|| Hari Om||

                                           
                                           
Hari Om. Each of us has been given the freedom of choice. This is a freedom we often misuse. We are too easily swayed, too easily tempted. 

Evil is alluring.
Evil is deceptive. 
Evil offers an illusion of ease, glory and riches.
Evil will devour us until only darkness remains....

However, we are blessed ! Our dearest Bapuraya has come to lead us. His light shall lead us from the darkness. 

He has showed us the path.
He has empowered us to follow it.
It is up to us to take the first step...

This Aniruddha Pournima, let us embrace His light so that we may banish the dark.
Bapu will always protect His children. He will never forsake us ! 


           Let us march with our Bapu and win the struggle against evil !!!

                                              The Struggle

In a humble man like you and I,

A great struggle did start,

He felt a voice of dark within him,

A blackness in his heart.

A good man was he,

But soon the voice won out,

For promises of riches, glory, fame,

It did begin to shout.

“I will give you all you desire,

You will be greater than the great,

Accept my path and work with me,

Come, embrace your fate.

I will help you conquer all,

You shall fear none,

In return, I ask but a favour,

I’m yours once the deed is done….

Renounce the one you call the Lord,

Don’t listen to His voice,

Let us work together now,

You must make the choice.”

Sorely tempted was the man,

But resolute, another voice spoke,

And from the depths of darkness, with a jolt,

The good man then awoke.

“”Remember who you are”, it said,

Remember that you pray,

That I do dwell  within your heart,

Walk with you every day.”

“You and I are one”, it said,

“Come, take my hand,

Rise above this petty evil,

Let me help you stand”

“Lies”, screeched the other voice,

The one from the nether pit,

It began to claw at the poor man’s mind,

Tearing him apart bit by bit.

Weakened, tired, he began to yield,

Evil took control,

The darkness rose from deep within,

Threatening to consume him whole.

“Lie! Steal! Burn! Kill!

Let your life waste away,

And as you sink deeper into my world,

My strength does grow each day!”

“Who are you to challenge me?

Tremble before my might,

And you and He shall both learn,

To fear and obey the night

But the man was good at heart,

Even in his pain he still believed,

That the Lord was with him still,

That his suffering will be relieved.

His hope built into a concrete thought,

His thought into a prayer,

Till he glowed with a pure light,

That the darkness could not bear.

Then spoke the Voice, the one above,

Clear for all to hear,

“Leave this place, leave my child,

Let him be free from fear.

To overcome our love, our bond,

You have neither strength nor skill,

For even when the night is darkest,

I am with him still.”

The darkness made a frantic effort,

But recoiled as though flayed,

For it could not touch a pure man,

And pure at heart he had stayed.

The blinding light of truth shone forth,

The evil was no more,

No force of night dared venture near,

Nor knock on his heart’s door.

Then said the Lord, to his dear child,

“Your story shall be told,

Let all know that in the face of dark,

We must be brave and bold.

Tales of dark must spread no fear,

But strengthen you from within,

For as long as you walk along my path,

We shall always win”.

And so they walked hand in hand,

Towards the future bright,

A future filled with joy unmatched,

Filled with love’s white light...

                                                                 
                                                                     || Shri Ram ||

"I Will Never Forsake You"/ “You are not Alone”

||Hari Om||

      Hari Om !

      Our dearest Bapuraya has given us the assurance that He will never forsake us. This statement forms the basis for all our lives.Wherever we may be, heaven or hell, glory or sin, He is always with us. He will never close His doors to us. Upon each path that we tread, He walks with us. We are truly fortunate.He is always by our side, and we are never alone. Whenever we fall, or stray and make the wrong choice, His Voice speaks to us and brings us back to Him. In life's greatest darkness, His Voice leads us to the light ... 

"I Will Never Forsake You"/ “You are not Alone”

Upon this day was born a child,

New to this world bright,

For he had just emerged from the darkness,

Stepped into the light.

He felt lost in this great world,

In his sorrow he let out a moan,

Then spoke a Voice from far above,

“Patience child, you are not alone. . .”

Thus grew the child, stepped into the world,

With new hope in his heart,

While around him friends and family,

Did come briefly then depart.

A day came when he, now a man,

Had no one left around.

He strained his eyes searching for comfort,

But on Earth, none could be found.

Consumed by sorrow, lost again,

“I am alone” he cried,

Then once more, the Voice above,

Spoke to him and replied. . .

“Those of your world are fleeting, with them,

You cannot solace find,

Instead focus on my Voice and peace,

With your heart, soul and mind.”

But the essence of these words,

He could not understand.

Yet from the Voice he drew some warmth

And began to roam the land.

Then soon upon a crossroad,

This innocent young man came,

And that he chose the easiest path,

Him we cannot blame.

There was a reason he failed the test,

Chose the wrong path and task.

The cause being that he followed blindly,

And the Voice he did not ask.

So there came a day when he,

Realized the folly of his way,

And kneeling before the Almighty,

For forgiveness he began to pray. . .

“Fear not” said the Voice above,

“I remember you even when you forget,

Now I will lead you to my path,

Where you need have no regret.”

Humbled, the man, began to follow,

The road arduous and long,

But his heart, now filled with warmth,

Always beat true and strong.

However, he was but a man,

And his resolve began to crack,

For none walked with him and none were ahead,

There was no-one when he looked back.

