakam (verse 78):
"If the nine forests (the 9 islands of Navadwip ) are worshiped by you, then the forest of Vraja is yours. If the nine forests (the 9 islands of Navadwip) are not worshipped by you, then the same Vraja forest stays away
"If the son of the brahmana (i.e. Gauranga) is worshipped by you then the expert lover of Vraja (Krishna) is yours. If the son of the brahmana (i.e. Gauranga) is not worshipped by you then Krishna is never yours."
Does the light make you see or do your eyes make you see?
If you don't have light, then what is the use of your eyes. If you don't have sounds around you, then what is the use of your ears. If you don't have smells around you, then what is the use of your nose. If you don't find taste in any food, then is the use of your tongue.
Similarly, if you don't have Sanatana Dharma and Bharat tomorrow, then where will you go? From where you will seek protection as a Hindu and a Sanatani.
It is not 'YOU' which is important for you and your family, it is your Dharma and Country Bharat which is most important than anything else.
Don't be too proud of 'YOURSELF and YOUR BODY'. You were nothing yesterday, nothing today and will be nothing tomorrow also.
Protect your Dharma, so that Dharma shall protect you (Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah).