The Saga of Sulakhni

A chapter from the life of Guru Nanak, The Light :

Part - 1

Reveling in conjugal bliss with the Light,
she walks on the path, wise and right.
Her life perfect, euphoric and joyous.
Meaningful too, not shallow nor pompous.
Oft she dwells on the Supreme absolute,
sits with laity and sings hymns to the lute.
Questions the blinding ritualistic grasps,
raises the parish beyond worldly clasps.
Serves the congregation with utmost love,
follows His Word from the heavens above.

 

Part - 2

And thus she lives as days pass by,
saintly, exalted figure, people doth deify.
Sulakhni, they call her, the virtuous one.
In the Light, she finds, her midnight sun.
Sincere and earnest, her faith is rewarded.
She says, it happens – this boon is awarded.


Part - 3
 
There are zealots there and scoffers too,
plenty of them, jeering at all that you do.
And so a bunch of cynics is waiting today,
to test her faith, to mock and downplay.
Skilled ascetics, with powers immense,
elements they control with practice intense.
Adept they are, they have mastered God,
they walk on waters as common men laud.
Flawed in their thinking, their vision is gone.
Long past the divinity, only body and brawn.


Part - 4
 
So they wait in hiding, as patrons sing
songs of glory, attuned to harp with string.
Mellow and tuned, their litanies enthrall.
In the kitchens, she cooks meals for all,
with dullops of faith and tempered with prayers.
In the hands of Light, they rest their affairs.


Part - 5

She does not count nor measures cups or scoops.
Every bite a delight, the food prompts some whoops.
With faith she fills the buckets and breadbaskets,
serving everyone fervently, without looking at caskets.
The parishioners are leaving, happy and content.
Relishing the time they have beautifully spent.
Some stay back to help her clean the place,
some help with utensils, some mop the space.
Soaked in the color of True Name, they all work hard,
selflessly they serve, with devotion and regard.


Part - 6
 
Unfriendly ones, lurking in shadows dense,
Mala fide their drift, they begin the pretence.
Forth to the shrine, to smear and malign,
Psalm songs echo, the beginning of design.
Chanting and praying, they reach the hermitage,
Servitors announce a total hundred and fifty sage.


Part - 7

Fickle these saints, and unfaithful their curtsy.
Yet the Light smiles, a brimming fountain of mercy.
All knowing, all pervading, the Light calls for supper.
Sardonic smiles of sages, while servants shudder.
They bow before the Light, with flustered minds,
And they reach Sulakhni to succour left behinds.
They sink into sadness, there's no way they can feed,
For the sages are ravenous, athirst with greed.
But Sulakhni smiles, these are orders of the Light,
And His shall ever prevail, boundless is His Might!


Part - 8

She prays and she chants, while she hands out plates,
no one has ever returned hungry from His gates.
Then she hands out the breadbasket to the steward chief.
Covers it with 'kerchief, and recites psalms with belief.
The steward looks askance at the meagre divide.
Just five flatbreads, for the savage lions and their pride.


Part - 9

Unwavered in resolve, Sulakhni tells him to begin,
not to remove the 'kerchief, but to pray deep within.
To add dullops of clarified butter to their meals,
to top it with sugar, to mark servings with faithful seals.
And the believers bow humbly and serve this faction,
Glory be to Thee, the hermits are dazed at this action.
There's bread on every plate and sugar in every scoop,
a rich meal on every platter, no one left in the troop.
And the men eat a hearty supper with relish and delight,
Defeated, yet sated, it is such a wonderful sight.


Part - 10

Finished with the meals, they thank and they rise,
accept their pettiness, do away with disguise.
But one of their men plays on, he asks for more,
portion after portion, he asks with a roar,
his powers help him to increase his hunger,
stupifies everyone, and makes them wonder.


Part - 11

Baffled and confounded they seek Her help.
How do we satiate him, they ask with a yelp.
She smiles and she thinks of Lord Almighty,
and she prepares the plate for the highty-tighty.
Glory be to Thee, one bread of Thy Name.
And the sage loses his powers, fails in his game.
The Light smiles and showers grace on His men,
The sages learn from Him and return to their den.
Thus ends the story, the saga of Sulakhni, the blessed.
Faith, belief and devotion, all glitches redressed. 

