(adi Sankara) 14 Promise Fulfilled Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

At Sringeri Sankara knew,
His mother’s days were few.
To fulfill his promise to her,
He came running to see her.

She saw her loving son
Who was different then.
His face was more divine,
And was shining like the sun.

After years of separation,
It was a pleasant union
Of two souls, mother and son,
Who became speechless then.

She breathed her last.
It was a peaceful moment.
Her head was on his lap.
None came there for help

A sanyasi had no rights
To perform funeral rites.
Neighbours opposed his action.
But he overruled their objection.

To the backyard garden,
He took her body alone
And placed it on the pyre.
Soon it was burnt in fire.

Thus he fulfilled his promise.
More than the usual rituals
He gave importance to the truth
And love for their worth.

No wonder if his name
Reached the height of fame,
For he treated everyone
As part of the whole divine.

What cannot be done
In hundred years by one,
He did in thirty two years,
Patiently with all cheers.