Rocky Couple (Long Poem)

                                             Rocky Couple

I thought it would be
Another sundry morning

Of course, it turned out to be
A glorious autumn morning
A late fall sunny day
Much of the translucent foliage is gone
No more dazzling wavy
Tree reflections on the
Now almost passive Erie Canal
A tiny boat may still wade through
But it’s a rare sight

Now
Its banks are visited by
Bikers, walkers, or joggers
And lots of birds, squirrels
Spotting an occasional heron 
Is an additional blessing;
Though its locks, canal ways
Look quite decrepit now -
With its broken cement structures
And rusty decaying concrete edifices
Yet, the real nature never abandoned
This once magnificent transportation canal
An artificial water way
Sure,
Years back it brought prosperity, trade,
And modern culture
It reminds me about my own
Native village in the coastal Andhra
A nostalgic boyhood place –
Thousands of miles away
Now, decades of time, and thousands of dollars
Separate us

Up on the mound
Near the wooden bridge
I stopped
Stooped to look into the trickling waters
Flowing from the upper overflow drain 
Just overlooking the intricate 
Connections between the adjacent wetlands
The canal and its feeding streams
There
On the concrete ledges
Some thing awakened my consciousness
“The soft cooing pigeons”
As I stood there motionless
The pigeons courted each other
With their elegant preenings
Peckings 
One of ‘em,
Would gently strut around the other
Touch its beak; give generous
Dose of kisses
And then both would just fly off
To a private hiding place 
Under the bridge
Again they would emerge
Land on the terrace
Take a nibble of the white
Calcium deposits
And do the courting ritual again
To me, the couple
Looked like a pair of 
Gandharvas or rishis
In their clandestine form
From some fabled Hindu mythological
Story.

Me thought
How lucky these little birds are?
They need no Internet cafes, Starbucks lounges
Or cyber matching websites
How totally free, generous are these
Rock pigeons
They meet sans inhibitions, nest,
And raise their young
Without the headache of
Babysitters or kindergartens
Love just comes to ‘em
Naturally
How hard modern man has to struggle
For just a morsel of true love
Be it the carnal bonding
Or the emotional warmth

Through the morning gentle rays
I saw their healthy feathers
Their iridescent neck down
The spotted bluish coat
With their double grayish bands
They radiated perfect health
That pigeon couple
To me, they were
The ideal romantic couple
The whole world exists
Just for them
And they held the key to
Its (true) creation. Copyright 2025 by the author

Some Aphorisms (of Sri Trilinga Swamy)

(Faith is very complex yet very simple. Hindu faith (Sanatana Dharma) encompasses a vast canvass of thought and enquiry. Its corpus (now almost completely written down and commented profusely) is humungous – the four Vedas, major Upanishads, eighteen Puranas, Upa-puranas, Itihasas, and many narratives (mind, not fictional!) that are associated with innumerable holy pilgrim places in the Indian subcontinent. For any ordinary mortal it is absolutely impossible to read or master all the works; not only that, to fully comprehend the original Sanskrit texts is beyond anyone’s lifetime. Often many interpreters of this faith fall into errors (particularly several English authors with preconceived anthropological notions) and wrongly interpret the core essence of such a great faith. The primacy of Hindu faith stands on two sturdy (indestructible) pillars: Its scriptures dating back into many thousands (not two thousand, not five thousand, much farther into antiquity – almost limitless origins, (for ex: see Kanchi Swami’s discourses on Vedas, అపౌరుషేయ) and a succession of swamis (proponents, bhaktas) leaving footprints on the sands of time. Its springs are eternally full and alive. I humbly attempt to give English translation of some of the essential quotes of Mahatma Sri Trilinga Swamy (C.E. 1607 - 1887) here. Detailed explanations are deliberately omitted. The reader has to think about each issue, ponder over the meaning, and enter into a stilled state of “deep meditation”. S(he) has to discover herself their true meaning.

Why do I harp on Swamis or Gurus in this context? Let’s leave aside some phony characters. I illustrate my point about the desirability of a Guru with two instances: Once Narada (బ్రహ్మ మానస పుత్ర) went to Vaikuntha for a meeting with Lord Narayana. After the usual pleasantries and discussions Narada departed the holy premises walking slowly backwards with his posterior towards the exit.  Immediately after Narada’s departure Narayana turned to Maha-Lakshmi and instructed thus: “Devi, get some gomayamu, wipe out cleanly Narada’s seat (chair) and wash it down with ganga-jal.”

