ever-present presence

In bits and pieces 

we all have been touched...

Some may agree,

some may argue.

But it's true - 

The truth has touched us

somewhere sometime surely.

The love never abandoned anyone of us.

No matter what we may think or may not...

The presence, the grace is always here.

Why we may feel

it's embrace so seldom,

is because we never opened our eyes

and looked at the breeze

that was always blowing.

The leaves of trees fluttered,

the wings of the butterflies did too,

and the scent the flowers sprayed -

We missed all that

because we were all too caught up!

And who is anyone to judge any of that?

For everyone has their own stories,

and to each one, the experience is real!

But it is also very relative.

And because it is relative,

it gives everyone the chance

to be free in the very moment.

Because it is relative -

All it takes is just

A single step!

-- nayan

Tue, 12 July 2022

Patna

(Image courtesy: https://www.plantedwell.com/butterfly-gardens )

That which Is

That which is Perceiving

is That which Is -

this play of myriad

forms and faces,

colours and shapes,

smells and sounds.

This mysterious creation

that captures attention -

ours, towards herself

every single moment -

is also the place

for deeper recognition

of our true self -

That is Witnessing all this.

The experiences

of Pain and Suffering,

of Loss and Missing someone -

How different these are

from the experiences

of Pleasure and Happiness,

of Gain and Company!

And yet how so similar!

This experiencing of

That which Not Is -

as true, for ourselves - 

Is that that fuels

this colourful cinema.

But the essence is

not the experience

but the experiencer.

True Myths, and

Existant Dreams -

Not that need to discard -

but, the way we cling to

our bound beliefs -

Unwilling to let go

and explore beyond -

Is that that sheathes us

from the Infinite Oneness.

Of Opinions and Arguments,

Of Judgements and Reactions -

our lives have been jailed

in that that we believe

that we know to be true.

Yet, if we allow ourselves, then

At the Moment of Withdrawing

from all the actions and efforts,

in that lap of silence,

we touch a space

that is untouched -

That which Is -

Our true self!

-- nayan

Tuesday, 7th June, 2022

Patna

(Image Courtesy: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/joseph-hennig )

Realisation of a misplaced soul

People come here

to live homeless, but that too 

becomes like a home

with all its illusions.

So wise it is to keep moving,

never allowing the 

sense of permanence 

to get over you.

The sense of belonging

is a tough deal to keep,

more than the insurance it gives, 

it's shakles keep your head under 

the sand, and chokes you, 

it sheaths your eyes, 

so you can't see that 

you were born to fly.

But yourself turn you not

into a morose face 

brooding over the uselessness

that all of us shall die one day;

don't you whine, for anything that 

longer stays loses it's shine,

for a wonder that is short and

not certain gives us a chance to 

cherish our lives divine.

So may we live with the resolve

"die another day",

not to avoid what can't be;

but 'cause it never fails to show up,

we hold in our eyes the spark

and live with as much 

love and as much joy,

the life that is today!

~nayan

wed, 10th feb 2021,

patna

(image credit: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1558659)

On Pratilipi: https://english.pratilipi.com/story/realisation-of-a-misplaced-soul-flcdnuvp66tj

It's time to connect back

Thus spake the wise word -

excess of anything

is always bad,

but few can foresee

what for most,

only time has to tell.

Those who rule those who toil,

those who strike those who bear,

those who break those who join,

if only their hearts would have 

felt their pain,

and their bodies would have 

seen their sweat,

and their veins would have 

sipped their sap,

they would have

listened more and spoken less,

given more and taken less,

embraced more and banished less,

for those that are one,

divide not for selfish gain,

for those that love

dwell not on the path of hate,

for those that are in touch

direct not like a race,

but cares truly like a friend,

and stands by the side,

helps when it helps,

holds a torch otherwise.

Oh dear!

do you hear?

it's time to connect back!

~nayan

wed, 3rd feb 2021

patna

(Image Courtesy: https://www.mensxp.com/special-features/today/37895-the-12-laws-of-the-universe-to-help-you-live-your-life-to-the-fullest.html)

lovely are the little things

lovely are the little things 

that are available to us 

just for free!

but how many of us 

take notice 

and express gratitude?

and life goes on...

let these remain as is,

so those with hearts

may continue to offer gifts 

to those who are not known,

for that is a great blessing

in being able to give

for someone who is in need.

no, don't call it charity,

for its vanity lies in pride,

but welcome it as 

a homecoming of family,

related through bonds 

long forgotten and lost.

and behold that

as the purest gesture,

for the heart that gives sans pride

is the hand that embraces all

without prejudice.

