Archana / अर्चना

A dear friend shared this poem by Shri Rabindranath Tagore ji. It inspired me to write the following:

Swirling and twirling in the gentle breeze,

The centre of attraction of all bees;

Hanging from the अमलतास*,

Oh, these flowers wondrous!

Should I pluck them for my offering?

Or will that invite sin and suffering?

The sight is perfect and pure delight,

Disturbing it does not feel right.

But beauty has never lasted forever,

Sooner or later, all ties sever;

So too, it will be released,

Better to take now, before the dust('s) siege.

Does it want to touch the feet of God?

Or be attached to the birth cord?

I don't know the answers to these,
My ramblings continue, please read!

I sowed hundreds of seeds,

Yet, only a few took the lead;

Sun, manure and water I gave to all,

Then, why did only a few grow tall?

By God's grace, the seed germinates,

By God's grace, it doesn't terminate;

By God's grace, the flower shines,

And so to serve God, they're all in line!

There's nothing that is not His,
He doesn't need anything, He is bliss;

He accepts a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water**,
Like a mother from her toddler***.

What matters is devotion,
And not donation;
My धर्म, my study and my prayer,
Are to understand myself sans these layers.

I am back to the start,
Should I pluck or simply depart?
I am still unsure and so will give it a miss,
But, I will recite His name - to me, that is the simplest route to bliss!

*Laburnum; Do read The Laburnum Top by Ted Hughes. You may find traces of it in this poem.
**Bhagwad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 26
***Taken from the commentary on the aforesaid verse by Swami Maheshanand Giri ji Maharaj

अमलतास