Devi Lakshmi was aghast. She gently asked, “Lord, why? May I know the reason, if you don’t mind.” “Narada needs a Guru. As yet he has not been initiated properly through a master.” Yet we find the same Narada later instructing prince Dhruva about Tapas. Not only that the wandering sage introduces Dhruva to the greatness of “dwadasi-akshara mantra”. No wonder the young boy gets a darshan of Lord Narayana in no time, just in a matter of months. 

Lastly I must also mention about the unbounded compassion of many gurus: From Seshadri Swami, Sadasiva Brahmendra, to Kanchi Paramacharya and many others (Shirdi Sai) – they (the Gurus) helped (and still help) all disciples, provided for their earthly needs, corrected students’ mistakes, and gently guided them on their paths. Genuine seekers must take the trouble and read their extensive biographies and authentic works. As they say "a mustard seed (worth) of sincere practice is much better than a mound of vapid pedantic arguments".) 

D = Disciple

G = The Guru

D Who created the earth and its life forms?
G Eswara* (The Supreme Lord with control over everything. Swami)
D Who produces (affects) the creation?
G Brahma
D Who is Brahma?
G Eswara’s power (Sakti)
D Who rules the creation?
G Lord Vishnu or Lord Narayana
D Who is Narayana?
G Eswara’s power (Sakti)
D Who destroys creation or Who dissolves it?
G Maheswara – i.e., Mahadeva
D Who is Mahadeva?
G Eswara’s power (Sakti)
D Who (what) is Brahmani (Saraswati)?
G Brahma’s power (Sakti)
D Who is Lakshmi?
G Vishnu’s power (Sakti)
D Who is Durga?
G Mahadeva’s power (Sakti)
D Who helps us to cross the ‘ocean of life’?
G Eswara
D     What is bondage?
G Love of things (subjects)
D What is Salvation (Relief)?
G After getting over the delusion with subjects, one merges with Eswara
D What is a terrible hell?
G Our (physical, material) body
D Where is Swarga ( Heaven)
G If the desires are eliminated, this Earth itself is a Swarga
D How do we overcome “the bondage with the world/life”?
G With the knowledge (wisdom) of the ‘Self’ (to be continued)

* A whole book(s) can be written about Eswara. For now it is sufficient to contemplate Eswara as the all pervading, formless (i.e., beyond any specific form), and total authority over all the worlds (rather limitless cosmos). All words and descriptions will be approximate, erroneous (and fail) while dealing with Eswara. Copyright 2025 by the author

Shivering Earthworm (Poem)

Shivering Earthworm

Everyday I go for a walk
Often along the same path
Through our wooded neighborhood
But today
My eyes caught 
The sight of a shivering earthworm
Barely it could move a millimeter
Clinging very tightly to 
The asphalt rough terrain
Dragging its shriveled desiccated skin
Basking in pale sunshine
On a chilly autumn morn.

Siva -
What a name?
That which is auspicious 
Anywhere, every-where is 
Encapsulated, contained by Him
He is beyond gender,
Beyond man’s imagination
He is supposed to be
Imminent, eminently present
In eight things – rather embodiments
Earth is one of them

The naked, exposed earthworm
Despite feeling extreme cold
Almost at the end of its life
A brief, harmless 
Purely a benevolent existence
Now lonely, without a friend
Asks only one thing
To feel with its intense desire
Once more, last wish
To embrace the bare rocky
Rough, belly scratching surface
Of earthly path
I admire its pure desire
All desires must be pure in their approach
Then they won’t bring sour feelings
Or utter disappointments in their wake
Its last longing to 
Cling, embrace tightly
The kindliest of all
The only One who
Takes us into His hands
At the time of death

There was a time 
A time when I would wonder
Why people in Indian pilgrim centers
(Why they) cover their dark
Deteriorating bone piercing bodies
With white ash;
Roll over their bellies
Or crawl steps with bruised kneecaps
All the way to a Durga temple
A Siva’s abode
Despite terrible bodily pain
Why? Why they do?
No, I never had the slightest contempt
Or slight towards ‘em
Just I did not understand then
Because I was too stuck (thick) with false rationality
Intuition was missing in me, so too was love

But now I can feel
Sacredness in all human struggles
Desires, failures, and triumphs
Inexplicable holiness pervades
The Earth