Welfare unto all

Rab Rakha

Budhdham Sharnam Gachchami

With wobbly feet going astray,
adrift in illusory realms,
where savage darkness overwhelms,
hackneyed, we seeketh the right way;
We delve within, souls, we assay.
Byways, like muddled labyrinth,
unravelled slowly, placed on plinth.
The tangled branches of desires,
we free our hearts from such quagmires.
Peace within, sanctified pathway.

Linking with RonovanWrites Decima Poetry Challenge 

'Tis the season

The flakes of peace blanketing this earth,

and love smoldering in every hearth,

the feast of childhood and warm circle of folks,

melody in songs, laughter and wild jokes,

gifts that say we care,

grace and blessings here,

Lord in our hearts, and a spirit that never grows old,

a coin for charity, joyous traditions replayed and retold.

The glow of happiness, lamps and light.

Never the winter, with such a Christmas bright.

  

Hitchhiking with Sunday Scriptures Blessings 

The Tempest

The tepid calmness beneath the somber shroud

Pregnant with a promise of violent storm

The preceding silence is intensely loud

Still and stagnant, like a painting in the dorm

Ships return, seagulls take refuge at the coast

In those darkened hours barely before the storm

And then the gusts taste of thunder, roar and boast

Blizzards twist and twirl the weather-vanes about

Deafening howls resound from pits nethermost

A chaos reigns within, a chaos, without.

Until a sliver of hope is tossed about.

Courtesy: Louise, with The Storyteller's Abode

Linking with Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers 

Scraping skeletons

Beneath this skin,

Smoothly wrapped around

The bare bones, we are all

But skeletons, fairly homogeneous.

Each one born naked,

Each,

An assemblage of

Branches,

Carefully cloaked with barks,

Some dark, some faded.

A smooth layer, that the rind makes,

Enfolding the chalky figures.

Deceiving. Deluding. Definitely

 Leading astray.

And all along, cozened

By this illusion

We shower sweet caresses

On charming surfaces,

Never bothering

To rake the cutis.

But

Some day

Our bloom and our strength

Will decay.

We will all

End up as

Skeletons,

Not in the glory of skin

We wear

But a set of bare bones.

Courtesy : Friday Fictioneers

Linking with Friday Fictioneers

Linking with Velvet Verbosity : 100 Words Challenge : Smooth

Shivering sea

Despite the layers, she stiffled a shiver,
Under a foggy grey sky, without a visible star,
Amidst a myriad of humans and cars, an endless sea.

His words stirred her, like ripples in the sea,
With bated breath she listened, stiffled another shiver,
Moon would have made it perfect, moon and some star.

But she knew they were out there, both the moon and the star,
And that made it perfect. Her own perfect little story in a sea
Of infinite love stories. Two souls bursting in an ecstatic shiver.

She stiffled another shiver, was it because there was no moon or star that she was now left with a sea of memories.

Monday's measly minutes #7

Dear Monday,

I participated in December poetry slam : Tritinas.
Of the two prompts given to me, I have attempted one. On a workMonday, I could afford only these many measly minutes. Plus the skepticism about trying a totally new thing.

But I liked the format so I will try the other set soon.

On with the prompt set: Christine Hanolsy suggested the following set for me: dark, wind, gold.

And here's my very first Tritina:

Only if you were not a dream of dark
Winter night; I would have told the wind,
To call you back; Bonding beneath the sliver of silvery gold.

But when the skies were stained a sparkling gold,
All I had with me were wrinkled reminders from dark,
And some lilting sussarations of the cold moist wind.

Slowly the leaves and straws scattered in the wind,
With the wind. Slowly, through you I turned to gold,
Burning yet satiated, Like fireflies in the dark.

Like a wanderer's homecoming from the dark, like a sparrow in sweeping strong wind, like a moth drawn to amber gold, I too surrendered.

So while you figure out what I did here, my Monday clock is asking me to move on to the next thing in the list.

Welfare unto all ...

For love

Resplendent gems of loft,

Thee make my spirit glow.

Thee crown my being with bliss,

And quench my thirsty soul.

Thy shadow all I seek,

For love,

You tether joys to my heart.

Linking with Trifextra: Week Eighty-Four

A thin hairline crack

It all starts

But

With a thin hairline crack.

