Zesty Radha (Mythological Monologues #26)

The predestined hour came

Krishna left for Mathura

Taking my smile in His eyes

My love and devotion in His heart

Immortalizing our memories 

In the bountiful lap of Nature.

Leaving behind my Shyam in Vrindavan,

The melody of His flute in my heart

His Divine Name entwined with mine

Together we will be called

RadheShyam till the end of time. 

On my birth,

I kept my eyes closed

Everyone thought I was born blind

Years rolled by, doctors failed 

To give me my vision

I-Radhika opened my eyes 

For the first time when Krishna-

My journey and destination

Was in front of me

My world was illuminated by light

I was filled with zest 

Immersed in the color of Mohan.

Krishna is the vast entire Cosmos

I am His essence.

Waves do not have any identity 

Without the Sea

The Sea do not want to exist

Without its waves. 

Sitting by the banks of Yamuna,

I often bask in the melody of His flute

Smile of ecstasy in lips

Tears of love in eyes

Losing track of time and space.

They ask me in bewilderment, 

"Where is the sound of flute?"

With a smile, I say,

"In my heart. I can hear it always."

"Can you see Him too?" 

"Yes. In my reflection in the river."

I say looking at Govind smiling at me.

Love is that dazzling Divine light

The very Nature of every soul

That gives life to the entire world 

Physical separation is like a cloudy sky

The Sun is eternally there

Even when it is not visible.

Every place that I go, 

He is there with me.

Every sentence that I say, 

He is there in it.

Every breath that I take, 

He is dissolved in it. 

Sun rays can never be 

Separated from the mighty Sun

Heartbeats cannot be 

Parted from the Heart

The Soul can never be disjointed 

From the Super Soul.

Radha is in Shyam

Shyam is in Radha

His Divine name entwined with Mine

Together we will be called

RadheShyam till the end of time. 

©Purba Chakraborty

30.04.2020

Yudhishthira (Mythological Monologues #25)

With this poem, the A to Z blogging challenge 2020 finally comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed my series of Mythological Monologues. Thanks to all my readers for their tremendous love, support, encouragement, appreciation, and feedback. 

Yudhishthira (Mythological Monologues #25)

In the garb of a Yaksha,

Once Lord Dharma asked me

The greatest wonder of the world;

Countless people die everyday

Yet the ones that are living desire to be immortal;

I-Yudhisthira never forgot my answer.

With the arrival of Kaliyuga

Departure of Vasudev Krishna

There remained no purpose of my life.

I recognized the hour of my retirement

Left the kingdom of Hastinapur

In the able hands of my grandson, Parikshit 

And embarked on my final journey

With my four brothers and Panchali.

An unfamiliar dog joined us 

In our pilgrimage to the Himalayas.

As I walked towards

My final destination,

The journey of my life flashed

In front of my eyes. 

Like a boat trapped in a tempest,

My destiny took me to places

One day living in the forest

The other day at the palace;

My life was checkered by

Deceit and Manipulation in one box

Love and Devotion in another box

I stayed steadfast in both

At the face of lies and deceit,

My unshakable calmness irked the ones

Most precious to me

Yet I stayed calm under the

Umbrella of knowledge

The one enemy that is invincible is anger

Mastery over the mind

Is the only gateway to freedom.

As we continued our journey,

Panchali fell first.

A distressed Bheema asked the reason

"Excessive attachment to Arjuna", I said.

Then fell Sahadeva followed by Nakula

Pride in wisdom and looks, their folly

Next fell Arjuna, another victim

Of the vice of pride 

In being the most skilled archer.

Last of all, Bheema tires and falls

His only flaw was gluttony. 

I was left with the dog as my companion

As I climbed on top of Mount Sumeru.

Indra, the King of Heaven appeared

Inviting me to enter his chariot

Without the dog accompanying me.

At once, I refused to leave

My faithful and loyal companion

In exchange of the pleasures of Heaven.

Lord Indra asked me to act wisely

"If I leave the dog, my heart

Will no longer be a Heaven

Of Dharma and good deeds.

What use is Heaven then for me?"

I answered, folding my hands

When the dog magically 

Transformed into Lord Dharma,

Saying that I passed the final test of my life.

©Purba Chakraborty

29.04.2020

Note: Yudhishthira was the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He later became the King of Hastinapur. 

Xerophilous Shikhandi (Mythological Monologues #24)

Xerophilous Shikhandi (Mythological Monologues #24)

Neither a man nor a woman

I- Shikhandi, the daughter of King Drupad

Born as an incomplete, painful story

A half-finished beautiful portrait

A half-sung song with lyrics forgotten;

I remember every memory of my past life

as the graceful princess of Kashi - Amba.