Would I be able to
Have the same intensity
Purity of attention
In that final moment
To just reflect on
On only one thing
The vast nothingness
Only on Siva, nothing else
Would I be so fortunate?
If not, 
I submit now, immediately
To That
The source of creation
With a silent bow,
With all the eight limbs
Flat as a stick, horizontally on the floor
I remain in total silence. © by the author 2025

Defunct (Poem)

లేదు (Defunct)

లేదు 

భయము, భక్తి,

గౌరవము 

మనుషలకి, మర్యాదలకి, సాంప్రదాయాలికి 

దేని మీద (నిజమైన) ప్రేమ, అనురాగత లేదు 

లేదంటే లేదు, ఇది పచ్చి నిజం 

ఉన్నదంతా ఇక్కడ, ఇప్పుడు

గడ్డ కట్టిన, బిగిసి పోయిన 

సాంద్రమైన “అహం”, పనికిమాలిన 

“ఇజం” అంతా "నా సామ్రాజ్యం 

నా డబ్బు, దస్కం, నా పనికిమాలిన 

అభిప్రాయలు, అపోహలు!"

తెలియదు పాపం, తెలియదు 

ఈ ఆజ్ఞానులకి, 

తెలియదు

ఈ మూఢులకి

ఇదంతా వట్టి భ్రమ అని

మూన్నాళ్ళ ముచ్చటని, నువ్వు

చేసిన పిసినంత మంచి తప్ప (?)

ఏది నిలవదు, ఏది శాశ్వతం కాదు

నీతో ఏదీ రాదు

కరోనా పెను తెగులుతో నేర్చుకోలేదా?

నువ్వు మిగిల్చిన మంచి(తనము),

మధుర జ్ఞాపకాలు

మనిషి అంటే -

ఆ తత్త్వవేత్త అన్నది నిజం:

"మన నడక ఎల్లప్పుడూ

ఒక గ్రద్ద పయనంలా ఉండాలి.

ఏ మచ్చ ఉండ రాదు. జెట్ ప్లేన్ లా

తన చేవ్రాలు మిగిల్చ రాదు!"

కబీర్ దోహా మరచి పోయావా?

సుపుత్రుడికోసం డబ్బు ప్రోగు చెయ్యడం ఎందుకు? 

కుపుత్రుడికి  డబ్బు ఎంత మిగిల్చినా ఎమి

లాభం?

“तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा /”मा गृधः”   © అత్రి

 

Defunct

No, there’s no

Fear, devotion, or respect

No concern

For people, norms, or traditions;

There’s no real love or affection

Now there is nothing - 

This is the real truth

Whatever is here, now 

Is

Frozen, fossilized

Dense “egotism”; useless

“Ism” 

Everything is “mon royaume”

"My assets, my belongings

My useless opinions and false premises"

Alas, (they) don’t know

These ignoramuses

Don’t know; it’s beyond their comprehension

That

“This is all is pure illusion,

Is simply very temporal, transitory”

Nothing endures except - 

A few good deeds

Nothing lasts, nothing is lasting

No-thing accompanies you 

Haven’t you learnt from the Covid?

Only your sweet memories

And your goodness - 

What that philosopher said

Is true:

“Our movement (thinking) must always

Be like the eagle’s flight. Must not leave any trace.

Shouldn’t leave a signature like 

The jet plane!”

Have you forgotten Kabir’s couplet?

Why accumulate riches for a good son?

And it’s

No use leaving monies for a bad

Offspring

“Merely enjoy what’s apportioned for you/

do not usurp others’ things”

© by the author 2025

(The poem was penned in utter anguish and profound sadness.

It was initially triggered by a 'serious adulteration' - but later a

series of global events have grievously scorched the human soul.

This piece isa humble attempt to record contemporary society

and its struggles.)

