Which is darkness, which is light
Which is life, which is death
Which is virtue, which is sin
Which is hell, which is heaven
Which is truth, which is false
Which is eternal, which is ephemeral
Which is one, which many
Which is cause, which is action
O great soul, O great seer
(O Mahatma, O Maharishi)
Which is white, which is black
Which is singing, which is silence
Which is mine, which is yours
Which is moral, which isn’t
Yesterday’s sorrow, tomorrow’s raga
Only one light, only one peace
O great seer, O great soul
Copyright 2000 by the author
(This is a translation of SriSri's original Telugu poem, "O Mahatma". You can hear the Telugu song in the movie, "Akali Rajyam" (ఆకలి రాజ్యం). Last year’s global health crisis and the recent events have been very disturbing. This poem of SriSri came to my mind at this unique unsettling juncture. Originally the celebratory Telugu poet composed it out of a deep anguish, as a reaction to the shock felt spontaneously at the time of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Now globally almost close two million people have paid with their dear lives due to the scourge of Covid. One can only pray for some semblance of peace, tranquility, and generosity at these agonizing times. Now we have no Mahatmas, no Tagores, and no convincing ambassadors of peace on the world stage. We cannot even guess how many people could have been saved with a little more care, precaution, healing touch, science, and intervention at the right moment. Nothing can really help the bereaving families. But art may act as a temporary balm.)