I was cruelly abducted by Bhishma

My life turned into a spectacle

I was abandoned by my lover, Salva
Humiliated by plenty of men

Denied of justice, forsaken by all.

On seeing the volcano of my pain,

Lord Shiva blessed me to be the reason for 

Bhishma's death in my next birth.

I immolated myself that very moment

and was reborn as King Drupad's daughter.

Neither a man nor a woman

I- Shikhandi, the daughter of King Drupad

Raised as a brave and powerful son

Trained in warfare and statecraft

Married to the daughter of King Hiranyavarna

Abandoned by my wife for my gender;

Like a xerophilous plant, 

I survived without love in the forest

Acquired a male body 

At the mercy of a Yaksha. 

When blisters of agony 

was draining my life,

I remembered my purpose:

To complete my unfinished story

To be the reason for Bhishma's death.

Neither a man nor a woman

I-Shikhandi, the vivacious Amba reborn

Surrendered to the Cosmic plan

Awaited my chance to be the instrument of

God in establishing Dharma. 

When the Pandavas were clueless

How to defeat the great warrior Bhishma,

I rode on Arjuna's chariot,

guided by Lord Krishna on the 

tenth day of the Kurukshetra war.

At once, Bhishma recognized me 

He lowered his weapons 

Unwilling he was to strike a woman

for I was Amba in his guilt-ridden eyes.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, 

Arjuna, hiding behind my back

shot a volley of arrows at Bhishma

pinning him to the ground

immobilizing him for the war. 

I- Shikhandi became a vital instrument

Of Lord Krishna in making the Pandavas win.

I- Shikhandi embody all queer people;

In the eyes of the Lord, 

We are valuable, loved, and cherished

unlike the man made society 

that ridicules and suppresses us. 

©Purba Chakraborty

28.04.2020

Note: Shikhandi is the eldest daughter of King Drupad in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. She later became a male and was instrumental in helping the Pandavas win in the Kurukshetra war. 

Warm-hearted Sudama (Mythological Monologues #23)

Warm-hearted Sudama (Mythological Monologues #23)

The fragrance of true friendship

Never fades and evaporates with distance;

It dwells in the kernel of heart

Like the most mellifluous Bhajan,

The petrichor of monsoon

The aromatic flowers of Vasant

The vibrant colors of Holi.

My prized memories with dear Krishna

Take away all my scorching agonies

Like a whiff of perfumed zephyr-

Stealing butter from nearby households

Finding clay pots of freshly churned butter

Escaping the eyes of everyone and relishing it.

Every day, a new prank and hatching stories

To avoid getting caught by anyone.

Getting lost in the melody of His flute,

Experiencing Oneness with the Cosmos. 

I- Sudama have not met my loving friend

Since years yet I feel him in my heart

Providing love and solace whenever I need.

At the merciless hands of poverty, 

My wife asked me to seek help 

From Krishna, the King of Dwarka.

I embarked on my long journey to Dwarka,

Taking a handful of beaten rice for Krishna. 

The thought of beholding the effulgent face 

Of my dear friend after years of separation 

Inspired me to walk steadily to His palace. 

I- Sudama, a poor Brahmin was received

With bounteous warmth, joy, and respect 

By Krishna's wife, Rukmini. 

The long-awaited beautiful moment came

Krishna and I looked at each other

Tears of love flowing down our eyes

My heart overflowing with affection and devotion.

With trembling hands, I offered Him my gift

Feeling embarrassed in the midst of the grandeur.

Krishna took the handful of beaten rice

Savored it the way he savored butter in childhood

The cheerful and contented smile on His face- 

It made me forget my purpose of visiting Him. 

At that moment, Krishna was not the King of Dwarka

Sudama was no longer a poor, destitute Brahmin

Our differences were dissolved in the nectar of love.

Krishna insisted me to sit on His throne

As we recalled our childhood stories, 

Krishna washed my tired feet 

With water and sandalwood.

I stayed at the palace for two days

Basking in the euphoria of Divine Love.

Krishna embraced me before I left His palace.

As I walked towards my home, 

The cruel realization dawned on me;

The ecstasy of meeting Krishna-

It made me forget my purpose of visiting Him.

I failed to ask for any help

I wept as I thought of my wife and children

Starving since days without complaint.

I was speechless when I reached home

Instead of my hut, there was a palace

My wife, dressed in the finest clothes greeted me.

I knelt down as tears of joy rolled down my eyes

"O Krishna! You know my heart more than I do

You heard all my unsaid words 

You felt all my unexpressed anguish

You saw all my uncried tears.

