Tuesday 16 February 2016

32 sq. ft.


My Shrine

This space of a room

On the second floor

With a wooden door

Opening to a terrace

And with a small glass window

An entry way

To a strip of the blue sky

Waits for me

Every dawn and dusk

I know

               

My deities dwell there

They are my family members

Cutest of them is my baby Gopala*

I bathe him

Feed him

Dress him

Daily

As incense sticks spill fragrance

I take my seat on the asana**cross legged

With eyes closed

 

The shrine showers silence to the mind

Stopping slithering thoughts

To rare hood

Their fading fangs

Make room

For the Name of God

The Name***calms me down

I wait for the deity

To step on my lotus heart

This room is my refuge…….

 

 
My Gopala

 

*Gopala is the baby form of Lord Krishna. Since it’s a baby it needs to be taken care of just as a baby in the family

**asana is the mat for praying

***The Hindus practice Japa which is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of a divine power. Wikipedia.

 


Posted for dVerse Poetics - Room With or Without a View

24 comments:

  1. Sumana, I really enjoyed the close up view of your special room - the shrine. I can see how this room would be a refuge and a place for comfort, a place to go when you needed to find peace. I am especially interested in Gopala & the special care you take of him.

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  2. This is a very personal, and yet very informative, poem, Sumana! This made me wonder whether most Indian families have a shrine for the deities and whether the deities are the same or different in all households.

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    1. Most Indian Hindu families try to have at least a space for the deities if not a whole room as small as mine. They may follow monotheism, in that case they won't have any deities and stress on meditation or they may follow polytheism worshipping varied deities. Gopala is an exception, most households have him.

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  3. It sounds wonderful to have a place like that to have your shrine and meditation... Such a pleasant place to be in....

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  4. This is soo powerful! It gives a sense of peace sublime.


    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  5. Oh this is beautiful, Sumana. What a precious refuge this room must be. I love the "strip of blue sky" you glimpse morning and evening. Love the baby Gopala, whom you tend so tenderly. A beautiful response to the prompt which teaches me something about depth of faith.

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  6. A very sacred room. Thank you for inviting us into your holy place!

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  7. I like this spiritual take on the prompt, very much.

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  8. A beautiful space you keep there for your daily sadhana, Sumana. Thank you for sharing. I recognize the photos of your revered teachers.

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  9. A lovely write. You describe (beautifully) a wonderful refuge ... so peaceful - sigh. Thank you for sharing this, Sumana.

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  10. How lovely to have that room of refuge for your lotus heart, like a prayer room Sumana ~ Love the picture too ~

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  11. this is so peaceful

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  12. A prayer room or closet comes to mind for me. A place to pray and meditate. Your poem feels as serene as your description of the room.

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  13. Beautiful piece. The alliteration of the first 2 lines of your final stanza has a very meditative feel.

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  14. Beautiful. In my past job, in charge of a Global MBA, I had the honor of travel to India three times. I always travelled alone. On one visit to Hyderabad, I had the privilege to viit a family and see their room where they meditated. I could feel the quiet, the calm. You've penned this so well -- no matter the country, the place to honor the deities is a sacred one.

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  15. These are my favorites:

    "I know My deities dwell there"
    "As incense sticks spill fragrance"
    "The shrine showers silence to the mind"
    "I wait for the deity To step on my lotus heart"

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  16. For me, a sacred space is so important--a place where we can go and honor our beliefs, pray for and commune with our loved one, each in our own way. You have expressed this so well, Sumana. A place of healing...

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  17. My comment disappeared, so I'll try again:

    Your delightful poem reveals the reverence you have for your special place.

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  18. Your lotus heart and washing the baby Gopal shows so much devotion and the poem creates its own tranquil space like your room.

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  19. A room for praying - what a comforting place. :-)

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  20. Sacred rooms sanctify
    essence true as holy
    symbols rise
    symbols
    aLL oF
    purpose..
    meaning..
    prayer oF
    real
    to
    hold..:)

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