So once more, he found himself,

Seemingly alone and lost,

And all the fire in his heart,

Seemed chilled as if by frost.

Then once again he heard the Voice,

Gentle, caring and slow,

Like the caressing voice of a parent,

Speaking to the child below.

“On my path few people, my child,

Will you ever find,

Yet those on other paths are not to be trusted,

Bear that always in mind.”

“On that path, I am with you still
But my Voice you cannot hear,
For you will lose yourself in material things,
And hold the wrong things dear.”

“Here today you are faced with,

Life’s single greatest choice:

Whether to join the mass for company,

Or to listen to my Voice. . . “

Eventually, the man did find,

A companion he could love,

One who walked the same path,

The path of the Voice above.

Then came a day, when that companion too,

Passed into the void,

Then came the fear of the end,

The fate none can avoid. . .

And in his fear, he forgot the Voice,

Forgot the guidance true,

And with each passing day,

His fear and loneliness grew.

At last, there came the day, his time,

On Earth was at an end,

Silence stilled the beats of his heart,

And darkness did descend.

Then through his fear, through the gloom,

Through the dark a bright light shone.

A hand reached out and clasped his, as the Voice said,

                                                “Even here, you are not alone. . .    ‘

                             Thank you Bapu for being with me, always....

||Shri Ram||

||Hari Om||

   

When I started this blog yesterday, the title was "HIS Mortal Instrument".

 I believed that this represented my complete surrender to Him as well as a sombre acceptance of and a cool indifference to the truth we know as Death...

However, I realize  now that I lacked acceptance and most certainly indifference.

We tend to prove our worth to ourselves by pretending to accept and defeat that which we fear the most. This is a hollow victory at best, for our deepest fears are not dispelled but instead retreat to the darkest corners of our subconscious; becoming spectres that haunt us for eternity.

I feared death. I realize now that it is foolish to pretend otherwise.

This fear has always cast a shadow on my life. The fear of oblivion, of loss of identity.

 I believe in the afterlife, always have; but even my  happiest thoughts about heaven used to leave me with a twinge of fear somewhere in my soul.

The poem that features in parts in this post was one that I wrote as another expression of my so-called conquest over death.

However, until this day it was but words on paper. Then, HE breathed life into the empty words and made me whole...

The day is done,

It’s time to go,

Let’s reap the fruits

That we did sow.

The night has come,

Let’s say goodbye

To all we leave,

When we sail on high.

My limbs are bare,

As is my mind,

For all the jewels,

I left behind.

Not fame nor glory,

Not anger nor sorrow,

Can cross the border,

T’ween today and tomorrow.

I leave the land,

As I came before.

Victory and loss,

They matter no more.

The sun has set,

There is no light.

Let me disappear,

Into the night.

The dark consumes me,

And I forget,

All peace, all solace,

Hold just regret.

Of deeds undone,

Of words unsaid,

Foul memories black,

Do fill my head.

   

Oblivion looms,

My end is near,

I have lost all precious,

All that was dear.

At this moment,

I close my eyes,

Blind to the stars,

That fill the skies.

This was my life before I met HIM. A pretence of bravery hiding the underlying fears, darkness, inhibitions and despair.

Here I was, lost. I was sinking into the murky abyss my own thoughts had created. Though blessed with wonderful loving parents I still let fear rule my life; for then I feared the separation from my loved ones.

Fear is a persistent enemy ! However, HE overcomes all . . .

                                                    

                        At this moment,

                        I close my eyes,

                        Blind to the stars,

                        That fill the skies.

But hark, listen,

What is that sound,

The noise of feet,

Upon the ground?

Upon my path,

Is there another,

Some sad, lost,

Wandering brother?

Listen,

There it is once more,

The sound of footsteps,

On the floor.

   

I open my eyes,

I cannot see,

Yet I feel HIM,

Near me.

Then speaks HIS voice,

Both gentle and mild,

‘Take heart, I love you,

My dearest child!’

I see a light,

A warm faint glow,

Remember the love,

I once did know.

And as the light

Falls on HIS face,

I recall HIS touch,

HIS warm embrace.

I stand up straight,

My tears dry,

I have no reason,

Left to cry.

“You and I,

Firm together”,

That voice, that face,

It is none other.

Then the One,

My dearest friend,

Who knows me, loves me,

To the end.

This night, HE spoke to us, HIS friends. He showed us the path.

Earth is Heaven

Heaven is Earth

There is no death

There is just Birth.

He gave us HIS word that those who love HIM need never fear death,

for the end of one life is naught but the beginning of another.

And in each birth, through every trial, HE will Always be with me.

My Parent, Teacher, Friend! YOU have set me free... 

 

I take HIS hand,

Match HIS stride,

Together we roam,

Far and wide.

No terror lurks,

No sorrow strong,

HIS radiance they cannot

Bear so long.

No creature foul,

Dares raise its head,

Evil trembles,

Beneath HIS tread.

And we reach,

Our journey’s end,

And prepare together,

To ascend.

Here is the Sun,

It is the morn,

We walk together,

Into the dawn……..

Now I see every Sunset as a new, different and better Sunrise.

O Bapu, You have killed my death, and all that remains is life ...

                                                        ||Shri Ram||

                                        ...HIS IMmortal Instrument... Now and always!