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Feb 25, 2019

Pinda-Dana: A Poem

Pinda-Dana
By: Bijay Kant Dubey



Pinda-Dana (A Series of Poems)
Pinda-dana,
Pinda-dana,
Pinda to pinda!

A voyage mystical,
A voyage mythical,
Metaphysical.

Pinda to pinda,
Metamorphosed  body
Crumbling.

Clay transformed
Mingling with,
Disintegrating.

The body of clay
Mingling with dust and ashes
To return back to.

Disintegrating,
Scattering
And crumbling.

The body a pinda
On the return back journey
Lapsing into.

The journey
A pinda to pinda,
A lump of soil to soil ultimately.

The soil as good earth,
The body a part of soil, clay, dust
Returning to dust.

Charred,
Turned to coal
As the burning embers cooled.

Pinda to pinda,
The journey,
The return journey.

The back journey,
The return journey
Back to dormant consciousness.

As the body lapsed into a coma,
Turning insensitive,
Unconscious.

The body returned to,
Returned back to
The core elements.

Soil to soil,
Fire to fire,
Water to water.

Wind to wind,
Spirit to spirit,
The five elements.

The five elements
The body is composed off,
The things elemental.

Soil to soil,
Fire to fire,
Water to water.

Wind to wind,
Spirit to spirit,
Returned it back to.

When the body was burnt
On the pyre,
Funeral pyre.

The decomposed body
About to annihilate
Burnt it, burnt it.

Disintegrating,
Scattering
And crumbling.

Turning into coal,
Ashes
To dust.

And remained it not,
Remained it not
Anything.

Pinda-dana,
Pinda-dana,
Started it the ritual.

The ritual of the dana,
The karta, doer of the kriya-karma
Doing the things.

Carrying out,
Carrying out the process,
Dana ritual.

Offering a handful of food
To the bereaved soul,
Forlorn.

A handful of dana
To the bereaved soul,
The soul hungry and thirsty.

To the soul wandering,
Wailing,
Bemoaning with the wind.

O, a handful of food grains,
A handful of,
Give you, give you!

O, a handful of water,
A handful of
To the soul thirsty, hungry!

Pinda-dana,
Pinda-dana,
The dana of the pinda.

Let the soul,
Soul rest in peace,
Peace.

Let, let the soul
Rest in
Peace.

Bereaved and gone,
Forlorn and deserted
And departed.

Soil to soil,
Water to water,
Fire to fire.

Wind to wind,
Spirit to spirit,
The journey.

Mass to mass,
Matter to matter,
Spirit to spirit.

Body to body,
Earth to earth,
Soil to soil.

O, doer,
Give you, give you
Matter to the soul!

Give you, give you
Water to the soul
Departed!

A handful of,
Handful of
Food grains to the hungry soul!

Food grains,
Food grains
Which but matter too.

Water,
Water as which moistens,
Wets and shapes.

Give you, give you
Food to the soul,
Water to the thirsty soul!

Food grains, food grains
Rolled as pindas, pindas,
The body a pinda. 

O, doer, doer,
Go on, go on
Doing the kriya-karma!

Pinda, pinda-dana,
Pinda-dana,
Invoking and addressing the spirit!



Feb 15, 2019

Asthi-Kalasha: A Series of Poems


By: Bijay Kant Dubey

Asthi-kalasha,
Whose asthi-kalasha is this,
Whose asthi-kalasha?

It is, it is the asthi-kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha
Of my mother, my mother.

Whose, whose asthi-kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha,
Whose, whose?

Of my mother, mother,
Of my mother,
Mother?

A small earthen urn,
Urn,
Hanging, hanging by the pole.

A small, small kalasha,
Pitcher
Hanging, hanging by the bamboo pole.

A small pitcher, small pitcher
Containing,
Containing the ashes.

Ashes, ashes of my dead,
Dead mother,
Mother.

A soul left, left forlorn,
Forlorn and bereaved,
Deceased and bereft.