And the next thing

You know is

That the dam has burst.

And that

There is absolutely

No stopping it.

Its like a whisper

That grows and grows

And grows

Until

It becomes loud enough

To be heard

Over the blaring din

Of surrounding minds and hearts.

Like a ripple

That strengthens to

A fierce storm.

And despite

The rush,

The flood,

The force,

One can feel

Absolute joy,

Pure, sheer bliss,

A sort of calm and peace

That is unbound,

Unparalleled,

And equally inexplicable.

But

And there is always this but

That makes things complicated.

But,

Like all exciting things,

Like playing with fire,

And not knowing if

It will warm or burn;

Like dancing on shards of glass,

Balancing precariously lest they pierce;

It comes with its risks too.

Risky – but worth the temptation.

And trust me.

You can’t go looking for it.

It comes to you – at the right time.

And when it does,

It will begin with

A thin hairline crack.

Linking with Trifecta : Week Eighty-six: Crack

Linking with Woven dreams : Whisper

Linking with Picture it and write : Ermiliablog

To you, with love

To you

With love

And with

Lots of blessings

From heavens

Above

That you can

Rise up

With the

First light

And

Catch the

Dancing fireflies.

That smiles

Greet

You every day

And

Hope

Too

Finds its way

That you

Can look at lovely scenes

And then

Close your

Eyes to dream

That

You can

Tend the

Blossoming flowers

And

Reach out

For the stars

That you

Can live

And love

To you

For your spirit

And strife

To stay alive

To you

With lots

Of love

For every

Single breath.

Linking with Blogging from A to Z : Letter T

Rhyme of Love

For love

Can wait

A century

Yet not grow old;

For love

Is one kingdom

Where death

Has lost its

Hold.

For love

Is a charge

That rests

Beautifully

On this

Slice of heart

So bold.

Linking up with Trifextra : Week Sixty-Four

Remember me as a candle

Remember me as a candle,

That lit your way,

When all was dark,

And there was no ray

That tried to help you in every way

And prayed that all joys and smiles, in your heart they stay,

To give you strength to cross all that blocks the path,

To keep you from falling and stumbling as you pass,

That stood by you when things went down and rough,

And that was there with you when the times were tough,

That braved the winds along with you,

To cheer you up when you were feeling blue …

And now that you call me and I cannot appear,

Do not worry and don’t ever fear,

Far from your heart I can never be,

I will always be the light to help you see,

When it grows dark, just look in your heart,

I may not be there but my light will never part …

Remember me as a candle,

That may not be burning now,

But that lit your way once.

Linking up with Alphabe-Thursday - Letter C

Linking up with Write on Edge - Red Writing Hood : Candle and Iowa

Blessed to be alive

I am blessed to be alive

to be able to rise up this morning

and see the beauty of

dew-drops on the flowers.

I am blessed to be alive

to be able to rise up this morning

and feel the strength

of the rising sun.

I am blessed to be alive

to be able to rise up this morning

and enjoy the treasures

that surround me.

I am blessed to be alive

to be able to rise up this morning

and see my loved ones

happy and satisfied.

I am blessed to be alive

to be able to rise up this morning

and work for

and chase my dreams.

I am blessed to be alive

to be able to rise up this morning

and bow my head

in Your Grace.

I am truly blessed to be alive.

Linking up with Write On Edge : Red Writing Hood - Gratitude

Linking up with Five Minute Friday - Thank You

Faint glimmer in heart

Ripe autumn air’s come to bless.

Showering sweet November caress.

We could be holding hands and walking,

Silent but still talking.

Faint glimmer in heart.

White winters, no flowers in sight.

Frosty December moonless night.

And here I am hoping for your arm,

To keep me safe, to keep me warm.

Faint glimmer in heart.

The year twenty twelve is leap they say.

Oh! I can hope some more, there’s one more day.

Hope for smiling summers with you,

Hope for blessings to rain through.

Faint glimmer in heart.

Dying, not yet vanished,

There’s a faint glimmer in this heart.

Linking with Trifecta : Week Fifty

Linking with Velvet Verbosity : 100 Words

The Autumn

The then blossoming buds and lush greens,

Now the falling leaves of autumn.

The blooming clusters now withered and wasted.

Twilight, again!

The spring is dawn,

Only to those who brave the fall.