~ love

nayan

sunday the 31st of january, 2021

patna

the fall and the rise

The descent of the heavenly creeper,

was it it's longing to touch the motherly soil,

or the selfish pull of her gravitational embrace?

And the ascent of the grounded one,

pushing itself away from the restricting entangle,

aspiring to the limitlessness of the infinite blue!

The fall and the rise

of the risen and the fallen,

symbolising the longings

of an eternal union,

of the sky and the earth,

makes such a beauty

on the canvas of creation!

- nayan

Tue, 8th Dec 2020

Patna

facing my demons

for ages I have kept running

away from the devils

that reside inside

my dark interiors

of camouflaged compulsions,

for ages I have found

safe gardens where

light does not reach the bottom

to show the shit, where

no one could ever peep

and see what lies hidden,

for ages I have been

troubled inside

with turbulence and nastiness,

but I have been able to

divert attention and kept going on,

for ages I have sought

pleasure in seclusion,

time and again

allowing the cycles to repeat,

basking in the comfort,

assuming no one knows,

for ages I have seen

my legs shaking

when it needed steadiness,

for the foundations

were continuously bitten by

my inner termites,

for ages my being

is being sucked

by a black hole -

self-created and self-nurtured,

and all I did was feeling guilty

after each recurrence,

but now I have decided

to pull down all walls,

cast away all shields,

and stand there

naked under the Sun!

let the fire of a colossal star,

bigger than a thousand black holes,

burn my inner impurities,

light up the eternal pyre, and

chastity me of my hesitation and guilt!

no more now

shall I run away,

no more now

shall I hide,

no more now

shall I fear,

I am now open 

to facing all my demons!

-- nayan

Tue, 13th Oct 2020

Coimbatore

(image source: https://journeyintodreams.com/demon-dream-meaning)

wondering when wisdom shall prevail

what can you do?

there is nothing to be done.

just you can be...

in the sunlight you look for the moon,

in the night sky you don't see the firefly,

and such a huge mountain hides from your eyes...

what is seen, and what is unseen,

what is the line that separates them?

or is it just the inability to see...

water will anyways flow down the hill,

what else needed to have it's presence felt?

and still we stand thirsty...

cursing the creation when things go wrong,

and bursting into partying when we get what we want,

ups and downs continues to torment...

flower blossoms nourishing from the earth,

butterfly dances, tasting it's nectar,

and to the same earth they merge back...

we come, then act our way on the stage,

with sorrow or joy, knowingly or otherwise,

and then we go, when the curtain falls...

this dance, this melody, this poetry of life,

or a songless, unrhythmic prose of boredom and strife,

this choice, this election vote remains uncasted...

the urge to act, the impulse to react, and a brainless race,

have come with consequences gift-wrapped,

wondering when wisdom shall prevail...

-- nayan

Sat, 10th Oct 2020

Coimbatore

(image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alicepopkorn/2766737671)

life flows freely...

if you walk upon this earth,

walk with care,

gently,

that her heartbeats

every moment

we can feel!

through the mother earth's veins

the blood flows too -

that life giving nectar,

which nourishes all life,

animals, birds, plants,

and of course us, humans!

mountains, clouds, springs and rivers,

the sky, the ocean, and the rays of the sun,

in what all forms

does she meet us,

our mother nature!

the worm that crawls, and the butterfly that flies,

the fish that swims, and the deer that runs,

and one who can do all these, the humans,

amongst them -

is someone bigger, or smaller?

how to accept this stupid sense,

when life sprouts abundantly

even in the trees that can't move?

with time, 

does change the colour and the shape, 

the condition of conscious, unconscious, 

moving and unmoving,

but what is seen at this moment,

cements itself such, that

when it breaks, it weeps

in tears of blood!

but life, is after all life!

flowing freely from

the veins of the mother earth

into our veins,

eternally, non-stop!

-- Nayan,

9.30pm,

Saturday, 9th May 2020

Coimbatore

(translation of the poem written in hindi on 7th May)

just there

Where the sky meets the sea

under the impression 

of a false union, 

where the eyes show 

what can't be true, but 

the mind wants to believe -

for the wish of a dream come true!

The sounds that "this one" hears,

one asked the other, do they come off you?

To which "that one" replied a question,

you feel the sensations that "this" feels?

One frowned at the other with a look

that betrayed satisfaction,

though one was silently feeling,

what the other had asked him to feel.

But the other, sensing the act of "this one's" face, 

replied in his own weird way...

That's a fact

that it arose off "this one".

But nothing does it matter

whether it came off "this" or "that"...

