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LORD OF THE UNIVERSE by Hreenka Mg


In my vaishnava faith, or bhakti yoga, poetry is an art…

… a way of expressing our deepest feelings towards Krishna, the Supreme Lord. This poem was written a day before Chennai the Ratha Yatra festival, in the city of Chennai, India, where I live. It is an ancient festival in which the deity of the Lord of The Universe, also known as Jagannatha comes out of the temple for all to see and be blessed.

My poem is about Lord Jagannath’s appearance and his most attractive features. After attending Sri Kshetra Parikrama in December, which is a 19 mile pilgrimage of Puri, Orissa -home to the most ancient Lord Jagannatha temple- my love for Jagannath wonderfully increased immensely. This, in turn, inspired me to write this poem about him.

To the Lord of The Universe I surrender my body and my soul. For his pleasure and for the pleasure of his devotees, and all who read it, I have written this poem. Hare Krishna.


Lord of The Universe

When I was young
   I saw your cute little face,
Your hands shrunk inside
   your body and head had no space.

I thought how weird it was
   for Krishna himself to show
his darshan to all in this way
   The secret I wanted to know.

The story dated years back
   when Rohini started to say
Krishna’s wifes all present
   and Subhadra guarding the gateway.

All still and frozen like ice
   when they heard the very start,
as Krishna cried for Radha
   in separation’s distance apart.

Hearing this from far
   Lord Balaram and Krishna arrived,
from nowhere to be seen
   to hear the story they strived.

When they saw Mata Subhadra
   her ears pressed on the door,
her eyes open widely
   her hands were no more.

They wondered in curiosity:
   “What is going on here?”
They went towards the door
   and on it, placed their ears.

Rohini Mata then narrated
   how tears wept like a river,
Deities at ISKCON Guyana Crane Temple
When Radha cried for Krishna
   to meet him was her endeavor.

Hearing this their eyes opened wide
   in thought of separation,
Their hands and legs shrunk
   no one could understand this situation!

Passing them went Lord Narada
   who stopped and saw this in glee:
“Lord Jagannath! Baladev! Subhadra!
   What merciful forms I see!”

He begged Lord Jagannath
   to show mercy to all who live,
By appearing in this form
   for heaps of blessings he should give!

Granted Lord Narada’s wish
   pleased as Jagannath was,
Showing his wonderful mercy
   by appearing for this cause.

Now, if you see Lord Jagannath
   he’s a thief so sweet,
He’ll steal your heart in seconds
   making you fall onto his lotus feet.

His wide-open eyes
   gives warmth to your heart,
telling you he’s there
   for your problems from the start.

His cherry color lips
   gives a jolly big smile,
Making your day so happy
   you forget your worries for a while.

Deities at Jagannath Temple Puri, Orissa, India
His two shrunken hands
   though small, reach out to you!
For a hug to cure your illness
   given to devotees old or new.

Jagannath doesn’t see caste
   nor does he sees your sex,
You have a craving heart
   that’s the only thing he checks.

The moment you start to utter “Jaga”
By the time you end with “nnath” 
   he stands
Right in front of you
   holding both of your hands.

His sweet voice then says
   “Did you just call me?
Don’t worry I’m here now,
   And from your bonds you’re free! “

So let us jump and dance
   “Hare Krishna Hare Ram”
I’ll take you back to Goloka
   This is the way he works his charm!



Hreenka Mg: “I am originally from Chennai, India and am currently obtaining my bachelor degree in biomedical engineering. My parents are initiated by Jayapataka Swami, and I am also aspiring for that same shelter. I started writing poems at the age of 16. My inspiration was my mother who is also a wonderful poet. I may not be a great poet but I love writing poetry for the sake of Krishna and his devotee’s pleasure. I wish to continue writing bigger and better ones soon! Besides poetry I have a love for singing and dancing.”





~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

Comments

  1. This is a very beautiful poem explaining the appearance of Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra. Please keep on writing such poems more and more in the glorification of Lord and for the pleasure of his devotees and for the benefit of the entire world.

    Deep

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you prabhuji.Mercy of devotees like u is just what i need to continue writing many more poems about the lord.hare krishna :)

      Delete
  2. Welcome to the Women's Spiritual poetry blog, dear Hreenka, and thank you for sharing with us a poetic glimpse into your relationship with Lord Jagannath! This is my favorite verse: "Now, if you see Lord Jagannath he’s a thief so sweet, He’ll steal your heart in seconds, making you fall onto his lotus feet." I encourage you to continue expressing your heart in this way and sharing it with others.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much mataji.With your mercy and blessings I shall write many more poems about krishna for the pleasure of his devotees.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is really wonderful indeed... can't seem to get enough of your marvellous poetry.. may you get more and more inspiration from the Lord... and may you get even more mercy from your diksha guru in the future.. Hari Hari.. ^_^

    Arun

    ReplyDelete

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