•”Upanishad” literally means ‘sitting down near’ (at the feet of, in a devoted manner)
Sitting under a tree, one day I thought
Who I am, who I am not
A branch touched me on the head
And this is what it softly said
Look at these birds singing away
Look at how we branches sway
In us nature has its say
Ego-less, pure, night and day
You put on a mask every dawn
All day you are your ego's pawn
We wonder in some dismay
How you've been led astray
The leaves whispered in my ear
Listen to us carefully, my dear
Get rid of your overweening pride
And BE the nature you ARE inside
Let us show you for a while
How beautiful is nature's smile
For a few moments, then, I wasn't there
I was soft radiance, everywhere
Then back under the tree I found
I had never left the ground
But that glimpse of nature's kiss
Had left me with deep inner bliss
I got up and I heard a sigh
As the tree bid me goodbye
"Come again", I heard it say
"And, next time, you should stay!"
I wish I could….
Kishore Asthana
08.01.26