Still the sound that travels

through the corridors of waves,

and the drums that reverberate

to listen to understand... -

the fool does wonder -

anything does it unravel?

Behind the fact, you can run 

as much as you can,

but don't miss the truth!

This togetherness of nonsense

and profundity, that starts

from the words, but goes far beyond -

makes "this one" feel timeless!

Whether it is being stuck or free,

"this one" doesn't know - he just stares...

and "that one" just smiles...

This sound of the passing by,

this sight of the eternal flowing,

this movement that seems like a

still picture, but moving at the same time!

This hypnosis of the silence beneath,

this mesmerising presence,

often overlooked and unseen...

This sitting and listening

to the only sound of breath,

makes them realise

that it is neither mine nor yours,

it's just it; just there; happening.

-- Nayan

Sun, 8th Dec 2019

Isha Yoga Centre Coimbatore

Met him on the way

Dehydrated and drained (out)
by the fierce face of the sun,
the boy looked at his mother.
She put her hand on the
heated head of the boy,
wrapped him with her anchal,
and said, Don't worry, he will come...

The eyes burned, and
breathing was difficult,
the boy pressed his mother's hand.
She sensed temperature running high,
took water from an almost empty vessel,
and wiped his face and hands,
and said, When he comes, he will bring coolness...

The feet bled, the earth was burning too,
as they walked through sick and dying cattle,
the boy looked fearfully at his mother.
She caressed him lovingly
with her frail, skinny hand,
and then tumbled with hunger and fatigue,
but said, He will be green and with life...

The desert sand thirsty
for the mother's blood,
was slowly inching away her breath,
the boy held onto her shaking body,
bewildered, and with tears in his eyes.
She hugged him one last time,
and said, He will make you strong...

Parting with the only soul he knew,
the boy walked distances,
surviving through the odds,
met ailing lives all along the way,
dying and decaying civilizations.
His mother's words rang in his ears,
as he journeyed through time...

Sensing movement, he looked up at the sky,
saw birds and walked on their way,
the sky got darker, the air fell silent.
He waited for signals, and then got startled -
the sky roared, and glared with lightening,
the winds drew cooler and danced with speed,
as the sky burst open in one mad pouring!

The rivers flew, the trees grew,
the rejoices of birds and cattle
knew no bounds; thus available
to drink was water, to eat was food,
(with) men and women healthy and strong,
villages spurted again with life good!
His mother's words came true, he
determined to take the learnings of life
back to his home, he closed his eyes,
and spoke to his mother within...

Mother, it wasn't anyone else
for which you had to leave,
and everyone had to suffer;
it was us, it was us, ourselves! -
who razed the greens, and fell the trees,
who soiled the earth, and killed the rivers!
But I know now, how to resurrect...

Yes, he came, and brought down the heat,
spurted the greens and nurtured the lives,
made our hands and hearts, healthy and strong,
and thus revealed he to me,
the secret call to him, the trees
that are to him, the dear most!
And thus wisened I am, taking to our home,
this friend of his, of ours all...

Yes mother, as you had said,
(I) met rain on the way!

- Nayan
7:30 pm, 24th April 2018
On train, Trivandrum to Thrissur

Bundle of Blunders

On the chariot of time, I stand
watching my own mistakes
as they ripple one over the other
softly scratching the surface
of my inflated ego, and
slowly by slowly, seeping
deeper through the barely visible
open wounds of my realisation!

Yes, there has been a change...
From being a seeming painter
over a messy canvas,
to becoming the paint itself
in the beautifully crafted marvel
in the hands of the real painter, my master!

I ever feel the constant treble of his words -
Of being pure of hands and hearts,
to touch people's lives,
but before that, get self-touched,
to bring a taste of the highest possibility -
at least, a drop to one and all!

Yet, I've been terribly unsure, within,
and charged to be impractical, outside!
Painfully, trying to reason out a meaning
of my being, my life, my existence -
till he nudged me again and again,
with his endless compassion and patience!

This opportunity, a privilege immense,
bestowed upon this one,
is not an ornament to swell high,
but to bow down,
and be a reflection!
And yet, this unaware forgetfulness of mine,
makes me aware of my unworthiness,
and the path I need to walk
and be on, to bridge the gap!

That the misses of my memory
on the canvas of my consciousness
seem too big to swallow!
A constant reminder has gripped me -
that I'm too small to know anything,
in this world, unparalleled, unbound!
I gasp in awe at my own misses,
and gaze in wonder when
someone silently does the needful!

