Goodwill is everywhere
I sense no angst or fear
I wish I could share
Silence with a Seer
But much is being said
Here words abound
Some are full of wisdom
Some are just sound
Quietly I withdraw
Where the Spirit rules
Past the myriad panths
Past all the "schools"
There my Truth
Emerges at last
A blessed gift,
From lives past
I need no special garb,
I belong to no "order'
As I touch the Divine,
At its lustrous border
Om reverberates here
Unstruck and unseen
And I glimpse fleetingly
Who I AM, and have been
Mathura, Kashi are behind me
Ma Ganga, Prayags too
I find what was never lost
I was always That, nothing new
And then, all too soon,
Back in the hallowed hall
Amongst these revered Seers
Knowledgeable, worthy all
I like the holy men
They of the serene smile
I feel they're my brothers
With me here awhile
My Guru is not here
Others I greet as me
When in their gentle eyes
Kindness I can see
With sunshine in my head
And laughter in my heart
I swim in this sea of saffron
Trying to play my part
This is needed too
To keep our Dharma alive
Now no faith will survive
That doesn't strive
There's much to protect
Maps to the Divine
So much ancient wisdom
A true spiritual mine
I pray Seers keep shielding
Our revered Dharma old
And keep it always shining
Like pure burnished gold
If words are needed for this
Then let all the words be
While my heart revels in
The unbidden laughter in me
Kishore Asthana
03.04.26