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!