May be I don't feel the weight right now,
but I know it's growing bigger
with each lapse in my awareness,
though encouraged by assurances,
by those who hit more, and miss less,
I work towards dropping this
unconscious burden,
my bundle of blunders!

- Nayan
24th April 2018, 3.44 pm
On train, Trivandrum to Thrissur

On the roads, once again!

bjgindia · On The Roads Once Again - Recitation By Nayan

On the roads, once again!
Not for fighting with opinions,
or with humiliation or elation on the outcomes,
but to assimilate everything
and everyone, and growing beyond,
this time!

On the roads, once again!
Not for trying to find a foothold
amidst the sea of bewildered humanity,
but to know the insignificance of this life,
thus losing the hold to the infinite,
this time!

On the roads, once again!
Not for attempting to erase
the insecurities of an unpredictable life,
but to relish the freedom 
from both security and insecurity,
this time!

On the roads, once again!
Not for filling the life with meaning,
through occurrences - lives and events,
but to be empty of these compulsions,
thus independence from the need to fill,
this time!

On the roads, once again!
Not for struggling for a way out
from life - mundane and hopeless,
but to offer a possibility
of homecoming to everyone around,
this time!

These roads shall not be a struggle,
not an entanglement, any more!
Let the hurdles on the path wear all layers artificial,
the scorching heat burn all likes and dislikes, 
the thunderous rain dissolve the need to react, and
the traveller himself become patience and compassion, limitless!

- Nayan
Tue, 13th March 2018
On way to Isha Yoga Centre Coimbatore from Patna

Oh Mountains

Oh Mountains!
The more I see you,
the more you seem to be more!
The more I try to know you,
the more you seem to be fathomless!

These feet of mine are tired
and devoid of the courage and confidence
that were, when I had started.
Your glorious peak, 
that I had ambitioned to acquire,
now feels far far away,
and its snow covered face
shining in the light of the sun
glares at me with a belittling laughter!

The protected body of mine
has now worn out
and about to fall apart!
Mother earth has shown me
my place, by snatching away
the once certain unbreakable cover
from this arrogant fool!
Now what do I ask
with shaken self and quavering courage?
My voice is no more mine!

Without you pointing this to me,
could I have ever realised
what irresponsible injustice 
I've inflicted on this sacred body
of my Mother and her children?

And now I am here free 
of my misplaced sense 
of physical superiority,
but also devoid of all strength!
I have no way, but to drop down here,
with life draining out slowly.

Oh Mother, your generosity!
The greens that still survive 
of your great forests, 
Oh Mountains,
have given back my life!
The soothing shade, which
I am rejuvenating under
is no less than the elixir!
And the cool touch of the breeze
and the waters of your hill stream
have resurrected my soul!

And now down I bow
before every one of your bounties
Oh Mother!
I bow down to you!

- Nayan

Started writing at Isha Yoga Centre Coimbatore on 1st March 2018
Completed at a place near Ooty on 3rd March

growing bigger

Image Source: https://twitter.com/Akif0853/status/649912363823534080

growing bigger

You like to grow richer,

I like to grow bigger!

When you keep on

gathering more and more

paper and metal and stone -

for fame on a nameplate shown!

I share my take-home

with someone who needs it more

a no one who is to my family and fond -

and in the process, I grow bigger

a little beyond than my family's bound!

Thus while you love to gather riches,

I love to gather people's smiles

and thus keep redrawing the circle

of what I call my family

bigger and bigger

with every happiness' cry!

And when the call comes,

I'll be the happy the most!

Since, nothing can you really take,

except the satisfaction that lies inside.

And nothing gives it the way it gives,

when you know you have touched

another life deep enough,

that your life own has grown richer

far more than what all the treasures can buy!

Still I say, we are no different -

You and I.

You gather the finite for the limited,

I gather the infinite for the unlimited!

And I sincerely hope

that one day your path shall 

merge into mine.

That day the little angels,

for whom my efforts aren't rare,

shall smile a little bigger,

and thank a little louder!

because you would also

that day start to care!

- Nayan

1 am (past midnight)

16th Sep 2016

Delhi

(on evernote mobile app)

My friend! Whomever you may be – I call upon you!

Please join me with some contribution to support education of rural children in India, 

whatever is possible from your end. 

It may be as little as INR 100, or in some kind.  

Even a drop of water is valuable in a world thirsty of education.

Read my full blog about Isha Vidhya.

I have a campaign running at http://ket.to/bjgRuns4IshaVidhya

Or, you can also donate at http://www.ishavidhya.org/marathon/index.php

You can spread the word, if you feel convinced with what I have written after my personal experience. You can volunteer as well, if you wish.

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Thank you! :-)