A Prayer

Ever since I was born,
Always restless have I been;
Always on my two feet,
Always on the look out!

Endlessly and earnestly,
Searching for something;
Hopefully and impatiently,
Waiting for some one!

Something I knew not what,
Someone I knew not who!
Like the scorched flower,
Waiting for a cool shower.

Mastering Music and Maths,
Playing with numbers and words;
Experimenting in Physical sciences,
Excelling in all my deeds.

Transforming lines in to figures,
A palate of paints into pictures,
Did not calm down my unrest,
Despite the length of time I spent!

I slaved like the busy ant,
From every morning to night;
Yet the inner bliss and comfort,
Eluded all my sincere efforts!

Varied reading; stylish writing,
Soulful singing; dreamy dancing,
Tidy Sketching and colorful painting,
Dominated my mind and thinking.

I knew not then, “Why I was born”?
Nor did I wonder, ” Why I was me”!
I knew not then, that I was born,
To strive and find the real ME!

To realize the glory of SELF,
And reunite with HIMSELF;
After eons of painful separation,
In the forms of various creations.

Sad are the decades I have spent,
In various pursuits, I now resent;
I have been a slave to my senses,
Craving for music, art and dances.

These very thoughts make me bitter;
But on second thoughts I feel better;
For all my pursuits in various ways,
Have been God-oriented always!

Perhaps those decades gone by,
Were not wasted by me entirely;
They have helped to settle down,
The disturbed mind deep within.

Made it crystallize and sublimate,
And evolve towards the Ultimate;
May be slowly but quite steadily,
Over those decades, thankfully.

Until I was truly made ready,
To meet my spiritual teacher;
To absorb and assimilate readily,
The wisdom of the preacher.

Words, though sweet as nectar,
Yet are as sharp as a scalpel,
Of a skillful spiritual doctor,
Trained by the ultimate gospel.

Slicing off a few pieces here,
Chopping off another there,
Decisively though delicately,
He carved my mind beautifully.

“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”,
Had been my motto for ever and ever.
Love for pretty things was my craze,
It has now vanished without a trace!

Now I realize that they were pretty,
And as petty as they were pretty,
God is the only mighty tower,
Of wisdom, beauty and power.

My anger has subsided drastically,
My temper has cooled down wholly,
Traces of ego, born out of success,
Have been removed without traces.

My turbulent mind has by now,
Calmed to a smooth silvery flow;
Stronger and purer than in the past,
Do I feel as the days roll past!

Worthy of HIM I should become,
The lovely God the size of a thumb;
Who hides in our hearts playfully,
The safest hide-out universally!

Let my mind vanish completely,
Like the misty vapors in Sunshine.
Let HIM guide my hand willingly,
He who makes the stars shine!

Let me be an instrument in His hands,
And just a bundle of aches and pains;
May I see only what HE wants me to see,
May I do only what HE wants me to do.

May I speak only what HE wants me to say,
May I hear only what HE wants me to hear;
Nay, nay, it is time to drop the “I” and “mine”,
And be controlled by the Power Divine!

We think that we own the world,
As masters of the things we hoard;
While in truth we do not possess,
Even our very own foolish selves!

Visalakshi Ramani.