Poem #11

Dedicated to all my ancestors.

You lived and worked hard to make us civilised,

You loved and touched every heart to become humanized,

The extent of understanding that you all have sowed,

Grateful will we always be, with our heads bowed…

The father of Indian soil, Kashyap, got the Vaishyas together,

To keep the whole human race from running helter skelter,

Mother Earth prospered and bloomed and thrived,

“Kashyapi” or “Urvi” as what to call Her, you decide…

The father of Democracy is none other than the Atri,

With Anusuya by his side, Dattatrey belongs to this tree,

The upliftment of Humanity is the goal of their lives,

To find God within is what every being now strives…

Vashishtha is the proponent of Anarchism, (self rule )

To unearth His work and learn the methodism,

He is not the slave of a king, but an epoch king maker,

The clan of Ikshvaku would be indebted for their raker…

Vishwamitra the king, who overcomes his vices,

To compete with oneself is the process he realises,

The one who gave “Gayatri” to one and all

And gracefully saved himself from the fall…

Next is the ever angry Jamadagni divine,

Who fought his life to save the bovine,

Renuka, his consort, is an epitome of justice,

The footwear and umbrella are at their service…

Parashar is the one who spoke Vedas in the womb,

Gave his “Smriti” to live in Kaliyug (modern world) and doom,

If a person learns to live by his ten commandments,

He will prosper as they will be a man’s adornments…

Bharadwaj is known as the Father of Medicine,

He delivered the mankind from physical sin, (not taking care of ones body)

Father of Dronacharya and a guide to Lord Ram,

“Bringing about nourishment” is a work for the calm…

Thus the Saptrishis do tread on Mother Earth,

To spread the faith and remove our dirth,

“Pitrupaksh” (Shraddh) are the days to remember them,

And gratefully keep them at our lives helm…

The days of the Pitrupaksh (Shraddh)… Remembering and being grateful to our ancestors… We do remember the lineage we belong to, that is our grandfather and their fathers. But at the same time, we need to remember our ancestors, the Rishis, who gave us this way of life. And so today I tried to write in simple words the work and their contribution to the society.

Rishis have done a huge, although the word is too small, work for the upliftmen of human and making of the civilisation. It’s very difficult to write about their work in a single blog. So have just highlighted their work in a few words. Hope you all like it and try to find about the work they have done.

Today is also World River Day. (Its always on the last sunday of September) For us Indians, river have been the basis of our civilisation. The Ganga, Yamuna, Naramada all have been a constant soure of inspiration to all of us. I bow down to them today.

गंगा सिंधु सरस्वति च यमुना गोदावरी नर्मदा ।
कावेरी शरयू महेन्द्रतनया चर्मण्वती वेदिका ।।
क्षिप्रा वेत्रवती महासुरनदी ख्याता जया गण्डकी ।
पूर्णा:पूर्णजलै:समुद्रसहिता:कुर्वन्तु मे मंगलम् ।।

(May the rivers Ganga, Sindhu, Saraswati, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada, Kaveri, Sharayu, Mahendratanaya, Chambala, Vedika, Kshipra, Vetravati (a rivulet), chiefly the Mahasurnadi, Jaya and Gandaki become sacred and absolute, and along with the sea, shower benevolence on me.)

At the end, do bow down again to all my ancestors and express my gratefulness to making me what I am today.

Shree Pandurangarpanamastu.