Thursday, September 24, 2015

THE DEFEAT OF MARA (CUPID)--- 'KARUNASRI' Jandhyala Papayya Sastry


                        

 Mara,  the director of Maya vowed to rupture

The resolve of   Gautama

 And reached the Uruvela  with his forces magical

Would the son of Mahamaya  care about these tricks?
 

The ignorant Mara aimed  his arrows

At  the man of equilibrium

The arrows turned into  garlands  

And fallen at the feet of the Lord.
 

The nymphs sent by Mara

Sang , danced and bickered

Their legs turned wooden and voices lost

Gautama didn’t open his eyes.    

 

The beautiful and  romantic dance poses

Of Mara’s women  suffered shame

The sound of their beautiful bracelets

 Turned futile in front of Siddhartha.
 

The heroes ,knights, and the

Entire army of devils of Mara

Turned their tails in fear

 At the fierce looks of Gautama. 
 

As if Suddhodana came and chided him

       “ Siddhartha! What’s this, get up”

As if  the queen Yasodhara begged him

               saying,“ Lord! Forgive me!”

As if mother Prajavathi arrived and cajoled

                     “Why tapas! Give it up’

As if Rahula stood before him with eyes tearful

        Saying “ Lift  me into your hands”

All the gimmicks of Mara

And his crooked tricks fell flat

Before Sarvardhasiddhu ,the blissful mind

 that grasped  the  laws of knowledge pure.
 

Once his magical  spells failed

Vanished Mara and his army

Can the jealous fox

Face the lion of Sakya clan? 
 

Moved the waves peaceful in the visage of

The sage supreme in deep meditation 

Filled the moonlight of the full moon day  in his  heart

Thoughts rose like the sea of milk uniting the earth and heaven. 

At that moment most calm

In the  deep heart of the sage with eyes closed

Came   enlightenment illumined by the suns a thousand

 Unfolding   the mystery of the universe to the  sage of Sakya.
 

The beams of light bloomed in his heart

Appeared the light of truth and beauty

Siddhartha became the Buddha

 The banyan tree turned into  Bodhi tree.

 

Saturday, September 19, 2015


Karunamayi         (Woman of Mercy)   --Karunasri

Why did you leave in the midnight, My lord?                                                    

Had you awakened me and said,
“ lady! I’m going to draw the lines of fortune of new man
Would I have stopped you? Am I so stupid?

Lord , an ocean of love , bearer of badabagni  for universal welfare

Left for the forests without telling me

Oh, stars  beautiful ! Ascend the sky and

 Scan the four corners and  inform me his whereabouts.
 

 I am ignorant of the world except my  Lord’s feet

While I lost myself in deep sleep  on the bed of love sweet

I was torn asunder from my husband

By misfortune with a heart petrified.

 

Could I find  in the world

Smiles spread by his cheeks red and delicate

Mercy shining in his eyes like lotus

Love and affection in  lips tender and sweet

Does poor Yasodhara  have such fortune?

 
Being a man, you  abandoned home, my Lord!

Would this world spare me if I had done so?

Would not every atom in the universe

 Have  warned me at every step in the name of honour?

 

Handsome man of colour gold

With shining cheeks and merciful eyes

Oh, Moon! Where’s my  mesmerizing  lord of love

Does he ever  remember me a little?

 

The blooming  flowers with nectar  lukewarm

Welcome the Sun in great elation

Where’ve you gone  lord of my heart!

 Have Your eyes  chatting  with the dawn chosen desertion?

 

 Throwing the  then dreams of artistic joy

Fate pushed me behind the  veil 

And sowed the thorns in my path

Could I not act an anonymous role if not of heroine?     

 

How to confine  the moon

          Who  shines on the world in a home!

How to hide the pole star

        That  offers the brightest future to the world!

How to retain  the universal  riches

        In the walls of a palace!

How to hold the vast ocean of knowledge

        Behind  the scarf on my shoulder!

How to   shackle  the Sun day and night

      In the palace studded with gems

How to  imprison the man of love

         In the province of my embrace tight !

 

Our hearts shaken

 On  seeing the horse that returned empty

Fainted my in-laws

Friends sobbed wildly with faces sorrowful.

 

Channa came with teary eyes  

And told that the lord took Sanyasa

Stayed  in the forest

And  carried on  Tapas.

 

Go not towards that forest, darling!

        The cobras young might hiss

Climb not that hill, lord of my heart

     You might slip on edges rough

Bathe not in that tributary, my husband!

   Whirlpools might be lurking there

Touch not the edges of the grass, my lord!

     Tender fingers might get split

 

My lord! Munch not those raw vegetables

      Your  teeth  might suffer pain  

Wear not clothes made of bark of trees

     They might hurt  to your form handsome .

 

Victory to you, lord!

Spurning  the ornaments , wearing the saffron robes

You walked  the forest paths

Probing truth and forgoing life of pleasures.