A soul, soul
Bereaved and wandering,
Wandering and wailing with the wind.

Asthi-kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha,
The asthi-kalasha of my mother, mother!

Whose, whose asthi-kalasha,
Kalasha
Is this?

It is, it is of my mother,
Mother,
Mother!

My mother,
My mother,
Mother, my mother!

Asthi-kalasha,
The asthi-kalasha of my mother,
My mother dead and left for!

The asthi-kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha of mother,
My mother!

Hanging,
Hanging by the bamboo pole,
Bamboo pole.

By the bamboo pole,
An asthi-kalasha,
An urn containing ashes.

An asthi-kalasha,
Kalasha, kalasha
Full of bone contents.

A kalasha, kalasha,
Full of ashes,
Ashes, bodily ashes.

Asthi-kalasha, asthi-kalasha,
Full of ashes,
Ashes, bodily ashes.

The body which it matters it not,
The soul which leaves it finally
When the body of flesh and bones goes frail and weak.

The body, body which it is not my own,
The soul, soul which but it transmigrates,
Migrates and it not own.

The body, body which it is not my own,
The body which, which it dies,
Is not ours, ours.

The soul, soul too not own,
Own, but of other domains
Mystical and unknown.

As opened I the door,
The door of my house,
House.

Found I,
Found I the kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha of my mother.

Mother
Hanging,
Hanging by the bamboo pole.

As I opened,
Opened the door of my house,
House one night.

As, as I
One night,
One night.

One lonely,
Lonely and deserted night,
One deep and dark night.

When,
When the world was sleeping,
Sleeping.

The wide-wide world
Stood it lonely and silent,
Manless and deserted.

As, as I,
I one night,
As, as and when.

Opened I the door,
The door of the house,
Found, found I the asthi-kalasha.

The asthi-kalasha
Hanging,
Hanging by the pole.

The asthi-kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha,
Hanging, hanging by.

Mother,
Mother was not,
But her, her kalasha.

Kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha
Hanging, hanging by the pole.

The asthi-kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha
Lay it hanging.

Hanging by
The door,
Door.

When,
When
Opened I, opened I the door.

Of my house,
My house
One midnight.

Midnight
Dark and lonely,
Dark and lonely.

Found I,
Found I
The kalasha.

The kalasha,
The asthi-kalasha
Of my mother deceased.

With the navel,
Navel
Put into.

The navel,
Navel which burnt it,
Burnt it.

Like a diya,
A diya
Glowing with the oil wick.

Lit and lighting,
Lighting
The ways.

A lamp,
A lamp burning,
Burning dimly.

Flickering,
Flickering and flaring
And flaming.

The diya,
The earthen diya
Lighting and lighting.

Under the stars
Twinkling,
Twinkling without answers.

The asthi-kalasha,
Asthi-kalasha
Of my mother, mother.

Dead, dead and gone,
Gone, gone and left for,
Left for the heavenly abode. 

Burnt she on the funeral pyre,
Going into flames,
Flames feeding upon.

Flames, flames,
Fire flames singing,
Singing it the body to ashes.

When the body burnt it to ashes
Reduced it to coal,
Coal and ashes.

The body burnt it completely,
The body
With nothing there as a relic.

But the navel,
The navel kept it burning,
Burning for some time.

Which the cremators,
Cremators
Collected, collected the fire fragment.

To be put,
Put into a small pitcher
Just for namesake.

With the mud
Wrapped, wrapped over the kalasha,
The kalasha earthen and symbolic.

As,
As and when
Opened I, opened I the door.

The door,
The door of my house
Found, found I kalasha hanging.

Hanging, hanging by the pole
Near the door,
The door.

The kalasha,
The kalasha,
The asthi-kalasha of my dead mother.

Mother is not,
But her remains
Contained in the pot.

Which but,
Which but saw I speechlessly,
Dumb-founded and solemnly.

The asthi-kalasha,
The asthi-kalasha hanging,
Hanging by the pole.









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