Telugu lyrics of "tatva mariya" Song

తత్వ మరియ తరమా (నిన్)

మూలాధార గణపతే, సురపతే ఉనదు

సత్వగుణము, జీవదయయు, జ్ఞానము

సత్రము ఇల్లాద, కిరాతన కునదు

మధుర పరిపూర్ణ మోదక కరనే

మహా విఘ్న వన కూటార వరనే

నిది యుంబదు(మ్) అంబ కరుల్ పరనే

నిఖిల చరాచర బీజాంకురనే

మది శేకర(న్) మగనే సుముఖనే 

మద వారణ ముగనే 

శృతి ముడి ఉనర్వరుమ్  చిత్ పరనే 

గుహ సోదరనే రామదాసన కునదు

tatva mariya taramaa (nin^)

moolaadhaara gaNapatae, surapatae unadu

satvaguNamu, jeevadayayu, j~naanamu

satramu illaada, kiraatana kunadu

madhura paripoorNa mOdaka karanae

mahaa vighna vana kooTaara varanae

nidi yuMbadu(m^) aMba karul^ paranae

nikhila charaachara beejaaMkuranae

madi Saekara(n^) maganae sumukhanae 

mada vaaraNa muganae 

SRti muDi unarvarum^  chit^ paranae 

guha sOdaranae raamadaasana kunadu 

(English transliteration uses Lekhini scheme)

Copyright 2025 by the author

[Recently a friend shared a video of this song. Originally I tried to learn this song for Ganesa Chathurdi but it took several weeks to learn it thoroughly. I have benefitted immensely from listening to the renditions of M.S., Maharajapuram Santanam, Amrutha Venkatesh, Bombay Jayasree, and others. I try to leave the original Sanskrit phrases as they are in Sanskrit - because then they will convey the full meaning and spirit behind 'em. Of course it is a bi-lingual composition (Tamil and Sanskrit). Explanations are available on the Internet but I may return to this exquisite composition for some comments.]

The Rusty Nail (Tetanus Scare)

The Rusty Nail (Tetanus Scare)

I recalled the well-known Telugu (Vemana’s) poem with extreme excruciating pain in the left foot:

చెప్పులోని రాయి చెవిలోని జోరీగ/కంటిలోని నలుసు కాలిముల్లు/ఇంటిలోని పోరు నింతింత కాదయా/విశ్వదాభిరామ వినర వేమ!

Even when the roads and neighborhood are meticulously clean we still see an occasional nail, a broken twig, a discarded soda can, or a car wiper steel blade. In modern towns most things on the road or wayside are harmless except for a sharp nail or screw. On the highways too we come across sharp objects – but it is quite rare here in the northeast US; probably I experienced a few tire blowouts once or twice on expressways moving at seventy miles (mph).

Perhaps some unknowable power is instructing me to write these infrequent articles on personal health and bodily maintenance. They may help other sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) - they may instill some courage in bearing the troubles of a fragile human body. Even with utmost care we can run into unexpected health problems, get a cut here or there, or stumble into thorny bushes or fall into rocky valleys. Or get suspended upside down in a rollover auto accident. Such is life. In most of the developed world tetanus related illnesses (గుఱ్ఱపు వాతము, ధనుర్వాతము) have come down drastically due to the arrival of modern vaccine shots, footwear, and hygiene. The vaccine shots must be administered (and regularly updated) with booster shots every ten years.

Recently I got into this terrible situation (rather, pickle) suddenly out of the blue in one morning. Some weeks ago we went through house repairs (roofing, gutters) work; the contractors did all the cleaning and clearing of debris, they did with utmost meticulous care. We thought all the discarded loose nails were gathered (through a magnetic broom) and thrown into the trash. Then suddenly one day a lone rusty nail was on the garden floor sitting (rather lying horizontally) prettily on the slate tiled floor next to the porch. Unaware of the rusty troublemaker I put my sprightly foot on it while descending on the porch steps. Then everything happened within the blink of an eye: The rusty nail flipped into semi-vertical (450) position, went through the Hawaii slipper (flip-flops), and pierced my sole brutally. At the moment I felt as though I got pierced through the heart. It appears there are very sensitive nerves in our feet, particularly in the underneath cushiony areas.  To help us with our erect walking strides we have soft (rubber like patches) of muscular bumps in our soles, i.e., the underneath of feet. That evolutionary gift helps us walk smoothly without any jerks, with minimum friction on our skeletal frames.

There was nothing I could do immediately after the terrible accident; I was in total shock with the shooting pain, barely able to recover. As I looked at the blood-dripping slipper I realized the enormity of the dangerous situation. Quickly I pulled the nail and limped back into the house. After pressing the wound with a soft white tissue I sealed the spot with a bandage (Band-Aid). My immediate concern was to stop the bleeding quickly, as I am prone to excessive bleeding. Luckily the bleeding stopped fully within ten or fifteen minutes. I kept the wound totally dry for a whole day; later I applied a dab of antibiotic topical cream (Bacitracin), just to be on the safe side.