The blessed ones who have You as their friend

Never need to worry about anything."

©Purba Chakraborty

27.04.2020

Note: Sudama was a Brahmin childhood friend of Lord Krishna. His story of meeting Krishna in Dwarka is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana. 

Vibhishana (Mythological Monologues #22)

Vibhishana (Mythological Monologues #22)

All that I prayed for,

The One I meditated on

From early childhood,

He is right in front of my eyes.

Since time immemorial, 

The only goal of my life has been

To keep my wavering mind transfixed

At the benign feet of the Lord. 

Despite being surrounded by mud and muck,

The pure Lotus blooms, untouched. 

With His Divine Grace, 

I-Vibhishana aspired to stay untouched 

From materialistic desires and egoistic pursuits

Despite belonging to the family of Rakshasas.

The lotus flower and I desired the same destiny-

To serve the Lord despite every visible odd.

All that I prayed for,

The One I meditated on

From early childhood,

He is right in front of my eyes.

Transformed and Transcended I am

With the resplendent vision of Lord Rama.

All my psychical identities slowly strip off

Like years of dust accumulated on my body;

Attachments and ties evaporate into nothingness

I find the door to liberation in my Lord's eyes

My soul unites with the Super Soul

Personal Consciousness merges 

With the Divine Consciousness.

From a mental and emotional man,

I- Vibhishana become a spiritual man

Illumined by the Divine Light,

I experience the boundless, undivided joy 

One with the Cosmos, I feel

I am in the Sun, the Moon, the Cloud, and the Stars. 

The Creator is in me; I am in the Creator

I get transcended to the spiritual realm. 

All that I prayed for,

The One I meditated on

From early childhood,

He is right in front of my eyes.

Despite being warned by his allies and devotees, 

My Lord chose me- a demon devotee

An ordinary lotus born amid mud and muck

Without looking at my birth and circumstances.

 His instrument I became in the Cosmic Drama

I played my part with the utmost devotion 

To ensure the victory of good over evil

In the Great Lanka war. 

They said, "You will be called a Traitor

for betraying your own kith and kin."

I said, "I am ready to pay this small price.

I have experienced the merging of 

My Soul with the Super Soul.

Once the river merges with the Ocean, 

It loses its identity

The river becomes the Ocean."

©Purba Chakraborty

25.04.2020

Note: Vibhishana is the brother of Ravana in the Hindu epic, Ramayana. He was a great devotee of Lord Rama. 

Urmila (Mythological Monologues #21)

Urmila (Mythological Monologues #21)

Love is that powerful force

A miracle, A weapon, A shield

That can reach the beloved from afar

It is not always in presence

The lotus of love blooms

Drawing appreciation and admiration;

In the darkness of absence,

The night jasmine silently blooms

Spreading fragrance in the air

To fall off, the very next morning

Without exacting an ounce of admiration.

I- Urmila, unlike my sister Sita

Did not follow my husband, Lakshmana

 To the forests to live a life of austerity.

I stayed back in the palace of Ayodhya, 

Ensuring my husband serves Rama and Sita

Without getting distracted by my company.

Restless I was in the midst of everyone

My heart yearned to help Lakshmana

Every day and night, I prayed for a chance

To be his ally in this cosmic plan

Till the Universe granted my wish. 

The Goddess of Sleep visited me one night

"Lakshmana wants to stay awake 

For the next fourteen years 

To serve Rama and Sita.

His boon can only be granted

If someone accepts his share of sleep."

With a smile on my face, I said, 

"Please give me his share of sleep, Goddess."

For the next fourteen years, I slept

Whereas Lakshmana stayed awake.

Despite our physical distance, we were united

In our mission to serve Lord Rama;

Lakshmana could slay the mighty Indrajit

Who had the boon of being killed only by

The person who has conquered sleep. 

Love is that mighty gift

That can conquer any distance

Love is that miraculous armor

That can protect the beloved afar

Love is that divine nectar

That can make a person immortal.

People forget themselves when they sleep

I- Urmila was united with Lakshmana

As I slept uninterrupted for fourteen years;

With every beat of my heart, 

I was with him unconditionally, 

Without attachment and expectations;

The long years were not lost in oblivion

They made me an associate of my soulmate.

Separation, Distance, and Trust 

Became the holy soil on which

Urmila and Lakshmana's love bloomed

Into Parijata, night flowering jasmine. 

©Purba Chakraborty

24.04.2020

Note: Urmila is the wife of Lakshmana in the Hindu epic, Ramayana. She was the daughter of King Janaka and Queen Sunaina and the younger sister of Sita. 

Tender-Hearted Bharata (Mythological Monologues #20)