Linking with Trifextra : Week Thirty-Six

Shadow

One day I questioned my shadow:-

Why do you walk beside me all the time?

Be it thicker and darker nights,

Or the thinner and happier sun-shines;

What makes you stick to me?

Why do you accompany me?

One day I questioned my shadow:-

It answered me back in its baritone.

"You find in me a fancy, an illusion.

You treat me like a phantom, a reflection.

You know not but I am there to show you,

that little burning lamp in those dark streets.

I am there not to bring any despair,

but to usher you into the door of opportunities.

I am there to cheer you on and on.

I am there so that you may never be alone.

I am there for you and because of you.

I am there to repose your faith in you."

And one day when I saw my shadow:-

I smiled for I knew I had a friend for life.

Linking up with

Five minute Friday : Opportunity

Trifextra : Week Eighteen

Three bears, yes the Three Bears

Three bears, yes the Three Bears.

Together they played, together did they cheer.

Big and strong, medium and small,

In a sweet little home - for summer and fall.

One fine day, they cooked porridge in pot.

But could not eat it, for it was boiling hot.

So, out for a walk, they all did go,

And cold, they let their porridge grow.

And when they were out, walking in green,

In came a little dame, in the place kempt and clean.

Golden hair and golden frocks,

They called the little girl “Goldilocks”.

The scent of porridge had carried her in,

And she sat to eat, but did not fit in,

She showed no courtesy, she did not wait.

She ate hurriedly and she ate in haste.

She burnt her tongue but she did not care,

She had good chance, when the bears were not there.

She hurried through spoons and plates and tin.

So, she sat down to eat but did not fit in,

For the chair was big and she was small,

She tried the smaller and then smallest of all.

She sat through the bottom of the small wee chair,

And from the smallest bowl she ate every morsel that was there.

She had a bad heart and a bad mouth too.

She went about the house, through and through.

Then she saw the cozy beds,

The blankets bright and the neat bed-spreads.

She tried them all one by one.

But like the littlest one, she found none.

And while she slept and snored and dreamt,

The bears were back to a strange scent.

They were sorry to see the porridge gone,

And the sight of the broken chair made them all forlorn.

Cautious they swept through the rooms and stores,

Till in the small wee bed, they heard her snores.

Their shrill sound woke her up from dreams,

Up she sprang and ran through open screens.

They know not what 'came of her, the little Goldilocks;

The one with the golden hair and golden frocks.

This teaches not to steal and sneak,

Good lessons does this story speak.

Linking up with Trifextra : Week Thirteen

Goodbye...

Go ...

Bbye take care - a common signing out remark - typed so easily at the command of the mighty brain.
But the real life good bye is neither that simple nor easy.

Farewell my dear friend,
may God be with you,
through good and bad, from start till end,
He may see you through.

Good bye my dear friend,
It is hard to let go.
But this I promise you,
that I will not let my tears flow.

For may be round the corner,
we will meet again
And get to play in shining sun
or in the wonderful rain.

Goodbyes are not meant
to last forever ...
Good byes are meant
to bring us closer than ever.

Stop.
Linking up with Five Minute Fridays

Light ...

Go ...

He lights up our path

and guides us all the way.

We find Him close to heart

when all seemed away.

He never shuns, will never leave

All is good, when we believe.

He cares, He creates and it is He who destroys.

He is the cause and the effect, the sorrows and the joys.

Now that we see His light, shining bright,

we know it is going to be all right.

Stop.
Linking up with Five Minute Fridays
Linking up with Spiritual Sundays

Loud

Loud

Go.

Loud and aloud,

Came the voice from deep down.

Go for it, this is your chance

To rhyme and reason and dance

I listened to it like every time I did

Not looking back to check

Any malice if it hid

Yes, I had heard the voice

The very loud and clear instinct

Like Some guardian guiding me

Some God giving me hint

The voice had been firm

And so had been the sound

I wonder who spoke

I wonder which friend I found

And then I realized

It was my own voice

Telling me not to give up

To make a right choice

The voice was loud and clear

Not frail and weak

Wherefrom had it received

The strength it always did seek

Gracious eternally, I listened to the sound

And everytime I did so,

Happiness is all I found.

Stop.

Submitting this entry for Five Minute Friday.