There was no remnant of the rusty nail (piercing tool) in the foot but I could not trust my own care and instincts. So, I followed it with a visit to our family doctor (GP, Internist). There, in the physician’s office they checked my records for the tetanus vaccine and did a thorough exam of the wound. I was discharged with a course of antibiotics (Cipro) prescription; it was to ward off any spread of infection to the heart, etc.. 

Recuperation 

It took more than three weeks for the wound to heal completely – both externally and internally. Still the wounded region (spot) feels a bit sore to the touch sometimes. A long walk or extended hours of standing vertically does make it slightly painful. At the moment I am using only lukewarm sudsy (soapy) water with Epsom salt. It appears such immersion in warm salty water relaxes the muscles – it offers relief for tired feet. 

How do the elderly adults cope with such wound (puncture, pierced) complications? I am particularly concerned about folks in developing countries without easy access to doctors or modern hospitals. But all is not lost due to lack of money or modern medicines. Many societies have sound cultural roots to overcome minor (or even major) medical emergencies. Usually an herbal doctor is at hand to attend to such wounds. Immediate bleeding arrest followed by proper wound dressing should take care of the problem. However in the case of some adults (elders, seniors) we must also take into account these factors: blood thinner medications, diabetes (type II) complications, and tetanus shots.

Both in the immediate (first aid) wound dressing and follow up care I mostly followed my own instincts and intuition gained through experience. In the early days I used to limp and put greater burden on the other healthy foot.

Of course I learned my lesson through this accidental injury. A thick-soled sneaker would have prevented or at least reduced the severity of the wound. That is why in most factory floors workers are advised to wear strong boots. Also it wouldn’t hurt to keep the premises clean without loose debris, particularly after major repairs. I want to conclude with several herbal remedies for skin lesions: turmeric (పసుపు), marigold (బంతి), vinca (బిళ్ళ గన్నేరు), Aloe vera (కలబంద) and gum Arabic (తుమ్మ). These have been well researched (see Materia Medica India)  and there is substantial literature on the Internet (ex:Traditional therapies for Skin Wound Healing). Ideally keeping the wound dry should make it heal faster; ultimately the physical body heals itself aided by our Guru. Our only concern should be this: not to let the patient slip into a grave tetanus infection or other complicated prolonged wound enlargement, etc. Timely medical intervention is a must for such traumatic situations. While writing this article I often think of individuals in the remote corners of Indian villages or some hilly terrain in the Himalayas. As a kid I used to accidentally step on thorny bushes (Acacia) or on the sharp Date Palm leaves. Then mother or sister would gently apply first aid and ease my pain. And we had many (probably more than a dozen) well-trained doctors of various systems (Ayurveda, herbal, Homeopathy, allopathy) in the village. Often they would attend such emergency injuries without charging upfront fees. The tetanus bacterium is mostly found in agricultural environments. It is also found in animal manure (horse dung) and droppings. People with bare feet are especially vulnerable to wounds on the lower limbs. The bacteria can find its path into the body through any accidental cut. The mortality and morbidity from tetanus complications in India is quite high (>40%), hence beware! Copyright 2025 by the author

 

My Bengali Brother (Poem)

“The good is oft interred
With their bones”
No, his good deeds and
Laughter will stay with us;
It will endure, memories will only
Radiate brighter with time

He (VG)
Was one-of-a-kind 
A very unique person
With a flair for classy things
Of life –
From locally produced Maple Sugar,
Crispy Cortland Apples, luscious juicy
Southern tier peaches to
Date Palm Sugar of India

He tried to peek
Thro’ the foggy windows of time
And visualize better times
For humanity; he
Wanted better crops of sugar,
Newer tuber crops and 
Community gardens with heirloom tomatoes

Always loved the aromatic
Madurai Malli, Kakinada Red rose,
Jasmine Grand Duke, Michael Champaka,
Or the rare redolent Hosta (plantaginea)

A lone Cyclamen or a puny Curry Leaf plant
Will keep him happy and buoyant
Through the hard winters
Of Central New York
Once
He cooked a
Pure Vegetarian lunch
With handmade (ghee fried) puris with cauliflower curry
Made me totally feel at home –
A home away from the Indian subcontinent

He was such a sweet
Bengali friend; I miss you
Rather, we all miss you
So early, so soon
We can’t utter goodbye now
Barely we’ve started understanding each other
Yet we must …
Wish you the best on the onward journey

Copyright 2025 by the author